Proteomics study of serum exosomes in Kawasaki disease patients with coronary artery aneurysms

Background: To study the protein profile of the serum exosomes of patients with coronary artery aneurysms (CAA) caused by Kawasaki disease (KD). Methods: Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to identify proteins from the exosomes of serum obtained from children with CAA caused by KD, as well as healthy controls. Differentially expressed proteins were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight/timeof-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF MS) analysis. Results: Thirty two differentially expressed proteins were identified (18 up-regulated and 14 downregulated) from serum exosomes of children with CAA and were compared to healthy controls. The expression levels of 4 proteins (TN, RBP4, LRG1, and APOA4) were validated using Western blotting. Classification analysis and protein–protein network analysis showed that they are associated with multiple functional groups, including host immune response, inflammation, apoptotic process, developmental process, and biological adhesion process. Conclusions: These findings establish a comprehensive proteomic profile of serum exosomes from children with CAA caused by KD, and provide additional insights into the mechanisms of CAA caused by KD

Clinical screening of Nocardia in sputum smears based on neural networks

ObjectiveNocardia is clinically rare but highly pathogenic in clinical practice. Due to the lack of Nocardia screening methods, Nocardia is often missed in diagnosis, leading to worsening the condition. Therefore, this paper proposes a Nocardia screening method based on neural networks, aiming at quick Nocardia detection in sputum specimens with low costs and thereby reducing the missed diagnosis rate.MethodsFirstly, sputum specimens were collected from patients who were infected with Nocardia, and a part of the specimens were mixed with new sputum specimens from patients without Nocardia infection to enhance the data diversity. Secondly, the specimens were converted into smears with Gram staining. Images were captured under a microscope and subsequently annotated by experts, creating two datasets. Thirdly, each dataset was divided into three subsets: the training set, the validation set and the test set. The training and validation sets were used for training networks, while the test set was used for evaluating the effeteness of the trained networks. Finally, a neural network model was trained on this dataset, with an image of Gram-stained sputum smear as input, this model determines the presence and locations of Nocardia instances within the image.ResultsAfter training, the detection network was evaluated on two datasets, resulting in classification accuracies of 97.3% and 98.3%, respectively. This network can identify Nocardia instances in about 24 milliseconds per image on a personal computer. The detection metrics of mAP50 on both datasets were 0.780 and 0.841, respectively.ConclusionThe Nocardia screening method can accurately and efficiently determine whether Nocardia exists in the images of Gram-stained sputum smears. Additionally, it can precisely locate the Nocardia instances, assisting doctors in confirming the presence of Nocardia

A pyrenyl-appended C3v-symmetric hexahomotrioxacalix[3]arene for selective fluorescence sensing of iodide

A new C3v-symmetric hexahomotrioxacalix[3]arene L bearing pyrene moieties as fluorophores has been designed and synthesized. L exhibits a significant fluorescence quenching response to I− even when in the presence of other potentially competing anions. There is a good linear relationship between the fluorescence intensity and the concentration of I− over the range 0–100 μM and the detection limit was calculated to be as low as 164 nM. Ligand L can serve as a fluorescent chemosensor for the highly selective, sensitive, and rapid detection of I−

Genes associated with cellular senescence as diagnostic markers of major depressive disorder and their correlations with immune infiltration

BackgroundEmerging evidence links cellular senescence to the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD), a life-threatening and debilitating mental illness. However, the roles of cellular senescence-related genes in MDD are largely unknown and were investigated in this study using a comprehensive analysis.MethodsPeripheral blood microarray sequencing data were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and retrieved cellular senescence-related genes from CellAge database. A weighted gene co-expression network analysis was used to screen MDD-associated genes. Protein-protein interactions (PPI) were predicted based on STRING data, and four topological algorithms were used to identify hub genes from the PPI network. Immune infiltration was evaluated using CIBERSORT, followed by a correlation analysis between hub genes and immune cells.ResultsA total of 84 cell senescence-related genes were differentially expressed in patients with MDD compared to healthy control participants. Among the 84 genes, 20 were identified to be associated with the MDD disease phenotype, and these genes were mainly involved in hormone-related signaling pathways (such as estrogen, steroid hormone, and corticosteroid) and immune and inflammatory pathways. Three genes, namely, JUN, CTSD, and CALR, which were downregulated in MDD, were identified as the hub genes. The expression of hub genes significantly moderate correlated with multiple immune cells, such as Tregs, NK cells, and CD4+ T cells, and the abundance of these immune cells markedly differed in MDD samples. Multiple microRNAs, transcription factors, and small-molecule drugs targeting hub genes were predicted to explore their molecular regulatory mechanisms and potential therapeutic value in MDD.ConclusionJUN, CTSD, and CALR were identified as potential diagnostic markers of MDD and may be involved in the immunoinflammatory mechanism of MDD

{2,2′-[Ethyl­enebis(nitrilo­methyl­idyne)]diphenolato-κ4 O,N,N′,O′}oxido­vanadium(IV)

The title compound, [V(C16H14N2O2)O], was synthesized by the reaction of vanadyl(IV) sulfate and N,N′-bis­(salicyl­idene)ethyl­enediamine under hydro­thermal conditions. The asymmetric unit contains two mol­ecules. Each VIV atom is coordinated in a square-pyramidal geometry by two N atoms and two O atoms from a ligand in the basal plane and by an oxide O atom in the apical position. Weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds lead to a three-dimensional supra­molecular structure

Plasma indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activity as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in tuberculosis patients

Purpose: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remains a challenge of global TB control, with difficulty in early detection of drug-sensitive tuberculosis (DS-TB). We investigate the diagnostic significance of IDO as a potential biomarker to discriminate MDR patients among the TB patients. Patients and methods: Plasma indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) was measured by the ratio of kynurenine (Kyn) to tryptophan (Trp) concentrations, using high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Chest computed tomography (CT) imaging signs from TB patients were collected and analyzed in 18 DS-TB patients, 16 MDR-TB patients, 6 lung cancer (LC) patients, and 11 healthy individuals. Lung imaging signs from TB patients were collected and analyzed. Results: We found that plasma IDO activity was significantly higher in the MDR-TB patients than in the DS-TB patients (p=0.012) and in the LC patients (p=0.003). We evaluated the diagnostic significance of plasma IDO activity in discriminating the MDR-TB group from the DS-TB group using a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. With a cutoff level of 46.58 uM/mM, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for IDO activity were 87.50%, 72.22%, 73.68%, and 86.67%, respectively. Plasma IDO activity was higher in cavity cases than in non-cavity cases (p=0.042), proving a positive correlation between lung cavity number and cavity size (p \u3c 0.05, separately) among all the TB patients studied. Conclusion: Our findings confirmed that plasma IDO activity might have an auxiliary diagnosis value for early discrimination of MDR-TB patients from DS-TB patients. Among the TB patients with cavitary lung lesions, higher plasma IDO activity can indicate a higher risk of MDR-TB

Application of the international classification of functioning, disability, and health to disability assessment for older people in China

BackgroundIn the previous research, the Disability Assessment Scale based on ICF had been constructed for LTC insurance in China. To apply this scale in further studies, it is essential to establish assessment standards for disability levels.ObjectiveTo establish standardized disability classification criteria and identify the disability statuses and levels in older people.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study, in which 1,610 older individuals in 15 long-term care institutions in China were assessed by the disability assessment scale based on ICF. Cluster analysis was used for classification of the disability levels. Mean (SD) and median (IQR) were used to describe the scores for each item and each dimension.ResultsThe total scores of the disability assessment scale were classified into six disability levels. The overall disability level of the 1,610 participants was moderate-to-severe. The disability in the dimension of “self-care ability and activity” was the most obvious and severe.ConclusionThe Disability Assessment Scale is capable of identifying disability statuses and levels of older people, and it can serve as a valuable tool for investigating the disabilities among old people and for conducting cross-national comparisons of disability levels

μ-α-Methyl­glutarato-bis­{aqua­[bis­(2-pyridylcarbon­yl)aminato]copper(II)} trihydrate

In the title compound, [Cu2(C12H8N3O2)2(C6H8O4)(H2O)2]·3H2O, both crystallographically independent Cu atoms are in similar distorted square-pyramidal coordination environments. The dinuclear complex mol­ecules are assembled into one-dimensional supra­molecular chains extending in the [100] direction by hydrogen bonds. Inter­chain hydrogen bonds further link these chains into layers perpendicular to [001]

Formation of a Salsolinol-like Compound, the Neurotoxin, 1-acetyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline, in a Cellular Model of Hyperglycemia and a Rat Model of Diabetes

There are statistical data indicating that diabetes is a risk factor for Parkinson\u27s disease (PD). Methylglyoxal (MG), a biologically reactive byproduct of glucose metabolism, the levels of which have been shown to be increase in diabetes, reacts with dopamine to form 1-acetyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (ADTIQ); this formation may provide further insight into the connection between PD and diabetes. In this study, we investigated the role of ADTIQ in these two diseases to determine in an aim to enhance our understanding of the link between PD and diabetes. To this end, a cell model of hyperglycemia and a rat model of diabetes were established. In the cell model of hyperglycemia, compared with the control group, the elevated glucose levels promoted free hydroxyl radical formation (

Validation of a Disability Assessment Tool Based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health in the Chinese Context

Background:The common standards of disability assessment for long-term care (LTC) insurance are currently absent. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) was designed for a better description of health and functioning, which could fill the demand gap for the standards of disability assessment and be a promising tool for the development of LTC insurance system.ObjectivesTo validate a disability assessment scale for disabled elderly individuals based on the ICF for LTC in the Chinese context.MethodsThe present study is a cross-sectional study. A disability assessment tool based on the ICF was developed by referring to other assessment tools and an expert consensus meeting in the initial phase of the study. The developed tool was used to evaluate 1,610 elderly individuals in the LTC institutions. The Cronbach's α coefficient and split-half reliability were applied to test the internal consistency of the tool, while the Interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to evaluate the interrater reliability (IRR). Factor analysis was performed to verify the construct validity of the tool. The scores from the Medical Outcomes Short Form-12 (SF-12) were correlated with that from the disability assessment tool, to assess the criterion-related validity.ResultsThe Cronbach's α coefficient and split-half reliability of the disability assessment tool were 0.969 and 0.877, respectively. The ICCs of the sum scale was 0.85, and the ICCs of each of the 20 items in the scale ranged from 0.78 to 0.94. The items were divided into three factors through analysis, which is consistent with the structure expectation. The scores of each item and the sum score of the disability assessment scale were negatively correlated with the scores of the physical and psychological fields in SF-12 (p < 0.001). Overall, the data indicated that the tool was characterized by good internal consistency, IRR, construct validity, and criterion-related validity.ConclusionsThe disability assessment tool based on the ICF is a reliable and valid tool for the collection of information on functioning across various LTC settings. The information of disability provided evidence for the distribution of LTC service and guided the development of LTC insurance standards