Cells derived from iPSC can be immunogenic — Yes or No?

The induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), derived by ectopic expression of reprogramming factors in somatic cells, can potentially provide unlimited autologous cells for regenerative medicine. In theory, the autologous cells derived from patient iPSCs should be immune tolerant by the host without any immune rejections. However, our recent studies have found that even syngeneic iPSC-derived cells can be immunogenic in syngeneic hosts by using a teratoma transplantation model (Nature 474:212–215, 2011). Recently two research groups differentiated the iPSCs into different germ layers or cells, transplanted those cells to the syngeneic hosts, and evaluated the immunogenicity of those cells. Both of the two studies support our conclusions that some certain but not all tissues derived from iPSCs can be immunogenic, although they claimed either “negligible” or “lack of” immunogenicity in iPSC derivatives (Nature 494:100–104, 2013; Cell Stem Cell 12:407–412, 2013). To test the immunogenicity of clinically valuable cells differentiated from human iPSCs are emergently required for translation of iPSC technology to clinics

A comparison of the burden of knee osteoarthritis attributable to high body mass index in China and globally from 1990 to 2019

BackgroundExcess body mass index (BMI) plays a key role in the onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis (knee OA). However, the burden of knee OA attributable to high BMI at the global, Chinese, and regional levels have received far too little attention. The aim of this study is to provide evidence to support the design of policy by investigating long-term trends of years lived with disability (YLDs) for knee OA.MethodsTo illustrate the trends of YLDs for knee OA attributable to high BMI and the temporal trends of the YLDs rate by age, period, and cohort, Joinpoint regression software and age-period-cohort (APC) were used to analyze the YLDs data of knee OA from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2019.ResultsIn China, there were 549,963.5 YLDs for knee OA attributable to high BMI in 2019, which had increased by 460.7% since 1990. From 1990 to 2019, age-standardized disability-adjusted life year rate (ASDR) of knee OA attributable to high BMI trended upwards. The average annual percent change (AAPC) of knee OA attributable to high BMI in China and globe were 3.019, 1.419%, respectively. The longitudinal age curve of the APC model showed that the YLDs rates of knee OA due to high BMI increased with age, and YLDs rates were higher among females than males. The period rate ratios (RRs) of knee OA due to high BMI increased significantly. The cohort RRs of knee OA due to high BMI increased among those born between 1900 and 1970. The net drifts of knee OA attributable to high BMI in China and globe were above 1. Compared with global condition, the net drift values of knee OA attributable to high BMI in China was higher. Compared with females, males had higher net drift value. Countries with high socio-demographic index (SDI) have a much higher burden of knee OA caused by high BMI than countries with low SDI.ConclusionIn China, high BMI is a substantial cause of knee OA, the incidence of which has been increasing since 1990. In addition, women and the elderly are more vulnerable to knee OA caused by high BMI. The Chinese government must take the long-term impact of high BMI on knee OA into account and implement effective public health policies and resort to interventions to reduce the burden as soon as possible

Acupuncture for Chronic Urinary Retention due to Spinal Cord Injury: A Systematic Review

No systematic review has been published on the use of acupuncture for the treatment of chronic urinary retention (CUR) due to spinal cord injury (SCI). The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for CUR due to SCI. Three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including 334 patients with CUR due to SCI were included. Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture plus rehabilitation training was much better than rehabilitation training alone in decreasing postvoid residual (PVR) urine volume (MD −109.44, 95% CI −156.53 to −62.35). Likewise, a combination of acupuncture and aseptic intermittent catheterization was better than aseptic intermittent catheterization alone in improving response rates (RR 1.23, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.38). No severe adverse events were reported. In conclusion, acupuncture as a complementary therapy may have a potential effect in CUR due to SCI in decreasing PVR and improving bladder voiding. Additionally, acupuncture may be safe in treating CUR caused by SCI. However, due to the lack of high quality RCTs, we could not draw any definitive conclusions. More well-designed RCTs are needed to provide strong evidence

Improvement of Antioxidant Activity of Defatted Selenium-Enriched Rice Bran by Lactic Acid Bacteria Fermentation

Selenium-enriched rice bran is a major by-product in the production of selenium-enriched polished rice, which is rich in selenium, dietary fiber, and active substances such as phenolic compounds. However, the high-value utilization of selenium-enriched rice bran has not been fully explored. In this study, four strains of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, L. plantarum, and L. delbrueckii subsp.) were used to ferment defatted selenium-enriched rice bran. The physicochemical properties, nutritional characteristics, microstructure, physicochemical properties and antioxidant activity of selenium-enriched rice bran were compared before and after fermentation. The results showed that lactic acid bacteria fermentation increased the insoluble dietary fiber/water-soluble dietary fiber ratio in selenium-enriched rice bran by 20%–45%, the contents of total phenols and total flavonoids by 5%–6% and 16%–31%, respectively, and the conversion efficiency of inorganic selenium to SeCys2 by 42%–49%. Moreover, the fermentation reduced the particle size of selenium-enriched rice bran, made the surface more loose and porous, and enhanced the hydration properties, cholesterol adsorption capacity and antioxidant activity. The decreasing order of the comprehensive scores of fermented selenium-enriched rice bran in principal component analysis (PCA) was L. plantarum > L. delbrueckii subsp. > S. thermophilus > L. acidophilus. Among these samples, the sample fermented with L. plantarum exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity in vitro, as well as the highest contents of total acid, SeCys2, total phenols and total flavonoids. This study provides a theoretical basis for the intensive development and utilization of selenium-enriched rice bran

Privacy-Preserving Aggregation in Federated Learning: A Survey

Over the recent years, with the increasing adoption of Federated Learning (FL) algorithms and growing concerns over personal data privacy, Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning (PPFL) has attracted tremendous attention from both academia and industry. Practical PPFL typically allows multiple participants to individually train their machine learning models, which are then aggregated to construct a global model in a privacy-preserving manner. As such, Privacy-Preserving Aggregation (PPAgg) as the key protocol in PPFL has received substantial research interest. This survey aims to fill the gap between a large number of studies on PPFL, where PPAgg is adopted to provide a privacy guarantee, and the lack of a comprehensive survey on the PPAgg protocols applied in FL systems. In this survey, we review the PPAgg protocols proposed to address privacy and security issues in FL systems. The focus is placed on the construction of PPAgg protocols with an extensive analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of these selected PPAgg protocols and solutions. Additionally, we discuss the open-source FL frameworks that support PPAgg. Finally, we highlight important challenges and future research directions for applying PPAgg to FL systems and the combination of PPAgg with other technologies for further security improvement.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figure

Peripheral Lung Squamous Carcinoma With ROS1 Rearrangement Sensitive to Crizotinib: A Case Report

ROS1 rearrangements have been identified as driver mutations, accounting for 1–2% of lung adenocarcinoma, but are extremely rare in case of lung squamous cell carcinoma. In this work, we report a lung squamous cell carcinoma in a patient with peripheral lung cancer radiological manifestation, harboring ROS1 rearrangement, with high sensitivity to crizotinib. Our findings suggest that clinicians should pay more attention toward the occurrence of ROS1 rearrangements and the application of crizotinib for lung squamous cell carcinoma treatment

Current status and influencing factors of early mobilization of patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer

Objective·To investigate the status of early mobilization and influencing factors of the patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of colorectal cancer (CRC).Methods·The convenience sampling method was used to select patients undergoing laparoscopic radical resection of CRC in the Department of Colorectal Surgery and Department of General Surgery, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from January to December, 2022. The patients′ general information, disease-, surgery- and postoperation-related information, and the situation of postoperative early mobilization were collected by bedside interview and electronic medical record system at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h after surgery. The influencing factors were analyzed by univariate analyses and binary Logistic regression.Results·A total of 277 patients were included. Within 24 h after surgery, 47 patients got out of bed with the early mobilization rate of 16.97%. The walking distance of these patients was 55.46 (18.28, 145.60) m within 24 h after surgery, with a minimum of 2.60 m and a maximum of 803.68 m. The average scores of Brown rating of mobility within 24 h, >24－48 h, and >48－72 h after surgery were 2 (0, 4) points, 8 (0, 10) points, and 8 (8, 10) points, which respectively belonged to the low level, moderate level, and moderate level. There were statistical differences in age, preoperative hemoglobin level, anesthesia duration, and the number of indwelling catheters between the early mobilization group and the non-early mobilization group (all P<0.05). Initial exhaust time, initial defecation time and postoperative length of stay of the early mobilization group were significantly shorter than those of the non-early mobilization group (all P<0.05). There were no postoperative complications in the early mobilization group, while the postoperative complications occurred in 11 patients in the non-early mobilization group with the incidence of complications of 4.78%. Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that age≥70 years old, low preoperative hemoglobin level and long anesthesia duration had significant influence on postoperative early mobilization (all P<0.05).Conclusion·Early mobilization of patients after laparoscopic radical resection of CRC can significantly accelerate postoperative rehabilitation, but the current status of early mobilization needs to be improved. Age, preoperative hemoglobin level and anesthesia duration are influencing factors of early mobilization

Increased plasma renin by vasodilators promotes the progression of abdominal aortic aneurysm

Background: It is well-accepted that antihypertensive therapy is the cornerstone of treatment for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients with hypertension. Direct-acting vasodilators were used in the treatment of hypertension by directly relaxing vascular smooth muscle but may have destructive effects on the aortic wall by activating the renin–angiotensin system axis. Their roles in AAA disease remain to be elucidated. In this study, we used hydralazine and minoxidil, two classical direct-acting vasodilators, to investigate their influence and potential mechanisms on AAA disease.Methods and results: In this study, we investigated the plasma renin level and plasma renin activity in AAA patients. Simultaneously, age and gender ratio-matched patients diagnosed with peripheral artery disease and varicose veins were selected as the control group using a ratio of 1:1:1. Our regression analysis suggested both the plasma renin level and plasma renin activity are positively associated with AAA development. In view of the well-established relationship between direct-acting vasodilators and increased plasma renin concentration, we established a porcine pancreatic elastase-infused AAA mouse model, followed by oral administration of hydralazine (250 mg/L) and minoxidil (120 mg/L) to investigate effects of direct-acting vasodilators on AAA disease. Our results suggested both hydralazine and minoxidil promoted the progression of AAA with increased aortic degeneration. Mechanistically, the vasodilators aggravated aortic inflammation by increased leukocyte infiltration and inflammatory cytokine secretion.Conclusion and relevance: The plasma renin level and plasma renin activity are positively associated with AAA development. Direct vasodilators aggravated experimental AAA progression, which raised cautionary concerns about their applications in AAA disease

A polymorphism in porcine miR-22 is associated with pork color

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are posttranscriptional regulators that play key roles in meat color regulation. Changes in miRNA expression affect their target mRNAs, leading to multifunctional effects on biological processes and phenotypes. In this study, a G &gt; A mutation site located upstream of the precursor miR-22 sequence in Suhuai pigs was significantly correlated with the meat color parameter a*(redness) of the porcine longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle. AA genotype individuals had the highest average meat color a* value and the lowest miR-22 level. When G &gt; A mutation was performed in the miR-22 overexpression vector, miR-22 expression significantly decreased. Considering that Ca2+ homeostasis is closely related to pig meat color, our results further demonstrated that ELOVL6 is a direct target of miR-22 in pigs. The effects of miR-22 on skeletal muscle intracellular Ca2+ were partially caused by the suppression of ELOVL6 expression