Intermittent fasting boosts antitumor immunity by restricting CD11b^(+)Ly6C^(low)Ly6G^(low) cell viability through glucose metabolism in murine breast tumor model

Intermittent fasting can benefit breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or immunotherapy.However,it is still uncertain how to select immunotherapy drugs to combine with intermittent fasting.Herein we observed that two cycles of fasting treatment significantly inhibited breast tumor growth and lung tissue metastasis,as well as prolonged overall survival in mice bearing 4T1 and 4T07 breast cancer.During this process,both the immunosuppressive monocytic-(M-)and granulocytic-(G-)myeloid-derived suppressor cell(MDSC)decreased,accompanied by an increase in interleukin(IL)7R^(+)and granzyme B^(+)T cells in the tumor microenvironment.Interestingly,we observed that Ly6G^(low)G-MDSC sharply decreased after fasting treatment,and the cell surface markers and protein mass spectrometry data showed potential therapeutic targets.Mechanistic investigation revealed that glucose metabolism restriction suppressed the splenic granulocytemonocyte progenitor and the generation of colony-stimulating factors and IL-6,which both contributed to the accumulation of G-MDSC.On the other hand,glucose metabolism restriction can directly induce the apoptosis of Ly6G^(low)G-MDSC,but not Ly6G^(high)subsets.In summary,these results suggest that glucose metabolism restriction induced by fasting treatment attenuates the immune-suppressive milieu and enhances the activation of CD3^(+)T cells,providing potential solutions for enhancing immune-based cancer interventions.

Establishment of a rat model with diet-induced coronary atherosclerosis

Coronary atherosclerotic disease is a serious disease in humans,but no suitable animal model is available currently for further studies.We used apolipoprotein E gene knockout（ApoE KO） rats to induce hypercholesterolemia through a special high cholesterol/bile salt diet（Paigen diet）,then analyzed aortic and coronaiy atherosclerosis lesions and the myocardial injury in order to establish a novel small animal model of coronary atherosclerosis.Plasma cholesterol of ApoE KO rats increased 7.6-fold compared with wild-type rats after 8 weeks on the Paigen diet.After 10 to 12 weeks of subsisting on the Paigen diet,ApoE KO rats developed mild aortic atherosclerosis with severe coronary atherosclerosis.Hematoxilyn and eosin staining showed that 11 out of 12 ApoE KO male rats had right coronary artery atherosclerosis,7 of them were〉70%occluded.Oil Red O（Lipid Stain）,Mac2 immuno-staining and Masson＇s tnchrome staining demonstrated substantial amounts of lipid,macrophages and collagen fibers in coronary atherosclerosis plaques.In addition,ApoE KO male rats had severe myocardial focal lesions with cholesterol ester as the main component in the lesions.In conclusion,ApoE KO rats developed severe hypercholesterolemia,coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial cholesterol ester deposition after subsisting on the Paigen diet and can be used as a novel animal model for studies on cholesterol metabolism and coronary atherosclerotic disease.

Cr-containing wastewater treatment based on Cr self-catalysis: a critical review

Chromium (Cr), as a transition metal material with multiple redox states, has exhibited the catalysis toward Fenton-like reactions over a wide pH range. Although it is not sensible to add Cr reagents as catalysts due to its toxicity, it is highly promising to remediate Cr-containing wastewater through Cr-initiated advanced oxidation processes (Cr-initiated AOPs), which are clean and low-cost. Moreover, the widely concerned Cr-complexes, considered as obstacles in the remediation process, can be effectively destroyed by AOPs. Cr self-catalysis is defined as Cr species is both substrate and catalyst. However, the full understanding of Cr self-catalysis, including the generation of intermediates Cr(IV)/Cr(V), the synergetic effects with co-existing ions, and the accumulation of toxic Cr(VI), remains a challenge for the practical application of Cr-initiated AOPs. In this review, relevant researches on Cr self-catalysis during Cr-initiated AOPs are summarized. Specifically, the Cr-Fenton-like reaction, Cr substituted materials, and Cr-sulfite reactions are explored as key mechanisms contributing to Cr self-catalysis. Moreover, Cr transformation processes, including synchronously Cr removal, Cr redox reactions, and Cr(VI) accumulation, in AOPs-based synergistic systems are systematically analyzed. Detailed approaches for the detection of active species in AOPs-based systems are also presented. The primary objective of this review is to explore the application of AOPs for Cr-containing wastewater remediation based on Cr self-catalysis, and provide fundamental insights and valuable information for future research on Cr-initiated AOPs.

Passive activity enhances residual control ability in patients with complete spinal cord injury

Patients with complete spinal cord injury retain the potential for volitional muscle activity in muscles located below the spinal injury level.However,because of prolonged inactivity,initial attempts to activate these muscles may not effectively engage any of the remaining neurons in the descending pathway.A previous study unexpectedly found that a brief clinical round of passive activity significantly increased volitional muscle activation,as measured by surface electromyography.In this study,we further explored the effect of passive activity on surface electromyographic signals during volitional control tasks among individuals with complete spinal cord injury.Eleven patients with chronic complete thoracic spinal cord injury were recruited.Surface electromyography data from eight major leg muscles were acquired and compared before and after the passive activity protocol.The results indicated that the passive activity led to an increased number of activated volitional muscles and an increased frequency of activation.Although the cumulative root mean square of surface electromyography amplitude for volitional control of movement showed a slight increase after passive activity,the difference was not statistically significant.These findings suggest that brief passive activity may enhance the ability to initiate volitional muscle activity during surface electromyography tasks and underscore the potential of passive activity for improving residual motor control among patients with motor complete spinal cord injury.

Qualitatively and quantitatively assessing the aggregation ability of sludge during aerobic granulation process combined XDLVO theory with physicochemical properties

Inexact mechanism of aerobic granulation still impedes optimization and application of aerobic granules. In this study, the extended Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek（XDLVO） theory and physicochemical properties were combined to assess the aggregation ability of sludge during aerobic granulation process qualitatively and quantitatively. Results show that relative hydrophobicity of sludge and polysaccharide content of extracellular polymeric substances（EPS） increased, while electronegativity of sludge decreased during acclimation phase. After 20 days＇ acclimation, small granules began to form due to high aggregation ability of sludge. Since then, coexisted flocs and granules possessed distinct physicochemical properties during granulation and maturation phase. The relative hydrophobicity decreased while electronegativity increased for flocs, whereas that for granules presented reverse trend. Through analyzing the interaction energy using the XDLVO theory, small granules tended to self-grow rather than self-aggregate or attach of flocs due to poor aggregation ability between flocs and granules during the granulation phase. Besides, remaining flocs were unlikely to self-aggregate owing to poor aggregation ability, low hydrophobicity and high electronegativity.