In recent years, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) have increased incidence and mortality, and most GIST is caused by the activation mutation of the c-KIT gene. Therefore, c-KIT has become a promising therapeutic target of GIST. At present, the drugs approved for the treatment of GIST including imatinib, sunitinib, regorafenib and ripretinib, are mostly prone to developing resistance and accompanied by various degrees of adverse reactions. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new c-KIT inhibitors to solve the problem of resistance. In this study, we investigated the anti-tumor effect of a novel c-KIT inhibitor PN17-1 on gastrointestinal stromal tumor GIST-882 cells in vitro. We found that PN17-1 significantly inhibited the proliferation, colony formation and migration ability of GIST-882 cells, and significantly downregulated the protein expression levels of p-c-KIT and its downstream signals p-AKT, p-STAT5 and p-ERK in GIST-882 cells. In addition, PN17-1 induced apoptosis in GIST-882 cells, and the apoptosis may be mainly related to the mitochondrial-dependent endogenous pathway. In conclusion, the novel c-KIT inhibitor PN17-1 is a promising anti-GIST drug, and this study provides new ideas for further development of c-KIT inhibitors in the future.

The accumulation of uremic toxins such as urea nitrogen, blood creatinine, and uric acid of patients with renal failure in vivo would lead to aggravated kidney damage. In this study, coated aldehyde oxy-starch (CAO) was used as an adsorbent to investigate its in vitro adsorption performance on renal failure indexes for urea, indoxyl sulfate (INS), monomethylamine (MMA), dimethylamine (DMA), uric acid (UA), and creatinine (Cr). The effects of variables such as pH, temperature, concentration, dosage, and time on the adsorption capacity of CAO were systematically investigated, employing analytical techniques of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC). The results revealed that CAO exhibited a strong adsorption capacity for urea, INS, and MMA, alongside a moderate adsorption capacity for DMA, UA, and Cr. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO were fitted in pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the adsorption isotherm aligned with the Freundlich adsorption model. The enthalpy change ΔH of urea in adsorption was in the range of 40 to 60 kJ·mol^-1, which demonstrated the presence of strong adsorption force due to the interactions of coordinating groups. The ΔH of UA was greater than 80 kJ·mol^-1, indicating the generation of chemical bonds during the adsorption. Both of them, Gibbs free energy ΔG was less than 0, within the range of -20 to 0 kJ·mol^-1, suggested that the adsorption of urea and UA by CAO occurred spontaneously as physical adsorption process. The adsorption entropy ΔS of urea and UA was > 0, which indicated an increase in entropy throughout the adsorption. The infrared spectroscopygram showed the formation of a chemical bond, specifically the imine bond, following the adsorption of urea by CAO, thereby indicating a chemical reaction during the adsorption. This study elucidates the adsorption mechanism of CAO on various indexes of renal failure, providing a scientific basis for its clinical usage.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Background Under the background of global warming, research on association between ambient temperature and risk of injury is needed. Objective To examine the effect of temperature on injury in Bao'an district, Shenzhen and identify the sensitive population, thereby providing a scientific basis for formulating prevention and control strategies and measures of injury. Methods The injury reports from the Injury Surveillance System and the meteorological data of Bao'an District between 2018 to 2022 were collected. The meteorological data were sourced from the fifth generation of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) land reanalysis data. Based on time-stratified case-crossover design, conditional logistic regression combined with distributed lag nonlinear model was used to evaluate the exposure-response association between ambient temperature and injury. The stratified analyses were further conducted by gender, age, and causes of injury. Results A total of 156205 injury cases were collected from the injury surveillance sentinel hospitals in Bao'an District of Shenzhen from 2018 to 2022, and the median of daily average temperature during the same period was 20.0 ℃. The exposure-response curve showed that the risk of injury was positively correlated with temperature. The linearized analysis revealed that each 1°C increase in temperature was associated with a 1.05% (95%CI: 0.68%, 1.42%) rise in injury risk (ER). Notably, the effect was greater in females (ER=1.31%, 95%CI: 0.67%, 1.94%) than males (ER=0.92%, 95%CI: 0.47%, 1.37%). Among age groups, adults ＞60 years faced the highest risk (ER=1.91%, 95%CI: −0.36%, 4.24%). The top three temperature-associated injury risks were sharp instrument injuries (ER=2.19%, 95%CI: 1.16%, 3.22%), animal injuries (ER=1.71%, 95%CI: 0.86%, 2.56%), and blunt injuries (ER=071%, 95%CI: −0.08%, 1.51%). The impact of temperature on unintentional injuries (ER=1.11%, 95%CI: 0.72%, 1.49%) was higher than that on intentional injuries (ER=0.43%, 95%CI: −0.85%, 1.72%). Severe injuries (ER=2.20%, 95%CI: −3.09%, 7.77%) were more affected by temperature than mild injuries (ER=1.00%, 95%CI: 0.58%, 1.43%) and moderate injuries (ER=1.15%, 95%CI: 0.42%, 1.89%). Conclusion The increase in ambient temperature associates with injury occurrence, and the impact of temperature exhibits obvious heterogeneity among different populations, indicating that targeted intervention measures should be taken for different populations and types of injuries.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Objective: To investigate the distribution of GP (B-A-B) hybrid glycophorins in several Chinese minority populations from southern regions of China (Guangdong & Guizhou). Methods: Whole blood samples were collected from 536 blood donors representing 15 different Chinese ethnic minority groups, including She, Bouyei, Yi and Miao, as well as Chuanqing populations. Genomic DNA was extracted and GYP (B-A-B) genotyping was conducted by high resolution melting (HRM) minority method using the GYPB pseudoexon 3-specific primers. Direct sequencing of GYPB pseudoexon 3 was performed in the samples with variant curves. Results: Only one genotype of GP (B-A-B) hybrid glycophorins (GYP Mur/GYPB) was identified among these 536 samples. In total, 15 She (15/162, 9.26%), 18 Bouyei (18/113, 15.93%), 3 Yi (3/79, 3.80%), 3 Chuanqing (3/45, 6.67%), 2 Bai (2/42, 4.76%), 3 Miao (3/40, 7.50%), 1 Shui (1/12, 8.33%), 2 Gelao (2/12, 16.67%), 1 Tujia (1/8, 12.50%) and 1 Dong (1/6, 16.67%) blood donors with heterozygous GYP Mur allele were identified. Among 8 Hui, 5 Manchu, 2 Mongolian, 1 Yao and 1 Li donors, no GYP (B-A-B) hybrid gene carrier was found. In addition, four nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in 6 samples with a variant melting curve detected by HRM. Conclusion: GP. Mur is the most common type of GP (B-A-B) hybrid glycophorins among Chinese minority populations, with frequency varying across different populations. It is recommended to involve GP. Mur reagent cells in the antibody screening cells for populations with a high frequency of GYP Mur allele.