The DC-T cell axis is a bridge connecting innate immunity and adaptive immunity. The initial immune response against tumors is mainly induced by mature antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DC). Enhancing the crosstalk between DC and T cells could improve the immune response to non-small cell lung cancer. This article reviews the interaction between DC-T cells in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer and how this interaction impacts the treatment outcome.

Autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and systemic sclerosis (SSc) are the most prevalent rheumatic autoimmune disorders affecting autologous connective tissues caused by the breakdown of the self-tolerance mechanisms of the immune system. During the last two decades, stem cell therapy has been increasingly considered as a therapeutic option in various diseases, including parkinson’s disease, alzheimer, stroke, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, diabete, heart disease, bone disease, renal disease, respiratory diseases, and hematological abnormalities such as anemia. This is due to the unique properties of stem cells that divide and differentiate to the specialized cells in the damaged tissue. Moreover, they impose immunomodulatory properties affecting the diseases caused by immunological abnormalities such as rheumatic autoimmune disorders. In the present review, efficacy of stem cell therapy with two main types of stem cells, including mesenchymal stem cells, and hematopoietic stem cells in animal models or human patients of one common rheumatic autoimmune diseases, including, RA, will be reviewed. Moreover, other related issues, including safety, changes in immunological parameters, suitable choice of stem cell origin, conditioning regimen, limitations, and complications of stem cell treatment will be discussed.

The two-toned pygmy squid ( Idiosepius pygmaeus, Streenstrup, 1881) is a small, tropical cephalopod that inhabits seagrass meadows and is known to attach to blades of seagrass using a specialised adhesive organ. A global decline in seagrass habitat due to anthropogenic disturbances may threaten the species that rely on seagrass meadows for shelter, foraging and other crucial activities. It is unclear if I. pygmaeus can utilise alternative habitats in the absence of seagrass. Here, we test the effect of habitat type, material and composition type, and the presence of conspecifics on the settlement preferences of I. pygmaeus. Individuals each underwent three separate experiments: 1) testing the preference between their known habitat, Zostera muelleri subsp. Capricorni and potential substitute, Sargassum, 2) testing the preference to attach to a natural or artificial structure of similar shape and size, and 3) testing the preference of identical habitats, one with a conspecific adhered to and one without. We found that I. pygmaeus did not have a strong preference for either Zostera or Sargassum. However, a strong preference was found for attachment to the natural structure over the artificial one. There was also strong evidence for the use of conspecific cues in habitat choice, with 75% of individuals selecting the habitat that contained a conspecific. As habitat loss is the leading cause of species extinction, the knowledge of habitat preferences for I. pygmaeus is vital in order to assess their risk of population decline. The findings of this study suggest that I. pygmaeus could utilise an alternative habitat in the presence of seagrass meadow reduction, which is under threat from human activity.

We examined whether children across grades possess the cognitive difficulties in metaphoric perception. With the inhibition-of-return approach, we compared the differences (i.e., vehicle, tenor, and ground) of 15 metaphoric expressions presented by young children in Grade 2, Grade 4, and Grade 6 in the elementary school. We measured the process of identifying metaphoric expressions (i.e., speaking out vehicle, tenor, and ground of each metaphoric expression) and the attentive questionnaire (focusing on the psychological status). Results show that children across different grades present apparently different cognitive difficulties in vehicle, tenor, and ground, although the discrepancies are not significant in word, idiom, sentence pattern. Additionally, with the process of metaphoric perception, children’s performance are not saliently affected by duration of the time limit. Ultimately, there can be a good paradigm for strategically identifying metaphoric perception for children across grades. Thus, this boosts the improvement of children’s metaphoric perception and subsequently adjust the cognitive difficulties in it.

Immunocompromised individuals have been shown to mount a reduced response to vaccination, resulting in reduced vaccine effectiveness in this cohort. Therefore, in the post vaccination era, immunocompromised individuals remain at high risk of breakthrough infection and COVID-19 related hospitalisation and death. There has been a marked paucity of systematic review evaluating existing data describing the clinical measures of efficacy of COVID-19 vaccination in protecting immunocompromised individuals, specifically against, breakthrough infections and severe COVID-19. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review which aimed to provide a summary of current clinical evidence of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination in the immunocompromised population. Our findings demonstrated that immunocompromised patients remained at high risk of breakthrough infection and severe COVID-19 outcomes compared to the general population. These groups included those with: cancer, organ transplants, chronic kidney disease, HIV and immunodeficiencies, amongst others. This demonstrated that vaccination does not offer an adequate level of protection in these groups, necessitating further measures such as Evusheld and further boosters.

Problem: RPL is loss of two or more clinical pregnancies before 20th week of gestation. Globally, 1-5% couples are affected, with 50% idiopathic RPL cases. Method of Study: The study aimed to assess the circulating levels of IL-6 and IL-10 cytokines. A total of 170 pregnant women in their second-trimester with and without the history of RPL were enrolled from Niloufer Hospital, south-India. Serum samples isolated from blood were subjected to ELISA for the estimation of the above cytokines. Results: Analysis of data revealed significantly elevated IL-6 and reduced IL-10 levels in RPL group compared to NRPL group (P=0.0001). Moreover, IL-6/IL-10 ratio differed significantly between the two study groups. ROC curve analysis for cytokine ratios were superior to individual IL-6 and IL-10 cytokines for RPL group over the NRPL group. Further, data from RPL group (2 and >2 pregnancy losses) revealed heightened inflammation in >2 pregnancy losses compared to 2 losses. These results clearly indicate that pro-inflammatory systemic milieu exist in the mid gestation of pregnant women with the history of RPL that may be reflecting feto-palcental environment. Conclusion: Further studies creating a cytokine signature for these two groups may help in developing better preventive/management strategies by cytokine based therapeutics.

Five psoralen derivatives were synthesized and the structures of them were characterized by 1H NMR and 13C NMR. The antioxidant properties of the compounds were tested by inhibiting the free radical-initiated DNA oxidation and quenching the radical reaction. The results showed that the effective stoichiometric factors (n) of the compounds V and IV could reach 2.00 and 2.11 in the system of inhibiting the DNA oxidation reaction initiated by 2,2’-Azobis(2-methylpropionamidine) dihydrochloride (AAPH). In the inhibition of •OH-oxidation of the DNA system, compounds I ~ V showed antioxidant properties. The thiobarbituric acid absorbance (TBARS) per-centages of compounds IV and V were 76.19% and 78.84%, which were comparable to Trolox (71%). Compounds I ~ V could also in-hibit Cu2+/GSH-oxidation of DNA, and all compounds exhibited good antioxidant properties except compound II (94.00%). All the five compounds were able to trap diammonium 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) salt radical (ABTS+•), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH•) and 2,6-di-tert-butyl-alpha-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-oxo-2,5-cyclohexadien-p-tolylox radical (galvinoxyl•). The ability of compounds I ~ V to scavenge those free radicals can be measured by the k values. The k values ranged from 0.07 to 0.82 in scavenging ABTS+•, galvinoxyl and DPPH radicals, respectively.

A pair of novel skeleton diterpenoid enantiomers, (+)- and (−)-thymutatusone A [(+)- and (−)-1], along with one new and one known biogenetically related compounds (2-3), were isolated from Thymus quinquecostatus. Their structures were exhaustively character-ized by comprehensive spectroscopic data, X-ray diffraction analysis, and ECD (electronic circular dichroism) calculations. Thymuta-tusone A features an unprecedented skeleton with a rare tricyclo [7.3.1.02,7] tridecane motif. The plausible biogenetic pathway of 1 was proposed. Additionally, the hepatoprotective activity of isolates against N-acetyl-p-aminophenol (APAP)-induced toxicity in HepG2 cells was tested. Compounds (±)-1, (−)-1, and (+)-1 exhibited potent hepatoprotective activity, with EC50 values of 11.5 ± 2.8, 8.4 ± 1.9, and 12.2 ± 0.3 μM, respectively. Further, the western blot analysis showed that compound (−)-1 could increase the expres-sion of PPARα and STAT1 protein and thus exert hepatoprotective activity.

Biocompatible polymers with non-traditional intrinsic luminescence possess the advantages of environmental friendliness and facile structural regulation, however, it is challenging to regulate the emission property. In this work, five kinds of hyperbranched polysiloxanes (HBPSi) with different alkane chain lengths are synthesized. Optical investigation shows that the emission wavelength of HBPSi is closely related to the alkane chain lengths, namely, short alkane chains will generate relative long-wavelength emission. Electronic communication among functional groups is responsible for the emission. HBPSi molecules aggregate together due to the strong hydrogen bond and amphiphilicity, the functional groups in the aggregate are so close that their electron clouds are overlapped and generate spatial electronic delocalizations. HBPSi with shorter alkane chains will generate larger electronic delocalizations and emit longer-wavelength emissions. Moreover, these polymers show excellent application in the fabrication of fluorescent films and chemical sensing. This work could provide a strategy for regulating the emission wavelength of unconventional fluorescent polymers.

Gomphostemma ovatum Wall. (Lamiaceae) from Ultapani forest range, Kokrajhar, Assam, India, has been studied for the purpose of identification. The plant is spotted in the shady roadside with yellow-coloured flowers and tube-like roots. The morphological characters and taxonomic notes are discussed to identify the species of Gomphostemma.

During our ongoing efforts to explore macrofungal diversity of Pakistan, two new records i.e. Collybiopsis rodhallii and Marasmius trichotus were collected and identified using morphological and molecular characterization. Their detailed description and illustration are provided. In addition, phylogenetic analysis using nrITS data also support the identity of these new records. Previously, only three species of Collybiopsis and thirteen Marasmius have been described from Pakistan. Moreover, Paramarasmius palmivours which has already been reported from Pakistan is now recorded from a different locality district Mandi Bahauddin of Pakistan during this study. The aim of this study is to accurately identify saprobic fungi of Pakistan using morphological and molecular tool and contribute towards exploration of fungal diversity of Pakistan.

Spent bleaching earth (SBE) is a byproduct generated during the process of refining edible oil. Due to its flammability and high organic content, it is categorized as hazardous waste in many countries. However, researchers have been exploring ways to convert this waste material into valuable products. In this study, residual oil from SBE was extracted using n-Hexane. The de-oiled SBE was then activated with acid and heated at 500 °C for 1 hour in a muffle furnace to produce two different materials, namely DRSBE and RSBE. These materials were characterized using XRD, TGA, and FTIR. Both DRSBE and RSBE were utilized for removing coloring pigments from degummed and neutralized canola oil, and it was found that DRSBE was more effective in this regard. The removal percentage of coloring pigments was 71.06% and 40.52% for DRSBE and RSBE, respectively. Additionally, the soap contents of bleached canola oils were decreased, and the phosphorus contents of oils were lowered to 80%. However, the saponification and iodine values of oils remained unaffected.

Understanding gait characteristics and development in pediatric populations with visual disorders is crucial to identify early walking impairment and to promote optimal motor performance. We reviewed existing literature to identify gait patterns, development and differences between infants and children with visual disorders. Children who were blind showed differences in gait compared to low-vision or full sight peers. Differences were identified across ages with slower walking, postural, head, and trunk position alterations, uncoordinated and reduced upper limb swing motions observed in children with blindness. Children who were blind used a wider base of support, more external rotation of the feet and took less steps per minute. There are no studies reporting gait characteristics in early stages of walking development, scarcity of longitudinal investigations, and different variables to measure gait. These prevented the establishment of gait development trajectories in pediatric populations with visual disorders. This review is the first summarizing existing knowledge of gait characteristics in children with visual disorders, advancing understanding of key differences in gait patterns observed in this population. This information can inform future studies in the field, increasing knowledge of gait development in infants and children with visual disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Coronary atherosclerosis is an age-related disease that originates from osteogenic differentiation of coronary arterial endothelial cells (CAECs) induced by intimal injury. CAECs express excess levels of osteogenic factors in response to oxidative stress. This study aims to investigate the effect of IL-37 on high cellular level of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) -induced CAECs and its potential mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cultured CAECs were randomly divided into two groups: control group and IL-37 pretreatment group. Cells were cultured with ox-LDL (0, 40, or 80μg/ml) for 0h,1h,2h,3h, respectively. Western blot analysis and real-time PCR were performed to assess the associated gene and protein expression, respectively.ATF-4 and Phosphorylated eIF2α were identified by immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: Treatment of HCAECs with recombinant human IL-37 inhibits BMP-2 and ALP protein expression and down-regulates phosphorylated-NF-κB p65 expression(p<0.05). In vitro, HCAECs pretreated with recombinant human IL-37 exhibit significantly low level of phosphorylated PERK and eIF2α and diminished AFT-4 expression compared to control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that IL-37 suppresses pro-osteogenic responses induced by ox-LDL that result in down-regulation of NF-κB and PERK-eIF2α-ATF4 pathways in HCAECs. Since these pro-osteogenic factors are involved in smooth muscle cell calcification. Our study indicates IL-37 could have therapeutic potential for the treatment of progressive coronary artery calcification (CAC).

In this study, a bibliometric analysis was conducted on the literature surrounding wind power and machine learning to gain insight into the current state of the field and the research trends and patterns within it. A dataset of research papers on “wind power prediction” and “machine learning” was analyzed using the software tool R- Biblioshiny library for Bibliometrix and VOSviewer. This analysis included the creation of time, collaboration and connection maps, which allowed for the identification of key players and trends in the literature on wind power prediction and machine learning, as well as active areas of research and collaboration. The findings showed that wind power prediction is a rapidly growing and internationally collaborative field, with a particular focus on statistical modeling and machine learning techniques. In addition, the most active universities and countries in the field were identified, as well as the most influential papers based on the number of citations. This bibliometric analysis provides valuable insights into the state of the field of wind power and machine learning and can inform future research and development efforts in this area.

The quantum-chemical method is a crucial area of innovation for photodynamic therapy. Density Functional Theory can be used to investigate the electronic structures, excited states, and other photochemical properties of a photosensitizer. In the present study, the intensities and energies of electronic transitions are calculated, and absorption and vibrational spectra of two photosensitizers, protoporphyrin IX and pyropheophorbide-a are simulated. The calculation proved the experimental results of the fact that pyropheophorbide-a exhibits the intense absorption of Qx at longer wavelength than protoporphyrin IX, and absorption intensity is higher than protoporphyrin IX. Additionally, the influence of solvent models on IR-spectra calculation is studied. This study can lead to the design of new photosensitizers to improve PDT efficiency.

The extension of emerging renewable energy sources such as wind and water turbines, solar panels, and the increasing usage of electric vehicles requires the supply and distribution of energy in a small device on local scale and it has created new methods of supplying and selling electricity. Middle buyers and end users can obtain the local energy with the peer-to-peer trading method in this large and hierarchical market. This method enables market to manage and exchange the electricity between major suppliers and medium and local levels. Blockchain technology is developing in peer-to-peer exchange of electricity and acts as a reliable, efficient and safe technology in the electricity trading market. In this method, while preserving the privacy of electricity users, by using smart contracts and by removing intermediaries in the energy supply and demand market, direct commercial interactions between energy suppliers and consumers are done. The Blockchain technology, while creating trust between the parties in the energy market, reduces the cost of electricity trading and increases its scalability with using the intermediate energy aggregators. In this research, the blockchain-based model, is presented for distribution and peer-to-peer transactions in the energy market. The suggested model provides the possibility of registration low-cost instant transactions at the power grid in any specific period of time. The above method, unlike periodic payments, provides immediate access to bills and small payments. Since the transactions outside the blockchain chain are not recorded, this system guarantees its honest and independent operation without fraud and failure. The smart contract method based on blockchain, reduces the transaction fees and speeds up electricity trading.

Purpose: Due to limited and heterogeneous reports, there is still no information on the relationship between the type of inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) and two main parameters including the incidence rate and severity of COVID-19. Therefore, this study aims to introduce IEIs that may increase the chance of SARS‑CoV‑2 infection or have the highest probability of risk for a severe type of COVID-19 before vaccination. Methods: Data was collected through medical documents obtained from 15 patients with different IEIs and interviews with those who experienced COVID-19 before vaccination and enrolled in our IEIs registry. Results: Only three patients (20%), two men with Bruton Disease (BD) and one woman with Autosomal Recessive Hypogammaglobinemia (ARH), experienced severe-prolonged COVID-19. The frequency of patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 was equal (13.33%). In the female group, one patient with Common Variable Immunodeficiency (CVID) and one patient with Combined Immunodeficiency (CID) had moderate and severe forms of COVID-19, respectively. In contrast, both men who experienced moderate and severe COVID-19 were suffering from BD. Conclusion: Although a small number of patients with BD, CID, and ARH experienced severe and severe- prolonged COVID-19, no formation of cytokine storm was observed, probably owing to IVIG therapy and congenital disorders in the formation or function of cells producing cytokines (B&T cells). Therefore, IEIs not only cannot be a crucial risk factor for COVID-19 but also may provide a great research opportunity to find potential therapies for the prevention of severe COVID-19 through the temporary suppression of some immune system components.

Anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare clinical autoimmune disease, and anti-MDA5-positive DM with interstitial lung disease (ILD) is the most important cause of death in DM patients. We reported the efficacy of the JAK1/3 inhibitor tofacitinib as an anti-MDT5-negative treatment option for patients with anti-MDA5-positive DM-ILD. Here we report a 51-year-old female patient with cough, sputum, shortness of breath for 5 months, rash for 3 months, and muscle pain in the extremities for 1 month. After conventional immunosuppressive therapy plus hormone therapy, the remission was slow. Methylprednisolone was successfully reduced after we administered tofacitinib and tacrolimus. After 132 weeks of follow-up, anti-MDA5 antibody turned negative, clinical symptoms were relieved, and lung Imaging tests were successfully reversed. There is currently no report of tofacitinib supplement therapy for anti-MDA5 positive to negtive DM. With this case report, tofacitinib is an option for the treatment of anti-MDA5-positive DM-ILD, which deserves attention.

The polymeric immunoglobulin (Ig) receptor-like (pIgRL) molecules have been identified in teleost fish. However, compare to the functional studies of their related genes (mammalian CD300 family, et al) in eliminating pathogen invasion while preserving homeostasis, the roles of pIgRL in teleost fish remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that a pair of pIgRL molecules in zebrafish, pIgRL3.5 and pIgRL4.2, were highly expressed in the intestine and immune cells. Moreover, we constructed an Edwardsiella piscicida infection model, which induced strong inflammatory responses in the zebrafish intestine. Interestingly, pIgRL3.5 and pIgRL4.2 exhibited opposite inducible expression patterns in response to bacterial infection, suggesting that they perform different roles. More importantly, by conducting overexpression and knockdown experiments, our findings demonstrated that zebrafish pIgRL3.5 played a protective role in the host defense against E. piscicida infection by inhibiting excessive inflammatory responses. In contrast, pIgRL4.2 facilitated pathogen growth and dissemination in zebrafish intestine. Collectively, our findings were the first to demonstrate that a pair of pIgRL molecules in teleost fish play opposite roles in mucosal immune response to bacterial infection. Therefore, our results provide crucial insights into the conserved role of pIgRL molecules in immune regulatory functions throughout vertebrate evolution.

Two new sesterterpenoids sesterchaetins A and B (1 and 2) and two new polyketides chaetoketones A and B (3 and 4) were characterized from the culture extract of a deep sea-sediment-derived fungal strain Chaetomium globosum SD-347. Their structures including absolute configurations were unambiguously solved by detailed NMR, mass spectra, and X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compounds 1 and 2 contained a characteristic 5/8/6/5 tetracyclic carbon-ring-system, which represented rarely occurring natural product frameworks. The new isolates 1–4 exhibited selective antimicrobial activities against human and aquatic pathogenic bacteria and plant-pathogenic fungi.

Natural killer cells (NKs) are lymphocytes of the innate immune system that quickly respond to viruses, infections, and tumors during their short cell life cycle. However, it was recently found that NKs undergo quantitative, distributional, structural, and functional phenotypic changes during aging that suppress immune responses, which is known as immunosenescence. The aging host environment, cytokine regulation, cytomegalovirus status, and hypothalamic‒pituitary‒adrenal axis have significant effects on NK function. Different lifestyle management interventions modulate the number and cytotoxic activity of NKs, which are essential for rebuilding the immune barrier against pathogens in elderly individuals. Based on recent studies, we review the phenotypic changes of and potential threats of NKs during aging and explore the underlying mechanisms. By summarizing the effects of lifestyle management on NKs and their application prospects, we aim to provide evidence for enhancing immune system function against immune diseases in elderly individuals.

There is a great demand for the fabrication of soft electronics using hydrogels due to their biomimetic structures and good flexibility. However, conventional hydrogels have poor mechanical properties, which restricts their applications as stretchable sensors. Herein, a facile one-step strategy is proposed to fabricate tough hydrogels with a semi-interpenetrating network structure by free-radical polymerization. The obtained polyacrylamide/carboxymethyl chitosan composite hydrogels possess outstanding transmittance and excellent mechanical performances, with tensile breaking stress of 260 kPa, breaking strain of 3300%, and toughness of 2400 kJ/m3. These hydrogels have low modulus of ~10 kPa, fast recoverability after unloading, and high conductivity of ~0.85 S/m without the addition of other conductive substances. The ionic conductivity of the gels originates from the counterions of carboxymethyl chitosan, affording the hydrogels as resistive-type sensors. The resultant hydrogel sensors demonstrate a broad strain window, excellent linear response, high sensitivity with a gauge factor, and great durability, capable of monitoring diverse human motions. This work provides a new strategy to develop stretchable conductive hydrogels with promising applications in the fields of artificial intelligence and flexible electronics.

Litter decomposition represents a major path for atmospheric carbon influx into Arctic soils, thereby controlling below-ground carbon accumulation. Yet, little is known about how tundra litter decomposition varies with microenvironmental conditions, hindering accurate projections of tundra soil carbon dynamics with future climate change. Over 14 months, we measured landscape-scale decomposition of two contrasting standard litter types (Green Tea and Rooibos Tea) in 90 plots covering gradients of micro-climate and -topography, vegetation cover and traits, and soil characteristics in Western Greenland. We used the Tea Bag Index protocol to estimate relative variation in litter mass loss, decomposition rate (k) and stabilisation factor (S) across space, and Structural Equation Modelling to identify relationships among environmental factors and decomposition. Contrasting our expectations, microenvironmental factors explained little of the observed variation in both litter mass loss, as well as k and S, suggesting that the variables included in our study were not the major controls of decomposer activity in the soil across the studied tundra landscape. We use these shortcomings of our study combined with findings from the current literature to discuss future avenues for improving our understanding of the drivers of tundra decomposition and, ultimately, carbon cycling across the warming Arctic.