The mechanism of gut-lung axis in pulmonary fibrosis.

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a terminal change of a lung disease that is marked by damage to alveolar epithelial cells, abnormal proliferative transformation of fibroblasts, excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), and concomitant inflammatory damage. Its characteristics include short median survival, high mortality rate, and limited treatment effectiveness. More in-depth studies on the mechanisms of PF are needed to provide better treatment options. The idea of the gut-lung axis has emerged as a result of comprehensive investigations into the microbiome, metabolome, and immune system. This theory is based on the material basis of microorganisms and their metabolites, while the gut-lung circulatory system and the shared mucosal immune system act as the connectors that facilitate the interplay between the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems. The emergence of a new view of the gut-lung axis is complementary and cross-cutting to the study of the mechanisms involved in PF and provides new ideas for its treatment. This article reviews the mechanisms involved in PF, the gut-lung axis theory, and the correlation between the two. Exploring the gut-lung axis mechanism and treatments related to PF from the perspectives of microorganisms, microbial metabolites, and the immune system. The study of the gut-lung axis and PF is still in its early stages. This review systematically summarizes the mechanisms of PF related to the gut-lung axis, providing ideas for subsequent research and treatment of related mechanisms.

Topical Chinese patent medicines for chronic musculoskeletal pain: systematic review and trial sequential analysis.

PURPOSE: Chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is defined as persistent or recurrent pain that occurs in the joints, musculo-soft tissue, spine or bones for more than three months and is not completely curable. Although topical Chinese patent medicine (CPM) is the most extensively utilized medication in Asia and is widely used for pain management, its efficacy remains controversial. This article presents a systematic review of clinical studies on the therapeutic properties of topical CPM for CMP patients to better inform clinical decision-making and provide additional and safer treatment options for patients with CMP. METHOD: We performed a comprehensive search on PubMed, Cochrane Library, web of science and Chinese databases (CNKI and WanFang data) from 2010 to 2022. In all the studies, knee osteoarthritis, cervical spondylosis, low back pain, and periarthritis of shoulder met the International Pain Association definition of chronic musculoskeletal pain. We included only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using topical CPM primarily for chronic musculoskeletal pain in adults. To determine the effect of topical CPM on clinical symptoms, we extracted the Visual Analog Scale (VAS, range 0-10) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index pain scores (WOMAC pain, range 0-20), in which the lower the score, the better the results. We also accepted the comprehensive outcome criteria developed by the Chinese National Institute of Rheumatology as an endpoint (total effectiveness rate, range 0-100%, higher score = better outcome), which assesses the overall pain, physical function and wellness. Finally, trial sequential analysis of VAS pain score and total effectiveness rate was performed using TSA software. RESULTS: Twenty-six randomized controlled trials (n = 3180 participants) compared topical CPM with oral Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) (n = 15), topical NSAIDs (n = 9), physiotherapy (n = 5), exercise therapy (n = 4), and intra-articular Sodium hyaluronate injection (n = 2). Sixteen studies found that topical CPM was statistically significant in improving CMP pain (measured by VAS pain and Womac pain scores)(p < 0.05), and 12 studies found topical CPMs to be more clinically effective (assessed by ≥ 30% reduction in symptom severity) in treating patients with CMP (p < 0.05). Trial sequential analysis indicates that the current available evidence is robust, and further studies cannot reverse this result. In most of the studies, randomisation, allocation concealment and blinding were not sufficiently described, and no placebo-controlled trials were identified. CONCLUSION: Most studies showed superior analgesic effects of topical CPM over various control treatments, suggesting that topical CPM may be effective for CMP and is an additional, safe and reasonable treatment option. These reported benefits should be validated in higher-quality RCTs.

Evidence on risk factors for knee osteoarthritis in middle-older aged: a systematic review and meta analysis.

PURPOSE: This review was made to identify the risk factors for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in middle-older aged (≥ 40 years), and to provide the newest evidence for the prevention of KOA. METHOD: Cohort study and case-control study of the risk factors of KOA was included from Pubmed, Web of Science, Ovid Technologies, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database (VIP), Wanfang Database, SinoMed from their inceptions to July 2023. Two authors independently screened the literature and extracted data. Assessment of quality was implemented according to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: 3597 papers were identified from the seven databases and 29 papers containing 60,354 participants were included in this review. Meta-analysis was performed for 14 risk factors, and 7 of these were statistical significance (P < 0.05). The risk factors which were analyzed in this review included trauma history in knee (1.37 [95% CI 1.03-1.82], P = 0.030), body mass index (BMI) ≥ 24 kg/m2 (1.30 [95% CI 1.09-1.56], P = 0.004), gender (female) (1.04 [95% CI 1.00-1.09], P = 0.030), age ≥ 40 (1.02 [95% CI 1.01-1.03], P = 0.007), more exercise (0.75 [95% CI 0.62-0.91], P = 0.003), a high school education background (0.49 [95% CI 0.30-0.79], P = 0.003) and an university education background (0.22 [95% CI 0.06-0.86], P = 0.030). CONCLUSION: The risk factors analyzed in this review included trauma history in knee, overweight or obesity, gender (female), age ≥ 40 and the protective factors included more exercise and a high school or an university education background.

Encapsulation of Silicon Nano Powders via Electrospinning as Lithium Ion Battery Anode Materials.

Silicon-containing polyester from tetramethoxysilane, ethylene glycol, and o-Phthalic anhydride were used as encapsulating materials for silicon nano powders (SiNP) via electrospinning, with Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as spinning additives. In the correct quantities, SiNP could be well encapsulated in nano fibers (200-400 nm) using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The encapsulating materials were then carbonized to a Si-O-C material at 755 °C (Si@C-SiNF-5 and Si@C-SiNF-10, with different SiNP content). Fiber structure and SiNP crystalline structure were reserved even after high-temperature treatment, as SEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD) verified. When used as lithium ion battery (LIB) anode materials, the cycling stability of SiNPs increased after encapsulation. The capacity of SiNPs decreased to ~10 mAh/g within 30 cycles, while those from Si@C-SiNF-5 and Si@C-SiNF-10 remained over 500 mAh/g at the 30th cycle. We also found that adequate SiNP content is necessary for good encapsulation and better cycling stability. In the anode from Si@C-SiNF-10 in which SiNPs were not well encapsulated, fibers were broken and pulverized as SEM confirmed; thus, its cycling stability is poorer than that from Si@C-SiNF-5.

Glucose hydrothermal encapsulation of carbonized silicone polyester to prepare anode materials for lithium batteries with improved cycle stability.

A silicon polyester (Si-PET) was synthesized with ethylene glycol and phthalic anhydride, and then it was carbonized and hydrothermally coated with glucose. The formed SiO x with layered graphene as the 3D network had an amorphous carbon layer. The graphene oxide (rGO) after carbothermal reduction was completely retained in SiO x , which improved the conductivity of the SiO x anode material. SiO x were encapsulated with a flexible amorphous carbon layer on the surface, which can not only improve the electrical performance, but also effectively relieve the huge volume changes of the compound. Further, the key point is that, the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film was mainly formed on the surface carbon layer. This would keep a stable SEI film during volume pulverization, and result in a good cycle stability. The SiO x /C-rGO material maintained a reversible capacity of 660 mA h g-1 at a current density of 100 mA g-1 for 100 cycles, a reversible capacity of 469.7 mA h g-1 at a current density of 200 mA g-1 for 300 cycles. The Coulomb efficiency was maintained at 98% except for the first cycle. After long cycling, the electrode expansion was 16%, which was much lower than those of silicon based materials. Therefore, this article provides a cheap, simple, and commercially valuable anode material for lithium batteries.

Effect of crosstalk among conspirators in tumor microenvironment on niche metastasis of gastric cancer.

In Traditional Chinese medicine, the metaphoric views of the human body are based on observations of nature guided by the theory of "Yin-Yang". The direct meanings of yin and yang are the bright and dark sides of an object, which often represent a wider range of opposite properties. When we shifted our view to gastric cancer (GC), we found that there are more distinctive Yin and Yang features in the mechanism of GC development and metastasis, which is observed in many mechanisms such as GC metastasis, immune escape, and stem cell homing. When illustrating this process from the yin-yang perspective, categorizing different cells in the tumor microenvironment enables new and different perspectives to be put forward on the mechanism and treatment of GC metastasis.

Gut-Restricted Selective Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) Inhibitors for Chemoprevention of Colorectal Cancer.

Selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors have been extensively studied for colorectal cancer (CRC) chemoprevention. Celecoxib has been reported to reduce the incidence of colorectal adenomas and CRC but is also associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. Here, we report a series of gut-restricted, selective COX-2 inhibitors characterized by high colonic exposure and minimized systemic exposure. By establishing acute ex vivo 18F-FDG uptake attenuation as an efficacy proxy, we identified a subset of analogues that demonstrated statistically significant in vivo dose-dependent inhibition of adenoma progression and survival extension in an APCmin/+ mouse model. However, in vitro-in vivo correlation analysis showed their chemoprotective effects were driven by residual systemic COX-2 inhibition, rationalizing their less than expected efficacies and highlighting the challenges associated with COX-2-mediated CRC disease chemoprevention.

[Spectral analysis of some brass coins excavsted from Ezhou of Hubei province].

XRD and XRF were used to identify several brass coins of Qing dynasty collected in the Ezhou Museum and excavated from Ezhou of Hubei province. The reality of the coins contains 36.53%-37.75% of Zn, 54.12%-59.04% of Cu and 3.51%-7.56% of Pb, and the ration of the alloy is steady and scientific, indicating that the technic of the alloy of brass was quite perfect in the mid to late of Qing dynasty. Zn3Cu2 (OH)6 (CO3)2 was found in the corrosion for the first time, and CuO, ZnO, Fe2O3 and CuCl were found too. The high content of Cl-, around the local condition (including the polluted environment), may be the main reason for those brass coins to be eroded seriously. These findings provide some reference for collecting and protecting coins.

Unexpected solvent-free cycloadditions of 1,3-cyclohexanediones to 1-(pyridin-2-yl)-enones mediated by manganese(III) acetate in a ball mill.

Under solvent-free ball-milling conditions, manganese(III) acetate dihydrate-mediated cycloadditions of 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione and 1,3-cyclohexanedione to various 1-(pyridin-2-yl)-enones proceeded efficiently to afford trans-2-acyl-3-aryl/alkyl-2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-4(5H)-benzofuranone derivatives. The cyclization reactions exhibited good to excellent yields, as well as extremely high diastereoselectivity and unexpected regioselectivity. Manganese(III) acetate behaved both as an oxidant and as a Lewis acid.

Solid-state radical reactions of 1,3-cyclohexanediones with in situ generated imines mediated by manganese(III) acetate under mechanical milling conditions.

Under solid-state conditions, manganese(iii) acetate-mediated radical reactions of 1,3-cyclohexanedione and 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione with in situ generated imines proceeded efficiently by mechanical milling at room temperature and good to excellent yields were achieved.