Cancer-Thylakoid Hybrid Membrane Camouflaged Thulium Oxide Nanoparticles with Oxygen Self-Supply Capability for Tumor-Homing Phototherapy.

Nanomaterials that generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon light irradiation have significant applications in various fields, including photodynamic therapy (PDT) that is widely recognized as a highly momentous strategy for the eradication of cancer cells. However, the ROS production rate of photosensitizers, as well as the tumor hypoxia environment, are two major challenges that restrict the widespread application of PDT. In this study, a cancer-thylakoid hybrid membrane-camouflaged thulium oxide nanoparticles (Tm2O3) for tumor-homing phototherapy through dual-stage-light-guided ROS generation and oxygen self-supply is developed. Tm2O3 as a type II photosensitizer are viable for NIR-stimulated ROS generation due to the unique energy levels, large absorption cross section, and long lifetime of the 3H4 state of Tm ions. The thylakoid membrane (TK) plays a catalase-like role in converting hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and also acts as a natural photosensitizer that can generate lethal ROS through electron transfer when exposed to light. In addition, fluorescence dye DiR is embedded in the hybrid membrane for in vivo tracing as well as photothermal therapy. Results show that tumors in Tm2O3@TK-M/DiR group are effectively ablated following dual-stage-light irradiation, highlighting the promising potential of rare-earth element-based type II photosensitizers in various applications.

Dietary tryptophan decreases the impacts of seawater temperature changes on behavior and gut health of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus.

Seawater temperature change is an important concern for seed production and pond culture of sea cucumbers. The present study found that tentacle activity frequency was significantly lower in sea cucumbers exposed to continuous and rapid temperature increases than that of those at ambient temperature. Feeding behavior directly determines food intake, and further affects physiology and growth efficiency of sea cucumbers. This means that the decline in feeding caused by continuous and rapid temperature increases needs to be addressed in sea cucumber aquaculture. However, a sudden temperature change of 5 °C had no significant effect on behaviors of sea cucumbers. This indicates that continuous temperature increases, rather than a sudden increase, result in behavioral impacts on sea cucumbers. Therefore, we recommend aqua-farmers reduce the feeding amount for sea cucumbers during continuous and rapid temperature increases. In the present study, feeding behavior was significantly higher in sea cucumbers fed with 3% dietary tryptophan than that of those fed with 0% and 5% dietary tryptophan. This indicates that 3% dietary tryptophan increases the food intake of sea cucumbers, and mitigates the feeding decline caused by continuous and rapid temperature increase. This indicates that tryptophan has the potential to promote the feeding of sea cucumbers in seed production and pond culture. Adhesion capacity of sea cucumbers fed with 5% dietary tryptophan was significantly higher than that of individuals fed with 0% and 3% dietary tryptophan. This suggests that dietary tryptophan increases the feeding of sea cucumbers exposed to continuous and rapid temperature increases in pond culture and seed production. In addition, this study found that sea cucumbers fed with 3% dietary tryptophan had higher intestinal colony richness under the continuously rapid temperature change. The present study provides an effective method to improve adhesion behavior and to alleviate the impacts on feeding behavior for seed production and pond culture of sea cucumbers exposed to continuous and rapid temperature increases.

Clinical application of physical therapy in facial paralysis treatment: A review.

This review aims to summarize recent studies regarding the specific modalities of physical therapy as a form of treatment for patients with facial paralysis, analyze the different components of physical therapy, and provide healthcare providers with guidance for their best practice in treating patients with facial paralysis. This paper will discuss the mechanism, indications, and impact factors for facial retraining, evaluate the standards for facial retraining, the creation of a treatment plan, and analyze the combined use of facial retraining with botulinum toxin injections and the application of facial retraining in post facial reanimation patients. Other modes of physical therapy, including electrical stimulation, dry needling, and acupuncture, will be addressed. Lastly, the application of new digital technology will be discussed.

Acupuncture as a Therapeutic Intervention for Acute Gastrointestinal Injury (AGI): A Preliminary Study.

Acute gastrointestinal injury (AGI) is a significant factor contributing to increased mortality in patients receiving intensive care unit (ICU) care. Traditional Chinese medicine's acupuncture techniques offer an alternative approach to treating digestive disorders by controlling gastrointestinal secretion, improving gastrointestinal motility, and minimizing side effects. Transabdominal intestinal ultrasonography has proven effective in assessing gastrointestinal injury in critically ill patients. This study aims to evaluate the therapeutic effect of acupuncture in AGI patients using ultrasound. The main steps of the study include the syndrome-based selection of appropriate acupuncture points, including Hegu (LI4), Zhongwan (CV 12), Tianshu (ST 25), Zusanli (ST 36), Shangjuxu (ST 37), and Xiajuxu (ST 39), followed by a 30 min Deqi acupuncture session once a day for 1 week. The treatment's effectiveness is assessed by an experienced physician using abdominal gastrointestinal ultrasonography. This article provides a detailed account of how to standardize the use of acupuncture in treating gastrointestinal dysfunction in critically ill patients.

TCM monotherapy achieves significant efficacy in crizotinib-refractory advanced NSCLC with brain metastasis.

RATIONALE: The morbidity and mortality of lung cancer rank the first among all kinds of cancer. In China, anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive pulmonary tumors account for nearly 5% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and these patients are quite likely to develop brain metastases, as high as around 45%. Although anaplastic lymphoma kinase-tyrosine kinase inhibitors crizotinib and alectinib have proved effective for controlling tumor metastases to the brain, drug resistance and disease progression cannot be ignored in the course of treatment. PATIENT CONCERNS: Most of the literature reports that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has produced satisfactory results in the treatment of cancer patients as an adjuvant treatment for various malignancies in a 53-year-old male patient who developed advanced NSCLC with brain metastases. As first-line crizotinib and erlotinib treatments were ineffective and the intracranial lesions progressed extensively, the patient chose to receive TCM treatment alone in the hope of prolonging his life and improving his quality of life. DIAGNOSES: A 53-year-old male patient who developed advanced NSCLC with brain metastasis. Because first-line crizotinib and alectinib have failed, and the intracranial lesions progressed in a large area. INTERVENTIONS: The patient requested that the final therapeutic strategy be Chinese medicine as monotherapy for long-term treatment. The patient took 30 mL of the decoction 1 hour after a meal, 3 times a day. The patient was not treated with dehydrating agents or diuretics during the TCM treatment. OUTCOMES: The improvement was obvious after 3 months of treatment, and significant reduction of cranial lesions. During the follow-up period, the patient developed neither severe liver damage nor kidney damage. LESSONS: This case is the first 1 in the world where TCM was introduced as monotherapy for severe conditions with extensive brain metastases and achieved remarkable efficacy.

The feces of sea urchins as food improves survival, growth, and resistance of small sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus in summer.

Mass mortality and low growth highly decrease the production efficiency and sustainable aquaculture development of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus in summer. Sea urchin feces was proposed to address the summer problems. A laboratory study was conducted for ~ 5 weeks to investigate survival, food consumption, growth and resistance ability of A. japonicus cultured with the feces of sea urchins fed kelp (KF feces, group KF), the feces of sea urchins fed prepared feed (FF feces, group FF), and the prepared sea cucumber feed (group S) at high temperature (25 °C). The sea cucumbers of group KF had better survival (100%) than those of the group FF (~ 84%), higher CTmax (35.9 °C) than those of the group S (34.5 °C), and the lowest skin ulceration proportion (0%) when  they were exposed to an infectious solution among the three groups. These results suggest that the feces of sea urchins fed kelp is a promising diet for improving the survival and enhancing the resistance in A. japonicus aquaculture in summer. Sea cucumbers fed significantly less FF feces after 24 h of ageing than the fresh FF feces, suggesting this kind of feces became unsuitable for A. japonicus in a short time (within 48 h). However, the 24 h of ageing at 25 °C for the high fiber feces of sea urchins fed kelp had no significant effects on the fecal consumption of sea cucumbers. In the present study, both fecal diets provide better individual growth to sea cucumbers than the prepared feed. Yet, the feces of sea urchins fed kelp provided the highest weight gain rate (WGR) to sea cucumbers. Therefore, the feces of sea urchins fed kelp is a promising food to reduce the mortality, to address the problems of summer, and to achieve higher efficiency in A. japonicus aquaculture in summer.

Human factors engineering of BCI: an evaluation for satisfaction of BCI based on motor imagery.

Existing brain-computer interface (BCI) research has made great progress in improving the accuracy and information transfer rate (ITR) of BCI systems. However, the practicability of BCI is still difficult to achieve. One of the important reasons for this difficulty is that human factors are not fully considered in the research and development of BCI. As a result, BCI systems have not yet reached users' expectations. In this study, we investigate a BCI system of motor imagery for lower limb synchronous rehabilitation as an example. From the perspective of human factors engineering of BCI, a comprehensive evaluation method of BCI system development is proposed based on the concept of human-centered design and evaluation. Subjects' satisfaction ratings for BCI sensors, visual analog scale (VAS), subjects' satisfaction rating of the BCI system, and the mental workload rating for subjects manipulating the BCI system, as well as interview/follow-up comprehensive evaluation of motor imagery of BCI (MI-BCI) system satisfaction were used. The methods and concepts proposed in this study provide useful insights for the design of personalized MI-BCI. We expect that the human factors engineering of BCI could be applied to the design and satisfaction evaluation of MI-BCI, so as to promote the practical application of this kind of BCI.

[Analysis of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 in plateau areas].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the distribution characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in plateau areas, and to provide theoretical basis for further clinical treatment of patients with COVID-19. METHODS: From August 9 to August 24, 2022, patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Third People's Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region (designated hospital for COVID-19) were included, and their baseline characteristics (age, gender, source), clinical classification and distribution of TCM syndrome types were collected and analyzed. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 statistical software. RESULTS: A total of 161 COVID-19 patients were enrolled with ethnic distribution: 124 (77.02%) Tibetans, 35 (21.74%) Han, and 2 (1.24%) Hui, 68 males and 93 females. The male-to-female ratio was 0.73:1. Aged 1 to 94 years, the average age was (39.06±23.64) years old, of which 4 patients were under 1 year old (excluded because the information was missing). A total of 157 patients were enrolled, and 124 patients (78.9%) were under 60 years old, including 120 cases of common type, 4 cases of severe type, 0 cases of critical type, 7 cases over 80 years old, 1 case over 90 years old, and 32 cases under 18 years old. The clinical manifestations of the patient are mainly cough, expectoration, fever, aversion to cold, dry throat, headache, fatigue, running nose, dry mouth, bitter mouth, etc. Most of the tongue is pale, red, and white greasy moss or thin white coating. In TCM, the most common syndrome was cold-dampness blocking lung syndrome (99 cases, 63.06%), followed by cold-dampness stagnant lung syndrome (22 cases, 14.01%), damp-heat accumulating lung syndrome (22 cases, 14.01%), and humidity stagnant lung syndrome (11 cases, 7.01%). Syndromes of epidemic (2 cases, 1.27%), epidemic toxins blocking the lung pattern (1 cases, 0.64%), toxins with dryness intense heat in both qi and ying phases pattern (0 cases) accounted for less than 2%, and the distribution of various syndrome types in COVID-19 patients was uneven (χ 2 = 0.48, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The most common TCM syndromes of COVID-19 patients in Lhasa are cold-dampness blocking lung syndrome, followed by cold-dampness stagnant lung syndrome, damp-heat accumulating lung syndrome, and humidity stagnant lung syndrome.

Acute mesenteric ischemia due to percutaneous coronary intervention: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is extensively used to treat acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Acute mesenteric ischemia is a life-threatening disease if untreated. CASE SUMMARY: An 81-year-old female presented with 3 d of lethargy and 1 d of dyspnea. On November 16, 2021, the patient developed a coma. Her oxygen saturation dropped to 70%-80%, the patient was admitted to the intensive care unit for further treatment. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and multiple lung infections. Abdominal CT scan showed no obvious abnormalities, but have severely calcified abdominal vessels. The patient received assisted ventilation, and vasoactive, and anti-infection drugs. Troponin level was elevated. Since the patient was in a coma, it could not be determined whether she had chest pain. The cardiologist assumed that the patient had developed ACS; therefore, the patient underwent PCI via the left femoral artery approach, and no obvious abnormalities were found in the left and right coronary arteries. On the second postoperative day, the patient presented with abdominal distension and decreased bowel sounds; constipation was considered and a glycerin enema was administered. On day 4, the patient suddenly lost consciousness, and had decreased blood pressure, abdominal wall swelling with increased tension, and absence of bowel sounds. An urgent abdominal CT scan revealed gas in her hepatic portal system with extensive bowel wall necrosis. The patient died on day 5 due to intractable shock. CONCLUSION: The potential serious complications in patients undergoing PCI, especially the patients who are hemodynamically unstable and have severely calcified abdominal vessels, should all be considered.

[Neurofeedback technology based on functional near infrared spectroscopy imaging and its applications].

Neurofeedback (NF) technology based on electroencephalogram (EEG) data or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been widely studied and applied. In contrast, functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has become a new technique in NF research in recent years. fNIRS is a neuroimaging technology based on hemodynamics, which has the advantages of low cost, good portability and high spatial resolution, and is more suitable for use in natural environments. At present, there is a lack of comprehensive review on fNIRS-NF technology (fNIRS-NF) in China. In order to provide a reference for the research of fNIRS-NF technology, this paper first describes the principle, key technologies and applications of fNIRS-NF, and focuses on the application of fNIRS-NF. Finally, the future development trend of fNIRS-NF is prospected and summarized. In conclusion, this paper summarizes fNIRS-NF technology and its application, and concludes that fNIRS-NF technology has potential practicability in neurological diseases and related fields. fNIRS can be used as a good method for NF training. This paper is expected to provide reference information for the development of fNIRS-NF technology.

[Key technology of brain-computer interaction based on speech imagery].

Speech expression is an important high-level cognitive behavior of human beings. The realization of this behavior is closely related to human brain activity. Both true speech expression and speech imagination can activate part of the same brain area. Therefore, speech imagery becomes a new paradigm of brain-computer interaction. Brain-computer interface (BCI) based on speech imagery has the advantages of spontaneous generation, no training, and friendliness to subjects, so it has attracted the attention of many scholars. However, this interactive technology is not mature in the design of experimental paradigms and the choice of imagination materials, and there are many issues that need to be discussed urgently. Therefore, in response to these problems, this article first expounds the neural mechanism of speech imagery. Then, by reviewing the previous BCI research of speech imagery, the mainstream methods and core technologies of experimental paradigm, imagination materials, data processing and so on are systematically analyzed. Finally, the key problems and main challenges that restrict the development of this type of BCI are discussed. And the future development and application perspective of the speech imaginary BCI system are prospected.

[Key technologies for intelligent brain-computer interaction based on magnetoencephalography].

Brain-computer interaction (BCI) is a transformative human-computer interaction, which aims to bypass the peripheral nerve and muscle system and directly convert the perception, imagery or thinking activities of cranial nerves into actions for further improving the quality of human life. Magnetoencephalogram (MEG) measures the magnetic field generated by the electrical activity of neurons. It has the unique advantages of non-contact measurement, high temporal and spatial resolution, and convenient preparation. It is a new BCI driving signal. MEG-BCI research has important brain science significance and potential application value. So far, few documents have elaborated the key technical issues involved in MEG-BCI. Therefore, this paper focuses on the key technologies of MEG-BCI, and details the signal acquisition technology involved in the practical MEG-BCI system, the design of the MEG-BCI experimental paradigm, the MEG signal analysis and decoding key technology, MEG-BCI neurofeedback technology and its intelligent method. Finally, this paper also discusses the existing problems and future development trends of MEG-BCI. It is hoped that this paper will provide more useful ideas for MEG-BCI innovation research.

Relationship Between Intestinal Flora and Bone and Joint Diseases and Regulation of Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Intestinal flora is the largest microbial community in human body， which consists of more than 1 000 species. Its structure and metabolites change dynamically with the age， diet and intestinal environment of the host. Study shows that the intestinal microbes play a pivotal role in regulating human physiological and pathological processes， and intestinal flora imbalance may be the key factors affecting the occurrence and development of bone and joint diseases， including osteoporosis， osteoarthritis， rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis. At present， calcitonin， estrogen， nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs， immunosuppressants， xanthine oxidase inhibitors and other western drugs are mostly used to treat the above diseases. However， long-term use of western drugs leads to poor compliance and obvious gastrointestinal adverse reactions among patients. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） predominates in the treatment of bone and joint diseases due to its low price， high efficacy and slight side effects， with the advantages of multi-targets， multi-mechanism and multi-levels. In recent years， many scholars have carried out experiments and clinical studies on the treatment of bone and joint diseases by TCMs on the basis of the liver and kidney theory such as "tonifying liver and kidney and strengthening muscles and bones". Gratifying results have been achieved. However， the mechanism of action has not been fully clarified. Intestinal flora becomes a hot spot in medical research， and a close relationship between intestinal flora and bone and joint diseases has been unveiled. Relevant literature in China and abroad showed that TCM has a significant effect on the treatment of bone and joint diseases by regulating intestinal flora. In this paper， the relationship between intestinal flora and bone and joint diseases was summarized and the intervention of TCM active ingredients and compounds on intestinal flora was reviewed to facilitate the prevention and treatment of bone and joint diseases by TCM.

[Execution, assessment and improvement methods of motor imagery for brain-computer interface].

Motor imagery (MI) is an important paradigm of driving brain computer interface (BCI). However, MI is not easy to control or acquire, and the performance of MI-BCI depends heavily on the performance of the subjects' MI. Therefore, the correct execution of MI mental activities, ability evaluation and improvement methods play important and even critical roles in the improvement and application of MI-BCI system's performance. However, in the research and development of MI-BCI, the existing researches mainly focus on the decoding algorithm of MI, but do not pay enough attention to the above three aspects of MI mental activities. In this paper, these problems of MI-BCI are discussed in detail, and it is pointed out that the subjects tend to use visual motor imagery as kinesthetic motor imagery. In the future, we need to develop some objective, quantitatively visualized MI ability evaluation methods, and develop some effective and less time-consumption training methods to improve MI ability. It is also necessary to solve the differences and commonness of MI problems between and within individuals and MI-BCI illiteracy to a certain extent.

Damage of anodic biofilms by high salinity deteriorates PAHs degradation in single-chamber microbial electrolysis cell reactor.

The anaerobic biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in high salinity wastewater is rather hard due to the inhibition of microorganisms by complex and high dosage of salts. Microbial electrolysis cell (MEC), with its excellent characteristic of anodic biofilms, can be an effective way to enhance the PAHs biodegradation. This work evaluated the impact of NaCl concentrations (0 g/L, 10 g/L, 30 g/L, and 60 g/L) on naphthalene biodegradation and analyzed the damage protection mechanism of anodic biofilms in batching MECs. Compared with the open circuit, the degradation efficiency of naphthalene under the closed circuit with 10 g/L NaCl concentration reached the maximum of 95.17% within 5 days. Even when NaCl concentration reached 60 g/L, the degradation efficiency only decreased by 10.02%, compared with the MEC without additional NaCl. Confocal scanning laser microscope (CSLM) proved the superiority of the biofilm states of MEC anode under high salinity in terms of thicker biofilms and higher proportion of live/dead bacteria cells. The highest dehydrogenase activity (DHA) was found in the MEC with 10 g/L NaCl concentration. Moreover, microbial diversity analysis demonstrated the classical electroactive microorganisms Geobacter and Pseudomonas were found on the anodic biofilms of MECs, which have both PAHs degradability and the electrochemical activity. Therefore, this study proved that high salinity had adverse effects on the anodic biofilms, but MEC alleviated the damage caused by high salinity.

Role of Cytokines in Osteoporosis and Intervention with Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Osteoporosis （OP） is one of the most common diseases in the aged population worldwide. Due to the rapid change in world population structure， the effective prevention and treatment of OP is increasingly becoming the health problem of global concern and also the hot spot of clinical research. OP can be affected by many factors such as heredity， endocrine dyscrasia， nutritional deficiency， and bad living habits. The breakdown of coupling of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption to osteoblast-mediated bone formation leads to stronger bone resorption than bone formation， which is currently recognized as the main pathogenesis of OP. The exploration of OP in modern medicine based on molecular immunology has revealed that related cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of OP，and regulating the osteoclast-mediated bone resorption and osteoblast-mediated bone formation is essential for controlling the occurrence and development of OP. Tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6） are able to stimulate bone formation and inhibit osteoblast function， thus playing a key role in bone destruction. By contrast， such cytokines as vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF）， transforming growth factor-β （TGF-β）， bone morphogenetic protein （BMP）， and osteoprotegerin （OPG） strengthen osteoblast differentiation and promote bone formation. At present， western medicine like calcitonin， estrogen， and bisphosphonate are mostly used for clinical treatment of OP， but a long-term use of these drugs will result in poor compliance and obvious gastrointestinal adverse reactions. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） occupies an important position in the treatment of OP due to its advantages of overall regulation， low price， and few side effects. In addition， with the deepening of research on network pharmacology and molecular biology， it has been found that TCM exerts the therapeutic effect against OP by interfering with the expression of various cytokines and adjusting bone homeostasis. This paper has elaborated the role of related cytokines in the pathogenesis of OP and reviewed the research results concerning the regulation of related cytokines by TCM， in order to provide reference for the prevention and treatment of OP with TCM.

Evaluation of clinical efficacy of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common disease in critically ill patients that has a high incidence and mortality rate worldwide. At present, there is no specific treatment for ARDS. Traditional Chinese medicine has been shown to have good potential in preventing and treating ARDS, especially in reducing the dosages of Western medicines and therefore, adverse drug reactions. The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical efficacy of integrated Chinese and Western medicine to that of Western medicine alone in the treatment of ARDS. METHODS: We are proposing a prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in which 110 eligible patients would be enrolled and randomly divided into a Western medicine treatment group and an integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment group. After 2 weeks of interventions and 1 year of follow-up, the clinical efficacy and safety of Jiawei qianyang dan in ARDS patients would be observed. The outcomes measured would include the Traditional Chinese medicine symptom score, the oxygenation index (PɑO2/FiO2), extravascular pulmonary water index, duration of mechanical ventilation, number of ICU hospitalization days, and the 28-day mortality rate for the 2 groups before and after treatment. The all-cause mortality rate, respiratory failure mortality rate, and readmission rate after 1 year of follow-up will be statistically analyzed and safety will be evaluated. DISCUSSION: In this study, we aim to demonstrate the greater clinical efficacy of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine in the treatment of ARDS compared to that of Western medicine alone. In order to do this, we hope to provide evidence for the clinically supportive effect of the Jiawei qianyang dan in the treatment of ARDS and therefore demonstrate a more effective treatment.

Discovery of a New Pterocarpan-Type Antineuroinflammatory Compound from Sophora tonkinensis through Suppression of the TLR4/NFκB/MAPK Signaling Pathway with PU.1 as a Potential Target.

Neuroinflammation underlies many neuro-degenerative diseases. In this paper, we report the identification of a new pterocarpan-type anti-inflammatory compound named sophotokin isolated from Sophora tonkinensis. S. tonkinensis has been used traditionally for treatment of conditions related to inflammation. Our initial screening showed that sophotokin dose-dependently inhibits lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated production of NO, TNF-α, PGE2, and IL-1ß in microglial cells. This antineuroinflammatory effect was associated with sophotokin's blockade of LPS-induced production of the inflammatory mediators iNOS and COX-2. Western blot and qPCR analysis demonstrated that sophotokin inhibits both the p38-MAPK and NF-κB signal pathways. Further studies revealed that sophotokin also suppresses the expression of cluster differentiation 14 (CD14) in the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway. Following down-regulation of MyD88 and TRAF6, sophotokin inhibits the activation of the NF-κB and MAPK signal pathways in LPS-induced BV-2 cells. In silico studies suggested that sophotokin could interact with PU.1-DNA complex through hydrogen binding at sites 1 and 2 of the complex, blocking the DNA binding. This suggests that PU.1 may be a potential target of sophotokin. Taken together, these results suggest that sophotokin may have therapeutic potential for diseases related to neuroinflammation. The mechanism of antineuroinflammatory effects involves inhibition of the TLR4 signal pathway at the sites of NF-κB and MAPK with PU.1 as a likely upstream target.

TNM-PNI: a novel prognostic scoring system for patients with gastric cancer and curative D2 resection.

PURPOSE: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies and has a high mortality rate. In recent years, several nutritional or inflammatory biomarkers have been shown to effectively predict the prognosis of tumors. In this study, we intended to establish a prognostic scoring system for GC patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our study included a total of 501 GC patients who were diagnosed with GC stage I-III and received curative gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy between January 2011 and December 2012. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests. Two Cox multivariate models, one for continuous and one for categorical variables, were established to identify independent prognostic factors. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20.0. RESULTS: Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI), and adjuvant therapy were independent prognostic factors for GC patients. We established a new composite variable, TNM-PNI, which was confirmed to be a major prognostic factor for curative D2 resection, independent of whether adjuvant therapy was administered. GC patients with higher TNM-PNI scores always had worse cancer outcomes. In addition, we found that adjuvant therapy might be beneficial for the survival of GC patients with TNM-PNI =4 or 5. CONCLUSION: Preoperative PNI plays a distinctly subsidiary role to the TNM stage when predicting patient prognosis. TNM-PNI is a novel and an effective prognostic index for GC patients with curative D2 resection and a good supplement for the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Guidelines.