Dan Guo

Background: Cutaneotrichosporon jirovecii is an under-characterized basidiomycetous yeast within the family Trichosporonaceae. Its taxonomic placement, ecological distribution, and functional potential remain incompletely understood because genome-scale resources for C. jirovecii and closely related lineages are limited. Methods: We characterized strain H0426_7, a C. jirovecii-related yeast recovered from a human fecal sample, using ITS-based type-strain comparison, ITS phylogenetic analysis, whole-genome sequencing, average nucleotide identity analysis, read-level assessment of public C. jirovecii-labeled datasets, and comparative functional annotation. Antifungal susceptibility was assessed using the Sensititre YeastOne plate. Results: The ITS sequence of H0426_7 closely matched type-strain material of C. jirovecii, including CBS 6864 and its equivalent deposits. The ITS-based tree placed H0426_7 adjacent to CBS 6864 with bootstrap support of 87%. The final draft genome comprised 38.66 Mb in 1974 contigs, with a GC content of 63.76% and BUSCO completeness of 80.0%. ANI analysis showed that H0426_7 was genomically distinct from the recognized Cutaneotrichosporon species included in the ANI analysis but highly similar to two unclassified feces-derived strains, P10-008 and PK4640, with ANI values exceeding 98.8%. Two public datasets labeled as C. jirovecii showed anomalously low ANI values with H0426_7; read-level taxonomic profiling indicated low target-fungal read proportions, suggesting that these datasets are unsuitable as definitive genome-level references. CAZyme annotation identified 285 family assignments in H0426_7, representing 278 non-redundant predicted proteins, including relatively high GH5 and GH31 counts, suggesting candidate carbohydrate-utilization features shared with the H0426_7/P10-008/PK4640 lineage. Conclusions: H0426_7 is best described as a C. jirovecii-related Cutaneotrichosporon isolate pending availability of a high-quality genome assembly from the C. jirovecii type strain. This study expands genome-scale resources for underrepresented basidiomycetous yeasts and provides a comparative framework for future taxonomic, ecological, and functional studies of feces-associated Cutaneotrichosporon lineages.

Hsa_circ_0002111 is highly expressed in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We therefore investigated its role and underlying mechanism in promoting PTC progression. Q-RT-PCR, dual-luciferase reporter assays, AGO2-RIP, CCK-8, colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell assays were employed to dissect the circRNA/miRNA/mRNA axis interactions and their functional phenotypes. Results showed that silencing hsa_circ_0002111 significantly inhibited the viability, migration, and invasion of KTC-1 cells. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that hsa_circ_0002111 acted as a sponge for miR-432-5p, which in turn targeted the 3’UTR of CDKN2B and suppressed its expression. Functional assays revealed that either hsa_circ_0002111 knockdown or miR-432-5p overexpression inhibited migration and invasion, whereas inhibition of miR-432-5p reversed these cellular processes. Consistently, siRNA-mediated knockdown of CDKN2B phenocopied the motility defects observed upon hsa_circ_0002111 silencing, suggesting that CDKN2B is a functionally relevant downstream effector. Thus, the hsa_circ_0002111/miR-432-5p/CDKN2B axis is implicated in papillary thyroid carcinoma progression. These findings revealed a novel regulatory mechanism of hsa_circ_0002111 in KTC-1 cells and suggest its potential as a therapeutic target, offering new insights for future clinical applications and research directions in thyroid cancer.

Background: For precise and reliable gene expression analysis, the acquisition of high-quality RNA is contingent upon excellent tissue preparation and handling. The optimal method for preserving tissues after surgical resection remains challenging due to the delays in delivery or the absence of cold storage equipment. Although RNAlater has been extensively adopted for tissue preservation, few studies have systematically evaluated the effects of various tissue preservation solutions and post-collection intervals on RNA integrity across a range of tissue types. Methods: Ten types of mouse tissues, representing common tissue species in biobanks, were collected after resection. Tissues were either flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen as controls or immersed in one of three RNA preservatives—TRIzol and two commercial RNAlater solutions—and stored at room temperature (RT) for 0, 4, or 8 h before being frozen. Total RNA was extracted using TRIzol method, and its integrity was assessed using the RNA Integrity Number (RIN). Results: The results indicated that both the post-collection interval and the type of RNA preservative significantly impact RNA integrity. Pancreatic tissue showed the poorest RNA integrity (RIN < 5.5), whereas heart and ovary tissue yielded high-quality RNA (RIN > 7) even without any preservatives after 8 h at RT. To maintain baseline RNA integrity (RIN > 5.5), tissues including brain, kidney, muscle, liver, intestine, and uterus should be immersed in preservative and frozen within 8 h. For lung tissue preserved in RNAlater, the maximum recommended time at RT was 4 h. Conclusions: Robust, high-quality RNA can be obtained from most mouse tissues stored in RNA preservatives for up to 8 h at RT, with only minor variations observed across the different preservatives tested.

Background: Ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), well known for its chemoresistance to platinum-based chemotherapy, exhibited a good response in clinical trials of anti–PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. By assessing PD-L1 expression, we sought to determine the potential therapeutic benefit of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in OCCC. Methods and results: The retrospective study included 152 individuals with OCCC between 2019 and 2022 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. Paired tumors of primary versus recurrent lesions (17 pairs from 15 patients) or primary versus metastatic lesions (11 pairs from 9 patients) were also included. The 22C3 pharmDx assay and whole sections were used for PD-L1 immunohistochemical staining. Pathologists with experience in premarket clinical trials evaluated PD-L1 expression based on various diagnostic criteria (TPS 1%, CPS 1, or CPS 10). The number and percentage of positive PD-L1 cases were 34 (22.4%, TPS ≥ 1%) and 59 (38.8%, CPS ≥ 1), respectively. Thirty-three (21.7%) of the cases had high PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 10). Half of the platinum-resistant patients (11/22) were PD-L1 positive (CPS ≥ 1). In addition, positive PD-L1 expression (CPS ≥ 1) was related to clinicopathological characteristics that represented a worse prognosis, such as advanced stages, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis (p = 0.032, p < 0.001 and p = 0.003, separately). PD-L1 was expressed equally or more in the recurrent lesion compared with its matched primary lesion. Conclusions: In conclusion, anti–PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors are a promising therapeutic choice for OCCC. For evaluation of PD-L1 expression, CPS is more recommended than TPS. Evaluation of recurrent lesion was still suitable and predictive when the primary tumor tissue was not available. Distant metastatic lesions can serve as alternative samples for PD-L1 evaluation, while usage of lymphatic metastatic lesions is not recommended.

Spin‐polarized bands in pristine and proximity‐induced magnetic materials are promising building blocks for future devices. Conceptually new memory, logic, and neuromorphic devices are conceived based on atomically thin magnetic materials and the manipulation of their spin‐polarized bands via electrical and optical methods. A critical remaining issue is the direct probe and the optimized use of the magnetic coupling effect in van der Waals heterostructures, which requires further delicate design of atomically thin magnetic materials and devices. Here, a spin‐selective memtransistor with magnetized single‐layered graphene on a reactive antiferromagnetic material, CrI₃, is reported. The spin‐dependent hybridization between graphene and CrI₃ atomic layers enables the spin‐selective bandgap opening in the single‐layered graphene and the electric field control of magnetization in a specific CrI₃ layer. The microscopic working principle is clarified by the first‐principles calculations and theoretical analysis of the transport data. Reliable memtransistor operations (i.e., memory and logic device‐combined operations), as well as a spin‐selective probe of Landau levels in the magnetized graphene, are achieved by using the subtle manipulation of the magnetic proximity effect via electrical means.

Aim: As the second most prevalent subtype of epithelial ovarian cancers, ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC) is known for its chemoresistance to conventional platinum‐based therapy. In this work, we examined the tryptophan (Trp) metabolism enzymes' differential expression in patients with OCCC to assess the potential for personalised treatment.Methods: A total of 127 OCCC tissues were used to construct tissue microarrays, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of the Trp enzymes IDO1, IDO2, TDO2 and IL4I1 was performed. The correlations between Trp enzyme expression and clinical characteristics were analysed.Results: Positive IDO1, IDO2, TDO2 and IL4I1 staining was identified in 26.8%, 94.5%, 75.6% and 82.7% of OCCC respectively. IDO1‐positive samples were more common in the chemoresistant group than in the platinum‐sensitive group (46.7% vs. 19.8%). Moreover, positive expression of IDO1, TDO2 and IL4I1 was related to advanced stage, metastasis, bilateral tumours, endometriosis and tumour rupture (p < 0.05) respectively. Univariate analysis revealed a significant association between bilateral tumours, lymph node metastasis, advanced stage, distant metastasis and aberrant cytology with a poor prognosis for OCCC, while the absence of residual tumour was correlated with a favourable outcome (p < 0.05). However, only bilateral tumours and lymph node metastases were related to a poor prognosis after multivariate analysis.Conclusion: This is the first study to investigate the expression of the Trp enzymes IDO1, IDO2, TDO2 and IL4I1 in OCCC tissues. IDO2, TDO2 and IL4I1 were detected in the majority of OCCC. Clinical traits were correlated with IDO1, IDO2, TDO2 and IL4I1 expression. IDO1 may be used as a therapeutic target given the large percentage of chemoresistant cases with IDO1 expression. These results will aid the development of personalised therapies for OCCC.

Background Pulmonary invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma (IMA) is a unique type of lung adenocarcinoma with a high recurrence rate and limited treatment strategies. The tight-junction-associated protein claudin18.2 is a new therapeutic target for several solid tumors. This study aimed to detect the expression of claudin18.2 in IMA and its clinicopathological association with the disease. Methods The expression of claudin18.2 was immunohistochemically evaluated in an IMA cohort of 84 patients, who underwent partial pneumonectomy between January 2017 and December 2021. Positive staining for claudin18.2 was defined as ≥ 10% of tumor cells showing ≥ 1 + membrane staining or any ≥ 2 + membrane staining. Results Claudin18.2 was detected in 76.2% (64/84) of IMA patients, significantly higher than that in non-mucinous adenocarcinoma (NMA). 46.4% (39/84) of the IMA patients met the enrollment criteria of the clinical trials of monoclonal antibodies (≥ 75% of tumor cells demonstrating ≥ 2 + staining intensity). Positive staining for claudin18.2 was significantly associated with smaller tumor size (p = 0.010), less pleural invasion (p = 0.019), and earlier pN stage (p < 0.001). Expression of claudin18.2 was not related to prognosis in multivariate analysis. Conclusions To summarize, in this study we found that claudin18.2 was remarkably highly expressed in IMA and the overexpression was associated with low invasive capacity. Thus, this protein appears to be a promising therapeutic target and deserves further investigation in IMA patients.

As a large-scale marine fishery facility, marine ranch plays an important role. At the same time, in the current context of energy conservation and environmental protection, solar energy has the characteristics of clean, environmental protection, high efficiency and easy access, so it undertakes the important task of energy consumption control and energy conservation and environmental protection. However, under the influence of human and natural factors, solar panels inevitably have cracks, shielding and other defects. If it cannot be found and maintained in time, it will seriously affect the power supply efficiency and energy consumption control. Therefore, it is extremely critical to accurately detect the defects of the photovoltaic system in the marine pasture. Aiming at the problems of high false detection rate, unbalanced detection speed and accuracy in the original photovoltaic defect detection method, this paper proposes an improved method based on YOLOv5s. This method embeds CA (Coord Attention) attention mechanism in the backbone network, and uses BiFPN (Bidirectional Feature Pyramid Network) to replace the original PANet to improve the feature fusion ability. The final experimental results show that the precision of the proposed method is 1.2% higher than that of the original algorithm, and the amount of parameters and computation are reduced by 25.3% and 16.5% respectively, and the reasoning speed is the same. Therefore, this method achieves the balance between speed and accuracy, and the reduction of model size also provides the possibility for its further deployment.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary malignant intracranial tumor with a poor prognosis. Ferroptosis is a newly discovered, iron-dependent, regulated cell death, and recent studies suggest its close correlation to GBM. The transcriptome and clinical data were obtained for patients diagnosed with GBM from TCGA, GEO, and CGGA. Ferroptosis-related genes were identified, and a risk score model was constructed using Lasso regression analyses. Survival was evaluated by univariate or multivariate Cox regressions and Kaplan–Meier analyses, and further analyses were performed between the high- and low-risk groups. There were 45 ferroptosis-related different expressed genes between GBM and normal brain tissues. The prognostic risk score model was based on four favorable genes, CRYAB, ZEB1, ATP5MC3, and NCOA4, and four unfavorable genes, ALOX5, CHAC1, STEAP3, and MT1G. A significant difference in OS between high- and low-risk groups was observed in both the training cohort (p < 0.001) and the validation cohorts (p = 0.029 and 0.037). Enrichment analysis of pathways and immune cells and functioning was conducted between the two risk groups. A novel prognostic model for GBM patients was developed based on eight ferroptosis-related genes, suggesting a potential prediction effect of the risk score model in GBM.

Parathyroid carcinomas are difficult to distinguish from adenomas according to the current diagnostic criteria. The judgment of local infiltration is subjective and inconsistent. Existing studies have found that the CDC73 gene encoding parafibromin is related to the occurrence of parathyroid carcinomas. This study aimed to investigate whether immunohistochemistry of parafibromin is helpful in distinguishing malignant from benign parathyroid tumours. A total of 53 patients with parathyroid carcinoma from Peking Union Medical College Hospital were included. Metastasis was found in 17/53 of patients. In addition, another 53 patients with parathyroid adenomas were included as controls. Appropriate sections were stained with an immunohistochemical autostainer. Three senior pathologists evaluated the sections and analysed their clinicopathological features independently. The loss of parafibromin expression only occurred in malignant tumours, including all carcinomas with metastasis (17/17) and 14/36 carcinomas with only local infiltration. All staining results of adenomas (53/53) were positive. Considering invasion as the gold standard of malignancy, the sensitivity of parafibromin staining is 58%, and the specificity is 100%. If the gold standard is changed to metastasis, the sensitivity becomes 100%, and the specificity becomes 84%. By analysing clinicopathological features with metastasis and parafibromin staining, it is found that local-infiltrative carcinomas with positive staining results have better biological behaviours than carcinomas lack of parafibromin expression. Parafibromin staining is highly recommended as an auxiliary method in the diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma.