Journal: Military Medical Research

Article Title: The cellular response capacity (CRC) as a novel immunomonitoring approach in sepsis

doi: 10.1016/j.mmr.2026.100010

Figure Lengend Snippet: Concentration-dependent change in the humoral inflammatory response following incubation with Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) in the ex vivo whole blood model. a Absolute plasma concentrations of IL-6, IL-8, and MMP9 determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. b Normalized values and EC 50 curve fit by BuC=0% and 50 000 CFU/ml E. coli= 100%, respectively, for IL-6, IL-8, and MMP9 as indicated by EC 50 (%) on the respective Y-axis. BuC indicates buffer control after 60 min incubation; numbers on the X-axis indicate E. coli bacteria in concentrations of 2000 to 50 000 CFU/ml after 60 min incubation; LPS indicates lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 100 ng/ml after 60 min incubation. Values are shown as median and interquartile range. n =8. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s post-hoc test, comparing all shown concentrations of E. coli bacteria and 100 ng/ml LPS with BuC. P -values are indicated above the respective data points. ⁎ P <0.05, ⁎⁎ P <0.01, ⁎⁎⁎ P <0.001. CFU. Colony-forming units; IL. Interleukin; MMP9. Matrix metallopeptidase 9.

Article Snippet: For the samples of the ex vivo whole blood model, the plasma concentrations of matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9, #DY911, R&D Systems, Minneapolis, USA), IL-6 (#555220, BD Biosciences, San Jose, USA), and IL-8 (#DY208, R&D Systems) were measured in citrate-anticoagulated plasma using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay according to the respective manufacturer’s instructions.

Techniques: Concentration Assay, Incubation, Ex Vivo, Clinical Proteomics, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, Control, Bacteria

Journal: Military Medical Research

Article Title: The cellular response capacity (CRC) as a novel immunomonitoring approach in sepsis

doi: 10.1016/j.mmr.2026.100010

Figure Lengend Snippet: Diagnostic performance for the detection of bacteremia, analyzing the neutrophil phenotype by determining the median fluorescence intensity (MFI) and the cellular response capacity (CRC) in comparison with traditional markers of humoral inflammation (IL-6, IL-8, MMP9). a Comparison of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) at 10,000 CFU/ml Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) with the respective 95% confidence interval (CI) and P -value, and half-maximal effective concentration (EC 50 ) as a function of the E. coli concentration. b Detailed comparison of the EC 50 as a function of the E. coli concentration. c Exemplary comparison of EC 50 curve fit after normalization as indicated by EC 50 (%) on the respective Y-axis to BuC=100% and 50 000 CFU/ml E. coli =0% for the humoral marker IL-6 (the IL-6 values were multiplied by −1 before EC 50 calculation to facilitate comparability with the CRC) and the change in neutrophil phenotype represented by CD11b CRC. BuC indicates buffer control after 60 min incubation; numbers on the X-axis of c indicate E. coli bacteria in concentrations of 2000 to 50 000 CFU/ml after 60 min incubation. Values are shown as median and interquartile range. n =8. Statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test with Dunn’s post-hoc test, evaluating the EC 50 of IL-8, MMP9, the MFI, and CRC of CD10, CD11b, and CD62L in comparison to the EC 50 of IL-6. P -values are indicated above the respective data points. ⁎ P <0.05. CFU. Colony-forming units; IL. Interleukin; MMP9. Matrix metallopeptidase 9.

Article Snippet: For the samples of the ex vivo whole blood model, the plasma concentrations of matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9, #DY911, R&D Systems, Minneapolis, USA), IL-6 (#555220, BD Biosciences, San Jose, USA), and IL-8 (#DY208, R&D Systems) were measured in citrate-anticoagulated plasma using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay according to the respective manufacturer’s instructions.

Techniques: Diagnostic Assay, Fluorescence, Comparison, Concentration Assay, Marker, Control, Incubation, Bacteria

Journal: Military Medical Research

Article Title: The cellular response capacity (CRC) as a novel immunomonitoring approach in sepsis

doi: 10.1016/j.mmr.2026.100010

Figure Lengend Snippet: Clinical specifications and parameters over all time points of the sepsis cohort. a Suspected infection cause of sepsis. b Distribution of the individual score points of the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score. c Total SOFA score. d-h Traditional and humoral markers of inflammation: leukocytes and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio ( d ), C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) ( e ), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-8 (IL-8) ( f ), serum amyloid A (SAA) and calprotectin ( g ), matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) ( h ). Values are shown as median and interquartile range. n =14. CNS. Central nervous system; HV. Healthy volunteers.

Article Snippet: For the samples of the ex vivo whole blood model, the plasma concentrations of matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9, #DY911, R&D Systems, Minneapolis, USA), IL-6 (#555220, BD Biosciences, San Jose, USA), and IL-8 (#DY208, R&D Systems) were measured in citrate-anticoagulated plasma using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay according to the respective manufacturer’s instructions.

Techniques: Infection

Journal: Bioactive Materials

Article Title: Dynamic feedback BacGuard anchors microbial metabolism to host symbiosis in real-time ulcerative colitis therapy

doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2026.05.060

Figure Lengend Snippet: BacGuard promotes colon tissue repairment. a) Scheme of microbiota-dependent epithelial repair mechanism orchestrated by BacGuard. b) Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profile alterations. n = 6. c) BacGuard-induced probiotic proliferation and d) quantitative results. n = 3. e) Immunofluorescence analysis of ILC3 (ROR γt + CD3 − cells) in colon tissue. f) Flow cytometric analysis of lamina propria lymphocytes (ROR γt + ). n = 3. g) Concentration of IL-22 in MNK-3 cells. n = 3. h) Representative PAS-staining (upper panel) and MUC-2 immunohistochemistry (lower panel) images of colon tissues. n = 5. ns, not significant; ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗p < 0.01 and ∗∗∗p < 0.001.

Article Snippet: For the detection of IL-22 and LPS concentrations, the Mouse IL-22 Precoated ELISA Kit (DAKEWE, China) and Mouse LPS ELISA Kit (JONLNBIO, China) were employed correspondingly.

Techniques: Immunofluorescence, Concentration Assay, Staining, Immunohistochemistry

Journal: Non-coding RNA Research

Article Title: CircSMAD4 shapes matrix-remodeling TAMs in lung adenocarcinoma

doi: 10.1016/j.ncrna.2026.03.003

Figure Lengend Snippet: circSMAD4 drives tumor-educated M2-like polarization of macrophages and promotes tumor-cell aggressiveness. (A) Workflow for generating TC-hMDMs and TC-BMDMs, circSMAD4 knockdown, and downstream functional assays. (B) RT–qPCR analysis of M1-associated markers (MHC-II [HLA-DRA in TC-hMDMs; H2-Ab1 in TC-BMDMs], NOS2, and CD86) and M2-associated markers (CD163, CD206, and ARG1) in TC-hMDMs and TC-BMDMs. (C) Representative flow-cytometry histograms for HLA-DR, iNOS, CD86, CD163, CD206, and ARG1 in TC-hMDMs. Gating strategy and marker thresholds were defined based on FMO controls (see ). (D) Flow-cytometry quantification of marker-positive cells in TC-hMDMs and TC-BMDMs. (E) ELISA of IL-10, TGF-β, and iNOS in culture supernatants. (F) CCK-8 assays of A549 and LLC cells. (G) Colony-formation assays of A549 and LLC cells with quantification. (H) Bioluminescence-based growth readouts of patient-derived LUAD organoids (PDO #1 and PDO #2) after co-culture with TC-hMDMs. (I) Immunoblot analysis of EMT-related proteins (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin) in A549 and LLC cells. (J) Transwell migration and invasion assays of A549 and LLC cells with quantification. Scale bar, 50 μm. ∗P < 0.05; ∗∗P < 0.01; ∗∗∗P < 0.001; ∗∗∗∗P < 0.0001; ns, not significant.

Article Snippet: For mouse experiments, mouse IL-10 was measured using the Mouse IL-10 ELISA Kit (R&D Systems, Cat# M1000B), and mouse TGF-β1 was measured using the Mouse TGF beta-1 ELISA Kit (Invitrogen, Cat# BMS608-4), following the manufacturers’ instructions.

Techniques: Knockdown, Functional Assay, Quantitative RT-PCR, Flow Cytometry, Marker, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, CCK-8 Assay, Derivative Assay, Co-Culture Assay, Western Blot, Migration

Journal: Non-coding RNA Research

Article Title: CircSMAD4 shapes matrix-remodeling TAMs in lung adenocarcinoma

doi: 10.1016/j.ncrna.2026.03.003

Figure Lengend Snippet: circSMAD4 drives tumor-educated M2-like polarization of macrophages and promotes tumor-cell aggressiveness. (A) Workflow for generating TC-hMDMs and TC-BMDMs, circSMAD4 knockdown, and downstream functional assays. (B) RT–qPCR analysis of M1-associated markers (MHC-II [HLA-DRA in TC-hMDMs; H2-Ab1 in TC-BMDMs], NOS2, and CD86) and M2-associated markers (CD163, CD206, and ARG1) in TC-hMDMs and TC-BMDMs. (C) Representative flow-cytometry histograms for HLA-DR, iNOS, CD86, CD163, CD206, and ARG1 in TC-hMDMs. Gating strategy and marker thresholds were defined based on FMO controls (see ). (D) Flow-cytometry quantification of marker-positive cells in TC-hMDMs and TC-BMDMs. (E) ELISA of IL-10, TGF-β, and iNOS in culture supernatants. (F) CCK-8 assays of A549 and LLC cells. (G) Colony-formation assays of A549 and LLC cells with quantification. (H) Bioluminescence-based growth readouts of patient-derived LUAD organoids (PDO #1 and PDO #2) after co-culture with TC-hMDMs. (I) Immunoblot analysis of EMT-related proteins (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin) in A549 and LLC cells. (J) Transwell migration and invasion assays of A549 and LLC cells with quantification. Scale bar, 50 μm. ∗P < 0.05; ∗∗P < 0.01; ∗∗∗P < 0.001; ∗∗∗∗P < 0.0001; ns, not significant.

Article Snippet: Human IL-10 was quantified using IL-10 DuoSet ELISA (R&D Systems, Cat# DY217B), and human TGF-β1 was measured using the Human TGF beta-1 ELISA Kit (Invitrogen, Cat# BMS249-4).

Techniques: Knockdown, Functional Assay, Quantitative RT-PCR, Flow Cytometry, Marker, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, CCK-8 Assay, Derivative Assay, Co-Culture Assay, Western Blot, Migration

Journal: Bioactive Materials

Article Title: Glucose/ROS-responsive and redox-gated adaptive hydrogel dressing for accelerating diabetic wound repair via synergistic cGAS/STING pathway inhibition and oxidative stress alleviation

doi: 10.1016/j.bioactmat.2026.03.025

Figure Lengend Snippet: Angiogenesis and collagen deposition in diabetic wound tissues following HPSL@SG hydrogel treatment. (A) Dihydroethidium (DHE) immunofluorescence staining and (B) semi-quantitative analysis of wound tissues from each treatment group on day 7, scale bar = 100 μm. Immunofluorescence staining of (C) MMP-9, IL-6, and IL-10, and (D) CD31, VEGF-A, and collagen I in wound tissue sections from each treatment group on day 7, scale bar = 100 μm. (E-J) Mean relative fluorescence intensity of each indicator in wound tissue sections from each treatment group on day 7, scale bar = 100 μm. All data are shown as mean ± SEM (n = 6).

Article Snippet: IL-6 and IL-10-specific antibodies were purchased from Bosterbio (Wuhan, China).

Techniques: Immunofluorescence, Staining, Fluorescence

Journal: Non-coding RNA Research

Article Title: CircSMAD4 shapes matrix-remodeling TAMs in lung adenocarcinoma

doi: 10.1016/j.ncrna.2026.03.003

Figure Lengend Snippet: circSMAD4 drives tumor-educated M2-like polarization of macrophages and promotes tumor-cell aggressiveness. (A) Workflow for generating TC-hMDMs and TC-BMDMs, circSMAD4 knockdown, and downstream functional assays. (B) RT–qPCR analysis of M1-associated markers (MHC-II [HLA-DRA in TC-hMDMs; H2-Ab1 in TC-BMDMs], NOS2, and CD86) and M2-associated markers (CD163, CD206, and ARG1) in TC-hMDMs and TC-BMDMs. (C) Representative flow-cytometry histograms for HLA-DR, iNOS, CD86, CD163, CD206, and ARG1 in TC-hMDMs. Gating strategy and marker thresholds were defined based on FMO controls (see ). (D) Flow-cytometry quantification of marker-positive cells in TC-hMDMs and TC-BMDMs. (E) ELISA of IL-10, TGF-β, and iNOS in culture supernatants. (F) CCK-8 assays of A549 and LLC cells. (G) Colony-formation assays of A549 and LLC cells with quantification. (H) Bioluminescence-based growth readouts of patient-derived LUAD organoids (PDO #1 and PDO #2) after co-culture with TC-hMDMs. (I) Immunoblot analysis of EMT-related proteins (E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin) in A549 and LLC cells. (J) Transwell migration and invasion assays of A549 and LLC cells with quantification. Scale bar, 50 μm. ∗P < 0.05; ∗∗P < 0.01; ∗∗∗P < 0.001; ∗∗∗∗P < 0.0001; ns, not significant.

Article Snippet: Human IL-10 was quantified using IL-10 DuoSet ELISA (R&D Systems, Cat# DY217B), and human TGF-β1 was measured using the Human TGF beta-1 ELISA Kit (Invitrogen, Cat# BMS249-4).

Techniques: Knockdown, Functional Assay, Quantitative RT-PCR, Flow Cytometry, Marker, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay, CCK-8 Assay, Derivative Assay, Co-Culture Assay, Western Blot, Migration