2024年 · 第07卷第03期

Cerebral palsy (CP) refers to a spectrum of permanent movement disorders commonly accompanied by other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). CP is the most common form of physical disability in children, with an estimated prevalence of 2 to 3 per 1,000 live births worldwide, and the incidence of CP at term has not changed markedly in the past 50 years [1]. The prevalence, severity, and burden of CP make it a high public health priority for prevention. Despite several reports of antenatal and perinatal risk factors for CP, determining the cause of CP remains challenging, as many children with CP have no known risk factors, and some children with risk factors do not develop CP [2]. Theoretically, early interventions could improve neuroplasticity and functional outcomes, but early diagnosis of CP before a child’s first birthday requires later confirmation, which hinders early specific interventions.

Neu5Gc is a common sialic acid in mammals, but humans cannot synthesize it independently. When Neu5Gc in the diet enters the body, the body produces antibodies against Neu5Gc, which in turn promotes the immune response and chronic inflammation and may be closely related to embryo transfer rejection. Therefore, Neu5Gc has gained widespread interest from gynecologists, nutritionists, and immunologists. The same problem occurs during embryo transfer, where the embryo carries paternal gene products and is a hapten relative to the maternal endometrium. Successful implantation requires a receptive endometrial environment. Moreover, with the widespread application of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer technology, nonhuman amino acids may be introduced into the embryo culture medium, mainly the genetic engineering-derived essential serum albumin in embryo culture medium, which may introduce the nonhuman sialic acid Neu5Gc and cause embryo transfer rejection.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) affects millions of people annually across the globe and is primarily managed through dopamine replacement therapy employing levodopa (L-DOPA), which is still the preferred gold standard. Prolonged use of L-DOPA leads to severe adverse effects, including motor complications such as L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia, which considerably compromise treatment outcomes and patients' quality of life. Potentiating L-DOPA with natural or synthetic compounds with less toxicity and neuroprotective activity is an area of emerging significance, and many studies in this area have gained widespread research attention. Phytochemicals, essentially compounds with antioxidant and neuroprotective activity, may be potent candidates to potentiate L-DOPA, and in this context, we explored the potential of combining quercetin with L-DOPA to mitigate rotenone-induced PD using human neuroblastoma cells. The optimal nontoxic concentrations of L-DOPA and quercetin were determined via the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay. The combination treatment notably increased cell viability to 95% at a concentration of 6.25 μg/ml, whereas the viability of the rotenone-treated group was 46.8%. Lactate dehydrogenase leakage assays further confirmed that membrane integrity was significantly preserved in the combination-treated groups compared with those treated with L-DOPA or quercetin alone. Morphological improvements were evident under microscopic observation. Compared with the individual treatments, the combination treatment also resulted in increased inhibition of acetylcholinesterase activity. Additionally, apoptosis induction was significantly reduced in the combination group, as shown by EtBr/acridine orange fluorescence staining. Cellular calcium levels, which were elevated by rotenone exposure, were effectively normalized by the combination treatment. Moreover, the combination therapy promoted neurite outgrowth more effectively than L-DOPA or quercetin alone. These findings suggest that coadministration of quercetin with L-DOPA could be a promising strategy to increase the efficacy of L-DOPA while potentially reducing its dosage, leveraging the benefits of natural phytochemicals in PD management.

This study investigates the targeted imaging and tumor inhibition effects of a "signal-off" imaging-based activatable aptamer probe (I-AAP) for pancreatic cancer.AS1411, contained in the I-AAP probe, targets the nucleolin and i-motifs on the membrane surfaces of pancreatic cancer cells (PANC-1) and has a dual response to pH and an acidic environment. In vitro, a "signal-off" type I-AAP probe was constructed that possesses a fluorescence effect in a phosphate buffer solution at pH 6.0 and 6.5. The probe has no fluorescence effect at pH 7.0 or 7.5; thus, the "signal-off" type I-AAP probe has a targeted acid-sensitive response in pancreatic cancer and a tumor microenvironment imaging effect. After incubation for 30 min, AS1411 was taken up by PANC-1 cells and reached its peak value within 2 h. AS1411 inhibited pancreatic cancer cells in a time-dependent manner. This "signal-off" I-AAP probe is expected to be suitable for a low-background and high-specificity molecular pathologic tracer technique, making use of the presence of nucleolins on the surface of pancreatic cancer cells and the low pH response of the tumor microenvironment.

Tissue engineering is a branch of regenerative medicine that harnesses biomaterials and stem cells to utilize the body’s natural healing responses to regenerate tissue and organs. Skin components can be rebuilt by safeguarding their structure and function with the help of advanced scaffold manufacturing techniques. It is important to combine medical concerns with the vast explosion of artificial intelligence concepts to preserve human life and improve health. Currently, machine learning can make reliable contributions to critical decision-making in a wide range of applications. Regression machine learning models rely on correlations, associations, and other relationships between a dependent variable and a group of features. The main objective of this research was to study the effects of applying machine learning techniques on the performance of nanoscaffolds. A regression tree, a random forest, AdaBoost, and a gradient boosting algorithm were applied to the dataset and clustering data. By comparing our proposed models with the relevant studies to verify each machine learning model’s optimal performance, the AdaBoost technique was shown to have the highest accuracy (98.58%, 99.6%, 98.51%, and 98.85%), with a mean absolute percentage error of 1.41% and an R² value of 0.999, which indicates a strong correlation between the predicted and actual values for the whole dataset and all subgroups.

DDX21 belongs to the DEAD-box (DDX) family of helicases but deviates from the characteristic sequence Asp–Glu–Ala–Asp (DEAD) to Asp–Glu–Val–Asp. In addition to the typical helicase activity associated with the DEAD-box family, DDX21 also possesses foldase and adenosine triphosphatase activities. It plays crucial roles in various molecular processes, including the regulation of transcription, ribosomal RNA processing, modification, and unwinding of RNA spatial structures. DDX21 is subject to intricate regulation by multiple upstream factors, including expression control and posttranslational modification. In numerous cancer types, abnormal expression of DDX21 has been observed to influence cancer cell behaviors, such as the cell cycle, proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis. In addition, DDX21 modulates innate immunity following viral infection and plays a dual role in the viral infection process. This review comprehensively explores the protein structure, molecular regulatory mechanisms, and pathophysiological functions of DDX21. Consequently, this study not only offers potential avenues for future research but also sparks novel ideas for targeted treatments for both cancer and viral infections.