Effects of miR-204-5p and Target Gene EphB2 on Cognitive Impairment Induced by Aluminum Exposure in Rats.

Aluminum is a common environmental neurotoxin. Aluminum ions can cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in different brain regions, damage brain tissue, and cause cognitive impairment, but the molecular mechanism of aluminum neurotoxicity is not precise. This study investigated the effects of miR-204-5p, target gene EphB2, and downstream signaling pathway NMDAR-ERK-CREB-Arc on cognitive dysfunction induced by aluminum exposure. The results showed that the learning and memory of the rats were impaired in behavior. The accumulation of aluminum in the hippocampus resulted in the damage of nerve cell morphology in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. The expression level of miR-204-5p was increased, and the mRNA and protein expressions of EphB2, NMDAR2B, ERK1/2, CREB, and Arc were decreased. The results indicated that the mechanism of impaired learning and memory induced by aluminum exposure might promote the expression of miR-204-5P and further inhibit the expression of the target gene EphB2 and its downstream signaling pathway NMDAR-ERK-CREB-Arc.

Early unrestricted vs. partial weight bearing after uncemented total hip arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The choice of postoperative weight bearing protocol after uncemented total hip arthroplasty (THA) remains controversial. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of immediate unrestricted weight bearing (UWB) compared with partial weight bearing (PWB) in patients undergoing uncemented THA. Methods: Relevant articles were retrieved from electronic databases. Both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and non-RCTs were included but analyzed separately. All functional and clinical outcomes with at least 2 independent study outcomes were meta-analyzed. Results: A total of 17 studies were investigated. No adverse effect was found regarding micromotion of the femoral stem with immediate UWB following uncemented THA. There was also no correlation between immediate UWB and failure of ingrowth fixation and higher risks of femoral stem subsidence and surgical revision in RCTs. Harris hip score was better in patients with immediate UWB than those with PWB at 1 year post surgery, but the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Immediate UWB did not have extra harm compared with PWB in patients undergoing uncemented THA. UWB was not superior to PWB. Considering the improvement of Harris score and the compliance of patients, UWB can be encouraged in THA rehabilitation.

The Role of Histone H2B Acetylation Modification in Aluminum-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction.

Aluminum (Al) is a low toxic trace element that can accumulate in the nervous system and induce cognitive disorders characterized by reduced learning and memory ability. Neuroepigenetic effects are structural changes in cellular function by the brain in response to environmental stimuli by altering the expression of specific genes and repressing normal cellular transcription, leading to abnormalities in a variety of biological processes within the nervous system and affecting neurobehavioral responses. One of the most important mechanisms of epigenetic control on chromatin shape is histone modification. In the present study, we established an offspring rat model of Al intoxication to investigate the changes in spatial learning and memory retention abilities and the relationship with histone H2B acetylation modification in rats exposed to different doses of Al over a long period of time. The results demonstrated that long-term AlCl3 staining resulted in decreased CBP gene and protein expression, increased HDAC3 gene and protein levels, as well as decreased histone H2B and acH2BK20 protein expression levels in the hippocampus of rats. In conclusion, long-term exposure to Al may vary the expression of histone H2B and acH2BK20 through the regulation of enzymes that specifically regulate histone acetylation, hence hastening the deterioration of the nervous system that impairs cognitive function.

Effect of fine nursing with dietary intervention on pain level of patients with advanced lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of fine nursing with dietary intervention on the pain level and health of patients with advanced lung cancer (LC). METHODS: The clinical data of 92 patients with advanced LC admitted to the Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University/the First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University from February 2018 to June 2020 were studied in this retrospective analysis. Among them, 48 patients who received fine nursing with dietary intervention were grouped into the research group (RG), and the other 44 who received conventional nursing were grouped into the control group (CG). The two groups were compared in terms of pain level, nutrition, quality of life, anxiety and depression, sleep quality, satisfaction with care, and complication rate. RESULTS: The visual analogue scale (VAS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), self-rating depression scale (SDS), patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores were lower in the RG than in the CG after nursing, and the scores were higher in both groups before nursing than after nursing (P<0.05). The World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) scores, forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) and maximum ventilation volume (MVV) were higher in the RG than in the CG after nursing, and the scores, FVC, FEV1 and MVV were lower in both groups before nursing than after nursing (P<0.05). The complication rate of patients in the CG was higher than that of those in the RG (P<0.05). The nursing satisfaction of patients in the CG was lower than that of those in the RG (P<0.05). Age, TNM stage, smoking history, and maximum tumor diameter were risk factors affecting patient prognosis, and logistic regression analysis found that smoking history was an independent risk factor affecting patient prognosis. CONCLUSION: Fine nursing with dietary intervention can effectively reduce pain, regulate patients' restlessness, reduce the incidence of complications, improve patients' nutrition and sleep quality, and can improve their quality of life, which is worthy of application and promotion in clinical practice.

Atractylenolide II induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in breast cancer cells through ER pathway.

In this research, atractylenolide II (ATR II) on apoptosis, cell cycle cells via ER pathway in breast cancer (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) cells are assessed. The effect of ATR II on cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay. Additional flow cytometry, luciferase, the western blot were performed to detect the signaling pathway cytotoxicity of ATR II. We have also carried out autodock measurements to validate our results. Our findings showed ATR II could inhibit breast cancer cell growth by apoptosis mainly through G2/M-phase cell cycle arrest. Besides, the cytotoxicity of ATTR II on breast cancer was also correlated by the regulation of endrogen receptors and promising an anti-inflammatory activity via inhibiting NF-KB signaling pathways. Taking together, ATR II could be a potential anti-cancer drug for breast cancer.

Pulmonary sarcoidosis with and without extrapulmonary involvement: a cross-sectional and observational study in China.

OBJECTIVES: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease characterised by the formation of granulomas within various organs, mainly the lungs. Several studies from different countries have been undertaken to investigate sarcoidosis with extrapulmonary involvement except from China. The objective of this study is to investigate a comparative clinical analysis in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis with and without extrapulmonary involvement from China. METHODS: Data from inpatients diagnosed with sarcoidosis at Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital (Shanghai, China) between January 2009 and December 2014 were retrospectively collected and analysed. Six hundred and thirty-six patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis were included in the study, including 378 isolated pulmonary sarcoidosis and 258 pulmonary sarcoidosis plus extrapulmonary involvement. RESULTS: Two hundred and fifty-eight (40.6%) patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis had extrapulmonary involvement. Extrapulmonary localisations were detected mostly in extrathoracic lymph nodes (n=147) and skin (n=86). Statistically significant differences were demonstrated between patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis plus extrapulmonary involvement and patients with isolated pulmonary sarcoidosis for fatigue (16.6%vs8.3%, P<0.05), serum ACE (SACE) levels (79.0±46.9 IU/L vs 69.7±38.7 IU/L, P<0.05), and high-resolution CT (HRCT) findings (53.8%vs46.2%, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Extrapulmonary involvement is common in patients with pulmonary sarcoidosis, with the most common sites being extrathoracic lymph nodes and skin. Patients with sarcoidosis with extrapulmonary involvement are more symptomatic (fatigue), have higher SACE levels and more deteriorating HRCT findings, to which clinicians should pay attention.

[Imaging diagnosis of pelvic eosinophilic granuloma and analyses of the misdiagnoses].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the imaging diagnosis of pelvic eosinophilic granuloma and improve diagnosis accuracy. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the plain film, CT and MRI was conducted in 24 cases of pathologically confirmed eosinophilic granuloma. All the patients received radiography, CT scan was performed in 17 cases and MRI was done 9 cases. RESULTS: In the 24 cases of eosinophilic granuloma, 6 lesions were located in the pubis, 5 in the ischium and 13 in the iliac region. The lesion showed bony destruction or irregular bony destruction, with periosteal reaction and soft tissue mass. CONCLUSION: Pelvic eosinophilic granuloma has characteristic imaging features, and combination of the imaging findings can improve the diagnosing accuracy.