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This study investigated whether Sevoflurane preconditioning (Sevo-pre) attenuates hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-triggered myocardial damage by targeting microRNA-451a (miR-451a) and its downstream target interleukin 6 receptor (IL6R). Rat embryonic cardiomyoblast-derived H9C2 underwent H/R injury modeling with either Sevo-pre or no preconditioning. Mechanistic studies employed the manipulation of miR-451a overexpression and silencing, alongside IL6R modulation via targeted siRNA and plasmid transfection. Sevo-pre significantly enhanced cell viability, reduced apoptosis, and decreased injury markers in H/R-induced cells (p < 0.001). Notably, miR-451a was downregulated in H/R conditions but upregulated by Sevo-pre. The inhibition of miR-451a negated Sevo's protective effects, exacerbating oxidative stress and apoptosis (p < 0.001). Bioinformatics analyses and luciferase assays identified IL6R as a direct target of miR-451a. Silencing IL6R mitigated the adverse effects of miR-451a inhibition, restoring cell viability and reducing oxidative stress (p < 0.001). Sevo-pre alleviates H/R injury in cardiomyocytes through the regulation of miR-451a, which suppresses IL6R expression, consequently reducing oxidative stress and apoptosis. This study elucidates a novel cardioprotective mechanism of preconditioning via the miR-451a/IL6R axis, which highlights miR-451a and IL6R as potential therapeutic targets for mitigating myocardial I/R injury in clinical settings.

circRNAs play pivotal roles in cancer initiation and progression. To explore the metastasis-related circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network in ESCC for novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets, differentially expressed circRNAs, miRNAs, and mRNAs were obtained from GEO datasets. A metastasis-associated circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network in ESCC was constructed using Cytoscape software. The STRING database and Cytoscape were utilized for protein–protein interaction (PPI) interaction generation. The GEPIA2 database was used to obtain the expression of downstream targets and their prognostic value. The GO and KEGG enrichment analyzes were performed using the DAVID database. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was utilized to validate the target interaction among hsa_circ_0007551, miR-493-5p, and CXCL8/BMP2. Six metastasis-related DEcircRNAs overlapped from the GSE131969 and GSE150476 datasets. The ceRNA network was constructed containing six circRNAs, 15 miRNAs, and 86 mRNAs. In the ceRNA network, CXCL8 and BMP2, which were significantly associated with overall survival in ESCC patients, were chosen for further subnetwork construction. Then, a metastatic and survival-related ceRNA network containing hsa_circ_0007551, miR-493-5p, and two DEGs (CXCL8 and BMP2) was identified. hsa_circ_0007551 was upregulated in ESCC tissues and cells. In conclusion, this study identified novel circRNA-mediated ceRNA networks in ESCC metastasis, highlighting hsa_circ_0007551 and the CXCL8/BMP2 axis as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), an intratumoral pathogenic bacterium, is confirmed to be associated with tumor progression in colorectal cancer (CRC). To evaluate CD8⁺ T cell function against CRC cells, their cytotoxicity was determined via live/dead staining and ELISA, while proliferation was assessed using the CFSE assay. CD274 (PD-L1) expression in CRC was quantified by qPCR, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence. Lactate accumulation in CRC cells was measured using LDHA and lactate assay kits. Histone lactylation levels were analyzed by Western blot. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was applied to examine the abundance of H3K18 lactylation (H3K18la) at the CD274 promoter region. Finally, Annexin V/PI staining was employed to analyze the apoptosis rate of CRC cells. Fn treatment inhibited the anti-tumor immune capacity of CD8⁺ T cells against CRC cells and increased PD-L1 expression. Fn stimulation promoted lactate accumulation in CRC cells and enhanced H3K18la levels. Mechanistic studies revealed enrichment of H3K18la. Fn treatment induced H3K18la of PD-L1, upregulating its expression, suppressing CD8⁺ T cell immune activity, and promoting immune escape in CRC. This study demonstrates that Fn is crucial in CRC immune escape, proposing that regulating Fn abundance represents a novel strategy to enhance immunotherapy effectiveness.

Microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC) is a significant issue causing material damage of metals in pipelines, storage tanks, and marine infrastructure, leading to significant industrial damage and maintenance costs. Anaerobic sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) are the main causative agent for MIC. Their capacity to form biofilms facilitates SRB to cause high corrosion rates. In this study, Ag–SiO₂ nanocomposite with silver nanoparticle (Ag NP) dispersed in the silicon dioxide (SiO₂) matrix was synthesized using a one–pot sol–gel method. Ag–SiO₂ NC was evaluated for its capacity to deter biofilm formation and impact the transcript gene expression of key markers HydA and DVU1817 Cytochrome c553 genes for the SRB biofilm-formation and metal corrosion in Desulphovibrio gigas strain. The effect of Ag–SiO₂ NC on the SRB mediated Carbon steel corrosion was also examined using potentiodynamic polarization electrochemical corrosion testing. The findings from our study validate the antibacterial and corrosion inhibitory characteristics of nanocomposite Ag–SiO₂ NC against D. gigas. A simple and reproducible Ag–SiO₂ NC synthesis will significantly boost the industrial production of silver-doped silica products for controlling SRB population, enabling development of advanced high-performance protective metal coatings with enhanced antimicrobial properties.

The initial step in diagnosing tuberculosis involves the microscopic examination of sputum samples using acid-fast staining to identify bacilli. However, this conventional method is labor-intensive, requires specialized expertise, is susceptible to errors, and has limited sensitivity. Research literature indicates that deep learning models demonstrate significant potential for detecting acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in sputum smear preparations. This study investigates the effectiveness of deep learning methods in identifying AFB within sputum smear samples. Our objective was to assess the performance of these models in tuberculosis diagnosis based on microscopic examination and to identify improvements they could bring in terms especially of sensitivity and availability within this field. We employed several transfer learning models: DenseNet201, ResNet101V2, Xception, InceptionResNetV2, and InceptionV3. In order to determine the effectiveness of these models, basic performance metrics such as accuracy, recall, precision, and F1 score were used. Among the transfer learning models we recommended, the InceptionV3 and Xception models exhibited the highest performance, achieving 99.00% high performance across all evaluation metrics. Our findings underscore that deep learning models can be effectively utilized for rapid and accurate detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in acid-fast stained sputum preparations.

The ocular surface hosts commensal bacteria that play essential roles in its development, defense, nutrition, and physiological processes, actively contributing to both innate and adaptive immune responses. However, the inappropriate or excessive use of antibiotics has significantly contributed to the emergence and spread of resistant strains, posing a growing public health challenge. In this context, this study aimed to taxonomically identify and assess the antibacterial potential of the CS05 and CS83 bacterial isolates, obtained from the human conjunctival sac. The latter was accomplished through assays designed to evaluate their ability to inhibit the growth of reference pathogenic strains from the American Type Culture Collection. Antibacterial activity assays, including cross-diffusion, drop agar diffusion, well diffusion, disk diffusion, and polystyrene microplate assays, were performed, and taxonomic identification was carried out by Sanger sequencing. The bacteria CS05 was identified as Staphylococcus epidermidis and demonstrated inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Staphylococcus aureus. Meanwhile, the isolate CS83, identified as Pseudomonas fluorescens, inhibited the growth of E. coli, L. monocytogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae, E. faecalis, and S. aureus. These findings suggest that the bacterial microbiota of the human conjunctival sac may represent a promising biotechnological source to develop alternative antibacterial agents.

The most contagious forms of shigellosis and bacterial dysentery are caused by the gram-negative bacteria Shigella flexneri. Antibiotics like ciprofloxacin and synthetic antimicrobial agents are used to treat this infection; however, their limitations in terms of human health and antibiotic resistance call for better drugs for treatment. Polyphenols, being plant-derived, have the potential to be an effective agent for bacterial infections. Flavonoids, naturally occurring antioxidants with antibacterial properties, can disrupt biofilm formation and reduction, which aids in the treatment. The objective of this work is to investigate the function of naringenin in the prevention of biofilm and antibacterial activity against S. flexneri. Naringenin was shown to inhibit both the growth and biofilm formation of S. flexneri at a concentration of 1000 μg/mL. Scanning electron microscopy results indicated the morphological changes of S. flexneri following treatment with naringenin. Fluorescent-activated cell sorting revealed an 87.76% increase in dead cells with naringenin (1000 μg/mL). Upon treatment with naringenin, downregulation of adhesion (yebL), quorum-sensing (rcsC, sdiA), and biofilm development (s0482) associated genes was observed through qRT-PCR analysis.

Liquid-Based Cytology (LBC) is widely used for cervical cancer screening, which significantly improves cell dispersion and morphological preservation compared to cytology smears, but its detection rate is still limited, and the LBC block further improves on its technical deficiencies. This study optimized LBC block preparation by evaluating five methods using 90 cervical samples. Metrics included visual assessment, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, Immunohistochemistry (IHC) performance, and production efficiency. The modified adhesive centrifugal sedimentation method demonstrated superior outcomes, yielding well-preserved cell clusters with enhanced H&E contrast (reduced impurities) and precise IHC localization. Its preparation success rate reached 92.9%. Validation with 114 cervical cases showed cell blocks achieved 87.5% sensitivity and 96.9% specificity compared to biopsy histology, outperforming standard LBC. The method's simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and cell preservation advantages support its utility in primary settings for cervical lesion screening. Findings highlight LBC blocks as a reliable adjunct to cytology, improving diagnostic precision while maintaining workflow feasibility.

Biogenically synthesized ZnO nanorods using Cucurbita moschata seed have demonstrated significant antibiofilm activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. Building on our previous findings, the current study extends to investigate the interactions of the nanorods during the pre- and postbiofilm formations. The pre-biofilm investigations include monitoring the changes in cellular zeta potential and hydrophobicity upon nanorod treatment. The post-biofilm assessments focus on the inhibition of cellular revival, extracellular polymeric substance components, and vital virulence factors―staphyloxanthin and pyocyanin; loss of cellular viability and biofilm architecture; and loss of cellular integrity and observation of the alterations in the pH of biofilm cultured media. Notably, the cellular hydrophobicity decreases to 5% and 17% for S. aureus and P. aeruginosa, respectively, at 250 μg/mL. Meanwhile, staphyloxanthin was inhibited by 48.49% ± 1.3% (250 μg/mL), and pyocyanin reduction hit a dose-dependent plateau at 500 μg/mL with 89.78% ± 0.47%. Further propositions on the strain-specific mechanistic insights by evaluating the relative mode of interaction with the green-synthesized ZnO nanorods have been discussed. Interestingly, the antibacterial modes of action by 1D-biogenic ZnO nanorods offer a novel approach and insight into the use of eco-friendly resources for an integrated approach towards antibiofilm strategies.