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Early radiographic loss of intermetatarsal angle correction after single first TMT arthrodesis (Modified Lapidus) versus three-corner TMT arthrodesis.

INTRODUCTION: The Lapidus procedure treats hallux valgus with first-ray hypermobility. It can be performed as a single first tarsometatarsal (TMT) arthrodesis or a three-corner TMT construct with additional intermetatarsal fusion. Early loss of correction remains a concern. This study compared early radiographic stability between techniques. METHODS: Fifty patients (15 three-corner TMT arthrodesis, 35 single first TMT arthrodesis) treated between 2014 and 2023 were retrospectively reviewed. Hallux valgus angle (HVA), intermetatarsal angle (IMA), Méary's angle, and tibial sesamoid position were measured on weight-bearing radiographs at 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: Both techniques achieved significant correction. The three-corner TMT arthrodesis group showed greater initial IMA correction at 6 weeks (p = 0.020) and maintained a lower IMA at 6 months (p = 0.001). Early IMA loss was greater after single first TMT arthrodesis (1.5°±1.7° vs 0.6°±0.8°, p = 0.013). CONCLUSION: Three-corner TMT arthrodesis was associated with greater early intermetatarsal stability than single first TMT arthrodesis.

Humans

Verification of biological markers of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus via TMT labelling proteomics combined with transcriptome data.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate biological markers in subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SCLE). METHODS: The tandem mass tag (TMT)-labelling proteomics method was used to explore differentially expressed proteins between SCLE lesions and normal skin tissues. The differences in transcriptomic data between SCLE tissues and normal skin tissues were analysed from the GEO database (GSE81071, GSE109248 and GSE112943). The differences in transcriptomic data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and normal controls were analysed (GSE81622 and GSE154851). The 35 healthy controls, 30 SCLE patients, 35 SLE patients and 30 lupus nephritis (LN) patients were diagnosed and enrolled. The serum expression levels of IFI44 and EPSTI1 were detected. Data were presented as the mean&#xa0;&#xb1;&#xa0;standard deviation or frequency and were analysed using Student's t-test, Chi-square test and one-way ANOVA between the groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to analyse the clinical efficacy of IFI44 and EPSTI1 in distinguishing SCLE from SLE. RESULTS: In a comparative analysis of SCLE lesions and normal skin tissues, proteomics studies identified 376 proteins that exhibited significant differential expression. In GO and KEGG analyses, the enriched terms mainly included the interferon-gamma-mediated signalling pathway (p&#xa0;<&#xa0;.001), immune receptor activity (p&#xa0;<&#xa0;.001) and cell adhesion molecules (p&#xa0;<&#xa0;.001). The top 10 hub genes were screened in SCLE as follows: CD8A, CXCL10, IFI44, CD7, CCL5, TLR4, EPSTI1, ISG15, KLRD1 and SELL using Cytoscape (3.10.1) software. The 15 common proteins/genes between proteomics and three datasets results were found, including CXCL10, OAS1, DDX60L, CFB, IFI6, HERC6, IFI44L, GBP1, EPSTI1, OAS2, CXCL11, TYMP, IFI44, ISG15 and IFIT3. The 61 differentially expressed genes in GSE81622 and the top 100 differentially expressed genes in GSE154851, alongside the 15 identified genes described above through Venn diagram analysis. Four common genes, IFI44L, IFI44, EPSTI1 and OAS1, were identified. Two common genes, IFI44 and EPSTI1, were found in hub genes from the proteomics results. The serum levels of IFI44 and EPSTI1 in LN were significantly higher than those in SLE patients (p&#xa0;<&#xa0;.05). ROC curve analysis demonstrated that serum levels of IFI44 and EPSTI1 could differentiate SCLE from SLE with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.898 and 0.847, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The IFI44 and EPSTI1 proved to be closely involved in the progression from SCLE to SLE, and can represent new candidate diagnostic molecular markers of occurrence and progression of SCLE.

Humans

Multiomics Analysis Reveals Therapeutic Targets for Chronic Kidney Disease With Sarcopenia.

BACKGROUND: The presence of sarcopenia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with poor prognosis. The mechanism underlying CKD-induced muscle wasting has not yet been fully explored. This study investigates the influence of renal secretions on muscles using multiomics sequencing. METHODS: The kidney transcriptome analysis by RNA-seq and protein profiling by tandem mass tag (TMT), serum TMT and muscle TMT were performed in CKD established using 0.2% adenine and control mice. Spp1 recombinant protein was used to study its effect on myotube atrophy in&#xa0;vitro. In animal experiments on CKD, pharmacological inhibition of Spp1 was used to explore the role of Spp1 in skeletal muscle wasting. Transcriptome analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the gastrocnemius muscle following Spp1 pharmacological inhibition. RESULTS: In the renal transcriptome and TMT, 503 and 377 proteins/genes respectively were co-upregulated and co-downregulated. In the serum TMT of CKD and normal control (NC) mice, 22 upregulated and 7 downregulated differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) showed the same expression patterns as those in the kidney transcriptome and TMT analysis. Based on bioinformatics analysis and reported studies, we selected Spp1 for further validation. Spp1 recombinant protein was added to C2C12 myotubes in&#xa0;vitro, and the results indicated that Spp1 significantly increased the protein levels of the muscle atrophy marker (Murf-1) and promoted the smaller myotubes (all p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). Compared with NC mice, Spp1 mRNA and protein levels were significantly upregulated in the kidneys of CKD mice, and the serum concentration of Spp1 was also markedly increased (all p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05). In animal experiments, pharmacological inhibition of Spp1 increased the weights of gastrocnemius and tibialis anterior muscles (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05) and improved muscle atrophy phenotype. Transcriptome analysis showed that DEGs in the gastrocnemius muscle following Spp1 pharmacological inhibition were enriched in protein digestion and absorption, glucagon signalling pathway, apelin signalling pathway and ECM-receptor interaction pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to establish a regulatory network of kidney-muscle crosstalk to explore the potential mechanism of CKD-related sarcopenia. Employing multiomics analysis, cellular assessment and animal experiments, we have identified that Spp1 could potentialy serve as a promising therapeutic target for CKD patients with sarcopenia.

Sarcopenia

[Thrombocyte migration test as a sensitive tolerance test before platelet substitution (proceedings)].

Thrombocytopenic patients refractory to random-donor platelet support can usually be substituted by platelets obtained from donors identical with respect to HLA-A and -B antigens [1]. Since such "full-house" identity is rarely available, reliable cross-match tests (CM) are needed in order to pick out donors compatible in spite of HLA non-identity. By use of the thrombocyte migration test (TMT), DUQUESNOY et al. have shown that antiplatelet antibodies may exert an inhibitory effect on platelet migration. Therefore, we have explored this test system for its efficiency as CM compared with the "long-time" lymphocyte cytotoxicity test (LLT). Of 8 sera from polysensitized patients, serial dilutions were performed and simultaneously tested by TMT and LLT with cells obtained from the same control individuals. The sensitivity of TMT exceeded LLT by 2-4 dilution steps in all sera tested. Moreover, 9 patients with incompatible transfusion responses to single-donor platelets in spite of negative LLT had the following results in TMT with pre-transfusion sera: 5 positive (i.e. migration inhibition), 1 negative: enhanced migration was observed 3 times. This phenomenon of enhancement remains to be clarified, since low titers of anti-HLA-antibodies do not cause enhanced platelet migration. Repeated transfusion of platelets obtained from the same donor may cause antibody production against leukocytic antigen not shared by platelets, leading to "false-positive" LLT. 2 patients were successfully substituted with platelets from HLA/MLC-identical siblings in spite of positive LLT, but with negative TMT; in 2 cases with unrelated HLA-A and -B identical donors, TMT results were inconsistent.

Blood Platelets

Human erythrocyte thiol methyltransferase: radiochemical microassay and biochemical properties.

A radiochemical microassay for the measurement of thiol methyltransferase (TMT) activity in human red blood cell (RBC) membranes has been developed. Both 2-mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol were used as substrates for the enzyme. The pH optimum of the reaction was approximately 9.0 when glycine NaOH was used as a buffer. The apparent Michaelis-Menten (KM) value for the methyl donor for the reaction, S-adenosyl-L-methionine, was 43 mumol/l. Human RBC TMT activity was neither activated nor inhibited by Ca2+, Mg2+, or tropolone, but the enzyme was inhibited by SKF 525A and by reagents that react with sulfhydryl groups. The mean TMT activity in blood from 289 randomly selected adult white subjects was 10.93 +/- 3.22 units per mg protein (mean +/- S.D.). The activity was the same in samples from men and women. The results of experiments in which TMT activity was measured in mextures of RBC membranes with relatively "low" and relatively "high" activities provided no evidence that individual variations in the enzyme activity were due to variations in endogenous TMT activators or inhibitors.

Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid

Proteome-Scale Tissue Mapping Using Mass Spectrometry Based on Label-Free and Multiplexed Workflows.

Multiplexed bimolecular profiling of tissue microenvironment, or spatial omics, can provide deep insight into cellular compositions and interactions in healthy and diseased tissues. Proteome-scale tissue mapping, which aims to unbiasedly visualize all the proteins in a whole tissue section or region of interest, has attracted significant interest because it holds great potential to directly reveal diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. While many approaches are available, however, proteome mapping still exhibits significant technical challenges in both protein coverage and analytical throughput. Since many of these existing challenges are associated with mass spectrometry-based protein identification and quantification, we performed a detailed benchmarking study of three protein quantification methods for spatial proteome mapping, including label-free, TMT-MS2, and TMT-MS3. Our study indicates label-free method provided the deepest coverages of &#x223c;3500 proteins at a spatial resolution of 50&#xa0;&#x3bc;m and the highest quantification dynamic range, while TMT-MS2 method holds great benefit in mapping throughput at >125 pixels per day. The evaluation also indicates both label-free and TMT-MS2 provides robust protein quantifications in identifying differentially abundant proteins and spatially covariable clusters. In the study of pancreatic islet microenvironment, we demonstrated deep proteome mapping not only enables the identification of protein markers specific to different cell types, but more importantly, it also reveals unknown or hidden protein patterns by spatial coexpression analysis.

Proteome

Proteome-scale tissue mapping using mass spectrometry based on label-free and multiplexed workflows.

Multiplexed bimolecular profiling of tissue microenvironment, or spatial omics, can provide deep insight into cellular compositions and interactions in healthy and diseased tissues. Proteome-scale tissue mapping, which aims to unbiasedly visualize all the proteins in a whole tissue section or region of interest, has attracted significant interest because it holds great potential to directly reveal diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. While many approaches are available, however, proteome mapping still exhibits significant technical challenges in both protein coverage and analytical throughput. Since many of these existing challenges are associated with mass spectrometry-based protein identification and quantification, we performed a detailed benchmarking study of three protein quantification methods for spatial proteome mapping, including label-free, TMT-MS2, and TMT-MS3. Our study indicates label-free method provided the deepest coverages of ~3500 proteins at a spatial resolution of 50 &#xb5;m and the highest quantification dynamic range, while TMT-MS2 method holds great benefit in mapping throughput at >125 pixels per day. The evaluation also indicates both label-free and TMT-MS2 provide robust protein quantifications in identifying differentially abundant proteins and spatially co-variable clusters. In the study of pancreatic islet microenvironment, we demonstrated deep proteome mapping not only enables the identification of protein markers specific to different cell types, but more importantly, it also reveals unknown or hidden protein patterns by spatial co-expression analysis.

Journal Article

Improving Sleep and PTSD Outcomes in Service Members: A Randomized Controlled Trial Examining the Long-Term Effects of an Integrated Treatment.

Trauma-induced sleep disturbances often persist after successful posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatment. While integrated protocols combining sleep and exposure-based treatments may maximize outcomes, prior studies are limited and have largely relied on subjective sleep measures or failed to include long-term follow up assessments. Active-duty service members with PTSD (n&#x202f;=&#x202f;82) were randomly assigned to Compressed Prolonged Exposure (CPE) treatment or Trauma Management Therapy (TMT), which integrates exposure therapy with sleep hygiene training and other skills-based interventions. PTSD symptoms and actigraphy-based sleep were measured at baseline, posttreatment, 3- and 6-month follow-up and data were compared between groups and across time. Posttreatment, both groups showed negligible to small changes in sleep compared to baseline. However, the TMT group evidenced improvements in most sleep parameters by the 3- and 6-month follow-ups, while sleep health generally worsened in the CPE group over time. Between groups, those randomized to TMT exhibited better sleep efficiency (g&#x202f;=&#x202f;0.24) and onset latency (g&#x202f;=&#x202f;-0.34) at 3-month follow-up, and better sleep quality (g&#x202f;=&#x202f;0.70), efficiency (g&#x202f;=&#x202f;0.51), and wake after sleep onset (g&#x202f;=&#x202f;-0.52) at 6-month follow-up. Within both treatment groups, poorer sleep at the 6-month follow-up was correlated with greater PTSD symptom severity measured at the same time point. Integrated treatment for sleep and PTSD produced superior objective sleep outcomes compared to exposure alone, with the most meaningful improvements in sleep observed 6 months after treatment completion. Several critical directions for future studies are discussed.

Humans

From prediction to mechanism: Explainable AI uncovers plasma and CSF proteomic signatures of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteomics can distinguish AD from cognitively normal controls, but the generalizability of machine learning performance and the recurrence of biological signals across datasets require cautious interpretation. We developed an explainable artificial intelligence framework spanning two fluids and four ADNI proteomic datasets, covering 2082 modality specific samples, all analysed internally within ADNI. Phase 1 analysed plasma using a 119 analyte NULISA and targeted UPENN panel (n&#xa0;=&#xa0;727; 216&#xa0;CE, 511 controls). Phase 2 extended the analysis to CSF using SOMAscan7k, TMT-MS and targeted SET2, with Elecsys A&#x3b2;42, A&#x3b2;40, total tau and p-tau181 as anchor biomarkers. Only SOMAscan was subject-independent relative to Phase 1 plasma; TMT-MS and SET2 overlapped with Phase 1 for 96.0% and 97.7% of subjects and therefore are not independent replication cohorts. Under subject-level splits with fold internal preprocessing, we compared Elastic Net, Explainable Boosting Machines and gradient boosted trees with SHAP-based explanations. Among the candidate pipelines, we selected the pipeline with the highest held-out test ROC AUC for each platform; the selected values were 0.927 in plasma and 0.954-0.973 across the three CSF datasets. Because the same held out test performance was used for pipeline selection and headline reporting, these are optimistically selected single-holdout estimates, not unbiased estimates of generalizable or clinical performance. Explanations identified five recurring biological axes within ADNI: cholinergic (ACHE), tau/14-3-3 (YWHAG, YWHAZ, YWHAB, YWHAE), neuro-axonal (NEFL, NEFH), microglial/complement (CHIT1, SMOC1, CHI3L1, C7, CFH) and synaptic (NPTXR, NPTX2, DLG4, SYT5, VSNL1, ELAVL2). CSF analyses showed synaptic vesicle-cycle enrichment (q&#xa0;=&#xa0;2&#xa0;&#xd7;&#xa0;10-6), and CSF YWHAG correlated strongly with total tau (&#x3c1;&#xa0;=&#xa0;0.87). Cross-fluid directional concordance was modest overall (54-57%) but increased to 73-80% among mapped analyte/protein rows reaching q&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.05 in CSF. These findings provide hypothesis-generating, internally supported evidence within ADNI. Independent external cohorts with locked pipelines are required to evaluate generalizable performance and biological reproducibility; the overlapping TMT-MS and SET2 analyses should not be interpreted as independent replication.

Alzheimer Disease

A study of sensory projection from jaw muscles to the cerebral cortex in the rat.

The sensory projection from jaw muscles to the cerebral cortex have been studied in rats by electrophysiological and histochemical methods. Electrical stimulation of individual masticatory muscles elicited bilateral responses in the cortical areas 8, 10, 2, and 2a. The following pathway was postulated to mediate these cortical responses; impulses of muscle origin are conducted in turn to the trigeminal mesencephalic tract nucleus (TMT), the contralateral thalamic nucleus ventralis posteromedialis (VPM), the cerebral cortex and finally to the other cerebral cortex which is ipsilateral to the side of stimulation. The ipsilateral cortical response appeared about 5 msec later than the contralateral one and was abolished by sectioning the corpus callosum. By stimulating the cerebral cortex antidromically, the conduction time to the VPM was found to be as long as 6 msec. The conduction from the TMT to the contralateral VPM consumed a period of more than 10 msec. It was presumed to be multisynaptic, being based on the finding that horseradish peroxidase injected into the VPM could not be recovered in the contralateral TMT.

Afferent Pathways

Mapping the covalent cysteine interactome of Ebselen reveals high-sensitivity target engagement and redox proteome remodeling.

Ebselen is a covalent organoselenium compound with broad pharmacological activity, yet its cellular cysteine targets and downstream proteomic consequences remain incompletely defined. Here, we integrated competitive gel-based activity-based protein profiling, reactivity-dependent tandem orthogonal proteolysis-activity-based protein profiling, and TMT-based quantitative proteomics to map Ebselen-induced cysteine engagement and proteome remodeling in living cancer cells. Ebselen exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity and markedly perturbed intracellular thiol-redox balance, as reflected by glutathione depletion and altered reactive oxygen species-associated fluorescence readouts. Competitive gel-based profiling confirmed concentration-dependent engagement of protein cysteine residues in live cells. Quantitative rdTOP-ABPP further identified hundreds of dose-responsive cysteine sites in HeLa and HepG2 cells and revealed a preference for cysteine microenvironments enriched with basic residues. Cross-cell-line comparison highlighted CDK5 Cys53, SMU1 Cys298, and RPSA2 Cys163 as conserved covalent nodes, among which CDK5 Cys53 showed high sensitivity to Ebselen treatment, a finding validated by competitive labeling and MS-based site assignment. Global TMT proteomics revealed extensive remodeling of redox-related and cell-survival-associated pathways, including compensatory upregulation of selenoproteins such as TXNRD1 and GPX family members. Together, these results define a chemical proteomic atlas of Ebselen-cysteine interactions and provide a framework for understanding and optimizing covalent organoselenium therapeutics.

Humans

Game changer? Cognitive-motor effects of VR exergaming compared to video-based training.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Virtual reality (VR) exergaming enhances several cognitive domains through multisensory engagement. Acute cognitive benefits of VR are established, but evidence for direct comparisons with non-immersive controls is limited. This study aimed to determine whether VR exercise provides additional cognitive and cognitive-motor benefits beyond a matched non-immersive active stick-fight video (SFV) intervention, and whether effects persist after training. METHODS: In this randomized quasi-experimental study, N&#x2009;=&#x2009;55 healthy adults (VR: n&#x2009;=&#x2009;30; SFV: n&#x2009;=&#x2009;25; 25.5&#x2009;&#xb1;&#x2009;7.1&#x2009;years; 41.8% female) completed an 8-week program (2&#x2009;&#xd7;&#x2009;30&#x2009;min/week), of VR or SFV matched in movement patterns, frequency, intensity and duration. Measurements included reaction time (RT), Stroop Test (versions 1-3), Letter Cancellation Test (LCT), Trail Making Test (TMT), Trail Walking Test (TWT) and Fitts task (difficulty level 1-4). Data were analyzed using mixed-design ANOVAs. RESULTS: Improvements were observed in Stroop reading (F(1,53) = 14.84, p < .001, &#x3b7;2 = 0.219), Stroop inhibition (F(1,53) = 10.99, p = .002, &#x3b7;2 = 0.172), and LCT (F(1,53) = 4.57, p = .037, &#x3b7;2 = 0.079). A time&#x2009;&#xd7;&#x2009;group interaction was found for TMT (F(1,53) = 6.55, p = .031, &#x3b7;2 = 0.110), indicating greater changes following VR training. Both groups improved cognitive-motor performance (TWT: F(1,25) = 55.32, p < .001, &#x3b7;2 = 0.689; Fitts3: F(1,53) = 44.97, p < .001, &#x3b7;2 = 0.459), with greater gains for VR in Fitts3 (p = .006). CONCLUSION(S): Eight weeks of VR and SFV enhanced cognitive and cognitive-motor performance. VR provided domain-specific advantages in executive function, but these effects were not uniformly persistent. SFV sustained more improvements in real-world-relevant cognitive-motor tasks.

Humans

Comparison of lactulose and neomycin in the treatment of chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy. A double blind controlled trial.

A randomized double blind clinical comparison of neomycin and lactulose was performed in 33 cirrhotic patients with chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy (PSE) at seven cooperating hospitals. In order to maintain double blindness, sorbitol syrup was used as a control solution along with neomycin and was compared with lactulose syrup and placebo tablets in a double drug protocol. Twenty-nine patients were studied in a crossover investigation in which each received both therapeutic regimens preceded and followed by control periods. Four additional patients received one or the other agent, but did not receive both. Serial, semiquantitative assessments were made in all patients of mental status, asterixis, and the trailmaking test (TMT) and electroencephalograms (EEG) and arterial ammonia levels. Both neomycin-sorbitol and lactulose were effective in the majority of patients (83 and 90%, respectively). Each of these parameters (mental state, asterixis, TMT, EEG, and NH3) was improved significantly by neomycin-sorbitol and lactulose. The post-treatment levels for each of these measures were similar in the neomycin and lactulose-treated groups. Mean stool pH was reduced by neomycinsorbitol to 6.1 and by lactulose to 5.5. This difference was highly significant statistically. Bowel activity was similar in the two groups. Both drugs were free of toxicity. These investigations demonstrate that both lactulose and neomycin-sorbitol are effective in the treatment of chronic portal-systemic encephalopathy.

Aged

A tumor-associated organ-specific antigen characteristic of spontaneously metastatic rat mammary carcinomas.

An organ-specific tumor-associated antigen (TAA) was present in several metastatic and nonmetastatic mammary carcinomas induced in WF female rats by 3-methylcholanthrene. The level of TAA was high in 2 metastatic carcinomas tested (TMT-081 and SMT-2A) and much lower--by a factor of 50--200--in 2 nonmetastatic mammary carcinomas (MT-100 and MT-W9B). The TAA in the 2 metastatic tumors was identical, as demonstrated by immunodiffusion and supported by cross-reactivity with antibody against TAA from TMT-081 in a binding inhibition radioimmunoassay. The TAA was shed in relatively large amounts by the metastatic tumors maintained in short-term organ culture. The high level and shedding of TAA thus appeared to be characteristics of the metastatic tumors but not of the nonmetastatic ones. This suggests that TAA on the cell membrane or in the circulation may be involved in the metastatic process as a factor blocking potentially cytotoxic cells or in other ways leading to suppression of the immune response against the tumor.

Animals

7,N,N-Trimethyltryptamine: a selective inhibitor of synaptosomal serotonin uptake.

7,N,N-Trimethyltryptamine (TMT) was synthesized and evaluated as an inhibitor of synaptosomal biogenic amine uptake in rat forebrain homogenates. In addition to inhibiting 3H-serotonin uptake (IC50 = 0.4 micrometer), TMT appears to be quite selective and is much less potent in blocking either 3H-norepinephrine or 3H-dopamine uptake (IC50 = 180 micrometer and 61 micrometer, respectively).

Animals

Dual Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Hierarchical Functional Network Organization in Post-Stroke Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of dual transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in patients with post-stroke cognitive impairment (PSCI) and to explore the effects on the hierarchical organization of functional brain networks, ranging from regional synchronization to inter-regional connectivity and global network topology. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, 74 PSCI patients received conventional therapy alongside either active dual-tDCS (n&#x2009;=&#x2009;38) or sham stimulation (n&#x2009;=&#x2009;36). Active tDCS targeted the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) via anodal-left/cathodal-right nodes (2.0&#x2009;mA, 20&#x2009;min/day, 20 sessions). The primary outcome was the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Secondary outcomes included the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Stroop Test (ST), Trail Making Test (TMT), Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS), and Barthel Index (BI). A subgroup of 36 participants (18 per group) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to analyze regional homogeneity (ReHo), functional connectivity (FC), and network topology. Partial correlations assessed the association between neuroimaging alterations and clinical improvements. RESULTS: The tDCS group showed significantly greater improvements in MoCA scores (tDCS: 5.74&#x2009;&#xb1;&#x2009;2.76 vs. sham: 2.69&#x2009;&#xb1;&#x2009;2.69; t&#x2009;=&#x2009;4.799, p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.001) as well as in attention and memory domains compared to the sham group. The rs-fMRI changes included increased ReHo in the right middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and reduced FC between the right MTG-left superior frontal gyrus and left IFG-cerebellum (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05, FWE-corrected). Additionally, small-worldness and global efficiency increased (p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.05) with these alterations correlating with clinical recovery. Adverse events were rare and self-limiting. CONCLUSION: Dual-tDCS over bilateral DLPFC safely improves cognitive recovery in PSCI. These clinical gains are associated with rs-fMRI alterations, specifically in regional synchronization, inter-regional connectivity, and global topology, which suggest a potential biomarker for monitoring tDCS efficacy, offering a rationale for precision neuromodulation in stroke rehabilitation.

Humans

Systematic Proteome Profiling of Maternal Plasma for Development of Preeclampsia Biomarkers.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy with various clinical symptoms. However, traditional markers for the disease including high blood pressure and proteinuria are poor indicators of the related adverse outcomes. Here, we performed systematic proteome profiling of plasma samples obtained from pregnant women with PE to identify clinically effective diagnostic biomarkers. Proteome profiling was performed using TMT-based liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) followed by subsequent verification by multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) analysis on normal and PE maternal plasma samples. Functional annotations of differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in PE were predicted using bioinformatic tools. The diagnostic accuracies of the biomarkers for PE were estimated according to the area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (AUC). A total of 1307 proteins were identified, and 870 proteins of them were quantified from plasma samples. Significant differences were evident in 138 DEPs, including 71 upregulated DEPs and 67 downregulated DEPs in the PE group, compared with those in the control group. Upregulated proteins were significantly associated with biological processes including platelet degranulation, proteolysis, lipoprotein metabolism, and cholesterol efflux. Biological processes including blood coagulation and acute-phase response were enriched for down-regulated proteins. Of these, 40 proteins were subsequently validated in an independent cohort of 26 PE patients and 29 healthy controls. APOM, LCN2, and QSOX1 showed high diagnostic accuracies for PE detection (AUC >0.9 and p&#xa0;<&#xa0;0.001, for all) as validated by MRM and ELISA. Our data demonstrate that three plasma biomarkers, identified by systematic proteomic profiling, present a possibility for the assessment of PE, independent of the clinical characteristics of pregnant women.

Humans

H-NOX and NosP Regulate Flagellar Protein and Virulence Factor Production in Vibrio cholerae.

The ability of Vibrio cholerae to transition between motile and sessile forms in the environment and in the host is critical to its survival and virulence. The molecular cues, sensor proteins, and signaling pathways mediating these transitions are highly complex and often overlapping. Nevertheless, a detailed understanding of them is critical for understanding the persistence and pathogenesis of this deadly pathogen. Nitric oxide (NO) functions as an important signaling molecule in many bacteria, affecting biofilm formation, motility, and virulence, often through interaction with heme protein sensors. The genome of V. cholerae encodes two such sensors called H-NOX and NosP. Here we constructed a &#x394;hnox/nosP mutant and employed a multi-omics methodology that combines tandem-mass-tag (TMT)-based quantitative proteomics, phosphoproteomics, and targeted metabolomics to investigate the function of these sensors. A set of 258 proteins was differentially expressed in the mutant that included many proteins involved in flagellar biosynthesis and motility as well as critical virulence factors, iron acquisition systems, and metabolic enzymes. Many of the identified genes are also part of the ferric uptake regulator (Fur) regulon and iron-dependent transcriptional repression of several Fur targets was disrupted. Phosphoproteomics analysis also revealed proteins involved in motility and virulence as differentially phosphorylated in the mutant strain. In most cases, these phosphoproteins have not been previously observed and provide a wealth of new targets for investigating mechanisms of V. cholerae signaling. Taken together, this work illustrates a role for H-NOX and NosP in promoting factors important for infection while suppressing those important for environmental survival, suggesting a function in priming the organism for infection and/or maintaining the infectious phenotype.

Journal Article