Microbial profiling identifies potential key drivers in gastric cancer patients

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Microbiota is believed to be associated with GC. Growing evidences showed Helicobacter pylori played a key role in GC development. However, little was known about the microbiota in gastric juices and tissues in GC patients, and thus it was difficult to understand other potential microbial causation for GC. Here, we collected the gastric juice and surgically removed gastric tissues from GC patients to give insight into GC microbiota. Most microbes identified in the gastric samples were opportunistic pathogens or resident flora of the human microbiota. Further network analyses identified five opportunistic pathogens as keystone species. H. pylori is the direct cause of GC, but other opportunistic microbes might also function in GC development. The microbiota in the gastric juice and gastric tissue of the GC patients were complex, and some dominant opportunistic pathogens contributed to the GC development. This study introduces microbiota in gastric juice, gastric normal tissue and gastric cancer tissue of GC patients, and highlights the potential keystone microbes functioned during GC development

Identification of efferocytosis-related subtypes in gliomas and elucidating their characteristics and clinical significance

Introduction: Gliomas, the most prevalent tumors of the central nervous system, are known for their aggressive nature and poor prognosis. The heterogeneity among gliomas leads to varying responses to the same treatments, even among similar glioma types. In our study, we efferocytosis-related subtypes and explored their characteristics in terms of immune landscape, intercellular communication, and metabolic processes, ultimately elucidating their potential clinical implications.Methods and Results: We first identified efferocytosis-related subtypes in Bulk RNA-seq using the NMF algorithm. We then preliminarily demonstrated the correlation of these subtypes with efferocytosis by examining enrichment scores of cell death pathways, macrophage infiltration, and the expression of immune ligands. Our analysis of single-cell RNA-seq data further supported the association of these subtypes with efferocytosis. Through enrichment analysis, we found that efferocytosis-related subtypes differ from other types of gliomas in terms of immune landscape, intercellular communication, and substance metabolism. Moreover, we found that the efferocytosis-related classification is a prognostic factor with robust predictive performance by calculating the AUC values. We also found that efferocytosis-related subtypes, when compared with other gliomas in drug sensitivity, survival, and TIDE scores, show a clear link to the effectiveness of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy in glioma patients.Discussion: We identified efferocytosis-related subtypes in gliomas by analyzing the expression of 137 efferocytosis-associated genes, exploring their characteristics in immune landscape, intercellular communication, metabolic processes, and genomic variations. Moreover, we discovered that the classification of efferocytosis-related subtypes has a strong prognostic predictive power and holds potential significance in guiding clinical treatment

Bioinspired Ultrathin Piecewise Controllable Soft Robots

In nature, animals or plants often use soft organs to move and hunt. Research works on bioinspired materials and devices have attracted more and more interest as which show the potential for future intelligent robots. As key components of soft robots, biomimetic soft actuators are adapted to greater requirements for convenient, accurate, and programmable controlling robots. Here, a class of materials and processing routes of ultrathin actuators are reported for bioinspired piecewise controllable soft robots, where the actuators associate with thermal-responsible soft silicone thin film with thickness as thin as 45 µm and electrically driven by well mechanical designed metallic thin film electrodes. Multiple electrodes in the robots in charge of individual segments control allow the soft robots exhibiting similar functionalities of animals or plants (for example, imitating the tongue of a reptile, such as chameleon to hunt moving preys, and mimicking vines to tightly wind around objects). These bionic results in the soft robots demonstrate their advantages in precise and flexible operation, which provides a good reference for the future research of intelligent soft actuators and robots.acceptedVersionPeer reviewe

Population Genetic Diversity and Phylogenetic Characteristics for High-Altitude Adaptive Kham Tibetan Revealed by DNATyperTM 19 Amplification System

Tibetans residing in the high-altitude inhospitable environment have undergone significant natural selection of their genetic architecture. Recently, highly mutational autosomal short tandem repeats were widely used not only in the anthropology and population genetics to investigate the genetic structure and relationships, but also in the medical genetics to explore the pathogenesis of multiple genetic diseases and in the forensic science to identify individual and parentage relatedness. However, genetic variants and forensic efficiency of DNATyperTM 19 amplification system and genetic background of Kham Tibetan remain uncharacterized. Thus, we genotyped 19 forensic genetic markers in 11,402 Kham Tibetans to gain insight into the genetic diversity of Chinese high-altitude adaptive population. Highly discriminating and polymorphic forensic measures were observed, which indicated that this new-developed DNATyper 19 PCR amplification is suitable for routine forensic identification purposes and Chinese national DNA database establishment. Pairwise genetic distances among the comprehensive population comparisons suggested that this high-altitude adaptive Kham Tibetan has genetically closer relationships with lowlanders of Tibeto-Burman-speaking populations (Chengdu Tibetan, Liangshan Tibetan, and Liangshan Yi). Genetic substructure analyses via phylogenetic reconstruction, principal component analysis, and multidimensional scaling analysis in both nationwide and worldwide contexts suggested that the genetic proximity exists along the linguistic, ethnic, and continental geographical boundary. Further studies with whole-genome sequencing of modern or archaic Kham Tibetans would be useful in reconstructing the Tibetan population history

Tumor regression rate, PD-L1 expression, pembrolizumab/nab-paclitaxel–based regimens, squamous cell carcinoma, and comorbidities were independently associated with efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer

BackgroundNeoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NCIO) is more effective than neoadjuvant immunotherapy alone for pathological response in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, but the processes for determining patient suitability for its implementation are not clear. We aimed to identify the most relevant factors and build a convenient model to select NSCLC patients who would benefit most from NCIO.Methods We retrospectively collected the clinical data of patients with locally advanced NSCLC who received NCIO followed by surgery at our institution between January 2019 and July 2022.ResultsA total of 101 eligible stage IIB-IIIC NSCLC patients were included. After NCIO, all patients successfully underwent surgical resection. A total of 46.53% (47/101) of patients achieved pathological complete response (pCR), and 70.30% (71/101) achieved major pathologic response (MPR). Tumor regression rate (adjusted odds ratio OR = 12.33), PD-L1 expression (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 9.66), pembrolizumab/nab-paclitaxel–based regimens (adjusted OR = 4.92), and comorbidities (adjusted OR = 0.16) were independently associated with pCR rate (all P < 0.05). Tumor regression rate (adjusted OR = 8.45), PD-L1 expression (adjusted OR = 5.35), and presence of squamous cell carcinoma (adjusted OR = 7.02) were independently associated with MPR rate (all P < 0.05). We established and validated an easy-to-use clinical model to predict pCR (with an area under the curve [AUC] of 0.848) and MPR (with an AUC of 0.847). Of note, the present study showed that CD4+ T-cell count/rate and total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in the peripheral blood of pre-NCIO patients were also significantly correlated with pathological response in univariate analyses.ConclusionsThe tumor regression rate, PD-L1 expression, pembrolizumab/nab-paclitaxel–based regimens, presence of squamous cell carcinoma, and comorbidities were the main influential factors for incidence of pCR/MPR in patients with stage IIB-IIIC NSCLC in the present study. Through predictive models, we can predict who will benefit most from NCIO prior to the emergence of clinical outcomes in locally advanced NSCLC

Biodiversity and Variations of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Associated with Roots along Elevations in Mt. Taibai of China

(1) Background: environmental gradient strongly affects microbial biodiversity, but which factors drive the diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with roots at relatively large spatial scales requires further research; (2) Methods: an experiment on large spatial scales of Mt. Taibai was conducted to explore the biodiversity and drivers of AMF-associated with roots using high-throughput sequencing; (3) Results: a total of 287 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belong to 62 species representing 4 identified and 1 unclassified order were identified along different altitudinal gradients. With increasing altitude, AMF colonization could be simulated by a quadratic function trend, and altitude has a significant impact on colonization. AMF alpha diversity, including the Sobs and Shannon indexes, tended to be quadratic function trends with increasing altitude. The highest diversity indices occurred at mid-altitudes, and altitude had a significant effect on them. AMF communities have different affinities with soil and root nutrient, and Glomus is most affected by soil and root nutrient factors through the analysis of the heatmap. Glomus are the most dominant, with an occurrence frequency of 91.67% and a relative abundance of 61.29% and 53.58% at the level of species and OTU, respectively. Furthermore, AMF diversity were mostly associated with soil and root nutrients; (4) Conclusions: in general, AMF molecular diversity is abundant in Mt. Taibai, and altitude and nutrient properties of soil and root are the main influencing factors on AMF diversity and distribution

Effect of Compounding Retarder and PCE on the Early Properties and Hydration of High-Belite Sulphoaluminate Cement

To cope with the problem that the setting time and hardening time of high-belite sulphoaluminate cement (HBCSA) is too fast and not easily controlled, three common retarders, citric acid (CA), β-cyclodextrin (β-CD), and borax (B), were selected and compounded with polycarboxylate superplasticizer (PCE). Based on the cement slurry fluidity, fluidity loss, setting time, and mechanical properties of cement mortar, combined with X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Zeta potential tests, the interaction and mechanism of different retarders and high-belite sulphoaluminate cement were studied. The results show that β-CD and CA can significantly delay the hydration process of HBCSA cement, effectively improve the fluidity loss, and make the dispersion more stable, but the strength of cement mortar decreases, which is not conducive to the development of strength. However, the addition of B has no obvious retarding effect on the HBCSA cement, and the dispersibility of the cement paste decreases. In microscopic tests, XRD and SEM tests verified that the combination of retarder and PCE had a certain inhibitory effect on the early hydration of HBCSA, and the zeta potential indicated that the addition of retarder would interact with PCE to improve the fluidity loss of HBCSA. In addition, when the retarders CA and B were, respectively, compounded with β-CD, the two would have a synergistic effect. The retardation effect is more obvious, and the time interval between the initial and final setting is shorter, which is more controllable. The initial fluidity is also improved under the auxiliary plasticization of cement paste by β-CD

Factors Affecting the Ratio of Female to Male of Pinewood Nematodes Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner & Buhrer) Nickle

The pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (B. xylophilus) is responsible for a devastating disease of pine forests. Its pathogenicity is closely related to the numbers of individual B. xylophilus. The ratio of female to male (sex ratio) is key to understanding population change in this species. The sex ratio of B. xylophilus varies widely, but it is unclear how it is affected by environmental changes. The sex ratios of nematodes, isolated from different samples in the wild, varied between 0.93 and 2.20. Under laboratory conditions, maternal age and the population did not affect the sex ratio of progeny. A change from good to poor nutritional status was associated with a reduction of the sex ratio of progeny from 1.85 to 1.41, which was speculated to result from a change in the primary sex ratio. Thus, B. xylophilus effectively maintains the sex ratio with maternal age and population changes but adjusts the sex ratio of progeny on the basis of the changes in nutrition

Luxury in Emerging Markets: An Investigation of the Role of Subjective Social Class and Conspicuous Consumption

This study is based on the relationship between the anxiety of social groups (especially the young) in today’s social environment and the increasingly younger and more sociable consumer groups in China’s luxury market. In combination with the new consumption characteristics of sustainable luxury goods, we rethink the factors that contribute to conspicuous consumption behavior in which social groups exhibit differences. In order to test our research hypothesis, two questionnaires were conducted through online channels. In the first survey, data from 135 valid subjects showed a significant negative correlation between subjective social class and conspicuous consumption behavior. In the second survey, data obtained from 255 valid subjects again verified the main effect hypothesis of this study, which is that subjective social class has a significant negative influence on conspicuous consumption. Additionally, it is verified that status anxiety plays a mediating role in the influence mechanism of subjective social class on conspicuous consumption, and the social comparison orientation of individual consumers moderates the influence of subjective social class on status anxiety. This study reveals the applicability of subjective social class to Chinese scenarios and finds that individuals of different social classes have different conspicuous consumption behaviors, which expands the research on the antecedents of conspicuous consumption and enriches the research on consumer psychology and social behavior. In practice, the results of this study will play a positive guiding role in rationally regulating psychology, dispelling social anxiety, reshaping the moral concept of conspicuous consumption, and promoting the sustainable development of luxury consumption at the individual or social level

Identification of immune cell infiltration and effective biomarkers of polycystic ovary syndrome by bioinformatics analysis

Abstract Background Patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exhibit a chronic inflammatory state, which is often accompanied by immune, endocrine, and metabolic disorders. Clarification of the pathogenesis of PCOS and exploration of specific biomarkers from the perspective of immunology by evaluating the local infiltration of immune cells in the follicular microenvironment may provide critical insights into disease pathogenesis. Methods In this study, we evaluated immune cell subsets and gene expression in patients with PCOS using data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and single-sample gene set enrichment analysis. Results In total, 325 differentially expressed genes were identified, among which TMEM54 and PLCG2 (area under the curve = 0.922) were identified as PCOS biomarkers. Immune cell infiltration analysis showed that central memory CD4+ T cells, central memory CD8+ T cells, effector memory CD4+ T cells, γδ T cells, and type 17 T helper cells may affect the occurrence of PCOS. In addition, PLCG2 was highly correlated with γδ T cells and central memory CD4+ T cells. Conclusions Overall, TMEM54 and PLCG2 were identified as potential PCOS biomarkers by bioinformatics analysis. These findings established a basis for further exploration of the immunological mechanisms of PCOS and the identification of therapeutic targets