Association between hyperuricemia and the risk of mortality in patients with osteoarthritis: A study based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between hyperuricemia and the risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was performed on 3,971 patients using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database between 1999 and 2018. OA was diagnosed through specific questions and responses. The weighted COX regression models were used to explore the factors associated with all-cause mortality/CVD mortality in OA patients. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age, gender, hypertension, dyslipidemia, CVD, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were measured as the evaluation indexes. RESULTS: During the duration of follow-up time (116.38 ± 2.19 months), 33.69% (1,338 patients) experienced all-cause mortality, and 11.36% (451 patients) died from CVD. Hyperuricemia was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06-1.41, P = 0.008) and CVD mortality (HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.02-1.72, P = 0.036) in OA patients. Subgroup analyses showed that hyperuricemia was related to the risk of all-cause mortality in OA patients aged >65 years (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01-1.36, P = 0.042), in all male patients (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.10-1.80, P = 0.006), those diagnosed with hypertension (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01-1.37, P = 0.049), dyslipidemia (HR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.01-1.39, P = 0.041), CVD (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.09-1.55, P = 0.004), and CKD (HR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.01-1.70, P = 0.046). The association between hyperuricemia and a higher risk of CVD mortality was found in OA patients aged ≤ 65 years (HR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.06-3.41, P = 0.032), who did not suffer from diabetes (HR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.01-1.86, P = 0.048), who did not suffer from hypertension (HR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.12-5.86, P = 0.026), and who did not suffer from dyslipidemia (HR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.15-4.97, P = 0.020). CONCLUSION: These findings emphasize the importance of monitoring serum uric acid levels in OA patients for potentially reducing mortality associated with the disease.

Transcriptional regulation of Glis2 in hepatic fibrosis.

The role of Gli-similar 2 (Glis2) in hepatic fibrosis (HF) is controversial. In this study, we focused on the functional and molecular mechanisms involved in the Glis2-mediated activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)-a milestone event leading to HF. The expression levels of Glis2 mRNA and protein were significantly decreased in the liver tissues of patients with severe HF and in mouse fibrotic liver tissues as well as HSCs activated by TGFß1. Functional studies indicated that upregulated Glis2 significantly inhibited HSC activation and alleviated BDL-induced HF in mice. Downregulation of Glis2 was found to correlate significantly with DNA methylation of the Glis2 promoter mediated by methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), which restricted the binding of hepatic nuclear factor 1-α (HNF1-α), a liver-specific transcription factor, to Glis2 promoters. In addition, the enrichment of DNMT1 in the Glis2 promoter region was mediated by metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcriptor-1 (MALAT1) lncRNA, leading to transcriptional silencing of Glis2 and activation of HSCs. In conclusion, our findings reveal that the upregulation of Glis2 can maintain the resting state of HSCs. The decreased expression of Glis2 under pathological conditions may lead to the occurrence and development of HF with the expression silencing of DNA methylation mediated by MALAT1 and DNMT1.

Development and Application of a Standardized Testset for an Artificial Intelligence Medical Device Intended for the Computer-Aided Diagnosis of Diabetic Retinopathy.

Objective: To explore a centralized approach to build test sets and assess the performance of an artificial intelligence medical device (AIMD) which is intended for computer-aided diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). Method: A framework was proposed to conduct data collection, data curation, and annotation. Deidentified colour fundus photographs were collected from 11 partner hospitals with raw labels. Photographs with sensitive information or authenticity issues were excluded during vetting. A team of annotators was recruited through qualification examinations and trained. The annotation process included three steps: initial annotation, review, and arbitration. The annotated data then composed a standardized test set, which was further imported to algorithms under test (AUT) from different developers. The algorithm outputs were compared with the final annotation results (reference standard). Result: The test set consists of 6327 digital colour fundus photographs. The final labels include 5 stages of DR and non-DR, as well as other ocular diseases and photographs with unacceptable quality. The Fleiss Kappa was 0.75 among the annotators. The Cohen's kappa between raw labels and final labels is 0.5. Using this test set, five AUTs were tested and compared quantitatively. The metrics include accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. The AUTs showed inhomogeneous capabilities to classify different types of fundus photographs. Conclusions: This article demonstrated a workflow to build standardized test sets and conduct algorithm testing of the AIMD for computer-aided diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. It may provide a reference to develop technical standards that promote product verification and quality control, improving the comparability of products.

Children parents attitude and demand towards family based child sexual abuse prevention education / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the attitudes and demands of parents of children in Luzhou towards family based child sexual abuse prevention education.@*Methods@#A self administered anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted among parents of children in Luzhou City who were selected from stratified cluster sampling. Multiple linear regression model was used to analyze parents attitudes.@*Results@#Parents attitude towards prevention of sexual assault education was positive (average score 16.70± 3.67 ). The results of multiple regression analysis showed that parents of only child ( β =0.30), parents who participated in related activities ( β =1.28), communicated with relatives and friends ( β =0.81), and lived in urban areas ( β =0.49) had more positive attitudes. In terms of parental factors, average annual family income higher than 100 000 yuan ( β =0.39), mothers of young children ( β =0.88), and parents with a high level of knowledge about sexual assault prevention education ( β =0.98), the mother being a teacher or a medical staff ( β =0.52), and educational background of the mother being high school/secondary school ( β =1.03), college/undergraduate or above ( β =1.42) were associated with more positive attitudes( P <0.01). The results of demand analysis showed that parents had high demand for child s self protection (96.86%).@*Conclusion@#Parents of young children in Luzhou City show generally positive attitude and high demand towards family based sexual abuse prevention. Knowledge training and publicity regarding child sexual abuse should be improved for children who had siblings, from rural and township areas, and whose parents with low educational background.

Research trends and hot spots of Chuanxiong Rhizoma from 2010 to 2023 / 中国中药杂志

This study aims to objectively and quantitatively analyze the research status and hot spots of Chuanxiong Rhizoma and provide guidance for further research and clinical application of this herbal medicine. Firstly, the research articles involving Chuanxiong Rhizoma from 2010 to 2023 were retrieved from seven databases including Web of Science, PubMed, Medline, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang, and SinoMed. Then, NoteExpress and manual reading were employed to complete the de-duplication and screening of the articles, and the annual number of publications and journals was analyzed. Finally, CiteSpace was used for systematic analysis of the research institutions, authors, and keywords, and the corresponding knowledge maps were established. After screening, 1 137 articles in Chinese and 433 articles in English were included, and the annual number of publications showed an increasing trend. Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae and Journal of Ethnopharmacology were the top Chinese and English journal in the number of publications. Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine published the most articles in Chinese and English, respectively. PENG Cheng and FENG Yi were the authors published more articles in Chinese and English. Ferulic acid, signaling pathway, mechanism, headache, ligustrazine, and apoptosis were frequent keywords. A total of 20 clusters and 30 bursts were generated. The comprehensive analysis showed that the research trends and hot spots in this field mainly focused on pharmacological components and isolation, pharmacological effects and mechanism, clinical application and efficacy, compatibility and efficacy of drug pairs, quality evaluation and control, and cultivation and germplasm improvement.

Analysis on medication rules of Xin'an medicine for treatment of melancholia administered by physicians in the Ming and Qing dynasties based on R language data mining / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the medication rules of Xin'an medicine for the treatment of melancholia and further analyze the medication ideas of Xin'an physicians in the treatment of melancholia.Methods:The documents of Xin'an physicians treating melancholia in the fifth edition of the Chinese Medical Code and the online database of ancient Chinese medicine were retrieved. Excel was used to extract the prescription information to establish the database. R language was used to analyze the data regarding the medication frequency, nature and taste, association rules, and clustering of the traditional Chinese medicine used in the prescription. Results:A total of 127 effective prescriptions were sorted out, and 177 kinds of Chinese medicines were used with a total medication frequency of 1 031 times. The top three Chinese medicines with the highest frequency of use were Poria cocos (57 times), Licorice (46 times), and Paeonia Lactiflora (40 times). The main nature of herbs was plain and warm nature. The warm herbs were the most frequently used (298 times). The first five flavors of the herbs which were the most used were pungent taste (475 times, 28.70%), bitter taste (459 times, 27.73%), and sweet taste (453 times, 27.37%). The commonly used herbs with confidence coefficient > 0.800 were Licorice + Angelica sinensis, Licorice + Angelica sinensis and Paeonia Lactiflora, Licorice + Bupleurum, Licorice + Atractylodes macrocephala, Cyperus root + Ligusticum Chuanxiong, Angelica sinensis + Atractylodes macrocephala and Licorice, Paeonia Lactiflora + Angelica sinensis and Poria cocos, Licorice + Angelica sinensis and Poria cocos, Licorice + Atractylodes macrocephala and Angelica sinensis, Licorice + Bupleurum and Paeonia Lactiflora, Licorice + Atractylodes macrocephala and Ginseng, Licorice + Ginseng and Angelica sinensis, Cyperus root + Medicated leaven, Ginseng + Astragalus mongholicus, Licorice + Astragalus mongholicus.Conclusion:Xin'an medicine for the treatment of melancholia mainly uses pungent, bitter, sweet, and warm herbs. It can adjust the chill and fever, Yin and Yang of the human body, diminishes the urgency, and regulates the flow of Qi.

Hypoxic Preconditioning Improves Hypoxic Survival and Proliferation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Modulating Lysine Crotonylation / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Hypoxic preconditioning could improve the survival of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in ischemic or hypoxic environments, but its exact mechanism remains to be further explored. This study aims to determine the role of lysine crotonylation (Kcr) in regulating the survival and proliferation of peripheral blood mesenchymal stem cells (PBMSCs) in the hypoxic culture. PBMSCs were isolated and cultured from rat peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and their surface markers were identified by flow cytometry. PBMSCs were first subjected to hypoxic/ normoxic preconditioning: hypoxic (1% O

Practice toward standardized performance testing of computer-aided detection algorithms for pulmonary nodule.

This study aimed at implementing practice to build a standardized protocol to test the performance of computer-aided detection (CAD) algorithms for pulmonary nodules. A test dataset was established according to a standardized procedure, including data collection, curation and annotation. Six types of pulmonary nodules were manually annotated as reference standard. Three specific rules to match algorithm output with reference standard were applied and compared. These rules included: (1) "center hit" [whether the center of algorithm highlighted region of interest (ROI) hit the ROI of reference standard]; (2) "center distance" (whether the distance between algorithm highlighted ROI center and reference standard center was below a certain threshold); (3) "area overlap" (whether the overlap between algorithm highlighted ROI and reference standard was above a certain threshold). Performance metrics were calculated and the results were compared among ten algorithms under test (AUTs). The test set currently consisted of CT sequences from 593 patients. Under "center hit" rule, the average recall rate, average precision, and average F1 score of ten algorithms under test were 54.68, 38.19, and 42.39%, respectively. Correspondingly, the results under "center distance" rule were 55.43, 38.69, and 42.96%, and the results under "area overlap" rule were 40.35, 27.75, and 31.13%. Among the six types of pulmonary nodules, the AUTs showed the highest miss rate for pure ground-glass nodules, with an average of 59.32%, followed by pleural nodules and solid nodules, with an average of 49.80 and 42.21%, respectively. The algorithm testing results changed along with specific matching methods adopted in the testing process. The AUTs showed uneven performance on different types of pulmonary nodules. This centralized testing protocol supports the comparison between algorithms with similar intended use, and helps evaluate algorithm performance.

Circular RNA circ_GLIS2 suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma growth and metastasis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of tumour-related death. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism of HCC by studying the function of circ_GLIS2. METHODS: Human HCC specimens and cell lines were used. Sanger sequencing, actinomycin D and RNase R treatment were performed to validate circular RNA features of circ_GLIS2. qRT-PCR, western blotting, immunostaining, and IHC were employed to examine levels of circ_GLIS2, GLIS2 mRNA, and EMT-related markers. CCK-8, colony formation, flow cytometry, wound healing assay, and transwell assays were performed to evaluate cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. RIP and RNA pull-down assay were used to validate EIF4A3/GLIS2 mRNA interaction. MSP was performed to measure the methylation status of GLIS2 promoter. Nude mouse xenograft model was used to examine tumour growth and metastasis in vivo. RESULTS: Circ_GLIS2 and linear GLIS2 mRNA were reduced in human HCC tissues and cells. Their low levels correlated with a poor survival rate of HCC patients. Overexpression of circ_GLIS2 and GLIS2 suppressed HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but promoted cell apoptosis. GLIS2 promoter region was hypermethylated in HCC cells. EIF4A3 was directly bound with GLIS2 mRNA and promoted circ_GLIS2/GLIS2 expression. Moreover, overexpression of circ_GLIS2 restrained HCC tumour growth and metastasis in vivo. CONCLUSION: Circ_GLIS2 suppresses HCC growth and metastasis by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, but promoting cell apoptosis. These findings provide molecular insights into the mechanism of HCC and indicate that circ_GLIS2 could serve as a diagnosis marker or therapeutic target for HCC.

Discussion on Role of Macrophage Polarization in Inflammation of Heart Failure Based on Yin-yang Theory / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Inflammation is the key pathogenic feature of heart failure （HF）， and its overexpression can cause myocardial hypertrophy， apoptosis and fibrosis， aggravating the process of HF. Macrophages are important immune cells in human body with high heterogeneity， which involve in inflammation response and maintain heart homeostasis. Macrophage polarization is a dynamic process. Under the stimulation of different microenvironment， it can polarize two subsets， including classically activated M1 type and alternatively activated M2 type， which are antagonistic to each other. When macrophages polarize into the pro-inflammatory phenotype （M1）， the inflammatory response is initiated， the anti-inflammatory phenotype （M2） plays a role in inhibiting inflammation and repairing tissue. At the same time， in different stages of development of HF， M1 and M2 macrophages can be transformed into each other， which is similar to the connotation of Yin-yang restriction， balance and transformation of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） theory. Based on this， this paper intends to clarify the relationship between M1 and M2 macrophages by Yin-yang theory， proposing that the clinical prevention and treatment of HF should pay attention to regulating micro and macro inflammatory responses， regulating macrophage polarization， and achieving the balance between anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammation， which is consistent with the balance of Yin-yang in TCM theory. It can provide a new target and direction for TCM treatment of HF.

Artificial tumor microenvironment regulated by first hemorrhage for enhanced tumor targeting and then occlusion for synergistic bioactivation of hypoxia-sensitive platesomes

The unique characteristics of the tumor microenvironment (TME) could be exploited to develop antitumor nanomedicine strategies. However, in many cases, the actual therapeutic effect is far from reaching our expectations due to the notable tumor heterogeneity. Given the amplified characteristics of TME regulated by vascular disrupting agents (VDAs), nanomedicines may achieve unexpected improved efficacy. Herein, we fabricate platelet membrane-fusogenic liposomes (PML/DP&PPa), namely "platesomes", which actively load the hypoxia-activated pro-prodrug DMG-PR104A (DP) and physically encapsulate the photosensitizer pyropheophorbide a (PPa). Considering the different stages of tumor vascular collapse and shutdown induced by a VDA combretastatin-A4 phosphate (CA4P), PML/DP&PPa is injected 3 h after intraperitoneal administration of CA4P. First, CA4P-mediated tumor hemorrhage amplifies the enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect, and the platesome-biological targeting further promotes the tumor accumulation of PML/DP&PPa. Besides, CA4P-induced vascular occlusion inhibits oxygen supply, followed by photodynamic therapy-caused acute tumor hypoxia. This prolonged extreme hypoxia contributes to the complete activation of DP and then high inhibitory effect on tumor growth and metastasis. Thus, such a combining strategy of artificially-regulated TME and bio-inspired platesomes pronouncedly improves tumor drug delivery and boosts tumor hypoxia-selective activation, and provides a preferable solution to high-efficiency cancer therapy.

Core Decompression with Local Administration of Zoledronate and Enriched Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells for Treatment of Non-Traumatic Osteonecrosis of Femoral Head.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of core decompression (CD) with local administration of zoledronate and enriched bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCS) for the treatment of non-traumatic osteonecrosis of femoral head (ONFH). METHODS: A total of 17 patients (30 hips) diagnosed with stage II and III ONFH according to the 2019 revised Association for Research on Osseous Circulation (ARCO) staging criteria from 2012 to 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. The patients received the following therapy: the BMMCs and zoledronate were injected into the necrotic zone, respectively, along with CD. The mean age of the patients was 36.8 years; 14 were men and three were women. All patients included had non-traumatic ONFH and a minimum follow-up of 5 years, which ended when total hip arthroplasty (THA) was performed. Imaging modalities, including plain radiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were taken pre- and postoperatively. Harris hip score (HHS) was used to evaluate the functional outcomes of femoral head necrosis. Kaplan-Meier analysis was adopted to determine the probability of survivorship with THA as the end point in this series of patients. The correlation between radiological progression or THA and related risk factors were further analyzed. All complications were recorded. RESULTS: With THA as the follow-up endpoint, All patients were followed up for an average of 69.1 ± 20.5 months (range, 18-95 months). Preoperative imaging found six hips (20%) at ARCO stage II, 14 hips (46.7%) at stage IIIA, 10 hips (33.3%) at stage IIIB. Fourteen hips (46.7%) shown progression radiologically, while six hips (20%) underwent TKA among these patients with hip preservation. The cumulative survival was 80% (95% CI, 0.608-905) at 5 years with THA as the end point. HHS improved from 63.3 ± 8.7 preoperatively to 74.6 ± 20.6 postoperatively (P = 0.000). Radiological progression was found to be associated with ARCO stage, Japanese Investigation Committee (JIC) type, and corticosteroid exposure (P = 0.047; P = 0.012; P = 0.031). However, no correlation was found between conversion to THA and the known risk factors. No major complication was reported, with only four patients complaining about general weakness and muscle soreness, and all disappeared within 2-3 days. CONCLUSIONS: The novel treatment modality could relieve pain, delay the progression of collapse, which might be an effective and safe method for hip preservation of early and mid-term ONFH. However, the effect of this method may be related to ARCO stage, JIC type, and corticosteroid exposure.

Three-Dimensional Distribution of Bone-Resorption Lesions in Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head Based on the Three-Pillar Classification.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate three-dimensional distribution of bone-resorptive lesions based on the three-pillar classification and its effect on the disease progression of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). METHODS: A total of 194 femoral head CT images from 117 patients diagnosed with ARCO stage II and III ONFH were retrospectively reviewed from April 2014 to February 2019. Three-dimensional structures of the femoral head and the bone-resorptive lesions were reconstructed. Using the three-pillar classification and coronal plane of the femoral head, we divided each femoral head into six regions to observe the location characteristics of bone-resorption lesions, and explore the destruction of different areas of the femoral head by the bone-resorptive lesions. Then the hips were divided into two groups based on whether they contained bone-resorption lesions and compared the difference of stage II and stage III between the two groups. RESULTS: The regional distribution revealed 39 (27.27%), 55 (38.46%), six (4.20%), 23 (16.08%), 17 (11.89%) and three (2.10%) bone-resorptive lesions in regions I, II, III, IV, V and VI respectively. The lateral pillar, AL (I + IV), contained 44.76% of the lesions, central pillar, C (II + V), 48.95%, and medial pillar, M (III + VI), 6.29%. Moreover, there were 81.82% bone-resorption lesions in anterolateral pillar, AL (I + II + IV), and 18.18% in posteromedial pillar, PM (III + V + VI). In all ONFH hips, the lateral pillar of 81(88.04%) femoral heads were affected, the central pillar of 84 (91.30%) femoral heads were affected, and the medical pillar of 29 (31.52%) femoral heads were affected. The ratio of ARCO stage III in the group with bone-resorption lesions was significantly higher than that of the group without bone-resorption lesions (76.09% vs 30.39%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the bone-resorption lesions are mainly distributed in the lateral and central pillar of the femoral head, and the two pillars of the femoral head are usually involved by bone-resorption lesions. Furthermore, the ratio of ARCO stage III in the group with bone-resorption lesions was significantly higher than that of the group without bone-resorption lesions, suggesting that the bone-resorption lesions might accelerate the progression of ONFH.

Recombinant human epidermal growth factor combined with vacuum sealing drainage for wound healing in Bama pigs.

BACKGROUND: Vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) both play an important role in the treatment of wounds. This study aims to explore the effects of the combination of VSD and EGF on wound healing and the optimal concentration and time of EGF. METHODS: We tested the proliferation and migration capacity of HaCaT and L929 cells at different EGF concentrations (0, 1, 5, 10, and 100 ng/ml) and different EGF action times (2, 10, and 30 min). A full-thickness skin defect model was established using male, 30-week-old Bama pigs. The experiment included groups as follows: routine dressing change after covering with sterile auxiliary material (Control), continuous negative pressure drainage of the wound (VSD), continuous negative pressure drainage of the wound and injection of EGF 10 min followed by removal by continuous lavage (V + E 10 min), and continuous negative pressure drainage of the wound and injection of EGF 30 min followed by removal by continuous lavage (V + E 30 min). The wound healing rate, histological repair effect and collagen deposition were compared among the four groups. RESULTS: An EGF concentration of 10 ng/ml and an action time of 10 min had optimal effects on the proliferation and migration capacities of HaCaT and L929 cells. The drug dispersion effect was better than drug infusion after bolus injection effect, and the contact surface was wider. Compared with other groups, the V + E 10 min group promoted wound healing to the greatest extent and obtained the best histological score. CONCLUSIONS: A recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF) concentration of 10 ng/ml can promote the proliferation and migration of epithelial cells and fibroblasts to the greatest extent in vitro. VSD combined with rhEGF kept in place for 10 min and then washed, can promote wound healing better than the other treatments in vivo.

Bioinformatic analysis of cytokine expression in the proximal and distal nerve stumps after peripheral nerve injury.

In our previous study, we investigated the dynamic expression of cytokines in the distal nerve stumps after peripheral nerve injury using microarray analysis, which can characterize the dynamic expression of proteins. In the present study, we used a rat model of right sciatic nerve transection to examine changes in the expression of cytokines at 1, 7, 14 and 28 days after injury using protein microarray analysis. Interleukins were increased in the distal nerve stumps at 1-14 days post nerve transection. However, growth factors and growth factor-related proteins were mainly upregulated in the proximal nerve stumps. The P-values of the inflammatory response, apoptotic response and cell-cell adhesion in the distal stumps were higher than those in the proximal nerve stumps, but the opposite was observed for angiogenesis. The number of cytokines related to axons in the distal stumps was greater than that in the proximal stumps, while the percentage of cytokines related to axons in the distal stumps was lower than that in the proximal nerve stumps. Visualization of the results revealed the specific expression patterns and differences in cytokines in and between the proximal and distal nerve stumps. Our findings offer potential therapeutic targets and should help advance the development of clinical treatments for peripheral nerve injury. Approval for animal use in this study was obtained from the Animal Ethics Committee of the Chinese PLA General Hospital on September 7, 2016 (approval No. 2016-x9-07).

11ß­hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase­1 is associated with the activation of hepatic stellate cells in the development of hepatic fibrosis.

Hepatic fibrosis (HF) is a common complication of numerous chronic liver diseases, but predominantly results from persistent liver inflammation or injury. If left untreated, HF can progress and develop into liver cirrhosis and even hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of HF remain unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the role of 11ß­hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase­1 (11ß­HSD1) during the development of hepatic fibrosis. An experimental rat model of liver fibrosis was induced using porcine serum. 11ß­HSD1 gene expression levels and enzyme activity during hepatic fibrogenesis were assessed. 11ß­HSD1 gene knockdown using small interfering RNA and overexpression were performed in LX2­human hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). HSCs were stimulated with transforming growth factor­ß1 (TGF­ß1). Cell cycle distribution, proliferation, collagen secretion and 11ß­HSD1 gene activity in HSCs were compared before and after stimulation. As hepatic fibrosis progressed, 11ß­HSD1 gene expression and activity increased, indicating a positive correlation with typical markers of liver fibrosis. 11ß­HSD1 inhibition markedly reduced the degree of fibrosis. The cell proliferation was increased, the number of cells in the G0/G1 phase decreased and the number of cells in the S and G2/M phases increased in the pSuper transfected group compared with the N group. In addition, the overexpression of 11ß­HSD1 enhanced the TGF­ß1­induced activation of LX2­HSCs and enzyme activity of connective tissue growth factor. 11ß­HSD1 knockdown suppressed cell proliferation by blocking the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle, which was associated with HSC stimulation and inhibition of 11ß­HSD1 enzyme activity. In conclusion, increased 11ß­HSD1 expression in the liver may be partially responsible for hepatic fibrogenesis, which is potentially associated with HSC activation and proliferation.

Study on in vitro performance verification protocol for left ventricular assist device.

OBJECTIVE: In vitro performance verification of ventricular assist devices using a mock circulatory loop is a prominent step to guarantee the system responses and the device performance and safety before the in vivo tests and ultimately clinical trials. METHODS: In this article, we performed a comprehensive literature research to establish a verification matrix consisting of 12 test cases, defined by a set of physiological parameters which are commonly used to characterize a physiological condition. The clinical hemodynamic indicators for defining successful mechanical support were used as the acceptance criteria. A mock circulatory loop was customized to simulate the test cases, and a full verification protocol was described in details. An example left ventricular assist device was incorporated in the loop to accomplish a standard ventricular assist device performance verification. RESULT: The test cases based on clinical data with sufficient safety margin represent our understanding in defining the extremes of operation. The mock circulatory loop was capable of generating the test conditions in the verification matrix and reproducing the Frank-Starling law of the native heart. The effect of the left ventricular assist device assistance (characterized by the total systemic flow, mean aortic pressure, and left atrial pressure) was well verified by the proposed protocol and acceptance criteria. CONCLUSION: To date, all left ventricular assist devices made in China have been evaluated according this protocol and some of them have entered the clinical trial stage. We are closely observing the clinical data in order to further improve the performance of the platform and encourage more advances in mechanical circulatory assist devices.

Antitumor effect of recombinant mouse interleukin-33 in mice / 中国药科大学学报

@#To explore the effect of IL-33 on various tumor types,exogenous injection of recombinant mouse IL-33 protein (mIL-33) was used to study the efficacy of different subcutaneous tumor-bearing mouse models. In this study,mIL-33 has been found to significantly inhibit the growth of liver,lung,gastric,prostate,and colon cancers. However,the inhibition of tumor growth by mIL-33 was not completely consistent in different types of tumor. A lower dose of mIL-33 (10 μg/kg) significantly inhibited tumor growth in subcutaneous tumor-bearing mice of liver,lung,and gastric cancers,while a higher dose of mIL-33 (90 μg/kg) was required to exert the corresponding antitumor effect in subcutaneous tumor-bearing mouse models with prostate and colon cancers. In addition,the growth inhibitory effect of mIL-33 on subcutaneous tumors of colon cancer was also correlated with the duration of administration and the stage of tumor progression. The results of this study indicate that mIL-33 significantly inhibits the growth of a variety of tumors,suggesting that IL-33 might be an effective target for tumor treatment.

Chronic epididymitis and leptin and their associations with semen characteristics in men with infertility.

PROBLEM: The aim of this study was to ascertain the associations between serum leptin levels and chronic epididymitis and semen parameters in patients with infertility. METHOD OF STUDY: A total of 846 patients who were diagnosed as primary infertility were enrolled and divided into four groups. The general information, blood lipids, reproductive hormones, and semen parameters were collected. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves of leptin were plotted for diagnosis of the poor sperm quality. We used Student's t test and the chi-squared test to analyze their relationships and used logistic regression analysis to evaluate potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Receiver operating characteristic curve revealed that leptin had better sensitivity and specificity at the concentration of 6.02 (0.565 and 0.917). Isolated epididymitis or elevated leptin had no effect on sperm concentration and sperm membrane function, but the combination of these conditions would reduce the concentration and normal morphology rate both (P = 0.002, P = 0.005). Epididymitis or elevated leptin can affect the motility of sperms, the former presented more significance (P = 0.000), and the co-existence would further reduce the sperm motility (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Low sperm motility and sperm normal morphology were found to be associated with chronic epididymitis and high leptin. Simultaneously suffering from chronic epididymitis and high leptin could produce a more serious effect on sperm quality.