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ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The Shenlian formula (SL) is a Chinese medicine formula used to curb the development of atherosclerosis (AS) and cardiovascular disease in clinical practice. However, owing to the complexity of compounds and their related multiple targets in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it remains difficult and urgent to elucidate the underlying mechanisms at a holistic level. AIM: To investigate the intrinsic mechanisms by which SL suppresses AS progression and to gain new insight into its clinical use. METHODS: We proposed a network pharmacology-based workflow to evaluate the mechanism by which SL affects AS via data analysis, target prediction, PPI network construction, GO and KEGG analyses, and a "drug-core ingredient-potential target-key pathway" network. Then, non-targeted lipidomic analysis was performed to explore the differential lipid metabolites in AS rats, revealing the possible mechanism by which SL affects atherosclerotic progression. Moreover, an AS rabbit model was constructed and gavaged for SL intervention. Serum lipid profiles and inflammatory cytokine indices were tested as an indication of the mitigating effect of SL on AS. RESULTS: A total of 89 bioactive compounds and 298 targets related to SL and AS, which play essential roles in this process, were identified, and a component-target-disease network was constructed. GO and KEGG analyses revealed that SL regulated metabolic pathway, lipids and atherosclerosis, the PI3K-Akt pathway, the MAPK pathway and so on. In vivo experimental validation revealed that a total of 43 different lipid metabolites regulated by SL were identified by non-targeted lipidomics, and glycerophospholipid metabolism was found to be an important mechanism for SL to interfere with AS. SL reduced the plaque area and decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-4) and blood lipids (TC, TG, LDL-C, and ApoB) in HFD-induced AS models. In addition, HDL and ApoA1 levels are increased. PLA2 and Lipin1 are highly expressed in AS model, indicating their role in destabilizing glycerophosphatidylcholine metabolism and contributing to the onset and progression of ankylosing spondylitis. Moreover, SL intervention significantly reduced the level of pro-inflammatory cytokines; significantly down-regulated NF-kB/p65 expression, exhibiting anti-inflammatory activity. CONCLUSION: The Shenlian formula (SL) plays a pivotal role in the suppression of AS progression by targeting multiple pathways and mechanisms. This study provides novel insights into the essential genes and pathways associated with the prognosis and pathogenesis of AS.
Subject(s)
Atherosclerosis , Drugs, Chinese Herbal , Network Pharmacology , Animals , Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology , Atherosclerosis/drug therapy , Atherosclerosis/metabolism , Atherosclerosis/pathology , Rats , Male , Rabbits , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Disease Progression , Disease Models, Animal , Lipids/blood , Lipid Metabolism/drug effects , Cytokines/metabolismABSTRACT
【Objective】 To investigate the correlation of the levels of interleukin-25 (IL-25) and interleukin-33 (IL-33) in cord blood with the development of infantile eczema within 42 days after birth, so as to provide theoretical support for the prevention of early infant eczema. 【Methods】 A total of 145 newborns who met the inclusion criteria and were born in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department of the Air Force Special Medical Center from September 2020 to September 2021 were selected. Cord venous blood was collected at birth and the levels of IL-25 and IL-33 in cord blood were measured. The occurrence and severity of infantile eczema were recorded in 42 days. 【Results】 Among 145 infants, 79(54.5%) suffered from eczema. The level of IL-25 in cord blood in eczema group was significantly lower than that in non-eczema group (Z=4.957, P<0.001), and the level of IL-33 in cord blood in eczema group was significantly higher than that in non-eczema group (Z=4.594, P<0.001). The proportion of family history of allergy in the eczema group was significantly higher than that in non-eczema group (χ2=4.693, P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that family history of allergy (OR=4.296), lower level of IL-25(<14.5pg/mL) (OR=4.034) and higher level of IL-33(>21.1pg/mL) (OR=2.759) in cord blood were risk factors for eczema (P<0.05), while birth weight was not associated with the onset of eczema in infants at 42 days (P>0.05). Meanwhile, the level of IL-33 in cord blood was related to the mode of delivery (P<0.05). ROC analysis showed that the optimized positive cutoff value was <14.0pg/mL for cord blood IL-25(sensitivity 62.0%, specificity 75.8%) and >22.1pg/mL for IL-33 (sensitivity 64.6%, specificity 69.7%). Spearman correlation test found that there was a linear correlation of the level of cord blood IL-33 with eczema area and severity index (EASI) score (r=0.398, P<0.01). 【Conclusion】 Family allergy history, lower level of cord blood IL-25 and higher level of cord blood IL-33 are important influencing factors of infant eczema in 42 days after birth, and higher level of cord blood IL-33 will aggravate the severity of early infantile eczema.
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Background Cooking oil fumes are closely related to immune response, and adipose tissue also plays an important role in immune regulation. At present, the biological effect and mechanism of inflammation of adipose tissue induced by oil fume exposure are not clear yet. Objective To investigate the inflammatory effect of different exposure duration of cooking fumes on adipose tissue in mice and explore the role of Nod-like receptor pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3)/cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 1 (Caspase 1)/interleukin (IL)-1β signaling pathway. Methods Forty 8-week-old female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 3-day control group (CON3 group), 7-day control group (CON7 group), 3-day oil fume exposure group (COF3 group), and 7-day oil fume exposure group (COF7 group), with 10 mice in each group. The mice were exposed to oil fumes in a cooking oil fume formation and exposure equipment (COFFEE) for 20 min, followed by a 10-min pause, 1 h a day for consecutive 3 d or 7 d. General condition of mice was observed and body weight was measured every day. After exposure, blood was sampled from the eyeball. Serum levels of IL-6, IL-27, and IL-1β were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The adipose tissue of mice was collected and observed after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The percentages of CD4+ and CD8+T cells in adipose tissue were detected by flow cytometry. Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression levels of NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose. Results Compared with the corresponding control group, serum IL-6, IL-27, and IL-1β contents in the COF3 group and the COF7 group were significantly increased (P<0.05) except IL-6 in the COF3 group, and the levels in the COF7 group were significantly higher than those in the COF3 group (P<0.05). Vacuolar lipid droplets in adipocytes decreased, cytoplasm shrank, and inflammatory cells infiltrated in the COF7 group after HE staining. The flow cytometry results showed that the proportions of CD4+ and CD8+T cells in adipocytes of the COF3 group and the COF7 group were increased compared to the corresponding control group, with a significant increase in the COF7 group (P<0.05), and the CD4+/CD8+T ratio also significantly increased progressively in the two groups (P<0.05). The results of RT-qPCR showed that compared with the corresponding control group, the mRNA expression levels of NF-κB, NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in adipose tissue of mice in the COF3 group and the COF7 group were significantly increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). The mRNA expression levels of mice in each exposure group gradually increased over time. The Western blot results showed that compared with the corresponding control group, the protein expressions of NLRP3 and Caspase 1 in the COF3 group were significantly increased (P<0.01), and the expression of IL-1β protein also increased but without statistical significance. The protein expressions of NLRP3, Caspase 1, and IL-1β in the COF7 group were significantly higher than those in the CON7 group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion Acute exposure to cooking oil fumes can induce significant inflammatory response in adipose tissue, and the effect gradually increases with the extension of exposure time. The mechanism of action may be related to the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway.
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Background It is unclear if there is any combined effect of air pollutants and non-optimal temperature on metabolic syndrome, or any molecular mechanisms of related signaling pathways in the process, which requires urgent systematic research. Objective To observe the effects of combined exposure to PM2.5 and non-optimal temperature on metabolic damage at gene and protein levels in mice, and elucidate the role of related signaling pathway in crucial organs. Methods A total of 60 six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into six groups: a normal temperature-filter air group (TN-FA), a normal temperature-concentrated PM2.5 group (TN-PM), a heat-filter air group (TH-FA), a heat-concentrated PM2.5 group (TH-PM), a cold-filter air group (TC-FA), and a cold-concentrated PM2.5 group (TC-PM). The Shanghai Meteorological and Environmental Animal Exposure System (Shanghai-METAS) was used to provide combined exposure settings of air types [concentrated PM2.5 and filter air (FA)] and temperatures [normal (22°C), cold (4°C), and heat (30°C)] for 4 weeks. Skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue (WAT) of the mice were sampled at the end of exposure, and transcriptomics and Western blot (WB) assay were adopted to observe selected gene and protein expression levels in the samples respectively. Results The transcriptomics results indicated that the PM2.5 exposure enhanced the number of differentially expressed genes. Specifically, 4820 genes were differentially expressed in the TN-PM mice compared to the TN-FA mice at normal temperature, and 1143 genes were differentially expressed in the Tc-PM mice compared to the Tc-FA mice in the cold environment. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway and the endoplasmic reticulum protein processing pathway were identified as the most significant pathways in metabolic injury resulting from combined exposure to PM2.5 and non-optimal temperature exposure. The WB results showed that exposure to PM2.5 in the normal temperature and the cold environments led to a significant increase in the expression of p-AKT in WAT (P<0.01, P<0.05) and a significant decrease in the expression of GLUT4 (P<0.05, P<0.01). In skeletal muscle, exposure to PM2.5 led to a significant decrease in GLUT4 (P<0.05) in all environments, with a consistent trend of change as observed in WAT. Conclusion Cold/heat exposure might promote PM2.5-induced metabolic disorder through suppression of the AKT/GLUT4 pathway, aggravating metabolic damage.
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ObjectiveTo observe the apoptosis induced by paeoniflorin (PF) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and explore its mechanism. MethodCell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the inhibition rates of H1299, H292 and A549 cells with different concentrations of PF (2.5, 5, 10, 20, 25 µmol·L-1), and to screen suitable concentrations of PF and experimental cells. The inhibitory effect of PF on lung cancer cells was detected by clone formation assay. The effect of PF on cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry with annexin V-FITC/propidium iodide (PI) double staining. With the right concentration of drugs, levels of apoptosis-associated protein B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), cleaved Caspase-3 and Caspase-3 were detected by Western blot. At the same time, the molecular expressions of hypoxia inducible factor -1α (HIF-1α) and Hippo signaling pathway were determined. ResultCompared with the blank group, PF significantly inhibited the growth of H1299, H292 and A549 cells of human lung cancer (P<0.01). PF significantly induced apoptosis in A549 cells (P<0.01), decreased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio (P<0.01), and significantly increased the cleaved Caspase-3 expression (P<0.01). Compared with those in the blank group, the expression levels of HIF-1α, transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), large tumor suppressor 1 (LATS1), Mps one binding 1 (MOB1) and Yes-associated protein (YAP) in A549 cells of the PF treatment group were significantly decreased (P<0.01), while the expressions of p-LATS1, p-MOB1 and p-YAP were significantly increased (P<0.01). At the same time, there was no significant effect on the expression levels of phosphorylated mammalian Ste20-like kinase 1 (p-MST1) and MST1, which did not reach a statistical difference. ConclusionAll data demonstrated that PF showed an anti-tumor effect by improving hypoxic conditions and inhibiting the abnormally activated Hippo signaling pathway, thereby inducing and promoting apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer.
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Objective: To investigate the drug-resistant gene characteristics and core genome characteristics of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae (CR-ECL) in rural residents of Weifang City, Shandong Province. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from rural community residents in Weifang City, Shandong Province in 2017. Drug-resistant strains were screened using a carbapenem-resistant enterobacter chromogenic medium. CR-ECL positive strains were acquired via Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry(MALDI-TOFMS) analysis. The antibiotic resistance phenotype of CR-ECL was determined using a microbroth dilution assay. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and analysis were conducted, along with an examination of the immediate vicinity of the blaNDM gene and phylogenetic analysis of the strains. Results: A total of 628 fecal samples were collected and tested, of which 6 were CR-ECL positive (detection rate 0.96%), all exhibiting multiple drug resistance (MDR) phenotypes. Six CR-ECL strains had four MLST genotypes (ST), all of which carried multiple drug resistance genes (blaNDM-1, blaNDM-5, etc.) and virulence genes (acrA, acrB, entB, fepC, etc.). There were mobile genetic elements ISAba125, TN3-IS3000, TN3 and IS5 in the genetic environment surrounding the blaNDM gene. The phylogenetic tree showed that the multi-locus sequence typing of the core genome (cgMLST) was consistent with the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) results. The cgMLST results showed that the allele differences between strains 2BC0101B and 2BC0251B, 2BG0561B and 2BI0221B were 2 and 1, respectively. The SNPs results showed that the above two pairs of bacteria also clustered together. It was found that the strains of chicken fecal samples in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database were located in the center of the evolutionary tree, and the local sequences could be traced back to American human sequences. Conclusion: Multidrug-resistant CR-ECL is detected in rural community residents in Weifang City, Shandong Province.
Subject(s)
Humans , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Enterobacter cloacae/genetics , Multilocus Sequence Typing , beta-Lactamases/genetics , Phylogeny , Rural Population , Carbapenems/pharmacology , Microbial Sensitivity TestsABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the drug-resistant gene characteristics and core genome characteristics of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacter cloacae (CR-ECL) in rural residents of Weifang City, Shandong Province. Methods: Fecal samples were collected from rural community residents in Weifang City, Shandong Province in 2017. Drug-resistant strains were screened using a carbapenem-resistant enterobacter chromogenic medium. CR-ECL positive strains were acquired via Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry(MALDI-TOFMS) analysis. The antibiotic resistance phenotype of CR-ECL was determined using a microbroth dilution assay. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) and analysis were conducted, along with an examination of the immediate vicinity of the blaNDM gene and phylogenetic analysis of the strains. Results: A total of 628 fecal samples were collected and tested, of which 6 were CR-ECL positive (detection rate 0.96%), all exhibiting multiple drug resistance (MDR) phenotypes. Six CR-ECL strains had four MLST genotypes (ST), all of which carried multiple drug resistance genes (blaNDM-1, blaNDM-5, etc.) and virulence genes (acrA, acrB, entB, fepC, etc.). There were mobile genetic elements ISAba125, TN3-IS3000, TN3 and IS5 in the genetic environment surrounding the blaNDM gene. The phylogenetic tree showed that the multi-locus sequence typing of the core genome (cgMLST) was consistent with the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) results. The cgMLST results showed that the allele differences between strains 2BC0101B and 2BC0251B, 2BG0561B and 2BI0221B were 2 and 1, respectively. The SNPs results showed that the above two pairs of bacteria also clustered together. It was found that the strains of chicken fecal samples in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database were located in the center of the evolutionary tree, and the local sequences could be traced back to American human sequences. Conclusion: Multidrug-resistant CR-ECL is detected in rural community residents in Weifang City, Shandong Province.
Subject(s)
Humans , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Enterobacter cloacae/genetics , Multilocus Sequence Typing , beta-Lactamases/genetics , Phylogeny , Rural Population , Carbapenems/pharmacology , Microbial Sensitivity TestsABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the application effect of multi-mode teaching guided by objective management in the standardized training of nursing students.Methods:A total of 39 standardized training nursing students from April 2019 to April 2020 in the department of oncology of a tertiary hospital were selected as the control group by cluster sampling method and they received traditional teaching; 40 standardized nursing students in the department of oncology from June 2020 to June 2021 were selected as the experimental group and the group adopted multi-mode teaching guided by objective management. The differences of theoretical and operational assessment scores, teaching satisfaction, critical thinking ability and nurse-patient communication ability between the two groups were studied. SPSS 20.0 was used for t-test and Chi-square test. Results:The scores of theoretical assessment [(86.17±3.74) vs. (83.92±4.93)] and operational assessment [(92.83±2.19) vs. (90.74±3.52)] in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The teaching satisfaction of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group [(46.10±2.96) vs. (42.67±2.45)], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in critical thinking, intellectual curiosity and analytical skills ( P<0.05). In terms of nurse-patient communication ability, except that there was no difference in collecting information, the rest were statistically significant( P<0.05). Conclusion:Multi-mode teaching guided by objective management can improve the theoretical and operational ability of nurses, nurse-patient communication ability, and teaching satisfaction.
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Objective: To assess the feasibility of nuclear score combined with cyclin D1 immunocytochemistry in classifying indeterminate thyroid nodules with fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytological diagnosis of Bethesda category Ⅲ-Ⅴ. Methods: A consecutive cohort of 118 thyroid FNA specimens with indeterminate diagnosis (TBSRTC category Ⅲ-Ⅴ) and available histopathologic follow-up data were collected between December 2018 and April 2022 at the Department of Pathology, Beijing Hospital, China. These cases were subjected to cytological evaluation and cyclin D1 immunocytochemistry. The optimal cut-off points of a simplified nuclear score and the percentage of cyclin D1-positive cells for the diagnosis of malignancy or low-risk neoplasm were determined using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under the ROC curve (AUC). The specificity, sensitivity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of nuclear score and cyclin D1 immunostaining were evaluated from the crosstabs based on cut-off points. The diagnostic accuracy of simplified nuclear score combined with cyclin D1 immunostaining was estimated using ROC curve analysis. Results: Nuclear grooves, intra-nuclear inclusions and chromatin clearing were more commonly found in malignancy/low-risk neoplasms than benign lesions (P=0.001, P=0.012 and P=0.001 respectively). A cut-off point of≥2 for the simplified nuclear score was sensitive for defining malignancy/low-risk neoplasm, and its PPV, NPV, sensitivity and specificity were 93.6%, 87.5%, 99.0% and 50.0% respectively. A positive cut-off point of 10% positive thyroid cells in cyclin D1 immunostaining demonstrated sensitivity of 88.5%, specificity of 100%, PPV of 100% and NPV of 53.8% for correctly detecting thyroid malignancy or low-risk neoplasm. The sensitivity and PPV of simplified nuclear score combined with cyclin D1 immunostaining were 93.3% and 100%, respectively. Both specificity and NPV were maintained at high levels (100% and 66.7%, respectively). The diagnostic accuracy of simplified nuclear score combined with cyclin D1 immunostaining in detecting thyroid malignancy/low-risk neoplasm was increased to 94.1% compared to using either of them alone. Conclusions: Combing simplified nuclear score and cyclin D1 immunostaining on FNA cytology specimens can increase the diagnostic accuracy in classifying thyroid nodules of indeterminate cytological categories. Thus, this supplementary approach provides a simple, accurate, and convenient diagnostic method for cytopathologists so that may reduce unnecessary thyroidectomies.
Subject(s)
Humans , Thyroid Nodule/pathology , Biopsy, Fine-Needle , Cyclin D1 , Immunohistochemistry , Thyroid Neoplasms/pathology , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Objectives: To investigated the safety and efficacy of treating patients with acute non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and elevated levels of N-terminal pro-hormone B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with levosimendan within 24 hours of first medical contact (FMC). Methods: This multicenter, open-label, block-randomized controlled trial (NCT03189901) investigated the safety and efficacy of levosimendan as an early management strategy of acute heart failure (EMS-AHF) for patients with NSTEMI and high NT-proBNP levels. This study included 255 patients with NSTEMI and elevated NT-proBNP levels, including 142 males and 113 females with a median age of 65 (58-70) years, and were admitted in the emergency or outpatient departments at 14 medical centers in China between October 2017 and October 2021. The patients were randomly divided into a levosimendan group (n=129) and a control group (n=126). The primary outcome measure was NT-proBNP levels on day 3 of treatment and changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline on day 5 after randomization. The secondary outcome measures included the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in NT-proBNP levels from baseline, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) during hospitalization and at 6 months after hospitalization, safety during the treatment, and health economics indices. The measurement data parameters between groups were compared using the t-test or the non-parametric test. The count data parameters were compared between groups using the χ² test. Results: On day 3, the NT-proBNP levels in the levosimendan group were lower than the control group but were statistically insignificant [866 (455, 1 960) vs. 1 118 (459, 2 417) ng/L, Z=-1.25,P=0.21]. However, on day 5, changes in the NT-proBNP levels from baseline in the levosimendan group were significantly higher than the control group [67.6% (33.8%,82.5%)vs.54.8% (7.3%,77.9%), Z=-2.14, P=0.03]. There were no significant differences in the proportion of patients with more than 30% reduction in the NT-proBNP levels on day 5 between the levosimendan and the control groups [77.5% (100/129) vs. 69.0% (87/126), χ²=2.34, P=0.13]. Furthermore, incidences of MACE did not show any significant differences between the two groups during hospitalization [4.7% (6/129) vs. 7.1% (9/126), χ²=0.72, P=0.40] and at 6 months [14.7% (19/129) vs. 12.7% (16/126), χ²=0.22, P=0.64]. Four cardiac deaths were reported in the control group during hospitalization [0 (0/129) vs. 3.2% (4/126), P=0.06]. However, 6-month survival rates were comparable between the two groups (log-rank test, P=0.18). Moreover, adverse events or serious adverse events such as shock, ventricular fibrillation, and ventricular tachycardia were not reported in both the groups during levosimendan treatment (days 0-1). The total cost of hospitalization [34 591.00(15 527.46,59 324.80) vs. 37 144.65(16 066.90,63 919.00)yuan, Z=-0.26, P=0.80] and the total length of hospitalization [9 (8, 12) vs. 10 (7, 13) days, Z=0.72, P=0.72] were lower for patients in the levosimendan group compared to those in the control group, but did not show statistically significant differences. Conclusions: Early administration of levosimendan reduced NT-proBNP levels in NSTEMI patients with elevated NT-proBNP and did not increase the total cost and length of hospitalization, but did not significantly improve MACE during hospitalization or at 6 months.
Subject(s)
Male , Female , Humans , Aged , Natriuretic Peptide, Brain , Simendan/therapeutic use , Non-ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction , Heart Failure/drug therapy , Peptide Fragments , Arrhythmias, Cardiac , Biomarkers , PrognosisABSTRACT
This study aimed to investigate the effect of treadmill exercise on neuropathic pain and to determine whether mitophagy of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) contributes to exercise-mediated amelioration of neuropathic pain. Chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve (CCI) was used to establish a neuropathic pain model in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Von-Frey filaments were used to assess the mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (PWT), and a thermal radiation meter was used to assess the thermal paw withdrawal latency (PWL) in rats. qPCR was used to evaluate the mRNA levels of Pink1, Parkin, Fundc1, and Bnip3. Western blot was used to evaluate the protein levels of PINK1 and PARKIN. To determine the impact of the mitophagy inducer carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) on pain behaviors in CCI rats, 24 SD rats were randomly divided into CCI drug control group (CCI+Veh group), CCI+CCCP low-dose group (CCI+CCCP0.25), CCI+CCCP medium-dose group (CCI+CCCP2.5), and CCI+CCCP high-dose group (CCI+CCCP5). Pain behaviors were assessed on 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after modeling. To explore whether exercise regulates pain through mitophagy, 24 SD rats were divided into sham, CCI, and CCI+Exercise (CCI+Exe) groups. The rats in the CCI+Exe group underwent 4-week low-moderate treadmill training one week after modeling. The mechanical pain and thermal pain behaviors of the rats in each group were assessed on 0, 7, 14, 21, and 35 days after modeling. Western blot was used to detect the levels of the mitophagy-related proteins PINK1, PARKIN, LC3 II/LC3 I, and P62 in ACC tissues. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of mitochondrial morphology in the ACC. The results showed that: (1) Compared with the sham group, the pain thresholds of the ipsilateral side of the CCI group decreased significantly (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, the mRNA and protein levels of Pink1 were significantly higher, and those of Parkin were lower in the CCI group (P < 0.05). (2) Compared with the CCI+Veh group, each CCCP-dose group showed higher mechanical and thermal pain thresholds, and the levels of PINK1 and LC3 II/LC3 I were elevated significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). (3) The pain thresholds of the CCI+Exe group increased significantly compared with those of the CCI group after treadmill intervention (P < 0.001, P < 0.01). Compared with the CCI group, the protein levels of PINK1 and P62 were decreased (P < 0.001, P < 0.01), and the protein levels of PARKIN and LC3 II/LC3 I were increased in the CCI+Exe group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). Rod-shaped mitochondria were observed in the ACC of CCI+Exe group, and there were little mitochondrial fragmentation, swelling, or vacuoles. The results suggest that the mitochondrial PINK1/PARKIN autophagy pathway is blocked in the ACC of neuropathic pain model rats. Treadmill exercise could restore mitochondrial homeostasis and relieve neuropathic pain via the PINK1/PARKIN pathway.
Subject(s)
Rats , Animals , Mitophagy/physiology , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Carbonyl Cyanide m-Chlorophenyl Hydrazone/pharmacology , Gyrus Cinguli , Neuralgia , Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases/metabolism , Protein Kinases , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Mitochondrial Proteins/metabolismABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To develop a few-shot learning (FSL) approach for classifying optical coherence tomography (OCT) images in patients with inherited retinal disorders (IRDs).@*METHODS@#In this study, an FSL model based on a student-teacher learning framework was designed to classify images. 2,317 images from 189 participants were included. Of these, 1,126 images revealed IRDs, 533 were normal samples, and 658 were control samples.@*RESULTS@#The FSL model achieved a total accuracy of 0.974-0.983, total sensitivity of 0.934-0.957, total specificity of 0.984-0.990, and total F1 score of 0.935-0.957, which were superior to the total accuracy of the baseline model of 0.943-0.954, total sensitivity of 0.866-0.886, total specificity of 0.962-0.971, and total F1 score of 0.859-0.885. The performance of most subclassifications also exhibited advantages. Moreover, the FSL model had a higher area under curves (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves in most subclassifications.@*CONCLUSION@#This study demonstrates the effective use of the FSL model for the classification of OCT images from patients with IRDs, normal, and control participants with a smaller volume of data. The general principle and similar network architectures can also be applied to other retinal diseases with a low prevalence.
Subject(s)
Humans , Tomography, Optical Coherence , Deep Learning , Retinal Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Retina/diagnostic imaging , ROC CurveABSTRACT
BACKGROUND@#The prognostic benefit of complete revascularization in elderly patients (aged over 75 years) with multi-vessel disease and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is currently unclear. This study aimed to determine the long-term prognostic impact of complete revascularization in this population.@*METHODS@#We conducted this study using data obtained from the BleeMACS (Bleeding complications in a Multicenter registry of patients discharged after an Acute Coronary Syndrome) registry, which was carried out from 2003 to 2014. The objective was to categorize older patients diagnosed with ACS into two groups: those who underwent complete revascularization and those who did not. Propensity score matching and the Kaplan-Meier analysis were employed to examine differences in one-year clinical outcomes. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE), which encompassed a combination of all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction.@*RESULTS@#Out of 1263 patients evaluated, 445 patients (35.2%) received complete revascularization. Patients who underwent complete revascularization had a higher prevalence of hypertension and prior percutaneous coronary intervention compared to those who did not. During the one-year follow-up period, complete revascularization was associated with a significantly decreased risk of MACE [13.7% vs. 20.5%, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.45-0.88, P = 0.007] and a lower risk of myocardial infarction (5.9% vs. 9.9%, HR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.33-0.92, P = 0.02). However, it was not linked to a lower risk of all-cause death (9.5% vs. 13.5%, HR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.45-1.02, P = 0.06). Similar results were observed in the subgroup analysis.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Long-term clinical improvements were observed in ACS patients aged over 75 years with multi-vessel disease who achieved complete revascularization. Therefore, adhering to guidelines for complete revascularization should be recommended for elderly patients.
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Based on theoretical analysis, this study empirically analyzes the mediating mechanism of how land rentals work on large-scale farmers to enhance soil conservation with survey data of 425 large-scale farmers in Shandong and Anhui Provinces, the main grain-producing regions of China, and further examines the moderating effect of agricultural extension services. The results show that: (1) The higher the land rentals, the greater the probability that large-scale farmers enhance soil conservation. (2) The mediating effect demonstrates that in a highly market-oriented rural land transfer market in China, the land lease term of large-scale farmers is longer with the increase of land rentals, thus motivating large-scale farmers to engage in soil conservation. (3) As shown by the moderating effect, agricultural extension services can further positively moderate the contribution of land lease term to large-scale farmers enhancing soil conservation. In order to encourage large-scale farmers to enhance soil conservation, on the one hand it is necessary to standardize the land transfer market and proactively guide large-scale farmers to extend the land lease term. On the other hand, it is indispensable to strengthen agricultural extension services and further broaden the access to soil conservation technologies for large-scale farmers.
Subject(s)
Conservation of Natural Resources , Soil , Humans , Conservation of Natural Resources/methods , Farmers , Agriculture/methods , ChinaABSTRACT
Klinefelter syndrome (KS) is one of the most frequent genetic abnormalities and the leading genetic cause of nonobstructive azoospermia. The breeding and study of KS mouse models are essential to advancing our knowledge of the underlying pathological mechanism. Karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization are reliable methods for identifying chromosomal contents. However, technical issues associated with these methods can decrease the efficiency of breeding KS mouse models and limit studies that require rapid identification of target mice. To overcome these limitations, we developed three polymerase chain reaction-based assays to measure specific genetic information, including presence or absence of the sex determining region of chromosome Y (Sry), copy number of amelogenin, X-linked (Amelx), and inactive X specific transcripts (Xist) levels. Through a combined analysis of the assay results, we can infer the karyotype of target mice. We confirmed the utility of our assays with the successful generation of KS mouse models. Our assays are rapid, inexpensive, high capacity, easy to perform, and only require small sample amounts. Therefore, they facilitate the breeding and study of KS mouse models and help advance our knowledge of the pathological mechanism underlying KS.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Azoospermia , In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence , Karyotyping , Klinefelter Syndrome/genetics , Polymerase Chain ReactionABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the mutation rate of the RAS gene and its clinical significance in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 120 children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, who were admitted to the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2015 to January 2020 and underwent next-generation sequencing. The clinical and molecular features were analyzed. The impact of RAS gene mutation on the overall survival rate was evaluated in these children.@*RESULTS@#Among the 120 children, 35 (29.2%) had RAS gene mutation, 30 (25.0%) had KRAS gene mutation, and 5 (4.2%) had both NRAS and KRAS gene mutations. All NRAS mutations and 71% (25/35) of KRAS mutations were located at the 12th and 13th codons. RAS gene mutation was detected in 35 (33.3%) out of 105 children with B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but it was not detected in those with acute T lymphocyte leukemia. Of all the children, 11 (9.2%) were lost to follow-up, and among the 109 children followed up, 16 (14.7%) died. The children with RAS gene mutation had a significantly lower 2-year overall survival rate than those without RAS gene mutation (P<0.05). The prognosis of children with RAS gene mutation combined with WT1 overexpression and WBC>50×109/L at diagnosis was worse (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#RAS gene mutation is commonly observed in children with B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia and may have an adverse effect on prognosis.
Subject(s)
Child , Humans , Genes, ras , Mutation , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/genetics , Prognosis , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
Locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) refers to cervical cancer with large lesions confined to the cervix or only involving pelvic. It is characterized by large tumor volume, difficult local control, difficult operation, easy recurrence and metastasis after operation, and its 5-year overall survival rate is about 50%. Neoadjuvant therapy (NACT) reduces the risk of recurrence and death in patients, reduces the probability of postoperative radiotherapy, and avoids the ovarian dysfunction caused by radiotherapy. However, some studies have shown that NACT is not beneficial to the overall survival of LACC and may even interfere with postoperative pathological diagnosis. Therefore, the clinical application of NACT is still controversial. This article reviews the application of NACT in LACC.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#The association between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) with subclinical macrovascular and microvascular diseases has been less investigated. We sought to examine the association between NLR and new-onset subclinical macrovascular and microvascular abnormalities in the Chinese population.@*METHODS@#From a community cohort, we included 6,430 adults aged ≥ 40 years without subclinical macrovascular and microvascular diseases at baseline. We measured subclinical macrovascular and microvascular abnormalities separately using the ankle-brachial index (ABI), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and albuminuria.@*RESULTS@#During a mean follow-up of 4.3 years, 110 participants developed incident abnormal ABI, 746 participants developed incident elevated baPWV, and 503 participants developed incident albuminuria. Poisson regression analysis indicated that NLR was significantly associated with an increased risk of new-onset abnormal ABI, elevated baPWV, and albuminuria. Compared to overweight/obese participants, we found a much stronger association between NLR and subclinical vascular abnormalities in participants with normal weight. Furthermore, we found an interaction between the NLR and body mass index (BMI) on the risk of new-onset abnormal ABI ( P for interaction: 0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#NLR was associated with subclinical macrovascular and microvascular diseases in the Chinese population. Furthermore, in participants with normal weight, the association between NLR and subclinical vascular abnormalities was much stronger.
Subject(s)
Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Ankle Brachial Index , Body Mass Index , China/epidemiology , Cohort Studies , Incidence , Lymphocytes/cytology , Neutrophils/cytology , Poisson Distribution , Prospective Studies , Vascular Diseases/etiologyABSTRACT
The immune checkpoint programmed cell death-ligand 1(PD-L1)-mediated immunosuppression is among the important features of tumor. PD-L1, an immunosuppressant, can induce T cell failure by binding to programmed cell death-1(PD-1). Thus, the key to restoring the function of T cells is inhibiting the expression of PD-L1. The Chinese medicinal Atractylodis Macrocephalae Rhizoma(AMR) has the anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and hypoglycemic activities, and the polysaccharide in AMR(PAMR) plays a crucial role in immunoregulation, but the influence on the immune checkpoints which are closely related to immunosuppression has not been reported. MicroRNA-34 a(miR-34 a) expression in esophageal carcinoma tissue is significantly lower than that in normal tissue. This study aims to investigate the inhibitory effect of PAMR on esophageal carcinoma cells, and the relationship between its inhibitory effect on PD-L1 expression and miR-34 a, which is expected to clarify the anti-tumor mechanism of PAMR. Firstly, different human esophageal carcinoma cell lines(EC9706, EC-1, TE-1, EC109 cells) were screend out, and expression of PD-L1 was determined. Then, EC109 cells, with high expression of PD-L1, were selected for further experiment. The result showed that PAMR suppressed EC109 cell growth. According to the real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR) and Western blot, it significantly suppressed the mRNA and protein expression of PD-L1, while promoting the expression of tumor suppressor miR-34 a. The confocal microscopy and luci-ferase assay proved that PAMR alleviated the inhibitory effect of PD-L1 while blocked miR-34 a. Additionally, the expression of PD-L1 was controlled by miR-34 a, and the combination of miR-34 a inhibitor with high-dose PAMR reversed the inhibitory effect of PAMR on PD-L1 protein expression. Thus, the PAMR may inhibit PD-L1 by increasing the expression of miR-34 a and regulating its downstream target genes. In conclusion, PAMR inhibits the expression of PD-L1 mainly by inducing miR-34 a.
Subject(s)
Humans , B7-H1 Antigen/pharmacology , Carcinoma , Cell Proliferation , MicroRNAs/metabolism , Polysaccharides/pharmacologyABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the predictive value of tumor regression rate after induction chemotherapy for survival of patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Methods:A total of 161 patients with stage Ⅲ-ⅣA nasopharyngeal carcinoma newly diagnosed at the Daping Hospital of Army Medical University from January 2009 to December 2012 were selected as the research subjects. The relationships between tumor size changes before and after induction chemotherapy and survival time were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curve accompanied with log-rank test. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors affecting the prognosis of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.Results:There were statistically significant differences in the tumor regression rate of primary lesions between N 1and N 2-3( Z=2.177, P=0.029), T 1-2and T 3-4( Z=-4.501, P<0.001)patients after induction chemotherapy. In N 1stage patients, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates of patients with primary lesions achieving objective response ( n=18) and those without objective response ( n=19) after induction chemotherapy were 88.89% and 57.45%, and patients with cervical lymph node metastatic lesions achieving objective response ( n=19) and those without objective response ( n=18) were 86.72% and 49.10% respectively, with statistically significant differences ( χ2=6.023, P=0.014; χ2=7.441, P=0.006). In N 2-3stage patients, the 5-year OS rates of patients with primary lesions achieving objective response ( n=81) and those without objective response ( n=43) after induction chemotherapy were 77.56% and 50.70%, and patients with cervical lymph node metastatic lesions achieving objective response ( n=85) and those without objective response ( n=39) were 75.11% and 52.04% respectively, with significant differences ( χ2=8.037, P=0.005; χ2=7.268, P=0.007). Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that in patients with stage N 1, the tumor regression rate of primary lesions ( HR=0.048, 95% CI: 0.004-0.644, P=0.022), the efficacy of primary lesions ( HR=0.174, 95% CI: 0.037-0.830, P=0.028), the efficacy of cervical lymph node metastatic lesions ( HR=0.154, 95% CI: 0.033-0.725, P=0.017) after induction chemotherapy were significantly associated with OS; in N 2-3stage patients, the tumor regression rate of primary lesions ( HR=0.178, 95% CI: 0.056-0.564, P=0.003), the tumor regression rate of cervical lymph node metastatic lesions ( HR=0.081, 95% CI: 0.020-0.324, P<0.001), the efficacy of primary lesions ( HR=0.422, 95% CI: 0.228-0.781, P=0.006), the efficacy of cervical lymph node metastatic lesions ( HR=0.439, 95% CI: 0.238-0.813, P=0.009) after induction chemotherapy were significantly associated with OS. In multivariate Cox regression including N stage and tumor regression rate, N stage and efficacy, the interaction items were not statistically significant (all P>0.05). In T 1-2stage patients, the 5-year OS rates of patients with primary lesions achieving objective response ( n=45) and those without objective response ( n=13) after induction chemotherapy were 77.55% and 84.62%, and patients with cervical lymph node metastatic lesions achieving objective response ( n=43) and those without objective response ( n=15) were 78.89% and 80.00% respectively, with no significant differences ( χ2=0.239, P=0.625; χ2=0.005, P=0.943); in T 3-4stage patients, the 5-year OS rates of patients with primary lesions achieving objective response ( n=54) and those without objective response ( n=49) after induction chemotherapy were 78.90% and 45.00%, and patients with cervical lymph node metastatic lesions achieving objective response ( n=61) and those without objective response ( n=42) were 75.10% and 42.89% respectively, with significant differences ( χ2=13.615, P<0.001; χ2=12.752, P<0.001). Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that in patients with stage T 1-2, the tumor regression rate, the efficacy of primary lesions and cervical lymph node metastatic lesions after induction chemotherapy were not related to OS (all P>0.05); in T 3-4stage patients, the tumor regression rate of primary lesions ( HR=0.121, 95% CI: 0.033-0.444, P=0.001), the tumor regression rate of cervical lymph node metastatic lesions ( HR=0.126, 95% CI: 0.036-0.442, P=0.001), the efficacy of primary lesions ( HR=0.297, 95% CI: 0.150-0.588, P<0.001), the efficacy of cervical lymph node metastatic lesions ( HR=0.329, 95% CI: 0.173-0.625, P=0.001) after induction chemotherapy were significantly associated with OS. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the interaction test of T stage and the efficacy of primary lesion trended to be statistically significant ( P=0.062). Conclusion:In patients with stage Ⅲ-ⅣA nasopharyngeal carcinoma, the responsiveness to induction chemotherapy in stage T 3-4patients has important value in predicting survival prognosis.