Progress of the acyl-Coenzyme A thioester hydrolase family in cancer

In recent years, the acyl-Coenzyme A thioester hydrolase family (ACOTs) has received wide attention as a key link in lipid metabolism. This family is a class of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of fatty acyl-Coenzyme A, disrupting the thioester bond present within acyl-CoA ester molecules to produce free fatty acids (FFA) and the corresponding coenzyme A (CoA). Such enzymes play a very important role in lipid metabolism through maintaining appropriate levels of intracellular FFA and fatty acyl-CoA as well as CoA. It is broadly divided into two distinct subgroups, the type-I α/β-hydrolase fold enzyme superfamily and the type-II ‘hot dog’ fold superfamily. There are currently four human type-I genes and eight human type-II genes. Although the two subgroups catalyze the same reaction, they are not structurally similar, do not share the same sequence homology, and differ greatly in protein executive functions. This review summarizes the classification of the acyl-CoA thioester hydrolase family, an overview of the structural sequences, and advances in digestive, respiratory, and urinary systemic tumors. In order to explore potential specific drug targets and effective interventions, to provide new strategies for tumor prevention and treatment

Temperature-Controlled Divergent Synthesis of Tetrasubstituted Alkenes and Pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole Derivatives via Iridium Catalysis

We have achieved an Ir(III)-catalyzed temperature-controlled divergent synthesis of tetrasubstituted alkenes and pyrrolo[1,2-a]indole derivatives through C−H alkenylation/DG migration and [3+2] annulation, respectively. This method has various advantageous features: a) excellent regio- and stereoselectivity and good functional group tolerance, b) broad substrate scope and moderate to excellent yields, c) mild redox-neutral reaction conditions and operational simplicity

Regulatory Effect of Polysaccharides from Antrodia cinnamomea in Submerged Fermentation on Gut Microbiota in Mice with Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea

In order to study the effect of polysaccharides produced by Antrodia cinnamomea in submerged fermentation on the intestinal flora of mice and, more broadly, to develop the potential and application value of A. cinnamomea in the field of functional food, we extracted and characterized intracellular polysaccharides (AIPS) and exopolysaccharides (AEPS) from the submerged cultured mycelia and broth of Antrodia cinnamomea. It was found that AIPS and AEPS were predominantly composed of glucose, galactose and mannose. Their average molecular masses were 3.52 × 106 and 4.16 × 105 Da, respectively. AEPS contained a pyran ring, while AIPS had (–C≡C–H) and (C–O) functional groups. Both AIPS and AEPS had strong digestive resistance as demonstrated by their resistance to α-amylase digestion and simulated gastric digestion. Intragastrically administered AIPS and AEPS significantly increased the relative abundance of some beneficial microorganisms (such as Lactobacillus) in the intestine of mice with lincomycin-caused diarrhea, and significantly reduced the relative abundance of some harmful microorganisms (such as Enterococcus, Staphylococcus, Parasutterella and Shigella) (P < 0.05), AEPS being more significantly better than AIPS. This study can provide a new idea and basis for the development of new multifunctional prebiotics

Mechanically robust, flame-retardant poly(lactic acid) biocomposites via combining cellulose nanofibers and ammonium polyphosphate

Expanding the application range of flame-retardant polymer biocomposites remains a huge challenge for a sustainable society. Despite largely enhanced flame retardancy, until now the resultant poly(lactic acid) (PLA) composites still suffer reduced tensile strength and impact toughness due to improper material design strategies. We, herein, demonstrate the design of a green flame retardant additive (ammonium polyphosphate (APP)@cellulose nanofiber (CNF)) via using the cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) as the green multifunctional additives hybridized with ammonium polyphosphate (APP). The results show that PLA composite with 5 wt % loading of APP@CNF can pass the UL-94 V-0 rating, besides a high limited oxygen index of 27.5%, indicative of a significantly enhanced flame retardancy. Moreover, the 5 wt % of APP@CNF enables the impact strength (σi) of the PVA matrix to significantly improve from 7.63 to 11.8 kJ/m2 (increase by 54%), in addition to a high tensile strength of 50.3 MPa for the resultant flame-retardant PLA composite. The enhanced flame retardancy and mechanical strength performances are attributed to the improved dispersion of APP@CNF and its smaller phase size within the PLA matrix along with their synergistic effect between APP and CNF. This work opens up a facile innovative methodology for the design of high-performance ecofriendly flame retardants and their advanced polymeric composites

Influencing factors of medication literacy among community-dwelling older adult patients with hypertension: a study based on social learning theory

Objective: This study aimed to examine the factors affecting medication literacy in community-dwelling older adults with hypertension, guided by social learning theory. It sought to analyze the pathways these factors influenced and provide a theoretical foundation for designing targeted intervention programs.Study design: This is a cross-sectional study.Methods: From October 2022 to February 2023, a total of 432 community-dwelling older adults with hypertension from Linghe District, Guta District, and Taihe District, Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province, China, were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a socio-demographic questionnaire, a medication literacy questionnaire, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, the General Self-efficacy Scale, and the Perceived Social Support Scale. The collected data were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests, correlation analysis, multiple stepwise regression analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM).Results: The medication literacy score among the participants was 3.83 ± 1.91. Multi-factor analysis revealed key factors affecting their medication literacy, including blood pressure-control status, utilization of community health education resources, receiving guidance for medication usage, marital status, number of annual visits, social support, self-efficacy, and disease perception. The SEM based on social learning theory showed that general self-efficacy mediated the relationship between social support, disease perception, and medication literacy.Conclusion: The present study developed a model and provided potential intervention strategies to improve medication literacy, knowledge, and safety among community-dwelling older adults with hypertension, considering the relationships between the identified variables

How to improve the outcomes of elderly acute myeloid leukemia patients through allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

In recent years, with the gradual advancement of haploidentical transplantation technology, the availability of donors has increased significantly, along with the widespread use of reduced-intensity conditioning and the improvement of nursing techniques, giving more elderly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients the chance to receive allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. We have summarized the classic and recently proposed pre-transplant assessment methods and assessed the various sources of donors, conditioning regimens, and post-transplant complication management based on the outcomes of large-scale clinical studies for elderly AML patients

Theoretical and Experimental Study of Photonic Crystal Based Structures for Optical Communication Applications

ABSTRACT Photonic crystal based structures have been considered for optical communication applications. A class of novel symmetric structures consisting of cavities and waveguides have been proposed to serve as optical add-drop multiplexers. Light transfer processes in these structures are analyzed briefly. The problem of deviating from the perfect accidental degeneracy is addressed for practical designs, and the backscattering intensities are shown low for the slight deviations. Anomalous light refraction at a surface of a photonic crystal has also been studied. The limitations of prior theoretical methods for the transmission problem are discussed. An outline of a new analytic theory that overcomes these limitations is presented. Photonic crystals are fabricated on polymer multi-layer films and integrated with conventional channel waveguides

Artificial intelligence-driven microbiome data analysis for estimation of postmortem interval and crime location

Microbial communities, demonstrating dynamic changes in cadavers and the surroundings, provide invaluable insights for forensic investigations. Conventional methodologies for microbiome sequencing data analysis face obstacles due to subjectivity and inefficiency. Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents an efficient and accurate tool, with the ability to autonomously process and analyze high-throughput data, and assimilate multi-omics data, encompassing metagenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. This facilitates accurate and efficient estimation of the postmortem interval (PMI), detection of crime location, and elucidation of microbial functionalities. This review presents an overview of microorganisms from cadavers and crime scenes, emphasizes the importance of microbiome, and summarizes the application of AI in high-throughput microbiome data processing in forensic microbiology