Bioscience trends最新文献

Mitochondria are organelles that play a crucial role in various physiological processes. They are particularly important during embryonic development, as their proper function is required for essential processes such as fertilization, implantation, and embryonic growth. In addition to their well-known role in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis and energy production, mitochondria serve multiple other functions during embryonic development. These include the synthesis of important metabolites, involvement in cell signaling pathways, regulation of reactive oxygen species, and facilitation of interactions between organelles. The mitochondrial genome, known as mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), also plays a unique role in embryonic development. Dysfunction in mitochondria can lead to failures in fertilization, suboptimal embryo development, post-implantation failures, and mitochondrial-related diseases in adults. Advances in sequencing technology and experimental techniques have greatly improved our understanding of mitochondrial function. This paper reviews the roles of mitochondrial functions in embryonic development and the influence of mitochondrial technologies and it highlights the potential impact of understanding mitochondria's unique genetic and functional characteristics on embryonic development and offspring health.

This study investigates the prognostic significance of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) in hepatitis B virus-related intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (HBV-ICC), given that AFP - though commonly used for hepatocellular carcinoma - is sometimes elevated in HBV-ICC, yet its clinical relevance remains unclear. The research retrospectively analyzed 839 HBV-ICC patients who underwent curative hepatectomy, categorizing them into AFP-positive (≥ 20 ng/mL) and AFP-negative groups. Using propensity score matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting to reduce bias, the study compared overall survival (OS) and time to recurrence (TTR). Results showed that AFP-positive patients had poorer liver function and more aggressive tumor characteristics, including higher rates of cirrhosis, microvascular invasion, and satellite nodules. Across both unadjusted and adjusted cohorts, elevated AFP was significantly associated with worse OS and earlier recurrence. Multivariate Cox analysis identified AFP as an independent predictor of poor prognosis. While CA19-9 alone demonstrated limited predictive value, its combination with AFP improved prognostic accuracy. The study concludes that elevated serum AFP independently predicts adverse survival and recurrence outcomes in HBV-ICC patients after curative resection, and combining AFP with CA19-9 enhances prognostic stratification, supporting AFP as a practical biomarker for postoperative risk assessment.

Optimal post-remission therapy is crucial for long-term survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Multidisciplinary team (MDT) conferences address this challenge by providing comprehensive, patient-centered consultations that support individualized treatment decision-making. We evaluated the effectiveness of MDT conferences in guiding post-remission treatment decisions in adults with de novo AML. We enrolled 653 adult patients with de novo AML who were treated at our center between January 2017 and December 2022. Of the 591 eligible patients (90.5%), 501 (84.8%) attended a scheduled MDT evaluation. Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) was recommended for 315 patients (62.9%), of whom 251 (79.7%) subsequently underwent transplantation. Survival analyses showed that MDT attendees had superior 3-year overall survival (68.9% vs. 53.5%, p < 0.0001) and a lower 3-year cumulative incidence of relapse (30.7% vs. 44.9%; p < 0.0001) compared with patients who did not attend MDT conferences. Patients most likely to benefit from allo-HCT following MDT recommendations included those with intermediate- or adverse-risk disease according to the European LeukemiaNet 2017 classification, and those with favorable-risk disease who showed a suboptimal response to induction therapy. The main barriers to allo-HCT were persistent or relapsed disease and patient preference. Overall, MDT conferences effectively identified patients who were most likely to benefit from allo-HCT and were associated with higher transplantation rates within a modern healthcare system.

Upon infection, bacteria form polysaccharides barriers, such as capsular polysaccharide (CPS), exopolysaccharide (EPS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The barrier hinders antibiotic penetration and host immune clearance, exacerbating antimicrobial resistance crisis. Bacteriophages (phages), natural viruses that can specifically infect and kill bacteria, have evolved depolymerase to degrade the polysaccharides. This review evaluates the primary therapeutic value of depolymerases as synergists to existing therapies, systematically detailing their potential to enhance antibiotic efficacy, improve phage therapy, and augment host immunity. We further integrate an evolutionary perspective to analyze likely adaptive responses and potential strategies to eradicate resistance. Finally, the discussion addresses formulation challenges and future prospects for the clinical translation of depolymerase-based synergistic therapies.

As populations age at an unprecedented pace globally, frailty has emerged as a critical challenge in perioperative care. While clinicians broadly acknowledge the value of frailty assessment, embedding it systematically in care pathways remains difficult to implement systematically. We compared perioperative frailty guidelines from the United Kingdom, United States, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific, finding significant inconsistencies in tool selection, risk stratification criteria, and pathway design. Strikingly, approximately 99.6% of frailty research remains confined to risk characterization, whereas only 0.4% is directed toward improving care, highlighting a substantial gap between evidence and practice. Digital technologies promise a wider uptake of frailty screening, and yet algorithmic bias threatens to under-detect frailty in underserved groups if left unchecked. We outline five policy priorities: first, an internationally coordinated consensus on core assessment standards needs to be reached; second, end-to-end pathways that span screening, graded assessment, targeted intervention, and outcome tracking need to be devised; third, digital technology needs to be accelerated along with the devising of explicit safeguards for equity; fourth, high-quality evidence needs to be generated through function-centered outcomes and cost-effectiveness analyses to demonstrate the real-world value of frailty-focused care pathways; and fifth, frailty management needs to be integrated into national chronic-disease frameworks. Closing the gap between detection and action will require global collaboration and a reframing of frailty, not as a passive label but as a call to intervene.

Frailty significantly influences perioperative outcomes and healthcare resource utilization among older adults. Although the importance of intervention has been recognized, guidelines vary significantly across regions. This review synthesizes geriatric, perioperative, and specialty guidelines from the UK, the US, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. We found that, although they widely share core principles such as the use of validated tools and comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), guidance specific to the perioperative setting remains limited. Existing recommendations are often restricted to the preoperative phase and lack standardization of risk thresholds. However, high-quality evidence on the clinical and economic impact of frailty-based pathway redesigns is limited. Future research should focus on multicenter pragmatic trials that evaluate integrated care pathways extending from preoperative optimization through postoperative care. In parallel, further development of automated screening using electronic health records and electronic frailty indices is warranted. Such initiatives will require careful evaluation of feasibility and equity to support successful implementation in routine clinical practice. We recommend that clinicians routinely incorporate validated frailty screening into preoperative evaluation for all patients age 65 and older and that healthcare systems prioritize the development of an interoperable data infrastructure to enable the seamless transfer of community-derived frailty information into surgical decision-making workflows.

Frailty has become a pressing health concern in Japan as it has entered a super-aged society. Early identification of frailty is essential to preventing disability, hospitalization, and dependency on long-term care, and yet the implementation of standardized screening across clinical settings remains inconsistent. This review synthesizes current evidence on frailty assessment practices in Japan, highlights key challenges in routine implementation, and examines the potential of emerging digital tools. The feasibility of recent digital innovations - including artificial intelligence analysis of home electricity data, wearable-based mobility monitoring, and EMR-integrated frailty indices - has been demonstrated in pilot settings, though evidence of their large-scale clinical effectiveness remains limited. International comparisons have revealed that countries and regions such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Singapore are increasingly implementing electronic frailty indices with policy-level support, offering valuable insights for Japan. Overall, although Japan has made significant progress in recognizing the importance of frailty assessment, substantial gaps remain in standardization, system integration, and clinical implementation. Strengthening national policy frameworks, enhancing workforce training, and accelerating a digital transformation may enable the development of a more comprehensive and scalable frailty-screening system to support healthy aging.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease with limited treatment options. Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) has been implicated in inflammation and pain, but its role in UC remains a subject of debate. The current study investigated the effects of TRPA1 inhibition in both acute and subacute murine models of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Genetic knockout of Trpa1 or pharmacological inhibition with A967079 significantly ameliorated inflammation in the acute model, reducing the disease activity index (DAI), colon shortening, histopathological damage, and TNF-α secretion from macrophages. In contrast, TRPA1 suppression exacerbated subacute colitis and worsened weight loss, DAI, colon shortening, and histopathology. Mechanistically, Trpa1 deletion promoted CD4+ T cell polarization toward the Th1 subtype in subacute colitis, increasing IFN-γ levels. These findings reveal a dual role for TRPA1 in colonic inflammation: it mediates pro-inflammatory effects primarily via innate immune cells in the acute phase but has anti-inflammatory effects by modulating adaptive immunity in the subacute phase. These findings provide new insights into the context-dependent roles of TRPA1 and suggest that TRPA1 may represent a context-specific and stage-dependent therapeutic target in UC.

Implantable artificial retinas have been a considerable technology to help blind people recover their sight. This topic has attracted increasing attention from both patients and clinicians because of the refractory nature of degenerative retinal diseases. A point worth noting is that artificial retinas are conventionally considered to be a tool to help blind patients recover their sight. With the development of materials and sensors, however, such devices might have characteristics of augmented reality that are beyond the capabilities of the natural eye. This study briefly summarizes the current clinical status of implantable artificial retinas, it explores emerging technologies that aim to augment vision, and it discusses the challenges that must be overcome before these devices can be further used clinically. Indeed, the implantation of such advanced retinal prostheses with augmented reality characteristics may bring about new ethical and legal risks that warrant further consideration.

Hearing impairments, as a prevalent and debilitating non-motor symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), remain unclear in mechanisms. In this work, we established PD mouse and rat models by using 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), respectively, and investigated their hearing functions and potential mechanisms through auditory brainstem response (ABR), distortion product otoacoustic Emissions (DPOAE), noise exposure, immunofluorescence labeling, volumetric measurement, and colocalization analysis. In MPTP-induced PD mice, we observed significant cholinergic fibers decompensation, heterogeneous dopaminergic fibers damage of cochlear efferent fibers, and adrenergic sympathetic fibers marked loss in the osseous spiral lamina (OSL), corresponding to insignificant cochlear hair cells, ribbon synapse alteration, and auditory sensitivity injury. While in 6-OHDA-induced PD rats, asymmetric alterations in cochlear cholinergic, dopaminergic fibers were found, accompanied by inconsistent adrenergic changes in the OSL, which matched unilateral hair cells, ribbon synapse damage, and hearing loss. Overall, findings from this work indicate that pathological alterations in the cochlea of PD mice and rats, particularly in efferent fibers, may be closely relevant to peripheral hearing alterations.