Salvianolic acid B regulates collagen synthesis: Indirect influence on human dermal fibroblasts through the microvascular endothelial cell pathway.

BACKGROUND: Salvianolic acid B (SAB) is one of the main active ingredients of Salvia Miltiorrhiza. It has significant skin anti-aging, whitening, and sun protection properties. AIMS: The study aimed at studying the mechanism underlying the effect of salvianolic acid Bon collagen synthesis, which has good anti-aging efficacy and modulates microcirculation. METHODS: This study employed available public databases, bioinformatics methodologies, and the inverse docking approach to explore the effectiveness of SAB in the regulating collagen synthesis, and then used an human dermal fibroblast (HDF)- Human dermal microvascular endothelial cell (HDMEC) in vitro model to validate the predicted mechanism of SAB in influencing collagen synthesis. RESULTS: The results showed that NO production in SAB-treated HDMEC-conditioned medium was increased compared to that in control media, and the same tendency was also observed for growth factor production. SAB also upregulated HDMEC cellular eNOS and VEGF. When SAB-treated HDMEC conditioned medium was transferred to HDFs, the expression of collagen I, collagen III, and elastin in HDFs was upregulated and MMP-1 was downregulated. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that SAB regulates collagen through the HDMEC-HDF pathway. Furthermore, the mechanisms might be closely related to the microcirculation factors NO and VEGF.

Changes of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in workers exposed to noise / 中国职业医学

@#Objective - （ ）- （ ） To observe the effects of renin angiotensin Ang aldosterone system RAAS in workers exposed to Methods - - occupational noise. Forty five workers with suspected occupational noise induced deafness were selected as noise ， ， exposure group using convenient sampling method. According to their tinnitus symptom noise exposure intensity and work age - ， ， they were divided into no tinnitus and tinnitus subgroups <90 dB and ≥90 dB subgroups work years <10 years and ≥10 years subgroups. Another 45 workers with no occupational noise exposure history were selected as control group. The levels of plasma （ ）， ， ， renin activity PRA AngⅠ AngⅡ and aldosterone of the two groups were detected and the aldosterone to renin activity Results ratio was calculated. The diastolic blood pressure of the noise exposure group was higher than that of the control group ［（ ）vs（ ） ，P ］ ， 80±7 76±8 mmHg <0.05 . However there was no significant difference in systolic blood pressure between the two （P ） （ ： groups >0.05 . The level of plasma AngⅡ in the noise exposure group was higher than that in the control group median vs ，P ） （ P ） 100.98 65.43 μg/L <0.05 . There was no statistical significance in other indexes between the two groups all >0.05 . The （ ： plasma AngⅡ level in < 90 dB subgroup in the noise exposure group was higher than that of the control group median 123.16 vs ，P ） 65.43 μg/L <0.05 . There was no statistical significance in other indexes among the two subgroups of tinnitus symptom or （ P ） work age in the noise exposure group and the control group all >0.05 . There were no significant differences in the abnormal ， （ P ） rates of PRA AngⅡ and aldosterone in plasma between the noise exposure group and the control group all >0.05 . Conclusion Occupational noise exposure may affect RAAS and lead to increased plasma AngⅡ levels in the workers. - Tinnitus and work age may not affect RAAS in occupational noise exposure workers.

Changes of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in workers exposed to noise / 中国职业医学

@#Objective - （ ）- （ ） To observe the effects of renin angiotensin Ang aldosterone system RAAS in workers exposed to Methods - - occupational noise. Forty five workers with suspected occupational noise induced deafness were selected as noise ， ， exposure group using convenient sampling method. According to their tinnitus symptom noise exposure intensity and work age - ， ， they were divided into no tinnitus and tinnitus subgroups <90 dB and ≥90 dB subgroups work years <10 years and ≥10 years subgroups. Another 45 workers with no occupational noise exposure history were selected as control group. The levels of plasma （ ）， ， ， renin activity PRA AngⅠ AngⅡ and aldosterone of the two groups were detected and the aldosterone to renin activity Results ratio was calculated. The diastolic blood pressure of the noise exposure group was higher than that of the control group ［（ ）vs（ ） ，P ］ ， 80±7 76±8 mmHg <0.05 . However there was no significant difference in systolic blood pressure between the two （P ） （ ： groups >0.05 . The level of plasma AngⅡ in the noise exposure group was higher than that in the control group median vs ，P ） （ P ） 100.98 65.43 μg/L <0.05 . There was no statistical significance in other indexes between the two groups all >0.05 . The （ ： plasma AngⅡ level in < 90 dB subgroup in the noise exposure group was higher than that of the control group median 123.16 vs ，P ） 65.43 μg/L <0.05 . There was no statistical significance in other indexes among the two subgroups of tinnitus symptom or （ P ） work age in the noise exposure group and the control group all >0.05 . There were no significant differences in the abnormal ， （ P ） rates of PRA AngⅡ and aldosterone in plasma between the noise exposure group and the control group all >0.05 . Conclusion Occupational noise exposure may affect RAAS and lead to increased plasma AngⅡ levels in the workers. - Tinnitus and work age may not affect RAAS in occupational noise exposure workers.

A Novel Ferroptosis-Related 4-Gene Prognostic Signature for Cholangiocarcinoma and Photodynamic Therapy.

Cholangiocarcinoma is the second most common malignant tumor in the hepatobiliary system. Compared with data on hepatocellular carcinoma, fewer public data and prognostic-related studies on cholangiocarcinoma are available, and effective prognostic prediction methods for cholangiocarcinoma are lacking. In recent years, ferroptosis has become an important subject of tumor research. Some studies have indicated that ferroptosis plays an important role in hepatobiliary cancers. However, the prediction of the prognostic effect of ferroptosis in patients with cholangiocarcinoma has not been reported. In addition, many reports have described the ability of photodynamic therapy (PDT), a potential therapy for cholangiocarcinoma, to regulate ferroptosis by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS). By constructing ferroptosis scores, the prognoses of patients with cholangiocarcinoma can be effectively predicted, and potential gene targets can be discovered to further enhance the efficacy of PDT. In this study, gene expression profiles and clinical information (TCGA, E-MTAB-6389, and GSE107943) of patients with cholangiocarcinoma were collected and divided into training sets and validation sets. Then, a model of the ferroptosis gene signature was constructed using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-penalized Cox regression analysis. Furthermore, through the analysis of RNA-seq data after PDT treatment of cholangiocarcinoma, PDT-sensitive genes were obtained and verified by immunohistochemistry staining and Western blot. The results of this study provide new insight for predicting the prognosis of cholangiocarcinoma and screening target genes that enhance the efficacy of PDT.

Analysis on Risk Factors of Depressive Symptoms in Occupational Noise-induced Hearing Loss Patients: A Cross-sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk factors of depressive symptoms in occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) patients. METHODS: A total of 106 patients were divided into depressive symptoms (ONHLPD) and without depressive symptoms (non-ONHLPD) according to the Self-rating Depression Scale. Questionnaires and laboratory data were collected and analyzed. Data were analyzed with independent t-test, Wilcoxon test, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression models. RESULTS: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 53.8% in occupational NIHL patients. In ONHLPD, duration of the hearing loss, level of serum cortisol, scores of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Tinnitus Handicap Inventory were all significantly higher than those of non-ONHLPD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of depressive symptoms was relatively high in occupational NIHL patients. Duration of the hearing loss, sleep quality and tinnitus severity were the risk factors for occupational NHIL patients with depressive symptoms.

An Integrated Analysis of Risk Factors of Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Severe Carotid Artery Stenosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate cognitive dysfunction in patients with carotid artery stenosis (CAS) and potential risk factors related to cognitive-especially memory-dysfunction. METHODS: Forty-seven patients with carotid artery stenosis were recruited into our study cohort. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were adopted to assess cognitive function, the Wechsler Memory Scale (WMS) to assess memory function, high-resolution MRI and enhanced ultrasound to evaluate carotid plaques, and computed tomography perfusion (CTP) imaging to evaluate intracranial blood perfusion. Single-factor analysis and multiple-factor regression analysis were used to analyze potential risk factors of cognitive impairment. RESULTS: Mini-Mental State Examination test results showed that 22 patients had cognitive impairment, and MoCA test results showed that 10 patients had cognitive impairment. Analysis of various risk factors indicated that the average memory quotient of female patients was higher than that of males (P = 0.024). The cognitive and memory performance of those with an educational background above high school were significantly better than those of participants with high school or lower (P = 0.045). Patients with abnormal intracranial perfusion performed worse on the MMSE test (P = 0.024), and their WMS scores were significantly lower (P = 0.007). The MMSE scores and the memory quotients were significantly lower in patients with a history of cerebral infarction (MMSE, P = 0.047, memory quotient score, P = 0.018). CONCLUSION: A history of cerebral infarction and abnormal cerebral perfusion are associated with decline in overall cognitive function and memory in patients with carotid stenosis. Being female and having an educational background above high school may be protective factors in the development of cognitive dysfunction.

Prognostic significance of programmed cell death ligand 1 expression in patients with ovarian carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) overexpression has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis in several human cancers. However, studies on the prognostic value of PD-L1 expression in ovarian carcinoma (OC) remain controversial. This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate comprehensively the prognostic value of PD-L1 in OC. METHODS: Electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library, were searched up until March 28, 2018. Hazard ratio (HR), along with 95% confidence interval (CI), was used to analyze the included outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 10 studies with 1179 OC patients were included in this meta-analysis. There was no significant correlation between PD-L1 expression and overall survival (OS) (HR 1.23, 95% CI 0.85-1.79) and progression-free survival (PFS) (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.52-1.47) of OC patients. However, the subgroup analysis suggested that positive PD-L1 expression was significantly associated with poor OS (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.08-2.55) and PFS (HR 2.17, 95% CI 1.31-3.61) among OC patients from Asian countries. Increased PD-L1 expression was also a favorable factor for OS (HR 0.73, 95% CI 0.53-0.99) and PFS (HR 0.58, 95% CI 0.45-0.75) in OC patients from non-Asian regions. No evidence of publication bias was detected by the Egger linear regression test and Begg funnel plot. Sensitivity analyses suggested that the results of this meta-analysis were robust. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated that PD-L1 expression may be a negative predictor for prognosis of OC patients from Asian countries, and a good predictor for favorable prognosis of OC patients from non-Asian countries. PD-L1 expression has potential to be a prognostic biomarker to guide clinicians for the selection of individuals who may get clinical benefit from anti-PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy. Prospective clinical studies are needed to support these findings.

Photodynamic therapy for high-grade dysplasia of bile duct via a choledochoscope.

When a distal common bile duct neoplasm is at the stage of carcinoma in situ or high-grade dysplasia, it is difficult for the surgeon to decide whether to perform pancreaticoduodenectomy. Here we describe a patient with a progressive dysplastic lesion in the common bile duct, which developed from moderate-high to high-grade dysplasia in approximately 2 mo. The patient refused major surgery. Therefore, endoscopic-assisted photodynamic therapy was performed. The result at follow-up using a trans-T-tube choledochoscope showed that the lesion was completely necrotic. This report is the first to describe the successful treatment of high-grade dysplasia of the distal bile duct using photodynamic therapy via a choledochoscope.

[Soluble expression of A/H1N1 influenza virus HA with Drosophila S2 cell line and its bio-activity identification].

OBJECTIVE: To express soluble HA of A/H1N1 influenza virus in drosophila S2 cell line and identify its bio-activity. METHODS: HA gene was amplified from A/Shenzhen/71/09 virus strain using RT-PCR, then we constructed pAC5.1-HA expression vector, which was co-transfected into S2 cell with pCoblast vector. After transfection, stable S2 cell was selected through Blasticindin. HA in the supernatant was identified with Western Blot assay and purified with Ni-column. Recombinant HA was immunized into BALB/c mice 3 times, and the Abs titers were evaluated with ELISA. RESULTS: We successfully cloned HA gene with 1.7 x 10(3) bp of A/Shenzhen/71/09 virus strain and got recombinant pAC5. 1-HA expression vector. Stable S2 cell line was established after transfection and selection, which continuously expressed HA with molecular weight 75 x 10(3) D. After immunization with HA, the Abs titers were 1:1280 and 1: 5120 respectively on 10 d, 30 d. CONCLUSION: We expressed soluble HA with good bio-activity, which contributed to research on immune diagnosis, subunit vaccine, and monoclonal Abs for influenza.