Li Wang

To reach inflamed tissues, neutrophils must traverse capillaries as narrow as 2 micrometers. However, how they do so without compromising blood flow or capillary function has remained unclear. By combining intravital live-cell imaging with biomimetic microdevices, we show that neutrophils maintain migration speed in capillaries across increasing levels of confinement. This behavior was not shared by other leukocytes and was independent of nuclear properties. Instead, confinement rapidly engaged Rho-dependent actomyosin contractility at the cell rear, thereby offsetting the increased mechanical resistance imposed by confinement. Disrupting this adaptive response caused neutrophil jamming and eventual occlusion of confined capillary-like networks. These findings identify a neutrophil-intrinsic mechanism that couples capillary confinement to rapid migratory adaptation, helping preserve vascular patency and potentially limiting tissue dysfunction during inflammation.

Cell migration is essential to living organisms and deregulated in cancer. Single cell’s migration ranges from traction-dependent mesenchymal motility to contractility-driven propulsive amoeboid locomotion, but collective cell migration has only been described as a focal adhesion–dependent and traction-dependent process. Here, we show that cancer cell clusters, from patients and cell lines, migrate without focal adhesions when confined into nonadhesive microfabricated channels. Clusters coordinate and behave like giant super cells, mobilizing their actomyosin contractility at the rear to power their migration. This polarized cortex does not sustain persistent retrograde flows, of cells or actin, like in the other modes of migration but rather harnesses fluctuating cell deformations, or jiggling. Theoretical physical modeling shows this is sufficient to create a gradient of friction forces and trigger directed cluster motion. This collective amoeboid mode of migration could foster metastatic spread by enabling cells to cross a wide spectrum of environments.

Oral cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the world. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine on immune response in patients undergoing radical and reconstructive surgery for oral cancer. Patients were randomly divided into the dexmedetomidine and control groups. Within 15 min before anesthesia induction, dexmedetomidine was infused with a 0.5 µg·kg^‑1 loading dose followed by a maintenance dose of 0.4 µg·kg^‑1·h^‑1 to the end of operation in the dexmedetomidine group, whereas the same volume of saline was administered in the control group. Blood samples were obtained at five time‑points: 30 min Before induction (T₀), 1 h after induction (T₁), end of the operation (T₂) and 24 (T₃) and 48 h (T₄) after the operation. The T lymphocyte subsets (including CD3⁺, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ cells) and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio, B lymphocytes, dendritic cells and myeloid‑derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) were analyzed by flow cytometry. All immunological indicators, except CD8⁺ cells, significantly decreased between the two groups at T_1‑3 compared with T₀ (P+, CD4⁺, dendritic cells and the CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratios were significantly higher at T_2‑4 and the percentages of MDSCs were significantly lower at T_2‑4 in the dexmedetomidine group compared with the control group (all P<0.05). These findings suggested that dexmedetomidine can attenuate immunosuppression in patients undergoing radical and reconstructive surgery for oral cancer.

Nuclear power plants (NPP) have to face urgent requirement of participating in peak load regulation of power grid. The peak load regulation performances of NPP were researched. Based on the calculation and analysis on peak load regulation cost and benefit of NPP, the location, criterion and peak balance algorithm of NPP participating in peak regulation were proposed. Results of the actual research show that NPP possesses better ability of peak load regulation and the cost is lower, so NPP can participate in daily peak load regulation, which will improve both security and flexibility of power grid and enhance the efficiency of resource configuration. However, the depth and speed of peak load regulation by NPP are restricted by security and economy.