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Adsorption Behavior of Co, Ni, Sr, Cs, and I by Corrosion Products α-FeOOH from Typical Metal Tanks.Materials (Basel, Switzerland) Jun 2024Throughout the nuclear power production process, the disposal of radioactive waste has consistently raised concerns about environmental safety. When the metal tanks used...
Throughout the nuclear power production process, the disposal of radioactive waste has consistently raised concerns about environmental safety. When the metal tanks used for waste disposal are corroded, radionuclides seep into the groundwater environment and eventually into the biosphere, causing significant damage to the environment. Hence, investigating the adsorption behavior of radionuclides on the corrosion products of metal tanks used for waste disposal is an essential component of safety and evaluation protocols at disposal sites. In order to understand the adsorption behavior of important radionuclides Co, Ni, Sr, Cs and I on α-FeOOH, the influences of different pH values, contact time, temperature and ion concentration on the adsorption rate were studied. The adsorption mechanism was also discussed. It was revealed that the adsorption of key nuclides onto α-FeOOH is significantly influenced by both pH and temperature. This change in surface charge corresponds to alterations in the morphology of nuclide ions within the system, subsequently impacting the adsorption efficiency. Sodium ions (Na) and chlorate ions (ClO) compete for coordination with nuclide ions, thereby exerting an additional influence on the adsorption process. The XPS analysis results demonstrate the formation of an internal coordination bond (Ni-O bond) between Ni and iron oxide, which is adsorbed onto α-FeOOH.
PubMed: 38893970
DOI: 10.3390/ma17112706 -
Novel Transcriptional and DNA Methylation Abnormalities of SORT1 Gene in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.Cancers Jun 2024Sortilin is an important regulator with potential tumour-suppressor function by limiting EGFR signalling. In this study, we undertook a comprehensive expression analysis...
Sortilin is an important regulator with potential tumour-suppressor function by limiting EGFR signalling. In this study, we undertook a comprehensive expression analysis of sortilin transcript variants and the DNA methylation status of their corresponding promoters in human non-small cell carcinomas (NSCLCs). RNA/DNA was extracted from 81 NSCLC samples and paired normal tissue. mRNA expression was measured by qPCR and DNA methylation determined by pyrosequencing. BigDye-terminator sequencing was used to confirm exon-8 alternative splicing. Results demonstrated that both SORT1A and SORT1B variants were downregulated in lung tumours. The SORT1A/SORT1B expression ratio was higher in tumours compared to normal tissue. SORT1B promoter hypermethylation was detected in lung tumours compared to normal lung (median difference 14%, Mann-Whitney test = 10). Interestingly, SORT1B is hypermethylated in white blood cells, but a small and very consistent drop in methylation (6%, = 10) was observed in the lung cancer cases compared to control subjects. We demonstrate that the SORT1B exon-8 splice variation, reported in sequence databases, is also a feature of SORT1A. The significantly altered quantitative and qualitative characteristics of sortilin mRNA in NSCLC indicate a significant involvement in tumour pathogenesis and may have significant impact for its utility as a predictive marker in lung cancer management.
PubMed: 38893272
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16112154 -
Cancers May 2024The impact of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on multidrug resistance (MDR) in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is a critical aspect of cancer therapy. While TKIs...
The impact of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on multidrug resistance (MDR) in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is a critical aspect of cancer therapy. While TKIs effectively target specific signaling pathways of cancer cells, they can also act as substrates for ABC transporters, potentially triggering MDR. The aim of our study was to evaluate the response of 17 patient-derived NSCLC cultures to 10 commonly prescribed TKIs and to correlate these responses with patient mutational profiles. Using an ex vivo immunofluorescence assay, we analyzed the expression of the MDR markers ABCB1, ABCC1, and ABCG2, and correlated these data with the genetic profiles of patients for a functional diagnostic approach. NSCLC cultures responded differently to TKIs, with erlotinib showing good efficacy regardless of mutation burden or EGFR status. However, the modulation of MDR mechanisms by erlotinib, such as increased ABCG2 expression, highlights the challenges associated with erlotinib treatment. Other TKIs showed limited efficacy, highlighting the variability of response in NSCLC. Genetic alterations in signaling pathways associated with drug resistance and sensitivity, including TP53 mutations, likely contributed to the variable responses to TKIs. The relationships between ABC transporter expression, gene alterations, and response to TKIs did not show consistent patterns. Our results suggest that in addition to mutational status, performing functional sensitivity screening is critical for identifying appropriate treatment strategies with TKIs. These results underscore the importance of considering drug sensitivity, off-target effects, MDR risks, and patient-specific genetic profiles when optimizing NSCLC treatment and highlight the potential for personalized approaches, especially in early stages.
PubMed: 38893104
DOI: 10.3390/cancers16111984 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine May 2024: The inhibitory effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on glucose uptake through their binding to human glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) have been well documented....
: The inhibitory effects of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) on glucose uptake through their binding to human glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) have been well documented. Thus, our research aimed to explore the potential impact of various TKIs of GLUT-1 on the standard [F]FDG-PET monitoring of tumor response in patients. : To achieve this, we conducted an analysis on three patients who were undergoing treatment with different TKIs and harbored actionable alterations. Alongside the assessment of FDG data (including SUVmax, total lesion glycolysis (TLG), and metabolic tumor volume (MTV)), we also examined the changes in tumor sizes through follow-up [F]FDG-PET/CT imaging. Notably, our patients harbored alterations in BRAFV600, RET, and c-KIT and exhibited positive responses to the targeted treatment. : Our analysis revealed that FDG data derived from SUVmax, TLG, and MTV offered quantifiable outcomes that were consistent with the measurements of tumor size. : These findings lend support to the notion that the inhibition of GLUT-1, as a consequence of treatment efficacy, could be indirectly gauged through [F] FDG-PET/CT imaging in cancer patients undergoing TKI therapy.
PubMed: 38892979
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113269 -
Journal of Clinical Medicine May 2024Erosive hand osteoarthritis (EHOA) is an aggressive form of hand osteoarthritis (OA) and a severely disabling condition. Patients affected by OA frequently lament...
Erosive hand osteoarthritis (EHOA) is an aggressive form of hand osteoarthritis (OA) and a severely disabling condition. Patients affected by OA frequently lament symptoms suggestive of neuropathic pain (NP). The aim of our study was to ascertain the presence and severity of NP in patients with EHOA and correlate its presence with EHOA clinical characteristics. In this retrospective study, we included all consecutive EHOA patients with NP symptoms who underwent upper limb electroneurography (ENoG) and nerve ultrasound. The presence of NP was screened using the ID pain neuropathic pain-screening questionnaire (ID-Pain). In addition, the following NP questionnaires were also used: Douleur Neuropathique en 4 Questions (DN4), PainDETECT, and Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI). Moreover, patients completed the Australian/Canadian Osteoarthritis Hand Index (AUSCAN) and Dreiser's algofunctional finger index questionnaires assessing EHOA disease activity. The following clinical and laboratory data were collected: age, sex, BMI, disease duration, intensity of pain (VAS 0-10), painful and swollen joints, and inflammatory indices, as well as C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). Of the 34 patients studied, 24 (70.6%) presented NP to the ID-Pain questionnaire. According to DN4, 14 (41.2%) patients had NP, while using the PainDETECT questionnaire, 67.6% had NP. Patients with NP were statistically younger and had a higher VAS pain score compared to subjects without NP. The ENoG and median nerve ultrasound were normal in 81% of patients, while four patients had carpal tunnel syndrome. The ID-Pain questionnaire correlated with the number of painful joints (r = 0.48, = 0.03) and with the AUSCAN questionnaire (r = 0.37, = 0.05). The DN4 questionnaire correlated with PainDETECT (r = 0.58, < 0.01). The PainDETECT questionnaire correlated with VAS pain (r = 0.49, = 0.02), the DN4 questionnaire (r = 0.58, < 0.01), and AUSCAN (r = 0.51, = 0.02). The NPSI questionnaire correlated negatively with BMI (r = -0.53, = 0.01) and positively with the PainDETECT questionnaire (r = 0.49, = 0.02). Our study revealed that 32% to 70% of EHOA patients exhibited symptoms consistent with NP, with observed variability depending on the questionnaire utilized. Despite patients frequently exhibiting symptoms compatible with NP, only 19% of patients presented alterations on ENoG and ultrasound examinations confirming CTS. This suggests a probable nociplastic component for pain in patients with EHOA, which warrants tailored treatment. In the present study, NP correlated with clinical and functional indices of EHOA.
PubMed: 38892955
DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113244 -
Nutrients Jun 2024Despite substantial evidence supporting the efficacy of prebiotics for promoting host health and stress resilience, few experiments present evidence documenting the...
Despite substantial evidence supporting the efficacy of prebiotics for promoting host health and stress resilience, few experiments present evidence documenting the dynamic changes in microbial ecology and fecal microbially modified metabolites over time. Furthermore, the literature reports a lack of reproducible effects of prebiotics on specific bacteria and bacterial-modified metabolites. The current experiments examined whether consumption of diets enriched in prebiotics (galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and polydextrose (PDX)), compared to a control diet, would consistently impact the gut microbiome and microbially modified bile acids over time and between two research sites. Male Sprague Dawley rats were fed control or prebiotic diets for several weeks, and their gut microbiomes and metabolomes were examined using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted LC-MS/MS analysis. Dietary prebiotics altered the beta diversity, relative abundance of bacterial genera, and microbially modified bile acids over time. PICRUSt2 analyses identified four inferred functional metabolic pathways modified by the prebiotic diet. Correlational network analyses between inferred metabolic pathways and microbially modified bile acids revealed deoxycholic acid as a potential network hub. All these reported effects were consistent between the two research sites, supporting the conclusion that dietary prebiotics robustly changed the gut microbial ecosystem. Consistent with our previous work demonstrating that GOS/PDX reduces the negative impacts of stressor exposure, we propose that ingesting a diet enriched in prebiotics facilitates the development of a health-promoting gut microbial ecosystem.
Topics: Animals; Prebiotics; Male; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Oligosaccharides; Glucans; Rats; Bile Acids and Salts; Feces; Bacteria; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Diet
PubMed: 38892722
DOI: 10.3390/nu16111790 -
Nutrients May 2024Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe eating disorder that predominantly affects females and typically manifests during adolescence. There is increasing evidence that serum...
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe eating disorder that predominantly affects females and typically manifests during adolescence. There is increasing evidence that serum cytokine levels are altered in individuals with AN. Previous research has largely focused on adult patients, assuming a low-grade pro-inflammatory state. The serum levels of the cytokine tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and IL-15, which are pro-inflammatory, were examined in 63 female adolescents with AN and 41 age-matched healthy controls (HC). We included three time points (admission, discharge, and 1-year follow-up) and investigated the clinical data to assess whether the gut microbiota was associated with cytokine alterations. Relative to the HC group, serum levels of IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly lower during the acute phase (admission) of AN. IL-1β expression was normalised to control levels after weight recovery. TNF-α levels were not significantly different between the AN and HC groups. IL-15 levels were significantly elevated in patients with AN at all time points. We found associations between cytokines and bodyweight, illness duration, depressive symptoms, and the microbiome. In contrast to most findings for adults, we observed lower levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 in adolescent patients, whereas the level of IL-15 was consistently increased. Thus, the presence of inflammatory dysregulation suggests a varied rather than uniform pro-inflammatory state.
Topics: Humans; Anorexia Nervosa; Female; Adolescent; Cytokines; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Follow-Up Studies; Patient Discharge; Case-Control Studies; Interleukin-1beta; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Patient Admission; Interleukin-6
PubMed: 38892530
DOI: 10.3390/nu16111596 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 2024SMYD4 is a member of the SMYD family that has lysine methyltransferase function. Little is known about the roles of in cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate...
SMYD4 is a member of the SMYD family that has lysine methyltransferase function. Little is known about the roles of in cancer. The aim of this study is to investigate genetic alterations in the gene across the most prevalent solid tumors and determine its potential as a biomarker. We performed an integrative multi-platform analysis of the most common mutations, copy number alterations (CNAs), and mRNA expression levels of the family genes using cohorts available at the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), cBioPortal, and the Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer (COSMIC). genes displayed a lower frequency of mutations across the studied tumors, with none of the mutations detected demonstrating sufficient discriminatory power to serve as a biomarker. In terms of CNAs, consistently exhibited heterozygous loss and downregulation across all tumors evaluated. Moreover, showed low expression in tumor samples compared to normal samples, except for stomach adenocarcinoma. demonstrated a frequent negative correlation with other members of the family and a positive correlation between CNAs and mRNA expression. Additionally, patients with low expression in STAD and LUAD tumors exhibited significantly poorer overall survival. demonstrated its role as a tumor suppressor in the majority of tumors evaluated. The consistent downregulation of , coupled with its association with cancer progression, underscores its potential usefulness as a biomarker.
Topics: Humans; Neoplasms; Mutation; Biomarkers, Tumor; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; DNA Copy Number Variations; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase
PubMed: 38892284
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25116097 -
International Journal of Molecular... May 2024A key element for the cost-effective development of cultured meat is a cell line culturable in serum-free conditions to reduce production costs. Heme supplementation in...
A key element for the cost-effective development of cultured meat is a cell line culturable in serum-free conditions to reduce production costs. Heme supplementation in cultured meat mimics the original meat flavor and color. This study introduced a bacterial extract generated from that was selected for high-heme expression by directed evolution. A normal porcine cell line, PK15, was used to apply the bacterial heme extract as a supplement. Consistent with prior research, we observed the cytotoxicity of PK15 to the heme extract at 10 mM or higher. However, after long-term exposure, PK15 adapted to tolerate up to 40 mM of heme. An RNA-seq analysis of these heme-adapted PK15 cells (PK15H) revealed a set of altered genes, mainly involved in cell proliferation, metabolism, and inflammation. We found that cytochrome P450, family 1, subfamily A, polypeptide 1 (CYP1A1), lactoperoxidase (LPO), and glutathione peroxidase 5 (GPX5) were upregulated in the PK15H heme dose dependently. When we reduced serum serially from 2% to serum free, we derived the PK15H subpopulation that was transiently maintained with 5-10 mM heme extract. Altogether, our study reports a porcine cell culturable in high-heme media that can be maintained in serum-free conditions and proposes a marker gene that plays a critical role in this adaptation process.
Topics: Animals; Swine; Heme; Cell Line; Culture Media, Serum-Free; Cell Proliferation; Meat; Cytochrome P-450 CYP1A1; Cell Culture Techniques; In Vitro Meat
PubMed: 38892012
DOI: 10.3390/ijms25115824 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... May 2024Eggs are a vital dietary component for humans, and it is beneficial to increase egg production to support poultry farming. Initially, the egg production rate rises...
Eggs are a vital dietary component for humans, and it is beneficial to increase egg production to support poultry farming. Initially, the egg production rate rises rapidly with young hens until it reaches its peak, and then it declines gradually. By extending the duration of peak egg production, the hens' performance can be enhanced significantly. Previous studies found dynamic changes in gut microbiota during egg-laying, and several species of microbiota isolated from the chicken gut improved egg-laying performance. However, the interaction between microbes and host gene expression is still unclear. This study provides a more comprehensive understanding of chicken egg-laying by examining dynamic alterations in the microbiota of the entire intestinal tract (i.e., duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) and gene expression. The microbial community in the intestine underwent significant changes during different egg-laying periods (i.e., pre-, peak-, and late-laying periods). Metagenomic functional analysis showed that the relative abundance of biosynthesis of amino acids, secondary metabolites, and cofactors decreased significantly in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of aging hens. The relative levels of aldosterone, GnRH, insulin, growth hormone, and other hormone-related pathways increased dramatically in the intestinal microbiota during egg-laying, but only in the microbiota located in the duodenum and ileum. Transcriptome analysis suggested that genes associated with various transport processes were upregulated consistently in the small intestine during egg-laying; genes involved in the development of intestinal structure were down-regulated; and genes involved in response to DNA damage and stress were consistent with changes in laying rate. The abundance of Lactobacillus was related to the expression of , , , and in the duodenum; was correlated significantly with , , and expression in the jejunum; and was correlated positively with the expression of and in the ileum. These results indicated that the intestinal microbiota and host gene expression may influence egg production jointly.
PubMed: 38891577
DOI: 10.3390/ani14111529