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Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) constitutes a major public health problem in China and worldwide. We aimed to examine classical risk factors and their magnitudes for CVD in a Chinese cohort with over 20 years follow-up. Methods A cohort of 5092 male steelworkers recruited from 1974 to 1980 in Beijing of China was followed up for an average of 20.84 years. Cox proportional-hazards regression model were used to evaluate the risk of developing a first CVD event in the study participants who were free of CVD at the baseline. Results The multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) associated with every 20 mmHg rise in systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 1.63 in this Chinese male population, which was higher than in Caucasians. Compared to non-smokers, men who smoked not less than one-pack-a-day had a HR of 2.43 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.75-3.38). The HR (95% CI) for every 20 mg/dl increase in total serum cholesterol (TC) and for every point rise in body mass index (BMI) was 1.13 (1.04-1.23) and 1.06 (1.02-1.09), respectively. Conclusions Our study documents that hypertension, smoking, overweight and hypercholesterolemia are major conventional risk factors of CVD in Chinese male adults. Continued strengthening programs for prevention and intervention on these risk factors are needed to reduce the incidence of CVD in China.

Transparent conductive thin films (TCO) are widely used for their excellent photoelectric properties. To prepare high-quality ZnO targets, starting with the original ZnO powder is necessary. This paper aims to explore the basic technology and method of ultrasonic-assisted direct precipitation for mass production of ZnO powder and to analyze the effects of factors such as precipitating agent, surfactant, calcination temperature, and solvent on the powder’s morphology, particle size, and crystallinity. The study found that the type and amount of precipitants and surfactants affect the powder’s morphology and dispersibility, while calcination temperature mainly affects the powder’s morphology and crystallinity. The ethanol content in the solvent mainly affects the grain size. After testing different variables, the optimal conditions for preparing spherical ZnO powder were found to be using (NH 4 ) 2 ·CO 3 as the precipitant, adding 3% wt of PEG-400 and 3% wt of TEA at a calcination temperature of 320°C and a 60% ethanol solvent. This resulted in a smooth surface, uniform particle size distribution, good dispersibility, high crystallinity, and particle sizes between 26-32nm.

Immune cells were traditionally considered as major pro-inflammatory contributors. Recent advances in molecular immunology prove that immune cell lineages are composed of different subsets capable of a vast array of specialized functions. These immune cell subsets share distinct duties in regulating innate and adaptive immune functions and contribute to both immune activation and immune suppression responses in peripheral tissue. Here, we summarized current understanding of the different subsets of major immune cells, including T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, monocytes, and macrophages. We highlighted molecular characterization, frequency, and tissue distribution of these immune cell subsets in human and mice. In addition, we described specific cytokine production, molecular signaling, biological functions, and tissue population changes of these immune cell subsets in both cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Finally, we presented a working model of the differentiation of inflammatory mononuclear cells, their interaction with endothelial cells, and their contribution to tissue inflammation. In summary, this review offers an updated and comprehensive guideline for immune cell development and subset differentiation, including subset characterization, signaling, modulation, and disease associations. We propose that immune cell subset differentiation and its complex interaction within the internal biological milieu compose a “pathophysiological network,” an interactive cross-talking complex, which plays a critical role in the development of inflammatory diseases and cancers.

Background Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are related to colorectal cancer (CRC) development. However, the role and mechanism of lncRNA LINC01224 in CRC development are largely unknown. Methods LINC01224, Yin Yang 1 (YY1), microRNA (miR)-485-5p, and myosins of class VI (MYO6) levels were examined using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Functional analyses were processed through CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, transwell, and xenograft analyses. Dual-luciferase reporter, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), RNA immunoprecipitation, and pull-down assays were conducted to analyze the binding interaction. Results LINC01224 abundance was elevated in CRC tissue samples and cell lines. Elevated LINC01224 might indicate the lower 5-year overall survival in 52 CRC patients. LINC01224 was upregulated via the transcription factor YY1. LINC01224 knockdown restrained CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and increased apoptosis. MiR-485-5p was sponged by LINC01224, and miR-485-5p downregulation relieved the influence of LINC01224 interference on CRC progression. MYO6 was targeted via miR-485-5p and regulated via LINC01224/miR-485-5p axis. MiR-485-5p overexpression suppressed CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion and facilitated apoptosis. MYO6 upregulation mitigated the role of miR-485-5p. LINC01224 knockdown decreased xenograft tumor growth. Conclusion YY1-induced LINC01224 regulates CRC development via modulating miR-485-5p/MYO6 axis.

Sepsis is the most common contributing factor towards development of acute kidney injury (AKI), which is strongly associated to poor prognostic outcomes. There are numerous epidemiological studies about sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (S-AKI), however current literature is limited with the majority of studies being conducted only in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting. The aim of this study was to assess the epidemiology of S-AKI in all hospitalized in-patients. This was a retrospective population-based study using a large regional population database in Beijing city from January, 2005 to December, 2017. It included patients with S-AKI. Patients with pre-existing end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), previous history of kidney transplantation, or being pregnant were excluded. Patients' demographic characteristics, incidence, risk factors and outcomes of S-AKI were analyzed. The contrast between different time periods, different levels of hospitals, and types of the hospitals (traditional Chinese medicine hospitals (TCMHs) and western medicine hospitals (WMHs)) was also compared using Mann-Whitney -test. A total of 19,579 patients were included. The overall incidence of S-AKI in all in-patients was 48.1%. The significant risk factors by multivariate analysis for AKI included: age, male, being treated in a level-II hospital, pre-existing hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD), cirrhosis, atrial fibrillation (AF), ischemic heart disease (IHD), being admitted from emergency room, ICU admission, shock, pneumonia, intra-abdominal infection, bloodstream infection, respiratory insufficiency, acute liver injury, disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and metabolic encephalopathy. The overall mortality rate in this cohort was 55%. The multivariate analysis showed that the significant risk factors for mortality included: age, being treated in a level-II hospital and TCMHs, being admitted from emergency room, pre-existing comorbidities (CKD, malignancy, cirrhosis and AF), shock, pneumonia, intra-abdominal infection, bloodstream infection, central nervous system (CNS) infection and respiratory insufficiency. AKI is a common complication in patients with sepsis, and its incidence increases over time, especially when ICU admission is required. Exploring interventional strategies to address modifiable risk factors will be important to reduce incidence and mortality of S-AKI.

Background Tendomodulin ( TNMD ) is pivotal in various malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, its comprehensive impact across cancers, particularly its immunomodulatory function in CRC, remains underexplored. This study explored the role of TNMD in CRC by focusing on its immunomodulatory functions through comprehensive molecular and clinical analyses. Methods Multiple bioinformatics databases and analytical tools were utilized for the TNMD in pan-cancer analysis. To validate the role of TNMD in CRC, we performed experiments, including immunofluorescence (IF), immunohistochemistry (IHC), real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qPCR), western blotting, and cell migration assays. Results TNMD expression and gene mutation vary across cancers and offer high diagnostic value. Survival analysis found that TNMD is associated with prognosis in multiple cancers. Notably, in patients with high microsatellite instability (MSI-H) CRC, TNMD expression correlated positively with various immune cells, particularly natural killer (NK) cells, whereas it was inversely correlated with regulatory T cells (Tregs). Crucially, in patients with microsatellite stability (MSS) CRC, high TNMD expression was associated with better immunotherapy outcomes, indicating its potential as a biomarker for patient stratification and tailored treatment approaches. Furthermore, single-cell sequencing data revealed stronger interactions between TNMD -positive tumor cells and fibroblasts or macrophages in the tumor microenvironment. Finally, TNMD was overexpressed in CRC tumor tissues and cell lines, thereby promoting invasion and metastasis. Conclusions Our findings reveal a critical immunomodulatory role of TNMD in CRC, particularly in influencing tumor–immune interactions. Beyond its potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, TNMD promotes CRC metastasis and invasion, thus emerging as a promising therapeutic target. These findings highlight TNMD ’s significance in CRC and potentially other malignancies.

Background Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are the most common cancers in the head and neck. Therapeutic response-related genes (TRRGs) are closely associated with carcinogenesis and prognosis in HNSCC. However, the clinical value and prognostic significance of TRRGs are still unclear. We aimed to construct a prognostic risk model to predict therapy response and prognosis in TRRGs-defined subgroups of HNSCC. Methods The multiomics data and clinical information of HNSCC patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The profile data GSE65858 and GSE67614 chip was downloaded from public functional genomics data Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Based on TCGA-HNSC database, patients were divided into a remission group and a non-remission group according to therapy response, and differentially expressed TRRGs between those two groups were screened. Using Cox regression analysis and Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analysis, candidate TRRGs that can predict the prognosis of HNSCC were identified and used to construct a TRRGs-based signature and a prognostic nomogram. Result A total of 1896 differentially expressed TRRGs were screened, including 1530 upregulated genes and 366 downregulated genes. Then, 206 differently expressed TRRGs that was significantly associated with the survival were chosen using univariate Cox regression analysis. Finally, a total of 20 candidate TRRGs genes were identified by LASSO analysis to establish a signature for risk prediction, and the risk score of each patient was calculated. Patients were divided into a high-risk group (Risk-H) and a low-risk group (Risk-L) based on the risk score. Results showed that the Risk-L patients had better overall survival (OS) than Risk-H patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed great predictive performance for 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS in TCGA-HNSC and GEO databases. Moreover, for patients treated with post-operative radiotherapy, Risk-L patients had longer OS and lower recurrence than Risk-H patients. The nomogram involves risk score and other clinical factors had good performance in predicting survival probability. Conclusions The proposed risk prognostic signature and Nomogram based on TRRGs are novel promising tools for predicting therapy response and overall survival in HNSCC patients.

Replacing homogeneous acids with heterogeneous acids provides an appealing approach for biodiesel production due to their reusability and easy recycling. The physicochemical properties of heterogeneous acids have a significant influence on catalytic activity and reusability. Herein, the influence of physicochemical properties (i.e., acid density, acid strength, acid type, wettability, thermal sensitivity, and magnetism) on catalytic activity and recyclability is elaborately discussed. Characterization techniques for identifying physicochemical properties are elaborated. Methods for regulating physicochemical properties are summarized. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of heterogeneous acid use for biodiesel production are discussed. This review provides theoretical guidance for developing efficient and stable heterogeneous acid catalysts for biodiesel production by adjusting their physicochemical properties.

Introduction: Increased permeability of the renal capillaries is a common consequence of sepsis-associated acute kidney injury. Vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin is a strictly endothelial-specific adhesion molecule that can control the permeability of the blood vessel wall. Additionally, autophagy plays an important role in maintaining cell stability. Ulinastatin, a urinary trypsin inhibitor, attenuates the systemic inflammatory response and visceral vasopermeability. However, it is uncertain whether ulinastatin can improve renal microcirculation by acting on the endothelial adhesion junction. Methods: We observed the effect of ulinastatin in a septic rat model using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) to evaluate the perfusion of the renal cortex and medulla. Male adult Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture and divided into the sham, sepsis, and ulinastatin groups. Ulinastatin (50,000 U/kg) was injected into the tail vein immediately after the operation. The CEUS was performed to evaluate the renal microcirculation perfusion at 3, 6, 12, and 24 h after the operation. Histological staining was used to evaluate kidney injury scores. Western blot was used to quantify the expression of VE-cadherin, LC3II, and inflammatory factors (interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α) in kidney tissue, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detected serum inflammatory factors and kidney function and early kidney injury biomarker levels. Results: Compared with the sham group, ulinastatin reduced the inflammatory response, inhibited autophagy, maintained the expression of VE-cadherin, and meliorated cortical and medullary perfusion. Conclusion: Ulinastatin effectively protects the adhesion junction and helps ameliorate the perfusion of kidney capillaries during sepsis by the inhibition of autophagy and the expression of inflammatory factors.

Newcastle disease (ND), caused by virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV), is a contagious viral disease affecting various birds and poultry worldwide. In this project, differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs were identified by high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) in chicken thymus at 24, 48, 72 or 96 h post LaSota NDV vaccine injection versus pre-inoculation group. The vital terms or pathways enriched by vaccine-influenced genes were tested through KEGG and GO analysis. DE genes implicated in innate immunity were preliminarily screened out through GO, InnateDB and Reactome Pathway databases. The interaction networks of DE innate immune genes were established by STRING website. Considering the high expression of gga-miR-6631-5p across all the four time points, DE circRNAs or mRNAs with the possibility to bind to gga-miR-6631-5p were screened out. Among DE genes that had the probability to interact with gga-miR-6631-5p, 7 genes were found to be related to innate immunity. Furthermore, gga-miR-6631-5p promoted LaSota NDV replication by targeting insulin induced gene 1 (INSIG1) in DF-1 chicken fibroblast cells. Taken together, our data provided the comprehensive information about molecular responses to NDV LaSota vaccine in Chinese Partridge Shank Chickens and elucidated the vital roles of gga-miR-6631-5p/INSIG1 axis in LaSota NDV replication.