Regulation and Mechanism of Macrophage Function by Mechanical Force / 生物化学与生物物理进展

As the vanguard of the innate immune system to recognize external environmental stimuli, macrophages can respond to subtle changes in the environment and achieve adaptive regulation of their own functions, playing a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis and resisting infection. Various mechanical stress stimuli including endogenous stress mediated by mechanical characteristics of extracellular matrix, and exogenous stress such as solid/liquid pressure, tension and fluid shear stress, exist in the physiological or pathological tissue microenvironment, which have important effects on the immune function of macrophages. The understanding of macrophage mechanobiology will contribute to the development of new immunotherapies targeting macrophages. This review focuses on the functional regulation of macrophages by mechanical stress, summarizes the research progress from the perspective of influencing cell adhesion, migration, phagocytosis and polarization, and summarizes the molecular mechanisms of macrophage mechanical sensing and transduction from the outside to the inside in three levels: cell membrane mechanical sensors, force signal transduction of cytoskeleton system, and YAP/TAZ-mediated gene expression regulation response to mechanical stress. In addition, the application prospects and future vision of macrophage mechanobiology research in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and tumor immunotherapy are discussed, providing strong support for a deeper understanding of the plasticity of macrophage function.

Role and Mechanism of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids on Potassium Ion Channels / 生物化学与生物物理进展

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have diverse health-promoting effects, such as potentially protecting in immune, nervous, and cardiovascular systems by targeting a variety of sites, including most ion channels. Voltage-gated potassium channels of the KV7 family and large-conductance Ca2+- and voltage-activated K+ (BKCa) channels are expressed in many tissues, therefore, their physiological importance is evident from the various disorders linked to dysfunctional KV7 channels and BKCa channels. Thus, it is extremely important to learn how potassium channels are regulated by PUFAs. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the effects of PUFAs on KV7 channels and BKCa channels functions, as well as the mechanisms underlying these effects. In summarizing reported effects of PUFAs on KV7 and BKCa channels mediated currents, we generally conclude that PUFAs increase the current amplitude, meanwhile, differential molecular and biophysical mechanisms are associated with the current increase. In KV7 channels the currents increasement are associated with a shift in the voltage dependence of channel opening and increased maximum conductance in KV7 channels, while in BKCa channels, they are associated with destabilization the pore domain closed conformation. Furthermore, PUFA effects are influenced by auxiliary subunits of KV7 and BKCa channels, associate with channels in certain tissues. although findings are conflicting. A better understanding of how PUFAs regulate KV7 and BKCa channels may offer insight into their physiological regulation and may lead to new therapeutic strategies and approaches.

Research progress of optical coherence tomography angiography in detecting retinal and choroidal thickness and blood flow in patients with high myopia / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

High myopia is a state of refractive error with myopia over -6.00D. High myopia is typically accompanied by multiple fundus lesions, thus making patients with high myopia suffer from varying degrees of impairment in visual function. As an emerging auxiliary way in ophthalmology, optical coherence tomography angiography(OCTA)can efficiently and non-invasively obtain microvascular stratified images of the retina and choroid and quantitatively analyze blood flow signals. Since the advent of OCTA, there have been numerous studies observing fundus changes in those with high myopia through OCTA. In this paper, some studies in which OCTA is applied to obtain retinal and choroidal thickness from patients with high myopia are reviewed, with a view to revealing the correlation between high myopia and the parameters such as retinal thickness, choroidal thickness, vessel density and the area of the foveal avascular zone and providing novel ideas to deeply investigate the mechanism of high myopia and delay the occurrence and development of high myopia.

Clinical features of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variant infection in children: an analysis of 201 cases / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the clinical features of children with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron variant infection.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 201 children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who were hospitalized and diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant infection in Quanzhou First Hospital from March 14 to April 7, 2022. Among the 201 children, there were 34 children with asymptomatic infection and 167 with symptomatic infection. The two groups were compared in terms of clinical features, results of experimental examinations, and outcome.@*RESULTS@#Of all the 201 children, 161 (80.1%) had a history of exposure to COVID-19 patients and 132 (65.7%) had a history of COVID-19 vaccination. Among the 167 children with symptomatic infections, 151 had mild COVID-19 and 16 had common COVID-19, with no severe infection or death. Among the 101 children who underwent chest CT examination, 16 had ground glass changes and 20 had nodular or linear opacities. The mean time to nucleic acid clearance was (14±4) days for the 201 children with Omicron variant infection, and the symptomatic infection group had a significantly longer time than the asymptomatic infection group [(15±4) days vs (11±4) days, P<0.05]. The group vaccinated with one or two doses of COVID-19 vaccine had a significantly higher positive rate of IgG than the group without vaccination (P<0.05). The proportions of children with increased blood lymphocyte count in the symptomatic infection group was significantly lower than that in the asymptomatic infection group (P<0.05). Compared with the asymptomatic infection group, the symptomatic infection group had significantly higher proportions of children with increased interleukin-6, increased fibrinogen, and increased D-dimer (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Most of the children with Omicron variant infection have clinical symptoms, which are generally mild. The children with symptomatic infection are often accompanied by decreased or normal blood lymphocyte count and increased levels of interleukin-6, fibrinogen, and D-dimer, with a relatively long time to nucleic acid clearance. Some of them had ground glass changes on chest CT.

Dynamic change of hepatocyte during PXR-induced liver enlargement / 药学学报

Pregnane X receptor (PXR), a member of nuclear receptor superfamily, plays an important role in xenobiotic and endogenous metabolism, endocrine balance, and cell proliferation, etc. Previous study has shown that pregnenolone 16α-carbonitrile (PCN), a mouse PXR agonist, could induce liver enlargement. And we found that the change in hepatocytes exhibits regional distribution characteristics: hepatocyte enlargement occurs around the central vein (CV) area, while hepatocyte proliferation occurs around the portal vein (PV) area. In this study, the dynamic changes of hepatocytes during PXR-induced liver enlargement were determined. Serum and liver samples from male C57BL/6 mice were collected for biochemical and pathological analysis after PCN treatment for 1, 2, 3, 5 days, respectively. The animal experiment was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of Sun Yat-Sen University. The results showed that with the increase in the PCN treatment days, the feature of this regional change of hepatocyte around the CV and PV areas became more and more obvious. At the same time, the factors related to hepatocyte enlargement, such as the expression of PXR downstream genes and the hepatic content of triglyceride (TG), has gradually increased. The upregulation of proliferation-related proteins and downregulation of cyclin-dependent kinases inhibitor proteins were observed in the early stage of PCN treatment, suggesting that hepatocyte proliferation occurs earlier than hepatocyte enlargement during PXR-induced liver enlargement. This study reveals the dynamic change of hepatocytes during PXR-induced liver enlargement and provides a new insight in liver enlargement promoted via PXR activation.

ASIC1a contributes to the symptom of pain in a rat model of chronic prostatitis / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

This study aims to validate our hypothesis that acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) may contribute to the symptom of pain in patients with chronic prostatitis (CP). We first established a CP rat model, then isolated the L5-S2 spinal dorsal horn neurons for further studies. ASIC1a was knocked down and its effects on the expression of neurogenic inflammation-related factors in the dorsal horn neurons of rat spinal cord were evaluated. The effect of ASIC1a on the Ca2+ ion concentration in the dorsal horn neurons of rat spinal cord was measured by the intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) intensity. The effect of ASIC1a on the p38/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was also determined. ASIC1a was significantly upregulated in the CP rat model as compared with control rats. Acid-induced ASIC1a expression increased [Ca2+]i intensity in the dorsal horn neurons of rat spinal cord. ASIC1a also increased the levels of neurogenic inflammation-related factors and p-p38 expression in the acid-treated dorsal horn neurons. Notably, ASIC1a knockdown significantly decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, the levels of p-p38 and pro-inflammatory cytokines in acid-treated dorsal horn neurons were significantly decreased in the presence of PcTx-1, BAPTA-AM, or SB203580. Our results showed that ASIC1a may contribute to the symptom of pain in patients with CP, at least partially, by regulating the p38/MAPK signaling pathway.

Menopause-like symptoms among old and middle-aged males in Hefei area / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To access the prevalence of menopause-like symptoms, and their related factors in old and middle-aged males in the area of Hefei.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study included 1 026 males aged over 45 years that came to the clinic for health examination. We collected their personal data, and evaluated their general health status and the results of the questionnaire investigation using the Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The total incidence of menopause-like symptoms was 64.7% among the old and middle-aged males in Hefei area, of which 58.1% were mild, 30.9% moderate and 11.0% severe. The average AMS score was 31.2 +/- 6.8, in which the scores on psychological, physical and sexual function symptoms were 8.3 +/- 2.1, 12.4 +/- 4.8 and 9.3 +/- 4.5, respectively. Sexual function symptoms were increased significantly with the increase of age (P < 0.05), but psychological and physical symptoms showed no obvious correlation with age (P > 0.05). The main risk factors of menopause-like symptoms included age, smoking, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and obesity, but physical exercise was an important protective factor against them.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>With the increase of age, the prevalence of male menopause-like symptoms rises and sexual function declines gradually, but psychological and physical scores are not affected significantly. Age, general health status and lifestyle are closely associated with the prevalence of menopause-like symptoms among old and middle-aged males.</p>

Pemetrexed monotherapy versus pemetrexed plus platinum combination as second-line treatment for advanced non-small cell lung cancer / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Pemetrexed is a novel folic acid antagonist with multiple targets, which has been widely used in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The objective of this study was to compare the effects and toxicities in NSCLC patients treated with pemetrexed monotherapy versus pemetrexed plus a platinum combination agent, so as to provide a basis for standard second-line chemotherapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 52 patients with NSCLC who were admitted to Shanghai Chest Hospital from August 2006 to October 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. Ten of the 52 patients received pemetrexed monotherapy, and the other 42 patients received the pemetrexed plus platinum regimen. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). The progression-free survival time (PFS) was analyzed and the effects and toxicities were assessed. Survival analysis was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier method. Single factor analysis and the COX regression model were done to analyze the relationship between the influential factors and the prognosis of disease. The elderly patients (> or = 60 years old) were analyzed separately as a subgroup.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>No statistically significant increase in OS (chi(2) = 0.09, P = 0.76), PFS (chi(2) = 0.15, P = 0.70), disease control rate (DCR) (chi(2) = 0.06, P = 0.81) or 1-year survival rate (chi(2) = 0.33, P = 0.57) was found between the two regimens. Single factor analysis showed that the factors including surgery history, PS score before treatment, clinical stage, and response to second-line treatment influenced the prognosis of NSCLC (all P < 0.05). COX regression analysis demonstrated that surgery history (P = 0.041) and performance status (PS) score before treatment (P = 0.043) may be associated with survival. The toxicity of the two regimens was similar. In the subgroup of elderly patients, no significant difference in OS (chi(2) = 0.01, P = 0.94), PFS (chi(2) = 0.14, P = 0.70), DCR (chi(2) = 0.004, P = 0.95), or 1-year survival rate (chi(2) = 0.03, P = 0.87) was found between the two regimens. The toxicity of combination therapy was significantly higher in terms of hematologic (chi(2) = 9.95, P = 0.01) and gastrointestinal adverse events (chi(2) = 7.66, P = 0.03).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There is no significant difference in survival or side effects between these two regimens. For elderly patients (> or = 60), pemetrexed monotherapy shows similar efficacy and a better safety profile when compared with pemetrexed combination therapy.</p>

Clinical observation on strong stimulation of acupoints around eyes for treatment of adolescent myopia / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the therapeutic effect and influential factors of strong stimulation of acupoints around eyes by reducing method of twisting the needle for treatment of adolescent myopia, and to compare the different curative effects of both weak and strong stimulus intensities and wearing glasses in daytime.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>According to the principle of knowing and permission, the patients were divided into a strong stimulation group (60 cases, 120 eyes), a weak stimulation group (60 cases, 120 eyes) and a wearing glasses group (60 cases, 120 eyes). Both the strong stimulation group and the weak stimulation group were treated by reducing method of twisting the needle, with Cuanzhu (BL 2), Yuyao (EX-HN 4), Sizhukong (TE 23), Sibai (ST 2) and Taiyang (EX-HN 5) selected. Each acupoint was twisted 360 and 90 times per min for the strong stimulation group, and 90 degrees and 60 times per min for the weak stimulation group; the wearing glasses group were not treated with acupuncture, but with wearing glasses in daytime.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After treatment with the reducing method of twisting the needle, the vision improved (P < 0.01), with more obviously increased in the strong stimulation group than the weak stimulation group (P < 0.01), and there was no significant change of vision in the wearing glasses group. The age and the myopic degree of the patient before treatment were closely related with the change of vision after treatment (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The reducing method of twisting the needle has a definite clinical therapeutic effect on adolescent myopia; strong stimulation has a better effect than the weak one; the age and the myopic degree of the patient possibly influence the therapeutic effect.</p>

Progress in the studies of semen delayed liquefaction from chronic prostatitis / 中华男科学杂志

Chronic prostatitis (CP) is a common disease among adult men. It can result in male infertility mainly by alternating the semen quality, volume, pH, component, viscosity and liquefaction. There seems to be a strong association between CP and semen delayed liquefaction. Researches on the mechanism of semen delayed liquefaction resulting from CP mainly focus on the proteolytic ferment, plasminogen activator, prostate acid phosphatase, tissue factor, lack of zinc, and pH. This article briefly reviews the progress in these aspects.

Effects of Dexamethasone Combined with Intra-Amniotic Administration of Pulmonary Surfactant before Delivery in Preventing Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome / 实用儿科临床杂志

0.05),but the proportion of NRDS,the rate of mechanical ventilation dependence,and mortality had significant diffe-rences(Pa

Comparison of the effect between insulin lispro 75/25 and humulin 70/30 on the postprandial blood glucose excursion in patients with diabetes / 中华内分泌代谢杂志

The effects of human insulin 70/30 and insulin lispro 75/25 were compared in improving postprandial blood glucose excursions in 106 patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes in a one-month,open-labelled,self- controlled trial .The results showed that treatment of diabetic patients with insulin lispro 75/25 significantly improved 2 h postprandial blood glucose excursion compared to pre-study with human insulin 70/30 (baseline) without any significant adverse events or sustained hypoglycemic episodes.These physiological benefits were associated with a patient preference for insulin lispro 75/25.