Study on spleen strengthening effects and mechanisms of Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana / 中国药理学通报

Aim To analyze the differences in plasma biomarkers and metabolic pathways between Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana after intervention in spleen deficiency rats, and discuss the spleen strengthening mechanism of the two from a non targeted metabolomics perspective. Methods A spleen deficiency model was established in SD rats using a composite factor method of improper diet, excessive fatigue, and bitter cold diarrhea. To determine the content of gastrointestinal and immunological indicators, UHPLC-QE-MS technology was used, combined with principal component analysis (PC A) and orthogonal projections to latent structures-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) methods to search for biomarkers in plasma of spleen deficiency rats, and metabolic pathways were induced using the Pathway database. Results After administration of Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana, various indicators in plasma of spleen deficiency rats showed varying degrees of regression. Metabolomics analysis showed that Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana respectively recalled 70 and 82 plasma differential metabolites. Atractylodes chinensis mainly regulated two metabolic pathways : "Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, and "Thiamine metabolism". Atractylodes coreana mainly regulated five metabolic pathways, "Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism", "Thiamine metabolism, "Pyrimidine metabolism", "Butanoate metabolism", and "Riboflavin metabolism". Conclusions Both Atractylodes chinensis and Atractylodes coreana have certain regulatory effects on spleen deficiency rats, and their mechanism of action may be related to regulating metabolic pathways such as "Glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism, and "Thiamine metabolism"in spleen deficiency.

The role of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB in the protective effect of ulinastatin on the intestinal mucosal barrier in mice with sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB (Toll-like receptor 4/myeloid differentiation factor/nuclear factor kappa B) signalling pathway on the protective effect of ulinastatin on the intestinal mucosal barrier in mice with sepsis. METHODS: A mouse model of sepsis was established by classical caecal ligation and perforation. Forty-four SPF C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into the following four groups with 11 mice in each group: the control group (Con group), ulinastatin group (Uti group), Uti + LPS (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) group (Uti + LPS group) and LPS group. Mice in the Con group and Uti group received saline or ulinastatin injected 2 h after modelling; Mice in the Uti + LPS group received LPS injected 0 h after modelling, other procedures were the same as in the Uti group; Mice in the LPS group received LPS only. At 48 h after surgery, the levels of TNF-α (tumour necrosis factor-α, TNF-α), IL-6 (interleukin-6, IL-6) and IL-1ß (interleukin-1ß, IL-1ß) in vein, and the expression of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB mRNA in small intestinal mucosa tissues using ELISA and RT‒PCR. RESULTS: The pathological specimens showed increased inflammatory injury in the Con and LPS groups, while these injuries and changes improved in the Uti group. The scores of intestinal mucosal injury at 48 h of Uti injection were significantly lower than those of the Con group (P < 0.001), while the scores of intestinal mucosal injury of Uti + LPS were significantly higher than those of the Uti group (P = 0.044). The expression of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß in the Uti decreased significantly at 48 h after surgery than that in the Con group (P = 0.001, P = 0.014, P = 0.004), while the expression of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1ß in the Uti + LPS group increased significantly after surgery than that in the Uti group (P = 0.026, P = 0.040, P = 0.039). The expression of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB mRNA in the Uti group decreased significantly compared with that in the Con group (P = 0.001, P = 0.021, P = 0.007), while the expression of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB mRNA in the Uti + LPS group was higher than that in the Uti group (P = 0.023, P = 0.040, P = 0.045). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the protective effect of ulinastatin on the intestinal mucosal barrier against sepsis may be mediated through the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.

High endothelial venules proportion in tertiary lymphoid structure is a prognostic marker and correlated with anti-tumor immune microenvironment in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: High endothelial venules (HEV) and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) are associated with clinical outcomes of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, because HEV are components of TLS, there have been few studies of the role of the HEV proportion in TLS (HEV/TLS). This study investigated the role of the HEV/TLS and its relationship with the tumor immune microenvironment in CRC. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 203 cases of tissue pathologically diagnosed as CRC after general surgery was performed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University from January 2014 to July 2017. Paraffin sections were obtained from the paracancerous intestinal mucosal tissues. The area of HEV and TLS and immune cells were detected by immunohistochemistry. We further divided the positive HEV expression group into the high HEV/TLS group and the low HEV/TLS group by the average area of HEV/TLS. After grouping, the data were also analyzed using the chi-square test, Kaplan-Meier method, and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional risk regression analyses. A correlation analysis of the HEV/TLS and immune cells as well as angiogenesis was performed. RESULTS: Patients with a high HEV/TLS in CRC tissue were associated with longer OS, DFS and lower TNM stage. Meanwhile, CRC tissue with a high HEV/TLS showed a greater ability to recruit the CD3+ T cells, CD8+ T cells and M1 macrophages and correlated with less angiogenesis. Conclusively, high HEV/TLS links to the favorable prognosis of CRC patients and correlated with anti-tumor immune microenvironment, which can be a potential biomarker for prognosis of CRC patients. CONCLUSION: A high HEV/TLS is associated with a favorable prognosis for CRC and is correlated with the anti-tumor immune microenvironment. Therefore, it is a potential biomarker of the CRC prognosis.KEY MESSAGESHigh HEV/TLS is associated with a favorable prognosis for CRC.High HEV/TLS correlated with the anti-tumor immune microenvironment of CRC and can serve as a novel prognostic biomarker.

Effect of miRNA-193b-5p-mediated decreased expression of transcriptional regulator CITED2 on melanogenesis / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of miRNA (miR) -193b-5p on melanogenesis and its possible mechanisms.Methods:Human primary melanocytes were isolated from discarded normal foreskin tissues of healthy males after circumcision, and cultured in vitro. miR-NC mimics (miR-NC mimic group) and miR-193b-5p mimics (miR-193b-5p mimic group) were transfected into human primary melanocytes and human MNT1 melanoma cells, separately. After transfection, real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to determine the overexpression efficiency of miR-193b-5p at 48 hours, Western blot analysis to determine the expression of melanogenesis-related proteins tyrosinase (TYR) and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) in human primary melanocytes and human MNT1 melanoma cells at 72 hours, and the melanin content in the above cells was determined by a sodium hydroxide solubilization method at 1 week. The target gene of miR-193b-5p was predicted by using Targetscan algorithms and verified by dual-luciferase reporter assay, and RT-qPCR and Western blot analysis were performed to analyze changes in mRNA and protein expression of the target gene respectively after the overexpression of miR-193b-5p. Two-independent-samples t test was used for comparisons between two groups. Results:In human primary melanocytes and human MNT1 melanoma cells, the miR-193b-5p expression levels were significantly higher in the miR-193b-5p mimic groups than in the miR-NC mimic groups ( t = 65.57, 22.49, respectively, both P < 0.001) , and the melanin content was significantly lower in the miR-193b-5p mimic groups (0.091 ± 0.007, 0.130 ± 0.004, respectively) than in the miR-NC mimic groups (0.117 ± 0.002, 0.188 ± 0.032, t = 5.98, 3.24, P < 0.01, < 0.05, respectively) . Western blot analysis showed that the expression of melanogenesis-related proteins TYR and MITF in both human primary melanocytes and human MNT1 melanoma cells was significantly lower in the miR-193b-5p mimic groups than in the miR-NC mimic groups (all P < 0.01) . TargetScan analysis and dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed a binding site for miR-193b-5p in the 3′ untranslated region of the transcriptional regulator CITED2. After up-regulation of miR-193b-5p expression in human primary melanocytes and human MNT1 melanoma cells, the CITED2 mRNA and protein expression levels significantly decreased compared with the miR-NC mimic groups (all P < 0.05) . Conclusion:miR-193b-5p overexpression can down-regulate the expression of melanogenesis-related proteins TYR and MITF, and then inhibit melanogenesis, which may be related to the targeted inhibition of CITED2 expression.

BRICS report of 2021: The distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical bacterial isolates from blood stream infections in China / 中华临床感染病杂志

Objective:To report the results of national surveillance on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical bacterial isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2021.Methods:The clinical bacterial strains isolated from blood culture from member hospitals of Blood Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System (BRICS) were collected during January 2021 to December 2021. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). WHONET 5.6 was used to analyze data.Results:During the study period, 11 013 bacterial strains were collected from 51 hospitals, of which 2 782 (25.3%) were Gram-positive bacteria and 8 231 (74.7%) were Gram-negative bacteria. The top 10 bacterial species were Escherichia coli (37.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (18.9%), Staphylococcus aureus (9.8%), coagulase-negative Staphylococci (6.3%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (3.6%), Enterococcus faecium (3.6%), Acinetobacter baumannii (2.8%), Enterococcus faecalis (2.7%), Enterobacter cloacae (2.5%) and Klebsiella spp (2.1%). The prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococcus aureus were 25.3% and 76.8%, respectively. No glycopeptide- and daptomycin-resistant Staphylococci was detected; more than 95.0% of Staphylococcus aureus were sensitive to ceftobiprole. No vancomycin-resistant Enterococci strains were detected. The rates of extended spectrum B-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolated in Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus mirabilis were 49.6%, 25.5% and 39.0%, respectively. The prevalence rates of carbapenem-resistance in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were 2.2% and 15.8%, respectively; 7.9% of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae was resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam combination. Ceftobiprole demonstrated excellent activity against non-ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Aztreonam/avibactam was highly active against carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The prevalence rate of carbapenem-resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii was 60.0%, while polymyxin and tigecycline showed good activity against Acinetobacter baumannii (5.5% and 4.5%). The prevalence of carbapenem-resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa was 18.9%. Conclusions:The BRICS surveillance results in 2021 shows that the main pathogens of blood stream infection in China are gram-negative bacteria, in which Escherichia coli is the most common. The MRSA incidence shows a further decreasing trend in China and the overall prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci is low. The prevalence of Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae is still on a high level, but the trend is downwards.

Spatial Distribution of Parvalbumin-Positive Fibers in the Mouse Brain and Their Alterations in Mouse Models of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Parkinson's Disease / 神经科学通报·英文版

Parvalbumin interneurons belong to the major types of GABAergic interneurons. Although the distribution and pathological alterations of parvalbumin interneuron somata have been widely studied, the distribution and vulnerability of the neurites and fibers extending from parvalbumin interneurons have not been detailly interrogated. Through the Cre recombinase-reporter system, we visualized parvalbumin-positive fibers and thoroughly investigated their spatial distribution in the mouse brain. We found that parvalbumin fibers are widely distributed in the brain with specific morphological characteristics in different regions, among which the cortex and thalamus exhibited the most intense parvalbumin signals. In regions such as the striatum and optic tract, even long-range thick parvalbumin projections were detected. Furthermore, in mouse models of temporal lobe epilepsy and Parkinson's disease, parvalbumin fibers suffered both massive and subtle morphological alterations. Our study provides an overview of parvalbumin fibers in the brain and emphasizes the potential pathological implications of parvalbumin fiber alterations.

Blue Nevus Hidden within the Nevus of Ota / 中国医学科学杂志(英文版)

A 3-year-old boy presented with bluish patch and scattered blue spots on the left side of his face. After several sessions of laser treatment, the azury patch in the periorbital area became even darker. Histopathology showed many bipolar, pigment-laden dendritic cells scattered in the papillary and upper reticular dermis. Immunohistochemically, these cells were positive for S100, SOX-10, melan-A, P16, and HMB-45. The positive rate of Ki-67 was less than 5%. Finally, the lesion was diagnosed with nevus of Ota concurrent with common blue nevus. Therefore, for cases of the nevus of Ota with poor response to laser treatment, the possible coexisting diseases should be suspected.

Prevalence and treatment of anemia in chronic kidney disease patients based on regional medical big data / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To assess the prevalence, risk factors and treatment of anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Methods: A descriptive method was used to analyze the prevalence and treatment of anemia in CKD patients based on regional health data in Yinzhou District of Ningbo during 2012-2018. The multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent influence factors of anemia in the CKD patients. Results: In 52 619 CKD patients, 15 639 suffered from by anemia (29.72%), in whom 5 461 were men (26.41%) and 10 178 were women (31.87%), and anemia prevalence was higher in women than in men, the difference was significant (P<0.001). The prevalence of anemia increased with stage of CKD (24.77% in stage 1 vs. 69.42% in stage 5, trend χ2 test P<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that being women (aOR=1.57, 95%CI: 1.50-1.63), CKD stage (stage 2: aOR=1.10, 95%CI: 1.04-1.16;stage 3: aOR=2.28,95%CI: 2.12-2.44;stage 4: aOR=4.49,95%CI :3.79-5.32;stage 5: aOR=6.31,95%CI: 4.74-8.39), age (18-30 years old: aOR=2.40,95%CI: 2.24-2.57, 61-75 years old: aOR=1.35,95%CI:1.28-1.42, ≥76 years old: aOR=2.37,95%CI:2.20-2.55), BMI (<18.5 kg/m2:aOR=1.29,95%CI: 1.18-1.41;23.0-24.9 kg/m2:aOR=0.79,95%CI: 0.75-0.83;≥25.0 kg/m2:aOR=0.70,95%CI: 0.66-0.74), abdominal obesity (aOR=0.91, 95%CI: 0.86-0.96), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aOR=1.15, 95%CI: 1.09-1.22), cancer (aOR=3.03, 95%CI: 2.84-3.23), heart failure (aOR=1.44, 95%CI: 1.35-1.54) and myocardial infarction (aOR=1.54, 95%CI:1.16-2.04) were independent risk factors of anemia in CKD patients. Among stage 3-5 CKD patients with anemia, 12.03% received iron therapy, and 4.78% received treatment with erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) within 12 months after anemia was diagnosed. Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia in CKD patients was high in Yinzhou. However, the treatment rate of iron therapy and ESA were low. More attention should be paid to the anemia management and treatment in CKD patients.

Xanthones from Calophyllum Polyanthum Wallich ex Choisy with CYP1 Enzymes Inhibitory Activity.

Three new xanthone compounds, 1,3,5-trihydroxy-2-(2-hydroxy-3-methylbut-3-enyl)-4-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)xanthone (1), toxyloxanthone E (2), dehydrocycloguanandin B (3) along with 15 known xanthones (4-18) were isolated from the aerial parts of Calophyllum polyanthum Wall. ex Choisy. Their structures were fully characterised using spectroscopic data, as well as comparison with the previous literature data. All isolated compounds had inhibitory effects against CYP1A1, CYP1A2 and CYP1B1 enzymes at working concentration of 10 µM, 1 µM and 10 µM, respectively. Among them, compounds 10, 11, and 12 exhibited better CYP1A2 enzyme inhibitory effects than that of the positive control α-naphthoflavone, with 51.05 %, 56.82 % and 44.93 % inhibition, respectively.

A Comparative Study on Sedation Efficacy Between General and Regional Anesthesia with Dexmedetomidine in Patients Under Maxillofacial Surgery.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Securing the airway in the surgery of maxillofacial disorders and traumas is fundamental during the operation. The present study aims to investigate the beneficial sedative effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX) in patients who underwent maxillofacial surgery with regional anesthesia compared to general anesthesia. METHODS: Fifty patients, aged 20-45 years old were randomly divided into two groups of regional anesthesia (RA) and general anesthesia (GA) (each n=25). The group RA received regional block with sedation (DEX: 1 µg/kg infused over 10 min followed by the maintenance dose of 0.5 µg/kg/h) and the group GA underwent general anesthesia (DEX: 0.1 µg/kg/min over 10 min followed by 0.4-0.7 µg/kg/h). Postoperative pain scores, anesthesia outcomes, hemodynamic parameters, the time of the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) discharge and intra and postoperative complications were comparatively assessed in both groups. RESULTS: The baseline characteristics of the patients (age, gender, BMI, and ASA physical status) showed no differences between the two groups (P>0.05). Although the duration of surgery and recovery time showed no differences between the groups, the duration of anesthesia and extubation time was remarkably lower in the RA group than in the GA group (P<0.01). Administration of nerve blocks demonstrated less pain and longer sleep time in the postoperative phase as compared to the GA group. Heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure were significantly less in the RA group at the end of the loading dose of DEX and incision time (P<0.05). SpO2, respiration rate and Ramsay sedation scale did not exhibit any significant differences between the two groups at all-time points (P>0.05). No significant differences were observed with regard to the adverse events between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although our findings revealed that both methods are suitable and safe methods for maxillofacial surgery, the outcomes of anesthesia with regional block and sedation include less pain in the postoperative phase, shorter extubation time and earlier discharge from the PACU demonstrated that this method is more reliable for maxillofacial surgery. Further controlled studies are needed to compare the effectiveness and safety profiles of two RA and GA techniques and also to compare DEX with other anesthetic agents to achieve optimum outcomes in maxillofacial surgeries.

A Variant of IL1B Is Associated with the Risk and Blood Lipid Levels of Myocardial Infarction in Eastern Chinese Individuals.

In this study, we determined to interpret the effects of the interleukin (IL)1B gene rs1143634 C/T polymorphism on myocardial infarction (MI) risk. This study, conducted in a Chinese Han population, recruited 369 MI patients and 465 controls. The variant of IL1B gene (rs1143634 C/T polymorphism) was genotyped by PCR-RFLP method. In this study, a significant link was shown between the IL1B rs1143634 C/T polymorphism and MI risk. We found that the IL1B rs1143634 C/T polymorphism enhanced the risk of MI in this population. Subgroup analysis detected that the IL1B rs1143634 C/T polymorphism associated with MI susceptibility in males, smokers, and individuals with diabetes mellitus. In addition, the IL1B rs1143634 C/T polymorphism was related with the levels of blood lipids including low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and total cholesterol (TC). This study uncovers that the IL1B rs1143634 C/T polymorphism may associate with the risk and blood lipid levels of MI in an Eastern Chinese Han population.Abbreviations: MI: myocardial infarction; IL-1: Interleukin-1; SNP: single nucleotide polymorphism; BMI: Body Mass Index; HDL: high-density lipoprotein; TC: total cholesterol; TG: triglyceride; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; PCR: polymerase chain reaction; 95% CI: 95% confidence interval; OR: odds ratio.

A clinical outcomes assessment tool based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective:To confirm items included in a tool for assessing clinical outcomes based on International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Rehabilitation Set.Methods:The item pool was established based on the ICF Rehabilitation Set. Then 15 experts were invited to participate in three rounds of expert Delphi consensus-building to choose items with high importance in assessing clinical outcomes. The reliability of the tool was examined by analyzing the experts′ positive coefficients, authority coefficients and degree of agreement.Results:The assessment tool which emerged from the three rounds comprised 17 items, including 8 Body Functions items (b130 Energy and drive functions, b134 Sleep functions, b152 Emotional functions, b280 Sensation of pain, b455 Exercise tolerance functions, b620 Urination functions, b710 Mobility of joint functions and b730 Muscle power functions), d230 Carrying out daily routine from General Tasks and Demands, 3 Mobility items (d410 Changing basic body position, d450 Walking and d465 Moving around using equipment), 4 Self-care items (d510 Washing oneself, d530 Toileting, d540 Dressing and d550 Eating) and 1 item of Interpersonal Interactions and Relationships (d710 Basic interpersonal interactions). All had 100% positive coefficients after the three rounds, with an authority coefficient of 0.81 and coefficients of variation between 0.054 and 0.412.Conclusion:The assessment tool constructed in this study provides a new direction for quality control in clinical practice and medical insurance assessments.

Qualitative research on the elements of the diversified caring bank framework system based on long-term care insurance system / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To explore the elements of the diversified caring bank based on long-term care insurance system to provide a basis for the construction of diversified caring bank framework system.Methods:The phenomenological research method was adopted to conduct semi-structured interviews with 15 nursing management personnel in pension institutions in Suzhou and Suzhou long-term care insurance policy implementation management personnel in March to May 2021. NVivo 11 was used to manage interview data, and applied Colaizzi 7-step analysis to conduct inductive analysis and extract the themes.Results:The elements of the diversified caring bank based on long-term care insurance system were divided into three main modules: diversified caring personnel, diversified caring content and diversified incentive measures. The diversified caring personnel module included full-time and part-time caring personnel. Diversified caring content included six elements: daily life assistance, professional life caring, professional medical caring, communication and emotional support, emergency caring and special disease caring. Diversified incentive measures module included two elements: labor currency and "benefit" care currency.Conclusions:The diversified caring personnel provides continuous power for disabled caring; diversified caring content provides ways to meet the various needs of the disabled elderly; diverse incentives are effective ways to attract and stabilize the caring workforce.

Opportunities and challenges of long-term care in China--from time bank to diversified caring bank / 中国实用护理杂志

Long-term care is a long-term guarantee mechanism to meet the care needs of the old adults and ensure the quality of life. Among them, the professionalism and stability of the care team is a key factor to ensure the development of long-term care work. This paper analyzes the possible reasons for slow development of time bank with volunteers as the main body in the process of localization, and constructs a new model of diversified caring bank from the construction of care team, so as to promote the high-quality and sustainable development of long-term care in China.

Effects of LEF1 and CTNNB1 on cycle arrest, apoptosis and radiation resistance of esophageal carcinoma cells / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To investigate the relationship between the expression level of lymphocyte enhancer-binding factor 1(LEF1) and CTNNB1 and the cycle arrest, apoptosis and radiation resistance of esophageal cancer cells and unravel the related mechanisms.Methods:Recombinantplasmids and empty plasmids expressing LEF1 and CTNNB1were constructed and transfected into esophageal cancer cells. RT-PCR assay was used to detect the transfection efficiency of the plasmids. Clone formation assay, CCK8 assay, cell cycle test by flow cytometry, apoptosis test by flow cytometry and Western blot were performed to detect the differences in theradioresistance, proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of esophageal cancer cells before and after transfection.Results:The survival rate of clonal colony cells in the pGEX-LEF1+ pCMV6-CTNNB1 group was significantly better than those in other groups ( P<0.05). The proliferation of clonal colony cellsat 72 h, 96 h and 120 h in the pGEX-LEF1+ pCMV6-CTNNB1 group was significantly better than those in the pGEX+ pCMV6, pGEX-LEF1+ pCMV6 and pCMV6-CTNNB1+ pGEX groups (all P<0.05). The percentage of G 2 phase arrest cells in the pGEX-LEF1+ pCMV6-CTNNB1 group was significantly higher than those in the other groups (all P<0.05). The apoptosis rate of esophageal cancer cells in the pGEX-LEF1+ pCMV6-CTNNB1 group was significantly lower compared with those in the pGEX+ pCMV6, pGEX-LEF1+ pCMV6 and pCMV6-CTNNB1+ pGEX groups (all P<0.05). The expression levels of Bax and Caspase 3 proteins in the pGEX-LEF1+ pCMV6-CTNNB1 group were significantly lower than those in the pGEX+ pCMV6, pGEX-LEF1+ pCMV6 and pCMV6-CTNNB1+ pGEX groups (all P<0.05). The expression level of Bcl-2 protein in the pGEX-LEF1+ pCMV6-CTNNB1 group was significantly higher compared with those in the other groups (all P<0.05). Conclusion:LEF1 and CTNNB1 can regulate the proliferation and G 2 phase arrest of esophageal cancer cells after radiation intervention by mediating the Wnt signaling pathway, and improve the radiation resistance of esophageal cancer cells by inhibiting cell apoptosis.

A qualitative study on the experience and feeling of home care aides who take part in nighttime caring / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To explore the experience and true feeling of home care aides during nighttime caring at the first beginning stage of this program, find the difficulty of it and provide constructive suggestions for improvement.Methods:Semi-structed interviews were used to collect the data of 16 home care aides who were taking part in nighttime caring. Colaizzi phenomenological analysis was used to process and analyze the data.Results:Three themes were extracted by classifying and analyzing the details of the interview: the service content of nighttime care was easy, but had many constraint conditions; the caregivers had diversified emotional experience during nighttime care; the elderly would like to enjoy nighttime care, but they were unwilling to pay by themselves.Conclusions:Nighttime caring project deepens the service content of home-based care. But the nighttime care project needs to be standardized. We should establish risk prevention measures to guarantee the benefit and security of both home caregivers and care-receivers, changing the opinions of consumption among the elderly, increasing the amount of subsidy to enlarge the expansion of nighttime care and improve the equality of this caring program.

Differentially expressed mRNAs and their upstream miR-491-5p in patients with coronary atherosclerosis as well as the function of miR-491-5p in vascular smooth muscle cells

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression and are biomarkers for coronary atherosclerosis (AS). A novel miRNA-mRNA regulation network of coronary AS still needs to be disclosed. The aim of this study was to analyze potential mRNAs in coronary AS patients and the role of their upstream miR-491-5p in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We first confirmed top ten mRNAs according to the analysis from Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE132651) and examined the expression levels of them in the plaques and serum from AS patients. Five mRNAs (UBE2G2, SLC16A3, POLR2C, PNO1, and AMDHD2) presented significantly abnormal expression in both plaques and serum from AS patients, compared with that in the control groups.Subsequently, they were predicted to be targeted by 11 miRNAs by bioinformatics analysis. Among all the potential upstream miRNAs, only miR-491-5p was abnormally expressed in the plaques and serum from AS patients. Notably, miR-491-5p overexpression inhibited viability and migration, and significantly increased the expression of contractile markers (α-SMA, calponin, SM22α, and smoothelin) in VSMCs. While silencing miR-491-5p promoted viability and migration, and significantly suppressed the expression of α-SMA, calponin, SM22α, and smoothelin. Overall, miR-491-5p targeted UBE2G2, SLC16A3, and PNO1 and regulated the dysfunctions in VSMCs.

Esketamine reduces inflammatory damage in HT22 cells and ferroptosis mechanisms / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effect of esketamine(ESK)on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced damage to HT22 cells(mouse hippocampal neuron cells)and the underlying mechanism. Methods After ESK pretreatment for 2 h and then LPS treatment for 24 h, Western blot was used to detect high mobility group box-1(HMGB1), long chain acyl CoA synthetase 4(ACSL4), prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2(PTGS2), transferrin receptor 1(TFR1), ferroportin(FPN)and ferritin expression. ELISA was used to detect the expression of inflammatory protein interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α). DHE fluorescent was probed to detect the changes in intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS). MDA kit was used to detect intracellular lipid oxidation levels. FerroOrange fluorescent was probed to detect intracellular divalent iron ion levels. Electron microscopy was used to observe the changes in mitochondrial ultrastructure. Results Compared with the normal group, the levels of ROS, lipid peroxidation and Fe

MitoQ inhibits hepatic stellate cell activation and liver fibrosis by enhancing PINK1/parkin-mediated mitophagy.

Mitophagy affects the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Mitochondria-targeted ubiquinone (MitoQ) is a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant that reduces the production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). However, its relationship with mitophagy remains unclear. This study evaluated mitophagy during HSC activation and the effects of MitoQ on mitophagy in cell culture and in an animal model of the activation of HSCs. We found that MitoQ reduced the activation of HSCs and alleviated hepatic fibrosis. PINK1 (PTEN-induced putative kinase 1) is a putative serine/threonine kinase located in the mitochondria's outer membrane. While the activation of primary HSCs or LX-2 cells was associated with reduced PINK1/parkin-mediated mitophagy, MitoQ reduced intracellular ROS levels, enhanced PINK1/parkin-mediated mitophagy, and inhibited the activation of HSCs. After knocking down the key mitophagy-related protein, PINK1, in LX-2 cells to block mitophagy, MitoQ intervention failed to inhibit HSC activation. Our results showed that MitoQ inhibited the activation of HSCs and alleviated hepatic fibrosis by enhancing PINK1/parkin-mediated mitophagy.

Enantioselective decarboxylative Mannich reaction of ß-keto acids with C-alkynyl N-Boc N,O-acetals: access to chiral ß-keto propargylamines.

The chiral keto-substituted propargylamines are an essential class of multifunctional compounds in the field of organic and pharmaceutical synthesis and have attracted considerable attention, but the related synthetic approaches remain limited. Therefore, a concise and efficient method for the enantioselective synthesis of ß-keto propargylamines via chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric Mannich reaction between ß-keto acids and C-alkynyl N-Boc N,O-acetals as easily available C-alkynyl imine precursors has been demonstrated here, affording a broad scope of ß-keto N-Boc-propargylamines in high yields (up to 97%) with generally high enantioselectivities (up to 97 : 3 er).