Downregulating miR-184 relieves calcium oxalate crystal-mediated renal cell damage via activating the Rap1 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Renal calculi are a very prevalent disease with a high incidence. Calcium oxalate (CaOx) is a primary constituent of kidney stones. Our paper probes the regulatory function and mechanism of miR-184 in CaOx-mediated renal cell damage. METHODS: CaOx was used to treat HK2 cells and human podocytes (HPCs) to simulate kidney cell damage. The qRT-PCR technique checked the profiles of miR-184 and IGF1R. The examination of cell proliferation was conducted employing CCK8. TUNEL staining was used to monitor cell apoptosis. Western blot analysis was used to determine the protein profiles of apoptosis-concerned related proteins (including Mcl1, Bcl-XL, and Caspase-3), the NF-κB, Nrf2/HO-1, and Rap1 signaling pathways. ELISA confirmed the levels of the inflammatory factors IL-6, TNF-α, MCP1, and ICAM1. The targeting relationship between miR-184 and IGF1R was validated by dual luciferase assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. RESULTS: Glyoxylate-induced rat kidney stones model and HK2 and HPC cells treated with CaOx demonstrated an increase in the miR-184 profile. Inhibiting miR-184 relieved CaOx-mediated renal cell inflammation, apoptosis and oxidative stress and activated the Rap1 pathway. IGF1R was targeted by miR-184. IGF1R activation by IGF1 attenuated the effects of miR-184 on renal cell damage, and Hippo pathway suppression reversed the inhibitory effect of miR-184 knockdown on renal cell impairment. CONCLUSIONS: miR-184 downregulation activates the Rap1 signaling pathway to ameliorate renal cell damage mediated by CaOx.

Investigation and Analysis on Occupational Exposure Causes and Mental Status of Infectious Diseases in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Personnel.

Background: We aimed to probe into the occupational exposure causes and mental status of infectious diseases in pre-hospital emergency medical personnel. Methods: Forty medical personnel with occupational exposure to infectious diseases who participated in pre-hospital emergency work in 120 emergency center of The Fourth Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China were selected as respondents from February 2018 to February 2021. The occupational exposure modes, exposure degrees, exposure sites, exposure sources and exposure causes of infectious diseases were summarized, and the mental status of emergency medical personnel after occupational exposure to infectious diseases was analyzed. Results: In the occupational exposure modes of infectious diseases, needle stick injuries were overtly higher than mucosal pollution, hematic and humoral pollution and incised wound by glass (P<0.05). In exposure degrees, slight bleeding was notably higher than excessive bleeding, bleeding and no bleeding (P<0.05). The hand was distinctly higher than the eye in exposure sites (P<0.05). In exposure sources, hepatitis B virus was visibly higher than hepatitis C virus, HIV, syphilis, intravenous drug, hemorrhagic fever and unknown cause (P<0.05). The scores of somatic symptoms, anxiety, depression, fear, interpersonal sensitivity, hostility, compulsion and paranoia in medical personnel were clearly higher than the norm in Chinese adults after occupational exposure to infectious diseases (P<0.05), with no statistical significance in the comparison of psychotic scores. Conclusion: The occupational exposure risk of infectious diseases among pre-hospital emergency medical personnel is high. It is necessary to strengthen pre-job training and education and improve standardized management for protection.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for patients with hypertension after microsurgery of total avulsion of auricle: a case report.

Background: Total ear avulsion is one of the most serious auricular traumas. Its surgical procedure is complicated and involves high technical difficulty. The auricular blood vessels mostly contain capillaries, and capillary anastomosis reconstruction is difficult. Right ear vascular anastomosis and auricle replantation under microscope are very few cases of successful replantation of total ear avulsion. The lack of blood supply in the amputated ear leads to postoperative blood supply disturbance. At present, there are no reports on the application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy following the replantation of severed ears. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy was used to promote the recovery of vascular microcirculation, reduce complications and improve the survival rate of postoperative ear transplantation. Case Description: We present a rare case of total ear avulsion in a 53-year-old Chinese man. The patient complained of cutting injury of the right auricle for more than 1 hour. The patient had a history of hypertension for 4 years, and his blood pressure was well controlled by regular administration of valsartan. This paper reports on the treatment experience in a case of microscope-assisted auricular replantation, targeted postoperative treatment, early intervention with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and individualized nursing care. After 16 days of careful treatment, the patient's avulsion ear survived and he was discharged from the hospital. After 6 months of continuous follow-up, the auricular shape and hearing of the patient reached the ideal standard. Conclusions: Precise medical and nursing cooperation coupled with meticulous management of the patient throughout the entire process are key factors for the survival of the severed ear. The combined application of microscopic techniques and hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves blood circulation to the anastomosed vessels, accelerates the healing of the replanted ear, and shortens the length of hospital stay. Early hyperbaric oxygen treatment can make postoperative wound heal quickly. Early intervention of hyperbaric oxygen therapy after ear avulsion is helpful to the recovery of patients with ear avulsion. However, the initiation time and duration of intervention need to be further optimized and more evidence is needed to support it.

Fractionated Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Kernel Oil from Torreya fargesii.

Polymethylene-interrupted polyunsaturated fatty acids (PMI-PUFAs) are emerging functional lipids with proven antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, a typical PMI-PUFA, sciadonic acid (C20:3, 5c 11c 14c), was enriched in the kernel oil of Torreya fargesii (T. fargesii) by fractionation. Fractionated kernel oil of T. fargesii (containing 25% sciadonic acid) showed equal stability and similar radical scavenging ability compared with the non-fractionated oil. In anti-inflammatory tests, fractionated kernel oil was shown to inhibit the activity of phosphodiesterase (PDE-5, efficiency 80% at 133.7 µg/mL) and lipoxygenase-5 (LOX-5, efficiency 65% at 66.7 µg/mL) more effectively than the non-fractionated oil. This shows that increasing the amount of sciadonic acid can enhance the anti-inflammatory effect of the kernel oil. This research also indicates that fractionation is a feasible way to obtain sciadonic acid-rich functional oil with potential pharmacological effects.