ObjectiveHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents 90% of all primary liver cancers. The main risk factors associated with HCC include viral hepatitis (B and/or C), alcohol abuse, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), which progressively advance to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and ultimately evolve into HCC. Surgical resection represents the most effective treatment for HCC, while recent advances in immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and adoptive cell therapies, have provided improved treatment prospects for patients with unresectable HCC. However, the complex metabolic heterogeneity of HCC limits the therapeutic efficacy. Metabolic intermediates acyl-CoA not only provide energy and substrates for numerous biochemical reactions but also serve as donors for protein lysine acylation, a major class of post-translational modification (PTM). Therefore, a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying protein lysine acylation and hepatocarcinogenesis is urgently needed. MethodsThe levels of protein lysine acylation and silence information regulator 5 (SIRT5) expression levels in clinical HCC samples were analyzed by Western blot. Quantitative malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples were analyzed by antibody-based affinity enrichment coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The proliferation of HCC cells was analyzed with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assays, the apoptosis was quantified by Annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) staining coupled with flow cytometry, and the ability of cells to migrate was assayed by Transwell assays. The enzymatic activity of glutathione S-transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1) was quantified. Transgenic mice with hepatic overexpression of SIRT5 were constructed using CRISPR-Cas9, and primary hepatocarcinogenesis was induced by administration of diethylnitrosamine. ResultsWestern blot analysis indicated that the expression level of SIRT5 was elevated in clinical samples from HCC patients, and the levels of lysine malonylation, glutarylation, and succinylation were significantly reduced in HCC tissues. Knockout of SIRT5 in MHCC-97H and MHCC-97L hepatoma cells suppressed cell proliferation, and increased the percentage of apoptotic cells significantly. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses of the differentially malonylome and succinylome of HCC samples revealed significant enrichment in two major classes of biological processes: core energy metabolism (e.g., glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, tricarboxylic acid metabolic process, fatty acid beta oxidation) and detoxification and oxidative stress response (e.g., response to toxic substance, chemical carcinogenesis, reactive oxygen species (ROS)). SIRT5 removes malonylation from lysine residues in GSTM1 and restores its detoxification activity, which is crucial for the survival of hepatocytes under stressed conditions. More importantly, in vivo experiment indicated that hepatic-specific overexpression of SIRT5 in mice accelerated diethylnitrosamine-induced liver fibrosis and hepatocarcinogenesis, indicating the critical role of SIRT5 in HCC progression. ConclusionThis study highlights the previously unrecognized SIRT5-GSTM1 axis as a key regulator in hepatocarcinogenesis, and suggests a potential target for the treatment of patients with HCC.

Objective To explore the feasibility and corresponding implementation methods of constructing a sample resource bank based on individual-level data of completed clinical trials and using it to construct external controls for drug/device clinical trials.Methods Taking the pre-marketing clinical trial of transcatheter active valve replacement(TAVR)for the treatment of aortic valve stenosis as an example,the individual-level databases of multiple trials were standardized to form a sample bank.The original data of any trial in the sample bank were selected as the experimental group,and the remaining samples were selected as the control group.The potential confounding was handled by using the propensity score matching and stratification methods to clarify the process of constructing external controls based on the sample bank of individual-level data of clinical trials.Results This study included individual-level data of single-group trials of 4 TAVR devices,with a total of 569 subjects(59.2%male).The number of subjects in Trials 1 to 4 was 120,120,163,and 166,respectively.Propensity score matching enabled the matching of 113,117,125,and 147 subjects with comparable or similar characteristics from individual-level data from other trials,respectively,demonstrating a high matching success rate.The PS score distribution plot after stratification showed that the proportions of subjects in the experimental and control groups in strata 1 to 5 in scheme 1 were 4/103,11/103,22/92,32/87,and 51/64,respectively.For all constructed external controlled trials,a certain number of control samples with similar baseline characteristics to the experimental groups were distributed within each propensity score stratum.The results of the simulation test also reflected the potential differences between different devices in the 12-month all-cause mortality rate.Conclusions The sample bank constructed with individual-level data from clinical trials,as a high-quality data source,can serve as a source of external control for single-arm trials in the same field,and as a useful supplement to the external control scenario of real-world evidence to support drug and device development.At the same time,targeted research on research methods and bias control measures in related fields is also needed.

Objective To study the expression characteristics of osteoprotegerin(OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand(RANKL)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB(RANK)system and the relationship with fibrosis in myocardial tissues of rats with chronic heart failure.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group(12 rats)and model group.In sham-operation group,surgical thread was passed through the abdominal aorta without constricting it after laparotomy;in model group,establish the heart failure model by abdominal aorta coarctation.The successful model rats were randomly divided into model 1 week(12 rats),model 2 weeks(11 rats),model 4 weeks(11 rats),model 8 weeks(11 rats)and model 12 weeks groups(11 rats).The end point of the study is at week 12.The contents of hydroxyproline(HYP),total myocardial collagen and collagen volume fraction(CVF)were compaired in all proups.The expression levels of OPG,RANKL and RANK proteins in cardiomyocytes were determined by Western blot.Results The contents of HYP in sham-operation,model 1 week,model 2 weeks,model 4 weeks,model 8 weeks and model 12 weeks group were(0.25±0.04),(0.37±0.05),(0.45±0.04),(0.60±0.05),(0.82±0.10)and(1.03±0.07)μg·mg-1;the total myocardial collagen contents were(1.87±0.31),(2.73±0.38),(3.36±0.31),(4.47±0.37),(6.08±0.74)and(7.67±0.49)μg·mg-1;the CVF were(1.95±0.23)％,(2.40±0.25)％,(3.65±0.25)％,(5.43±0.29)％,(6.97±0.36)％and(9.38±0.49)％;the relative expression levels of OPG protein were 0.64±0.07,0.80±0.07,1.02±0.07,1.32±0.11,2.13±0.12 and 2.84±0.16;the relative expression levels of RANKL protein were 0.71±0.08,1.06±0.07,1.53±0.07,2.62±0.12,4.46±0.14 and 6.11±0.16;the relative expression levels of RANK protein were 0.30±0.05,0.45±0.05,0.63±0.06,0.98±0.07,1.43±0.10 and 1.63±0.10.With the extention of time,the above indexs of all model groups were significantly higher than those in the sham-operation group(all P＜0.05).There were positive linear correlation between the relative expression levels of OPG,RANKL,RANK protein and the levels of CVF and total contents in cardiomyocytes of rats with chronic heart failure(allP＜0.01).Conclusions In the process of chronic heart failure,the expression of OPG/RANKL/RANK axis is obviously enhanced,in which the up-regulation of RANKL level is most obvious.The expression level of OPG/RANKL/RANK is positively correlated with CVF and total myocardial collagen content.

Aim To study the effect of anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody on high-fat diet-induced athero-sclerosis in ApoE-/-mice.Methods Twenty-four ApoE-/-mice were randomly divided into the normal group,high-fat group,and high-fat+anti-PD-L1 mAb group.After 70 days,the blood samples were harves-ted.Blood vessels(aortic root to abdominal aorta)and liver from each groups were stained with Oil Red O.Hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE)was employed to vis-ualize structural changes in liver.Enzyme-linked im-munosorbent assay(ELISA)was applied to detect the serum levels of total cholesterol(CHO),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein(HDL-c),low-density lipoprotein(LDL-c)and inflammatory factors(IFN-γ,TNF-α,IL-1 β).Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of lymphocytes(CD4 and CD8).RT-PCR was utilized to assess the expressions of IFN-γ,TNF-α,IL-1 β,CD4 and CD8 in liver.Results Compared with the high-fat group,the treatment with anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody promoted vascular wall and liver lipid accumulation,and also up-regulated serum and liver content of cholesterol(CHO),triglyceride(TG)and high-density lipoprotein(HDL-c).Treatment with anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody up-regulated the con-tent of alanine aminotransferase(GPT)and aspartate aminotransferase(GOT)in serum and liver,but not al-kaline phosphatase(AKP).ELISA test indicated that treatment with anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody stimu-lated the serum level of IFN-γ,TNF-α and IL-1 β.Fur-thermore,the mRNA level of IFN-γ,TNF-α and IL-1 βin liver was also up-regulated after treatment with anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody.With flow cytometry,we observed that treatment with anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody promoted hepatic CD8+T and CD8+IFN-γ+T cell activation,but had no effect on CD4+IFN-γ+T cell activation under high-fat feeding conditions.Con-clusions Anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody adminis-tered under high-fat feeding conditions can damage liv-er function and aggravate atherosclerosis by activating liver CD8+IFN-γ+T cells.

Numerous studies have shown that depression is main-ly associated with the abnormal expression of connexin 43(Cx43)in astrocytes(Astro)and its mediated dysfunction of gap junction(GJ).However,the molecular mechanism of post-translational modifications targeting Cx43 to regulate neuroin-flammation-associated depression is still unclear.Post-transla-tional modifications of Cx43 mainly include phosphorylation of specific amino acid sites by PKC,PKA,PKG,MAPK and PTK,and protein degradation of Cx43 through the K48/K63 polyubiq-uitylation and deubiquitination pathways,which ultimately lead to protein degradation through K48/K63 polyubiquitination and deubiquitination.These modifications are ultimately involved in the regulation of neuroinflammatory responses through the associ-ation of GJ function.In this paper,we systematically review the role of Cx43 post-translational modifications in neuroinflamma-tion,with the aim of further exploring the potential application of targeting these modifications to modulate the inflammatory re-sponse mechanism in improving depressive symptoms.

Chronic kidney disease(CKD)is a chronic disease characterized by renal structural damage and dysfunction.At present,there is still a lack of effective therapeutic drugs and prevention and treatment methods for CKD in clinical practice.More and more studies have shown that necroptosis,as a new type of programmed cell death,plays a vital role in the onset and progression of CKD.Targeting key molecules in the necroptosis pathway,such as RIPK1,RIPK3 and MLKL,the development of small molecule inhibitors has become an emerging strategy for the treatment of CKD,and has shown significant potential to pro-tect the kidneys and alleviate renal fibrosis in a variety of in vitro and in vivo models.Therefore,this article summarizes the re-search progress of the mechanism of necroptosis in recent years,and focuses on the potential role of necroptosis in the pathogene-sis of CKD and the therapeutic potential of targeting this path-way,providing a new perspective and research direction for the prevention and treatment of CKD in the future.

Numerous studies have shown that depression is main-ly associated with the abnormal expression of connexin 43(Cx43)in astrocytes(Astro)and its mediated dysfunction of gap junction(GJ).However,the molecular mechanism of post-translational modifications targeting Cx43 to regulate neuroin-flammation-associated depression is still unclear.Post-transla-tional modifications of Cx43 mainly include phosphorylation of specific amino acid sites by PKC,PKA,PKG,MAPK and PTK,and protein degradation of Cx43 through the K48/K63 polyubiq-uitylation and deubiquitination pathways,which ultimately lead to protein degradation through K48/K63 polyubiquitination and deubiquitination.These modifications are ultimately involved in the regulation of neuroinflammatory responses through the associ-ation of GJ function.In this paper,we systematically review the role of Cx43 post-translational modifications in neuroinflamma-tion,with the aim of further exploring the potential application of targeting these modifications to modulate the inflammatory re-sponse mechanism in improving depressive symptoms.

Chronic kidney disease(CKD)is a chronic disease characterized by renal structural damage and dysfunction.At present,there is still a lack of effective therapeutic drugs and prevention and treatment methods for CKD in clinical practice.More and more studies have shown that necroptosis,as a new type of programmed cell death,plays a vital role in the onset and progression of CKD.Targeting key molecules in the necroptosis pathway,such as RIPK1,RIPK3 and MLKL,the development of small molecule inhibitors has become an emerging strategy for the treatment of CKD,and has shown significant potential to pro-tect the kidneys and alleviate renal fibrosis in a variety of in vitro and in vivo models.Therefore,this article summarizes the re-search progress of the mechanism of necroptosis in recent years,and focuses on the potential role of necroptosis in the pathogene-sis of CKD and the therapeutic potential of targeting this path-way,providing a new perspective and research direction for the prevention and treatment of CKD in the future.

Objective To study the expression characteristics of osteoprotegerin(OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand(RANKL)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB(RANK)system and the relationship with fibrosis in myocardial tissues of rats with chronic heart failure.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group(12 rats)and model group.In sham-operation group,surgical thread was passed through the abdominal aorta without constricting it after laparotomy;in model group,establish the heart failure model by abdominal aorta coarctation.The successful model rats were randomly divided into model 1 week(12 rats),model 2 weeks(11 rats),model 4 weeks(11 rats),model 8 weeks(11 rats)and model 12 weeks groups(11 rats).The end point of the study is at week 12.The contents of hydroxyproline(HYP),total myocardial collagen and collagen volume fraction(CVF)were compaired in all proups.The expression levels of OPG,RANKL and RANK proteins in cardiomyocytes were determined by Western blot.Results The contents of HYP in sham-operation,model 1 week,model 2 weeks,model 4 weeks,model 8 weeks and model 12 weeks group were(0.25±0.04),(0.37±0.05),(0.45±0.04),(0.60±0.05),(0.82±0.10)and(1.03±0.07)μg·mg-1;the total myocardial collagen contents were(1.87±0.31),(2.73±0.38),(3.36±0.31),(4.47±0.37),(6.08±0.74)and(7.67±0.49)μg·mg-1;the CVF were(1.95±0.23)％,(2.40±0.25)％,(3.65±0.25)％,(5.43±0.29)％,(6.97±0.36)％and(9.38±0.49)％;the relative expression levels of OPG protein were 0.64±0.07,0.80±0.07,1.02±0.07,1.32±0.11,2.13±0.12 and 2.84±0.16;the relative expression levels of RANKL protein were 0.71±0.08,1.06±0.07,1.53±0.07,2.62±0.12,4.46±0.14 and 6.11±0.16;the relative expression levels of RANK protein were 0.30±0.05,0.45±0.05,0.63±0.06,0.98±0.07,1.43±0.10 and 1.63±0.10.With the extention of time,the above indexs of all model groups were significantly higher than those in the sham-operation group(all P＜0.05).There were positive linear correlation between the relative expression levels of OPG,RANKL,RANK protein and the levels of CVF and total contents in cardiomyocytes of rats with chronic heart failure(allP＜0.01).Conclusions In the process of chronic heart failure,the expression of OPG/RANKL/RANK axis is obviously enhanced,in which the up-regulation of RANKL level is most obvious.The expression level of OPG/RANKL/RANK is positively correlated with CVF and total myocardial collagen content.

Acute pancreatitis(AP)is a common digestive disorder associated with moderate to high nutritional risks,necessitating timely nutritional support.Over the past five decades,medical nutrition therapy for AP has undergone a paradigm shift,transitioning from traditional fasting based on the"pancreatic rest theory"to the current emphasis on early enteral feeding to"awaken the gut."Currently,nutritional treatment has become a cornerstone of comprehensive AP management.The European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism(ESPEN),founded in 1980,is a leading professional organization dedicated to advancing research,clinical practice,and education in clinical nutrition and metabolism.To date,ESPEN has published five evidence-based guidelines on nutritional management in pancreatic diseases.This article reviews the evolution of AP nutritional therapy as outlined in these ESPEN guidelines,highlighting key recommendations and their clinical implications.