Rational size and stability analysis of horizontal isolated pillars in deep mining from caving to filling method

For mining using the caving and filling methods in metal mines, determining a suitable size for the isolated pillars—the connecting part of the extension from shallow to deep—is crucial for ensuring safety and efficiency. Considering actual cases involving deep caving and cut-and-fill mining in the Chifeng Hongling lead-zinc mine in Inner Mongolia, China, the reserved thickness range of the horizontal isolation layer is obtained via theoretical analysis. On this basis, the pre-processing software HyperMesh is used to build a high-precision hexahedral grid model of the mining area, and the three-dimensional geological model of the mining area is imported into the finite-difference software FLAC3D. The stress field, displacement field, and plastic area evolution law of pillars (horizontally isolated pillars and adjacent rib pillars) in the stope of the ninth middle section after excavation are analyzed via numerical simulation inversion of the selected scheme of horizontal isolated pillars. The numerical simulation results show that the scheme employed to retain the upper horizontal isolated pillars in the ninth middle section involves reserving thicknesses of 8 m and 32 m at average ore body thicknesses of 15 m and 35 m, respectively. These results can provide theoretical guidance and a basis for safe and efficient mining of deep metal mines

Saquinavir Ameliorates Liver Warm Ischemia-Reperfusion-Induced Lung Injury via HMGB-1- and P38/JNK-Mediated TLR-4-Dependent Signaling Pathways

Liver ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) induce local and distant tissue injuries, contributing to morbidity and mortality in a wider range of pathologies. This is especially seen under uncontrolled aseptic inflammatory conditions, leading to injury of remote organs, such as lung injury, and even failure. Saquinavir (SQV) is a kind of HIV protease inhibitor that possesses an anti-inflammatory property. In this study, we investigated whether SQV suppresses Toll-like receptor 4- (TLR4-) dependent signaling pathways of high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and P38/JNK, conferring protection against murine liver I/R-induced lung injury. To investigate our hypothesis, C57BL/6 mice and TLR4 knockout mice (TLR4−/−) were used to perform the study. SQV administration markedly attenuated remote lung tissue injury after 1-hour ischemia and 6-hour reperfusion of the liver. To our expectation, SQV attenuated I/R-induced lung edema, hyperpermeability, and pathological injury. The beneficial effects of SQV were associated with decreased levels of circulating and lung tissue inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and iNOS. The protective effect of SQV was also associated with decreased lung tissue expression of HMGB1, TLR-4, and p-P38/JNK, but not p-ERK in wild-type liver I/R mice. Overall, this study demonstrated a new role of SQV, facilitating negative regulation of HMGB1- and P38/JNK-mediated TLR-4-dependent signaling pathways, conferring protection against liver I/R-induced lung injury

Activation of the P62-Keap1-NRF2 Pathway Protects against Ferroptosis in Radiation-Induced Lung Injury

Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is one of the most common, serious, and dose-limiting toxicities of thoracic radiotherapy. A primary cause for this is the radiation-induced cell death. Ferroptosis is a recently recognized form of regulated cell death, characterized by the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products and lethal reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ROS generated by irradiation might be the original trigger of ferroptosis in RILI. In addition, activation of the P62-Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)-nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) pathway has been shown to blunt ferroptosis and thus acts as a protective factor. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the protective effect of the P62-Keap1-NRF2 pathway against radiation-induced ferroptosis in alveolar epithelial cells. First, we found that radiation induced ferroptosis in vitro using a RILI cell model, which could be significantly reduced by ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1), a specific ferroptosis inhibitor. Additionally, overexpression of P62 interacted with Keap1 to facilitate the translocation of NRF2 into the nucleus and promote the expression of its target proteins, including quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), heme oxygenase 1 (HO1), and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1). In summary, our results demonstrated that the activation of the P62-Keap1-NRF2 pathway prevents radiation-induced ferroptosis in RILI cells, providing a theoretical basis of finding a potential therapeutic approach for RILI

Effects of CpG oligodeoxynucleotide 1826 on acute radiation-induced lung injury in mice

BACKGROUND: The radiation-induced lung injury is a common complication from radiotherapy in lung cancer. CpG ODN is TLR9 activator with potential immune modulatory effects and sensitization of radiotherapy in lung cancer. This study aimed to examine the effect of CpG ODN on acute radiation-induced lung injury in mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: The mouse model of radiation-induced lung injury was established by a single dose of 20 Gy X-rays exposure to the left lung. The results showed that the pneumonia score was lower in RT+CpG group than in RT group on 15th and 30th days. Compared with RT group, CpG ODN reduced the serum concentrations of MDA (P < 0.05) and increased the serum concentrations of SOD, GSH (P < 0.05). The serum concentration of TNF-α in RT+CpG group was lower on 15th and 30th days post-irradiation (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that CpG ODN has preventive effects of acute radiation-induced lung injury in mice. Lung inflammatory reaction and oxidative stress are promoted in the initiation of radiation-induced pneumonia. CpG ODN may reduce the injury of reactive oxygen species and adjust the serum TNF-α concentration in the mice after irradiation, which reduces the generation of the inflammatory cytokines

WISP1 mediates lung injury following hepatic ischemia reperfusion dependent on TLR4 in mice

Abstract Background Hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a common pathological phenomenon, which causes hepatic injury as well as remote organ injuries such as the lung. Several mediators, such as oxidative stress, Ca2+ overload and neutrophil infiltration, have been implied in the pathogenesis of liver and remote organ injuries following reperfusion. WNT1 inducible signaling pathway protein 1 (WISP1) is an extracellular matrix protein that has been associated with the onset of several malignant diseases. Previous work in our group has demonstrated WISP1 is upregulated and contributes to proinflammatory cascades in hepatic IRI. However, the role of WISP1 in the pathogenesis of lung injury after hepatic IRI still remains unknown. Methods Male C57BL/6 mice were used to examine the expression and role of WISP1 in the pathogenesis of lung injuries after hepatic IRI and explore its potential mechanisms in mediating lung injuries. Results We found WISP1 was upregulated in lung tissues following hepatic IRI. Treatment with anti-WISP1 antibody ameliorated lung injuries with alteration of cytokine profiles. Administration with rWISP1 aggravated lung injuries following hepatic IRI through excessive production of proinflammatory cytokines and inhibition of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Conclusions In this study, we concluded that WISP1 contributed to lung injuries following hepatic IRI through TLR4 pathway

TCR CDR3 Sequencing as a Clue to Elucidate the Landscape of Dysimmunity in Patients with Primary Immune Thrombocytopenia

Background: Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder. The existence of autoreactive T cells has long been proposed in ITP. Yet the identification of autoreactive T cells has not been achieved, which is an important step to elucidate the pathogenesis of ITP. Methods: ITP patients&rsquo; peripheral blood was collected prior to the treatment and one month after initiating dexamethasone treatment per related therapeutic guideline. Serum cytokines were profiled to examine T cell subtypes imbalance using a protein chip. TCR V&beta; analysis in CD8+T cells of ITP patients, and TCR CDR3 DNA sequencing of CD4+T and CD8+T cells were performed to determine the autoreactive T cells&rsquo; clones. Results: Cytokine profiling revealed imbalanced distribution of T cells subtypes, which was confirmed by CD4+T and CD8+T cells&rsquo; oligoclonal expansion of TCR V&beta; analysis and TCR CDR3 DNA sequencing. VDJ segments were found to be more frequently presented in ITP patients, when compared with health controls. There was an individualized CD4+T cell or CD8+T cell CDR3 sequence in each ITP patient. Conclusions: The present study revealed that T cell clones expanded in ITP patients&rsquo; peripheral blood, and each clone had an individualized TCR CDR3 sequence. The expanded T cell clones preferred to use some specific VDJ segment. Further studies are warranted to get access to individualized treatment such as Car-T in patients with ITP

Low‐dose decitabine promotes M2 macrophage polarization in patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia via enhancing KLF4 binding to PPARγ promoter

Background The first‐line therapy is effective for the treatment of primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP); however, maintaining the long‐term responses remains challenging. Low‐dose decitabine (DAC) has been adopted to treat refractory ITP, while its role in macrophage polarization has not been fully understood. We aimed to investigate the mechanistic role of DAC in M2 macrophage polarization and evaluated its therapeutic effect in ITP. Methods The M2 monocytes were identified by flow cytometry from peripheral blood mononuclear cells in healthy controls (HCs) and ITP patients. The expression of PPARγ, Arg‐1, DNMT3b and NLRP3, together with IL‐10 plasma levels was measured to examine its function. Bisulfite‐sequencing PCR was used to evaluate the methylation status of PPARγ promoter, and the binding affinity of KLF4 was measured by Cut&Tag. A sh‐PPARγ THP‐1 cell line was created to verify if low‐dose DAC‐modulated M2 macrophage polarization was PPARγ‐dependent. The passive ITP models were used to investigate the therapeutic effects of low‐dose DAC and its role in modulating polarization and immunomodulatory function of macrophages. NLRP3 inflammasome and reactive oxygen species were also tested to understand the downstream of PPARγ. Results The M2 monocytes with impaired immunoregulation were observed in ITP. After high‐dose dexamethasone (HD‐DXM) treatment, M2 monocytes increased significantly with the elevated expression of PPARγ, Arg‐1 and IL‐10 in CR patients. Low‐dose DAC promoted M2 macrophage polarization in a PPARγ‐dependent way via demethylating the promoter of PPARγ, especially the KLF4 binding sites. Low‐dose DAC alleviated ITP mice by restoring the M1/M2 balance and fine‐tuning immunomodulatory function of macrophages. The downstream of the PPARγ modulation of M2 macrophage polarization might physiologically antagonize NLRP3 inflammasome. Conclusions Low‐dose DAC promoted M2 macrophage polarization due to the demethylation within the promoter of PPARγ, thus enhanced the KLF4 binding affinity in ITP

DataSheet_1_Single-cell analyses reveal the therapeutic effects of ATHENA and its mechanism in a rhabdomyosarcoma patient.xlsx

BackgroundWhole-cell tumor vaccines tend to suffer from low immunogenicity. Our previous study showed that irradiated lung cancer cell vaccines in mouse models enhance antitumor efficacy by eliciting an intensive T cells response and improving immunogenicity. Based on these findings, we developed an improved whole-cell tumor vaccine, Autologous Tumor Holo antigEn immuNe Activation (ATHENA).MethodsIn this study, we report the successful treatment of a 6-year-old male diagnosed with meningeal rhabdomyosarcoma with pulmonary and liver metastases using ATHENA. After 6 cycles of therapy, PET/CT showed the therapeutic efficacy of ATHENA. We profiled the immune response by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Flow cytometry analysis was implemented to validate the status transitions of CD8+ T cells.ResultsIn CD8+ T cells, the exhausted status was weakened after treatment. The exhausted CD4+ T cells shifted towards the central memory phenotype after the treatment. Breg cells were converted to Plasma or Follicular B cells. Survival analysis for pan-cancer and transcription factor analysis indicated that such T cell and B cell transitions represent the recovery of antitumoral adaptive immune response. We validated that the proportion of CD279+CD8+ T cells were reduced and the expression of CD44 molecule was upregulated by flow cytometry assay.ConclusionSuch studies not only show that ATHENA therapy may be a promising alternative treatment for tumor patients but provide a novel idea to analyses the mechanisms of rare cases or personalized cancer treatment.</p