Prostate cancer is a common malignant tumor, and patients with metastatic prostate cancer often have a poor prognosis. Biomarkers play an important role in the screening, treatment, and prognosis of prostate cancer. Herein, the essential and emerging biomarkers in prostate cancer research and their clinical applications in the management of prostate cancer are summarized, and the difficulties faced by emerging biomarkers are described, which provides a reference direction for the research on biomarkers for the cancer.

The RNA demethylase alkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) regulates gene expression by mediating N6-me-thyladenosine (m6A) demethylation through multiple pathways of RNA metabolism. Studies have demonstrated that ALKBH5 plays a critical regulatory role in the progression of various malignancies in a m6A-dependent manner. Therefore, investigating the biological functions and mechanisms of ALKBH5 in tumors holds con-siderable importance for combating human malignancies and developing targeted therapies. This review fo-cuses on the molecular mechanisms by which ALKBH5 exerts diverse biological functions in tumors, its roles in tumor-related immunity, and ALKBH5-targeted therapeutic strategies along with their clinical implica-tions, with aiming to provide novel insights and perspectives for in-depth research on ALKBH5-mediated molecular mechanisms in tumorigenesis and development of related therapeutic agents.

Colorectal cancer has become the third most common cancer worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in recent years. Compared with sporadic colorectal cancer, colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) presents an average onset age approximately 20 years earlier and a lower response to traditional treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and is associated with a poorer prog-nosis. Recent studies have found that intestinal flora and its metabolites play an important role in the occur-rence and development of CAC. Modulation of gut microbiota through fecal microbiota transplantation or probiotics supplementation emerges as a highly promising option for CAC prevention and treatment. Herein, the roles and possible mechanisms of intestinal flora in the development of CAC were summarized, and the prospects of the cancer prevention and treatment through modulation of intestinal flora were discussed.

The genomic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a population of 194 Nipponia nippon in-dividuals were investigated using whole-genome resequencing. The genetic diversity of the population in Deqing was assessed with genetic parameters including minor allele frequency, observed heterozygosity, ex-pected heterozygosity, and polymorphic information content, and the genetic correlation within the population was analyzed by constructing identity by state (IBS) genetic distance matrix and G matrix. A phylogenetic tree based on the IBS genetic distance matrix was also built to analyze and classify the family structure of the Deqing N. nippon population. The results showed that, after quality control, a total of 144 219 SNPs were obtained from the 194 individuals, with the average call rate 0.962, minor allele frequency 0.169±0.050, polymorphic information content 0.276±0.068, and observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity 0.338±0.099 and 0.276±0.069, respectively. The inbreeding coefficient was -0.206±0.071, indicating a low level of inbreeding. The IBS genetic distance within this population was 0.218±0.033, and the results of the G matrix analysis were consistent with those of IBS genetic distance matrix, indicating the presence of closely related individuals within the Deqing N. nippon population. Based on phylogenetic tree analysis, the 194 in-dividuals could be classified into 16 lineages. In summary, the genetic diversity of the Deqing N. nippon population is moderate, and there is no significant evidence of extensive inbreeding. However, due to close kinship between certain individuals, there is a risk of inbreeding. Therefore, in future pairing selection, indi-viduals for mating should be chosen based on the classified families to avoid inbreeding.

In order to reveal the effect of exosomes derived from gastric mucosal epithelial cells infected with Helicobacter pylori on macrophage polarization, analyze the exosomal protein components and functions, exo-somes were collected from the supernatants of GES-1 gastric mucosal epithelial cells with and without H. pylori infection. Western-blot and flow cytometry were used to observe the effect of exosomes on macrophage polarization. Proteomic methods were employed to analyze and identify the differentially expressed proteins in exosomes derived from H. pylori-infected and non-infected GES-1 gastric mucosal epithelial cells, and Western-blot was used to verify the expression of these differentially expressed proteins in normal GES-1 and gastric cancer cells (MKN-7, AGS). Finally, immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the protein levels of heat shock protein family D member 1 (HSPD1) in two groups of clinical tissue specimens, along with the expression levels of CD163, a marker for M2-type macrophages. The results showed that exosomes from H. pylori-infected GES-1 cells promoted the expression of M2-type macrophage surface markers and polariza-tion-related proteins, including CD163, CD206, MGL1/2, and Arg-1. A total of 50 differentially expressed proteins were screened. The expression levels of HSPD1 in H. pylori-infected GES-1 cells and exosomes were significantly higher than those in the non-infected groups. In addition, the expression level of HSPD1 in H. pylori-positive gastric cancer (GC) tissues was significantly higher than that in H. pylori-negative GC tissues. In H. pylori-positive GC tissues, the expression level of CD163 increased significantly and showed a significant positive correlation with the expression level of HSPD1 protein (r = 0.472, P = 0.01). These findings indicate that exosomes derived from H. pylori-infected gastric mucosal epithelial cells promote the M2-type polarization of macrophages. Among them, HSPD1 carried by exosomes, as a key regulatory factor, plays an indispensable role in driving the phenotypic transformation of macrophages.

Hyperuricemia (HUA) has now become the second most common metabolic disease in China, fol-lowing diabetes. The regulation of intestinal flora by probiotics and prebiotics presents a promising method for the prevention and treatment of HUA. This study aimed to investigate the intervention effects of Lacto-bacillus gasseri and marine fish oligopeptides in HUA mice, which may provide an experimental basis for the development of food formulae for special medical purposes. The healthy mice were daily fed for four weeks with a HUA-inducing diet which contained yeast extracts, adenine, and potassium oxonate. During the period, mice in intervention group were daily administrated with 5×108 CFU L. gasseri or the synbiotic composed of 5×108 CFU L. gasseri and 3.75 mg marine fish oligopeptides. The results suggested that mice in HUA modeling group had significantly elevated serum levels of uric acid, urea and creatinine, as well as the activity of hepatic xanthine oxidase (XOD). Meanwhile, the HUA mice exhibited a significant reduction in intestinal microbial diversity, with significantly decreased abundances of Bacteroidota and Actinobacteriota, and significantly increased abundance of Proteobacteria. The contents of metabolites related to the protein digestion and absorption, and biosynthesis of amino acids and nucleotides were altered in gut. While both the probiotic and the synbiotic could prevent the HUA-induced changes in intestinal flora composition and metabolome. Compared with L. gasseri alone, the synbiotic could more effectively reduce the blood uric acid level in HUA mice, and significantly increase the excretion of uric acid in stool.

Necroptosis is an inflammatory form of cell death that is distinct from both necrosis and apopto-sis. Its occurrence is strictly regulated by intracellular molecular mechanisms, and it exhibits the morpholo-gical characteristics of necrosis. Liver fibrosis is a reversible pathological response that occurs in the process of liver self-repair after various chronic injuries, which can further progress to cirrhosis or even liver cancer. In recent years, more and more studies have shown that cell damage and inflammatory response caused by necroptosis play an important role in promoting liver fibrosis. This review describes the major molecular mechanisms of necroptosis and elucidates the mechanism by which necroptosis promotes the initiation and progression of liver fibrosis through mediating inflammatory responses.

Begonia is one of the most diverse plant genera, with the fastest increase in the newly described species over the past two decades. Although Begoniaceae in Flora Reipubicae Popularis Sinicae and Flora of China have been published, the detailed resources of Begonia in China remain unclear, and also the content of Begoniaceae in Flora of Hunan has not been published till now. Through literature and specimen review and ten-year field investigation, a total of 13 species of Begonia are confirmed to be distributed in Hunan Province, including two recently published species (Begonia danxiaensis D.K.Tian & X.L.Yu and B. ruchengensis D.K.Tian) and two provincial new records (B. dielsiana E.Pritz. ex Diels and B. cavaleriei H.Lév.). In addition, a new variety, B. danxiaensis var. yongxingensis D.K.Tian, is proposed. Herein, the concise mor-phological description, distribution range, and conservation status evaluation of these species are provided. The key to these species is also provided for easy identification. 

Rohdea siamensis, originally native to Thailand and Laos, has recently been found to have its natural populations in the Gulinqing Nature Reserve in Maguan County, Yunnan, China. The voucher speci-men is deposited in the Sun Yat-sen University Herbarium (SYS). This species is morphologically similar to R. fargesii, which is distributed in Southern China, but it features sword-shaped leaves, elongated bracts with the serrated margin. The discovery of this newly recorded species holds significant implications for studies on the systematic taxonomy and biogeography of the genus Rohdea and the regional biodiversity. It also provides research material for exploring the floristic relationships between Southwest China and the In-dochina Peninsula.

Biochemistry is an interdisciplinary field that integrates biology and chemistry, employing chemi-cal principles and methods to investigate vital phenomena and elucidate the essence of living organisms. Due to its numerous knowledge points, abstract concepts, and intricate metabolic processes, students generally feel obscure, difficult to comprehend, and tedious in biochemistry course, resulting in poor learning outcomes. Herein, the students majoring in Chinese medicine resources and development (Grade 2022) from the College of Pharmacy at Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine were selected as participants. The cohort was divided into two groups: a control group with traditional lecture-based instruction and an ex-perimental group with a diversified learning approach. Teaching effectiveness and learning experience were evaluated by students’ in-class quiz and final exam scores, along with questionnaire results. The study showed that the experimental group achieved significantly higher scores in two assessments than the control group (P<0.01), and was also proved significantly better than the control group in various questionnaire indi-cators (P<0.001). The results indicate that the diversified teaching model has significant effects on biochemis-try education and exhibits strong scalability. 

Gene engineering is the fastest-developing core biotechnology, and the gene engineering course is compulsory for undergraduates majoring in bioengineering, biotechnology, and biological sciences. In the digital age, fully utilizing information resources to carry out online and offline blended learning is a new trend in the teaching of professional courses in universities, and using artificial intelligence to construct course knowledge maps can help integrate and expand online course resources. This article provides a de-tailed introduction to the teaching team of gene engineering at Hunan Normal University, which has fully im-plemented the educational concept of “focusing on developing students’ abilities” and constructed a national-level first-class online course, a virtual simulation experiment first-class course, and course knowledge maps by using modern teaching methods. The implementation process and effectiveness of online and offline blended learning are combined with offline topics and flipped assignments, which is very helpful for cultiva-ting innovative talents with independent learning ability, disciplinary thinking ability, practical ability and reflective ability.

As a fundamental practical course in the animal science program, the animal physiology experi-ments facilitates a profound integration of theory and practice by employing innovative experimental design and advanced technology. It plays a crucial role in cultivating high-quality scientific talents, addressing cur-rent industry challenges, and advancing the overall development of the discipline. In this paper, the strategic significance of reshaping the teaching system under the background of agricultural powerhouse and new agri-cultural sciences is clarified. Taking animal science major as a case study, the paper emphasizes reform and innovation across multiple dimensions including teaching modes and assessment systems, aiming to provide new ideas for cultivating innovative agricultural talents that meet contemporary demands.