Risk prediction of common bile duct stone recurrence based on new common bile duct morphological subtypes

Stones in the common bile duct (CBD) are reported worldwide, and this condition is majorly managed through endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). CBD stone recurrence is an important issue after endoscopic stone removal. Therefore, it is essential to identify its risk factors to determine the necessity of regular follow-up in patients who underwent endoscopic removal of CBD stones. The authors identified that the S and polyline morphological subtypes of CBD were associated with increased stone recurrence. New morphological subtypes of CBD presented by the authors can be important risk predictors of recurrence after endoscopic stone removal. Furthermore, the new morphological subtypes of CBD may predict the risk of residual CBD stones or technical difficulty in CBD stone removal. Further studies with a large sample size and longer follow-up durations are warranted to examine the usefulness of the newly identified morphological subtypes of CBD in predicting the outcomes of ERCP for CBD stone removal.     

Redox active or thiol reactive? Optimization of rapid screens to identify less evident nuisance compounds

Compounds that exhibit assay interference or undesirable mechanisms of bioactivity are routinely encountered in assays at various stages of drug discovery. We observed that assays for the investigation of thiol-reactive and redox-active compounds have not been collected in a comprehensive review. Here, we review these assays and subject them to experimental optimization to improve their reliability. We demonstrate the usefulness of our assay cascade by assaying a library of bioactive compounds, chemical probes, and a set of approved drugs. These high-throughput assays should complement the array of wet-lab and in silico assays during the initial stages of hit discovery campaigns to pursue only hit compounds with tractable mechanisms of action.     

Fluoxetine-induced hepatic lipid accumulation is mediated by prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 1 and is linked to elevated 15-deoxy-Δ12,14PGJ2

Major depressive disorder and other neuropsychiatric disorders are often managed with long-term use of antidepressant medication. Fluoxetine, an SSRI antidepressant, is widely used as a first-line treatment for neuropsychiatric disorders. However, fluoxetine has also been shown to increase the risk of metabolic diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Fluoxetine has been shown to increase hepatic lipid accumulation in vivo and in vitro. In addition, fluoxetine has been shown to alter the production of prostaglandins which have also been implicated in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The goal of this study was to assess the effect of fluoxetine exposure on the prostaglandin biosynthetic pathway and lipid accumulation in a hepatic cell line (H4-II-E-C3 cells). Fluoxetine treatment increased mRNA expression of prostaglandin biosynthetic enzymes (Ptgs1, Ptgs2, and Ptgds), PPAR gamma (Pparg), and PPAR gamma downstream targets involved in fatty acid uptake (Cd36, Fatp2, and Fatp5) as well as production of 15-deoxy-Δ^12,14PGJ₂ a PPAR gamma ligand. The effects of fluoxetine to induce lipid accumulation were attenuated with a PTGS1 specific inhibitor (SC-560), whereas inhibition of PTGS2 had no effect. Moreover, SC-560 attenuated 15-deoxy-Δ^12,14PGJ₂ production and expression of PPAR gamma downstream target genes. Taken together these results suggest that fluoxetine-induced lipid abnormalities appear to be mediated via PTGS1 and its downstream product 15d-PGJ₂ and suggest a novel therapeutic target to prevent some of the adverse effects of fluoxetine treatment.     

免疫抑制儿童感染新型冠状病毒Omicron变异株病毒清除时间的回顾性队列研究

背景：儿童新型冠状（新冠）病毒Omicron变异株流行期间，免疫抑制状态儿童新冠病毒清除时间定量分析研究较少。 目的：探讨新冠病毒Omicron株感染后免疫抑制和非免疫抑制儿童病毒清除的时间差别，为公共卫生政策制定和精准疫情防控措施提供临床数据。 设计：回顾性队列研究。 方法：以新冠病毒Omicron变异株感染住院患儿为队列人群，分为免疫抑制组和非免疫抑制组，免疫抑制分为绝对免疫抑制、相对免疫抑制和实施免疫抑制疗法，以免疫抑制组病例的性别、年龄和新冠病毒感染的分型与非免疫抑制组行1∶3匹配。以鼻咽拭子新冠病毒PCR检测拷贝数阈（Ct）值≥35为队列终点。 主要结局指标：新冠病毒清除时间。 结果：2022年4月12日至2022年5月12日在上海市新冠病毒感染定点收治医院符合本文共同纳入和排除标准的连续病例728例。免疫抑制组33例，其中绝对免疫抑制8例，相对免疫抑制23例，接受免疫抑制疗法2例（不包括绝对和相对免疫抑制患儿）。非免疫抑制组匹配后99例。2组临床症状、新冠病毒感染治疗和疫苗接种次数差异均无统计学意义。免疫抑制组和非免疫抑制组新冠病毒清除时间分别为（16.5±6.8）和（10.3±4.4）d，差异有统计学意义。免疫抑制组和非免疫抑制组新冠病毒感染轻型病例病毒清除时间分别为（14.0 ± 8.3）和（9.7 ± 3.1）d，普通型病例病毒清除时间分别为（18.3 ± 4.9）和（11.2 ± 5.9）d，差异均有统计学意义。2组单日病毒清除率在第9~14天时差异有统计学意义（P为0.005~0.039）。2组普通型病例单日病毒清除率在第10~15天时差异有统计学意义。免疫抑制组新冠病毒感染2周后核酸检测再次呈阳性3例（9%），临床分型均较前轻，3例均未接种新冠疫苗。 结论：Omicron株感染的免疫抑制患儿病毒清除时间较非免疫抑制患儿显著延长，主要反映在第9~14天，免疫抑制患儿病毒复阳风险高，提示需要更长的隔离时间和转阴后严格的病毒监测。     

Hepatotoxicity of cantharidin is associated with the altered bile acid metabolism

Cantharidin (CTD) is an effective antitumor agent. However, it exhibits significant hepatotoxicity, the mechanism of which remains unclear. In this study, biochemical and histopathological analyses complemented with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS)-based targeted metabolomic analysis of bile acids (BAs) were employed to investigate CTD-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Sixteen male and female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: control and CTD (1.0 mg/kg) groups. Serum and liver samples were collected after 28 days of intervention. Biochemical, histopathological, and BA metabolomic analyses were performed for all samples. Further, the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity were identified via multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses. In addition, metabolite–gene–enzyme network and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were used to identify the signaling pathways related to CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. The results revealed significantly increased levels of biochemical indices (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bile acid). Histopathological analysis revealed that the hepatocytes were damaged. Further, 20 endogenous BAs were quantitated via UHPLC-MS/MS, and multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses of BAs revealed that hyocholic acid, cholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid were the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. Meanwhile, primary and secondary BA biosynthesis and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism were found to be associated with the mechanism by which CTD induced hepatotoxicity in rats. This study provides useful insights for research on the mechanism of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity.     

Serum uric acid in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: An innocent bystander or leading actor?

Elevated serum uric acid (SUA) levels have been associated with several cardiovascular risk factors and the progression of coronary artery disease. In the setting of acute myocardial infarction, increasing evidence suggests that high SUA levels could be related to adverse outcomes. Interestingly elevated SUA levels have been linked to endothelial dysfunction, inflammation and oxidative stress. The aim of this review is to discuss the potential negative effects of SUA in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention, analyzing the possible underlying pathophysiological mechanisms.     

Chronic acidosis rewires cancer cell metabolism through PPARα signaling

The mechanisms linking tumor microenvironment acidosis to disease progression are not understood. Here, we used mammary, pancreatic, and colon cancer cells to show that adaptation to growth at an extracellular pH (pH_e) mimicking acidic tumor niches is associated with upregulated net acid extrusion capacity and elevated intracellular pH at physiological pH_e, but not at acidic pH_e. Using metabolic profiling, shotgun lipidomics, imaging and biochemical analyses, we show that the acid adaptation-induced phenotype is characterized by a shift toward oxidative metabolism, increased lipid droplet-, triacylglycerol-, peroxisome content and mitochondrial hyperfusion. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α (PPARA, PPARα) expression and activity are upregulated, at least in part by increased fatty acid uptake. PPARα upregulates genes driving increased mitochondrial and peroxisomal mass and β-oxidation capacity, including mitochondrial lipid import proteins CPT1A, CPT2 and SLC25A20, electron transport chain components, peroxisomal proteins PEX11A and ACOX1, and thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), a negative regulator of glycolysis. This endows acid-adapted cancer cells with increased capacity for utilizing fatty acids for metabolic needs, while limiting glycolysis. As a consequence, the acid-adapted cells exhibit increased sensitivity to PPARα inhibition. We conclude that PPARα is a key upstream regulator of metabolic changes favoring cancer cell survival in acidic tumor niches.