Blood Urea Nitrogen-to-Serum Albumin Ratio Predicts Fatal Outcomes in Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Patients.

There are no effective therapies for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), and existing predictors of mortality are still controversial. This retrospective study aimed to identify reliable early-stage indicators for predicting fatal outcomes in 217 patients hospitalized with an SFTS diagnosis between March 2021 and November 2023; 157 of the patients survived, and 60 died. Demographics, clinical characteristics, and laboratory parameters were reassessed in both groups. The mean age of participants was 64.0 (interquartile range: 54.5-71.0) years, and 42.4% (92/217) were males. Based on a multivariate Cox regression analysis, the blood urea nitrogen-to-serum albumin ratio (BAR) (hazard ratio [HR]:4.751; 95% CI: 2.208-10.226; P <0.001), procalcitonin level (HR: 1.946; 95% CI: 1.080-3.507; P = 0.027), and central nervous system symptoms (HR: 3.257; 95% CI, 1.628-6.513; P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for mortality in SFTS patients. According to a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, a BAR with an area under the curve of 0.913 (95% CI: 0.873-0.953; P <0.001), a sensitivity of 76.7%, and a specificity of 90.4% showed better predictive performance for fatal outcomes than other classical indicators reported. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve confirmed that an increased BAR was linked with an unfavorable prognosis in SFTS patients (P <0.001 by log-rank test). In conclusion, the results indicate that high BAR levels are markedly related to substandard outcomes and are a reliable and readily accessible predictor of fatal outcomes in SFTS patients.

Study for lightweight finger vein recognition based on a small sample.

To address several common problems of finger vein recognition, a lightweight finger vein recognition algorithm by means of a small sample has been proposed in this study. First of all, a Gabor filter is applied to deal with the images for the purpose of that these processed images can simulate a kind of situation of finger vein at low temperature, such that the generalization ability of the algorithm model can be improved as well. By cutting down the amount of convolutional layers and fully connected layers in VGG-19, a lightweight network can be given. Meanwhile, the activation function of some convolutional layers is replaced to protect the network weight that can be updated successfully. After then, a multi-attention mechanism is introduced to the modified network architecture to result in improving the ability of extracting important features. Finally, a strategy based on transfer learning has been used to reduce the training time in the model training phase. Honestly, it is obvious that the proposed finger vein recognition algorithm has a good performance in recognition accuracy, robustness and speed. The experimental results show that the recognition accuracy can arrive at about 98.45%, which has had better performance in comparison with some existing algorithms.

Exosomes Derived from Adipose Stem Cells Enhance Angiogenesis in Diabetic Wound Via miR-146a-5p/JAZF1 Axis.

Chronic trauma in diabetes is a leading cause of disability and mortality. Exosomes show promise in tissue regeneration. This study investigates the role of exosomes derived from adipose stem cells (ADSC-Exos) in angiogenesis. MiRNA-seq analysis revealed significant changes in 47 genes in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) treated with ADSC-Exos, with miR-146a-5p highly expressed. MiR-146a-5p mimics enhanced the pro-angiogenic effects of ADSC-Exos, while inhibitors had the opposite effect. JAZF1 was identified as a direct downstream target of miR-146a-5p through bioinformatics, qRT-PCR, and dual luciferase assay. Overexpress of JAZF1 resulted in decreased proliferation, migration, and angiogenic capacity of HUVECs, and reduced VEGFA expression. This study proposes that ADSC-Exos regulate angiogenesis partly via the miR-146a-5p/JAZF1 axis.

S100A9-/- alleviates LPS-induced acute lung injury by regulating M1 macrophage polarization and inhibiting pyroptosis via the TLR4/MyD88/NFκB signaling axis.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is characterized by pulmonary diffusion abnormalities that may progress to multiple-organ failure in severe cases. There are limited effective treatments for ALI, which makes the search for new therapeutic avenues critically important. Macrophages play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of ALI. The degree of macrophage polarization is closely related to the severity and prognosis of ALI, and S100A9 promotes M1 polarization of macrophages. The present study assessed the effects of S100A9-gene deficiency on macrophage polarization and acute lung injury. Our cohort study showed that plasma S100A8/A9 levels had significant diagnostic value for pediatric pneumonia and primarily correlated with monocyte-macrophages and neutrophils. We established a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse model of acute lung injury and demonstrated that knockout of the S100A9 gene mitigated inflammation by suppressing the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, reducing the number of inflammatory cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and inhibiting cell apoptosis, which ameliorated acute lung injury in mice. The in vitro and in vivo mechanistic studies demonstrated that S100A9-gene deficiency inhibited macrophage M1 polarization and reduced the levels of pulmonary macrophage chemotactic factors and inflammatory cytokines by suppressing the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway and reversing the expression of the NLRP3 pyroptosis pathway, which reduced cell death. In conclusion, S100A9-gene deficiency alleviated LPS-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting macrophage M1 polarization and pyroptosis via the TLR4/MyD88/NFκB pathway, which suggests a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of ALI.

Predictors of amputation in patients with diabetic foot ulcers: a multi-centre retrospective cohort study.

PURPOSE: Investigating risk factors for amputation in patients with diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) and developing a nomogram prediction model. METHODS: We gathered case data of DFU patients from five medical institutions in Anhui Province, China. Following eligibility criteria, a retrospective case-control study was performed on data from 526 patients. RESULTS: Among the 526 patients (mean age: 63.32 ± 12.14), 179 were female, and 347 were male; 264 underwent amputation. Univariate analysis identified several predictors for amputation, including Blood type-B, Ambulation, history of amputation (Hx. Of amputation), Bacterial culture-positive, Wagner grade, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and laboratory parameters (HbA1c, Hb, CRP, ALB, FIB, PLT, Protein). In the multivariate regression, six variables emerged as independent predictors: Blood type-B (OR = 2.332, 95%CI [1.488-3.657], p < 0.001), Hx. Of amputation (2.298 [1.348-3.917], p = 0.002), Bacterial culture-positive (2.490 [1.618-3.830], p <0.001), Wagner 3 (1.787 [1.049-3.046], p = 0.033), Wagner 4-5 (4.272 [2.444-7.468], p <0.001), PAD (1.554 [1.030-2.345], p = 0.036). We developed a nomogram prediction model utilizing the aforementioned independent risk factors. The model demonstrated a favorable predictive ability for amputation risk, as evidenced by its area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve of 0.756 and the well-fitted corrected nomogram calibration curve. CONCLUSION: Our findings underscore Blood type-B, Hx. Of amputation, Bacterial culture-positive, Wagner 3-5, and PAD as independent risk factors for amputation in DFU patients. The resultant nomogram exhibits substantial accuracy in predicting amputation occurrence. Timely identification of these risk factors can reduce DFU-related amputation rates.

Macrophages promote the transition from myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury to cardiac fibrosis in mice through GMCSF/CCL2/CCR2 and phenotype switching.

Following acute myocardial ischemia reperfusion (MIR), macrophages infiltrate damaged cardiac tissue and alter their polarization phenotype to respond to acute inflammation and chronic fibrotic remodeling. In this study we investigated the role of macrophages in post-ischemic myocardial fibrosis and explored therapeutic targets for myocardial fibrosis. Male mice were subjected to ligation of the left coronary artery for 30 min. We first detected the levels of chemokines in heart tissue that recruited immune cells infiltrating into the heart, and found that granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GMCSF) released by mouse cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (MCMECs) peaked at 6 h after reperfusion, and c-c motif chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) released by GMCSF-induced macrophages peaked at 24 h after reperfusion. In co-culture of BMDMs with MCMECs, we demonstrated that GMCSF derived from MCMECs stimulated the release of CCL2 by BMDMs and effectively promoted the migration of BMDMs. We also confirmed that GMCSF promoted M1 polarization of macrophages in vitro, while GMCSF neutralizing antibodies (NTABs) blocked CCL2/CCR2 signaling. In MIR mouse heart, we showed that GMCSF activated CCL2/CCR2 signaling to promote NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1ß-mediated and amplified inflammatory damage. Knockdown of CC chemokine receptor 2 gene (CCR2-/-), or administration of specific CCR2 inhibitor RS102895 (5 mg/kg per 12 h, i.p., one day before MIR and continuously until the end of the experiment) effectively reduced the area of myocardial infarction, and down-regulated inflammatory mediators and NLRP3/Caspase-1/IL-1ß signaling. Mass cytometry confirmed that M2 macrophages played an important role during fibrosis, while macrophage-depleted mice exhibited significantly reduced transforming growth factor-ß (Tgf-ß) levels in heart tissue after MIR. In co-culture of macrophages with fibroblasts, treatment with recombinant mouse CCL2 stimulated macrophages to release a large amount of Tgf-ß, and promoted the release of Col1α1 by fibroblasts. This effect was diminished in BMDMs from CCR2-/- mice. After knocking out or inhibiting CCR2-gene, the levels of Tgf-ß were significantly reduced, as was the level of myocardial fibrosis, and cardiac function was protected. This study confirms that the acute injury to chronic fibrosis transition after MIR in mice is mediated by GMCSF/CCL2/CCR2 signaling in macrophages through NLRP3 inflammatory cascade and the phenotype switching.

Cardiac injury in hospitalized patients with severe fever and thrombocytopenia syndrome.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), an emerging infectious disease with a high fatality rate. Cardiac injury in SFTS patients is a major concern. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of cardiac injury and its association with mortality in hospitalized patients infected with novel Bunyavirus. Cardiac injury was defined as the presence of any of the following abnormalities: (1) blood levels of cardiac biomarkers (creatine kinase-MB, troponin-I, B-type natriuretic peptide or N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide); (2) new abnormalities in electrocardiography. The 203 SFTS patients were included in the final analysis. The proportion of SFTS patients developing cardiac injury during hospitalization was 71.4% (145/203). Compared with the uninjured group, the cardiac injury group had the severity of cardiac injury was underscored by higher median hospital costs (31420 vs. 12911, p < 0.001), higher proportion of intensive care units admissions (13.1% vs. 3.4%, p = 0.041), and higher hospital mortality rate (33.8% vs. 6.9%, p < 0.001). Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that cardiac injury was associated with higher mortality during hospitalization (hazards ratio, 7.349; 95% CI: 2.352-22.960). Cardiac injury is common among hospitalized SFTS patients, and it is associated with higher risk of mortality.

Application of free serratus anterior muscle-fascial composite tissue flap and facial lipofilling in repairing progressive hemifacial atrophy.

INTRODUCTION: Progressive hemifacial atrophy (PHA) is a nonnegligible disease, and its treatment currently lacks consensus. We aim to conduct an analysis of PHA patients to summarize the postoperative effect. Moreover, we introduced the free serratus anterior muscle-fascial composite tissue flap as a safe and novelty surgical procedure for moderate-severe PHA. METHODS: This clinical study included four patients who received a free serratus anterior muscle-fascial composite tissue flap and 19 patients who received Coleman fat transplantation. Preoperative (preoperative photograph and imageological examination) and postoperative (postoperative photograph, complications, therapeutic effect, and satisfaction) assessments were performed for all PHA patients. Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were performed preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS: All the cases were cured with a good appearance with two kinds of operations. Free serratus anterior muscle-fascial composite tissue flap could correct face defects in one surgery and achieve good long time and short-time postoperative satisfaction in moderate-severe PHA. Fat transplantation could also enhance appearance in numerous operations for mild-moderate PHA. The volume of free-fat grafts decreased obviously after implantation in many cases. So, many patients (42.11%) accepted a series of operations to achieve satisfied postoperative effect. BICI, SAS, SDS score decreased a year later in all patients. CONCLUSION: Free serratus anterior muscle-fascial composite tissue flap transplantation is an effective and safe treatment for moderate to severe PHA.

ACCI could be a poor prognostic indicator for the in-hospital mortality of patients with SFTS.

This study aims to evaluate the predictive role of age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) scores for in-hospital prognosis of severe fever in thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) patients. A total of 192 patients diagnosed with SFTS were selected as the study subjects. Clinical data were retrospectively collected. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the diagnostic value of ACCI for the mortality of SFTS patients, and Cox regression models were used to assess the association between predictive factors and prognosis. The 192 SFTS patients were divided into two groups according to the clinical endpoints (survivors/non-survivors). The results showed that the mortality of the 192 hospitalized SFTS patients was 26.6%. The ACCI score of the survivor group was significantly lower than that of the non-survivor group. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that the increased ACCI score was a significant predictor of poor prognosis in SFTS. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that SFTS patients with an ACCI >2.5 had shorter mean survival times, indicating a poor prognosis. Our findings suggest that ACCI, as an easy-to-use clinical indicator, may offer a simple and feasible approach for clinicians to determine the severity of SFTS.

SVF-GEL Cryopreserved for Different Times Exhibits Varied Preservation and Regeneration Potential After Transplantation in a Mouse Model.

BACKGROUND: Matrix vascular component (SVF) gels derived from fat preserve tissue integrity and cell viability under cryopreserved conditions, making them easy to inject again for later use. Here, we compared the preservation power and regeneration potential of SVF-gel under different cryopreservation times. METHODS: The SVF-gel stored under - 20 °C, without cryoprotectant cryopreservation for 5, 15, and 45 days, with fresh SVF-gel as control. We evaluated the rate of volume retention after thawing the SVF-gel and the apoptosis rate of adipose-derived stem cells. Next, we analyzed retention rated, adipogenesis, angiogenesis, and connective tissue hyperplasia of the grafts, one month after subcutaneously transplanting the specimen into immunodeficient mice. RESULTS: SVF-gel cryopreserved for 5 and 15 days exhibited no significant different in apoptosis rates relative to the control group. Extending the cryopreservation time to 45 days resulted in significantly increased and decreased apoptosis and volume retention rates of SVF-gel, respectively. SVF-gel grafts cryopreserved for 5 and 15 days exhibited no significant differences from those in the control group, although their weights and volumes still fluctuated. Extending the cryopreservation time to 45 days resulted in significantly decreased retention rates of the grafts. Histologically, extending freezing time resulted in a gradual decline in the graft's health adipose tissue, as well as decreased angiogenesis, and connective tissue hyperplasia. CONCLUSION: Simple freezing of SVF-gel at - 20 °C conferred them with sufficient cell viability. Notably, short-term cryopreservation did not significantly increase the apoptosis rate, and it still had a certain regeneration after transplantation. However, prolonging freezing time to 45 days resulted in increased apoptosis rate and worsened transplantation effect. NO LEVEL ASSIGNED: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each submission to which Evidence-Based Medicine rankings are applicable. This excludes Review Articles, Book Reviews, and manuscripts that concern Basic Science, Animal Studies, Cadaver Studies, and Experimental Studies. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Treatment with injectable platelet-rich fibrin in a rat model of melasma.

The management of melasma is challenging. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy has been shown to be beneficial, however, the use of anticoagulants for PRP is dangerous. To evaluate the efficacy of recently developed blood-derived biomaterials (injectable platelet-rich fibrin [I-PRF]) in a rat model of melasma. Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used to replicate an experimental animal model of melasma. SD rats exhibiting melasma were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group was administered weekly intradermal injections of I-PRF, whereas the control group received an equivalent amount of saline. After four weeks, back skin was removed and evaluated based on (1) gross observation, (2) pathological examination and imaging analysis, and (3) biochemical detection. Data were analysed using SAS9.4 software. I-PRF, a safe blood product without anticoagulants, inhibited melanin production in the epidermis and reduced oxidative stress damage in the cortex, improving melasma. I-PRF is a safe and cost-effective blood-derived biomaterial which is useful for the treatment of melasma.

Application of Modified Triangular Perforator Flap in Repair of Small and Medium-Sized Facial Defect.

Background: We investigated the application of local perforator flap or island flap with a modified triangular to repair small and medium facial defects. Methods: (1) Before the operation, a Doppler flowmeter was used to investigate the superficial exit point of the perforator artery. The length to breadth ratio of the flap was more than 3-4 times, and it contained 1-2 perforator vessels. (2) The lesion was excised, and the skin was cut along the design line of the flap. The flap was separated and trimmed based on the defect degree. (3) The blood supply was confirmed, and the defect was then covered with the flap by "rotation and advancement" approach without causing tension. The incision was finally sutured in layers. (4) Postoperative routine care was performed according to the situation. Results: The functional morphology and appearance of all 23 cases of skin flaps successfully recovered during follow-up. There was no major aesthetic and malformation recorded. Conclusion: In summary, the modified triangular perforator flap can improve the functional appearance at the repaired small and medium facial defects.

Modulated sampled-data consensus for networked Euler-Lagrange systems with differentiable pulse function.

This paper is concerned with the sampled-data consensus of networked Euler-Lagrange systems. The Euler-Lagrange system has enormous advantages in analyzing and designing dynamical systems. Yet, some problems arise in the Euler-Lagrange equation-based control laws when they contain sampled-data feedbacks. The control law differentiates the discontinuous sampled-data signals to generate its control input. In this process, infinities in the control inputs are generated inevitably. The main goal of this work is to eliminate these infinities and make the control inputs applicable. To reach this goal, a class of differentiable pulse functions is designed for the controllers. The pulse functions work as multipliers on the sampled-data signals to make them differentiable, hence avoid the infinities. A new consensus condition compatible with the pulse function is also obtained through rigorous consensus analysis. The condition is proved to be less conservative compared with that of the existing method. Finally, numerical examples are given to illustrate the findings and theoretical results.

Identification and Validation of a Novel Model: Predicting Short-Term Complications After Local Flap Surgery for Skin Tumor Removal.

BACKGROUND The aim was to analyze the risk factors for the occurrence of complications after local flap transfer and to construct a simple prediction model to help surgeons in the perioperative screening of high-risk patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Short-term complications were defined as any postoperative infection, dehiscence, bleeding, subcutaneous effusion, fat liquefaction, arteriovenous crisis, and tissue necrosis that required medical consultation or intervention. To explore 16 factors influencing short-term complications after local flap transfer, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression was used to reduce the dimensionality of the data and to screen for predictors. Independent risk factors affecting the development of complications after local flap transfer were analyzed using logistic multiple regression models. The consistency (C-)index, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and calibration curves were used to check the model's discrimination and calibration. Decision curve analysis (DCA) curves were used to evaluate the clinical applicability of this model, and internal validation was assessed using bootstrap validation. RESULTS The C-index of the nomogram model to predict short-term complications after local flap transfer was 0.763 (95% CI: 0.702-0.824), the area under the ROC curve was 0.763, and the internal validation C-index was 0.747. The calibration curve showed good agreement between observed and predicted values, and the DCA showed the model can benefit patients. CONCLUSIONS The model identified the relevant factors influencing short-term complications after local flap transfer, facilitating the identification and targeted intervention of patients at high risk of flap complications after surgery.

Pavement Disease Detection through Improved YOLOv5s Neural Network.

An improved Ghost-YOLOv5s detection algorithm is proposed in this paper to solve the problems of high computational load and undesirable recognition rate in the traditional detection methods of pavement diseases. Ghost modules and C3Ghost are introduced into the YOLOv5s network to reduce the FLOPs (floating-point operations) in the feature channel fusion process. Mosaic data augmentation is also added to improve the feature expression performance. A public road disease dataset is reconstructed to verify the performance of the proposed method. The proposed model is trained and deployed to NVIDIA Jetson Nano for the experiment, and the results show that the average accuracy of the proposed model reaches 88.17%, increased by 4.01%, and the model FPS (frames per second) reaches 12.51, increased by 184% compared with the existing YOLOv5s. Case studies show that the proposed method satisfies the practical application requirements of pavement disease detection.

A Multi-Sensor Data-Fusion Method Based on Cloud Model and Improved Evidence Theory.

The essential factors of information-aware systems are heterogeneous multi-sensory devices. Because of the ambiguity and contradicting nature of multi-sensor data, a data-fusion method based on the cloud model and improved evidence theory is proposed. To complete the conversion from quantitative to qualitative data, the cloud model is employed to construct the basic probability assignment (BPA) function of the evidence corresponding to each data source. To address the issue that traditional evidence theory produces results that do not correspond to the facts when fusing conflicting evidence, the three measures of the Jousselme distance, cosine similarity, and the Jaccard coefficient are combined to measure the similarity of the evidence. The Hellinger distance of the interval is used to calculate the credibility of the evidence. The similarity and credibility are combined to improve the evidence, and the fusion is performed according to Dempster's rule to finally obtain the results. The numerical example results show that the proposed improved evidence theory method has better convergence and focus, and the confidence in the correct proposition is up to 100%. Applying the proposed multi-sensor data-fusion method to early indoor fire detection, the method improves the accuracy by 0.9-6.4% and reduces the false alarm rate by 0.7-10.2% compared with traditional and other improved evidence theories, proving its validity and feasibility, which provides a certain reference value for multi-sensor information fusion.

The Modified Suction-curettage Technique for Minimally Invasive Treatment of Axillary Osmidrosis.

BACKGROUND: Axillary osmidrosis (AO) is a common and nonnegligible disease, the treatment of which is currently lacking a consensus. AIMS: The aim of this study was to introduce a modified suction-assisted technique as a safer and more efficient surgical procedure. METHODS: This retrospective clinical study included 80 patients who recieved a modified suction-curettage procedure (group A) or a subcutaneous gland excision procedure (group B). Intraoperative assessment (endoscopy and pathological biopsy) and postoperative assessment (complications, therapeutic effect, and satisfaction) were performed for both groups. RESULTS: The endoscopy and pathological biopsy results demonstrated that the modified suction-curettage technique could remove the apocrine gland efficiently. Compared with group B, a lower complication rate (long-term, 5.00%; P=0.014, and short-term, 11.10%; P=0.001) and higher patient satisfaction (98.00%, P=0.012) were observed in group A. CONCLUSION: The modified suction-curettage procedure is an effective and safe treatment for axillary osmidrosis.

Thermo-electro-mechanical synergistic effect on the actuation performance of piezoelectric stack.

In a low-temperature environment, the actuation performance of the piezoelectric stack results from the synergic action of the thermo-electro-mechanical field; the actuation performance is influenced by the change in temperature, compressive preload, and excitation voltage. A special and novel instrumentation system is proposed and developed in this study to measure the relationship between the actuation performance of the piezoelectric stack and the change in temperature, preload, and voltage. The bending strain of the cantilever beam driven by the piezoelectric stack reflects its actuation performance, and the corresponding theoretical model is established to optimize the experimental conditions and maximize the strain and signal-to-noise ratio. Based on the experimental results, it can be seen that the actuation performance of the piezoelectric stack increases linearly with the excitation voltage under different temperatures and preload conditions. The static actuation performance increased by 79%-90% when the prestress increased from 0 to 6 MPa, corresponding to a decrease of 15%-30% when the temperature decreased from 20 to -70 °C, and the dynamic actuation performance decreased with an increase in the frequency of the excitation voltage. Consequently, the design methods and ideas are informative to develop an instrumentation system that can measure the influence of thermo-electro-mechanical synergistic effects on the actuation performance of piezoelectric stacks under different temperatures, preloads, and voltages.

MicroRNA-145 inhibits hepatic stellate cell activation and proliferation by targeting ZEB2 through Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

The activation of hepatic stellates cells (HSCs) is well believed to play a pivotal role in the development of liver fibrosis. MicroRNA-145 (miR-145) is known to suppress the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma, and is previously reported to be associated with Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, but its role in the progression of hepatic fibrosis and activation of HSCs remains unknown and is warranted for investigation. In the present study, we found that the expression of miR-145 is significantly down-regulated in vivo in CCl4-induced mice liver fibrosis as well as in transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) induced HSC-T6 cell lines and human hepatic stellate cell line LX-2 in vitro. Furthermore, over-expression of miR-145 inhibited TGF-ß1-induced the activation and proliferation of HSC-T6 cells in vitro. Mechanistically, we identified that zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 2 (ZEB2), a key mediator of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, acted as a functional downstream target for miR-145. Interestingly, ZEB2 was shown to be involved in the TGF-ß1-induced HSCs activation by regulating Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway. Taken together, our results revealed the critical regulatory role of miR-145 in HSCs activation and implied miR-145 as a potential candidate for therapy of hepatic fibrosis by regulation of Wnt/ß-catenin through targeting ZEB2.