OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of Huangqin decoction （HQD）-based self-assembled nanoparticles （SAN） co-loaded with terbinafine （TBF） （TBF-HQD-SAN NPs） on the transdermal absorption of TBF. METHODS High-speed centrifugation combined with dialysis was used to separate HQD-SAN， and TBF-HQD-SAN NPs were obtained by loading TBF using the ultrasound magnetic stirring method； the particle size distribution， Zeta potential and polydispersity index （PDI） of the nanoparticle were characterized， and the encapsulation efficiency （EE） and drug loading （DL） of TBF were determined； using in vitro and in vivo transdermal experiments， the differences in transdermal performance between TBF-HQD-SAN NPs and TBF raw materials， as well as TBF and HQD-SAN physical mixture （TBF-HQD-SAN PM）， were compared and analyzed. RESULTS TBF- HQD-SAN NPs were spherical with a particle size of （177.60±2.57） nm， a PDI of 0.197 4±0.007 9， and a Zeta potential of （－14.63±0.85） mV. The EE and DL of TBF were （99.49±0.71）% and （3.22±0.10）% ， respectively. In vitro transdermal experiments， compared with TBF raw materials， the steady-state permeation rate （Jss） and skin retention of TBF-HQD-SAN NPs increased by 3.34 times and 27.56 times， respectively （P＜0.05）； compared with TBF-HQD-SAN PM， its Jss and skinretention were increased by 2.04 times and 7.44 times， respectively （P＜0.05）. In vivo transdermal experiments 69号） showed that， the area under the drug-time curve and the maximum concentration of TBF-HQD-SAN NPs increased by 2.13 times and 2.06 times respectively compared to TBF raw materials， and increased by 1.59 times and 1.65 times respectively compared to TBF-HQD-SAN PM （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS TBF-HQD-SAN NPs can significantly enhance the in vitro and in vivo transdermal absorption efficiency and skin retention of TBF.

Periodontitis is a common oral disease caused by bacteria coupled with an excessive host immune response. Stem cell therapy can be a promising treatment strategy for periodontitis, but the relevant mechanism is complicated. This study aimed to explore the therapeutic potential of mitochondria from human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hESC-MSCs) for the treatment of periodontitis. The gingival tissues of periodontitis patients are characterized by abnormal mitochondrial structure. Human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) were exposed to 5 μg/mL lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for 24 h to establish a cell injury model. When treated with hESC-MSCs or mitochondria derived from hESC-MSCs, HGFs showed reduced expression of inflammatory genes, increased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level, decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and enhanced mitochondrial function compared to the control. The average efficiency of isolated mitochondrial transfer by hESC-MSCs was determined to be 8.93%. Besides, a therapy of local mitochondrial injection in mice with LPS-induced periodontitis showed a reduction in inflammatory gene expression, as well as an increase in both the mitochondrial number and the aspect ratio in gingival tissues. In conclusion, our results indicate that mitochondria derived from hESC-MSCs can reduce the inflammatory response and improve mitochondrial function in HGFs, suggesting that the transfer of mitochondria between hESC-MSCs and HGFs serves as a potential mechanism underlying the therapeutic effect of stem cells.
Humans ; Gingiva/cytology* ; Fibroblasts/metabolism* ; Mitochondria/physiology* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology* ; Animals ; Periodontitis/therapy* ; Mice ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Inflammation ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Human Embryonic Stem Cells/cytology* ; Cells, Cultured ; Adenosine Triphosphate/metabolism* ; Male

Despite therapy with potent antiviral agents, chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients remain at high risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While metabolites have been rediscovered as active drivers of biological processes including carcinogenesis, the specific metabolites modulating HCC risk in CHB patients are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that baseline plasma from CHB patients who later developed HCC during follow-up exhibits growth-promoting properties in a case-control design nested within a large-scale, prospective cohort. Metabolomics analysis reveals a reduction in long-chain acylcarnitines (LCACs) in the baseline plasma of patients with HCC development. LCACs preferentially inhibit the proliferation of HCC cells in vitro at a physiological concentration and prevent the occurrence of HCC in vivo without hepatorenal toxicity. Uptake and metabolism of circulating LCACs increase the intracellular level of acetyl coenzyme A, which upregulates histone H3 Lys14 acetylation at the promoter region of KLF6 gene and thereby activates KLF6/p21 pathway. Indeed, blocking LCAC metabolism attenuates the difference in KLF6/p21 expression induced by baseline plasma of HCC/non-HCC patients. The deficiency of circulating LCACs represents a driver of HCC in CHB patients with viral control. These insights provide a promising direction for developing therapeutic strategies to reduce HCC risk further in the antiviral era.

Obesity usually exacerbates the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (ITME), hindering CD8⁺ T cell infiltration and function, which further represents a significant barrier to the efficacy of immunotherapy. Herein, a multifunctional liposomal system (CR-Lip) for encapsulating celastrol (CEL) was utilized to remodel obesity-related ITME and improve cancer immunotherapy, wherein Ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) was detected interspersed in the phospholipid bilayer and its glycosyl exposed on the surface of the liposome. CR-Lip had a relatively uniform size (116.5 nm), facilitating favorable tumor tissue accumulation through the interaction between Rg3 and glucose transporter 1 overexpressed in obese tumor cells. Upon reaching the tumor region, CR-Lip was found to induce the immunogenic cell death (ICD) of HFD tumor cells. Notably, the level of PHD3 in HFD tumor cells was effectively boosted by CR-Lip to effectively block metabolic reprogramming and increase the availability of major free fatty acids fuel sources. In vivo, experiments studies revealed that the easy-obtained nano platform stimulated enhanced the production of various cytokines in tumor tissues, DC maturation, CD8⁺ T-cell infiltration, and synergistic anticancer therapeutic potency with aPD-1 (tumor inhibition rate = 82.1%) towards obesity-related melanoma. Consequently, this study presented an efficacious approach to tumor immunotherapy in obese mice by encompassing tumor eradication, inducing ICD, and reprogramming metabolism. Furthermore, it offered a unique insight into a valuable attempt at the immunotherapy of obesity-associated related tumors.

The interest in covalent drugs has resurged in recent decades, spurring the development of numerous specialized computational docking tools to facilitate covalent ligand design and screening. Herein, we present CarsiDock-Cov, a new paradigm distinguishing itself as the first deep learning (DL)-guided approach for covalent docking. CarsiDock-Cov retains the core components of its non-covalent predecessor, leveraging a DL model pretrained on millions of docking complexes to predict protein-ligand distance matrices, along with a dedicated-designed geometric optimization procedure to convert these distances into refined binding poses. Additionally, it incorporates several key enhancements specifically tailored to optimize the protocol for covalent docking applications. Our approach has been extensively validated on multiple public datasets regarding the docking and screening of covalent ligands, and the results indicate that our approach not only achieves comparably improved applicability compared to its non-covalent predecessor, but also exhibits competitive performance against various state-of-the-art covalent docking tools. Collectively, our approach represents a significant advance in covalent docking methodology, offering an automated and efficient solution that shows considerable promise for accelerating covalent drug discovery and design.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the preventive effect of transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation on ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction (VIDD) in patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation. METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted. The patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Jiaxing First Hospital from November 2022 to December 2023 were enrolled. Participants were randomized into the control group and the observation group using a random number table. The control group was given ICU standardized nursing intervention, including turning over and slapping the back, raising the head of the bed, sputum aspiration on demand, aerosol inhalation, oral care, and monitoring of airbag pressure and gastric retention, the observation group was given additional transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation intervention on the basis of ICU standardized nursing intervention. The stimulation intensity was set to 10 U, the pulse frequency was set to 40 Hz, and the stimulation frequency was set to 12 times/min. Transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation was administered once a day for 30 minutes each time, for a total of 5 days. Diaphragm thickening fraction (DTF) and arterial blood gas parameters on days 1, 3, and 5 of intervention were compared between the two groups. After 5 days of intervention, other parameters including the incidence of VIDD, duration of mechanical ventilation, and length of ICU stay were compared. RESULTS: A total of 120 patients requiring invasive mechanical ventilation were enrolled, with 16 dropouts (dropout rate was 13.33%). Ultimately, 51 patients in the control group and 53 patients in the observation group were analyzed. Baseline characteristics, including gender, age, body mass index (BMI), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score, albumin (Alb), hemoglobin (Hb), and disease type, showed no significant differences between the two groups. DTF in both groups gradually increased over duration of intervention [DTF on days 1, 3, and 5 in the control group was (20.83±2.33)%, (21.92±1.27)%, and (23.93±2.33)%, respectively, and that in the observation group was (20.89±1.96)%, (22.56±1.64)%, and (25.34±2.38)%, respectively], with more significant changes in DTF in the observation group, showing time effects (F_time = 105.975, P < 0.001), intervention effects (F_intervention = 7.378, P = 0.008), and interaction effects (F_interaction = 3.322, P = 0.038). Arterial blood gas parameters did not differ significantly before intervention between the groups, but after 5 days of intervention, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO₂) in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group [mmHg (1 mmHg≈0.133 kPa): 100.72±15.75 vs. 93.62±15.54, P < 0.05], and arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO₂) was significantly lower than that in the control group (mmHg: 36.53±3.10 vs. 37.69±2.02, P < 0.05). At 5 days of intervention, the incidence of VIDD in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group [15.09% (8/53) vs. 37.25% (19/51), P < 0.05], and both duration of mechanical ventilation and length of ICU stay were significantly shorter than those in the control group [duration of mechanical ventilation (days): 7.93±2.06 vs. 8.77±1.76, length of ICU stay (days): 9.64±2.35 vs. 11.01±2.01, both P < 0.05]. CONCLUSIONS Transcutaneous phrenic nerve stimulation can improve diaphragmatic and respiratory function in patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation, reduce the incidence of VIDD, and shorten the duration of mechanical ventilation and length of ICU stay.
Humans ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation ; Respiration, Artificial/adverse effects* ; Diaphragm/physiopathology* ; Phrenic Nerve ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged

Objective To explore the correlation between peripheral blood microRNA-34a(miR-34a),mi-croRNA-431(miR-431),and microRNA-183(miR-183)levels with hemodynamics and hearing prognosis in patients with sudden deafness(SD).Methods A total of 132 patients with SD who visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Air Force Medical University(the hospital)from January 2021 to December 2023 were included as the disease group,132 healthy individuals(without SD)who came to the hospital for physical examination were used as the control group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR)was used to detect the levels of miR-34a,miR-431,and miR-183 in peripheral blood.Pearson correlation was applied to analyze the correlation between peripheral blood miR-34a,miR-431,miR-183 levels and hemodynamic indicators.Multiple Logistic regression analysis(stepwise forward method)was applied to screen for factors affecting the hearing prognosis of patients with SD.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was plotted to obtain the area under the curve(AUC)of the single and combination of peripheral blood miR-34a,miR-431,and miR-183 in predicting hearing prognosis in patients with SD,and the AUC was compared using Z-test.Results The levels of miR-34a and miR-431 in the peripheral blood in the disease group were greatly higher than those in the con-trol group,while the level of miR-183 was greatly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).After treatment,the whole blood high shear viscosity(HSV),whole blood low shear viscosity(LSV),plasma vis-cosity(PV)of patients with SD were greatly lower than those before treatment(P＜0.05).The levels of miR-34a and miR-431 in peripheral blood of patients with SD were positively correlated with pre-treatment levels of HSV,LSV,and PV(P＜0.05),while the levels of miR-183 were negatively correlated with pre-treatment levels of HSV,LSV,and PV(P＜0.05).The miR-34a and miR-431 levels in the peripheral blood in the good prognosis group were greatly lower than those in the poor prognosis group,and the miR-183 level was greatly higher than that in the poor prognosis group(P＜0.05).The risk factors affecting the hearing prognosis of patients with SD included miR-34a and miR-431,and miR-183 was a protective factor affecting the hearing prognosis of patients with SD(P＜0.05).The AUC of peripheral blood miR-34a,miR-431,and miR-183 in predicting hearing prognosis in patients with SD was 0.969(95％CI:0.938-1.00),and the pre-dictive value of the the combination of the three was higher than that of miR-34a(Z=2.336,P=0.019),miR-431(Z=2.157,P=0.031),and miR-183(Z=2.351,P=0.019)alone.Conclusion The levels of miR-34a and miR-431 are abnormally elevated in peripheral blood of patients with SD,and are positively correlated with hemodynamic indicators.The level of miR-183 is abnormally reduced and is negatively correlated with hemodynamic indicators.The combination of the three has certain predictive value for the hearing prognosis of patients with SD.

Objective:To investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of methyltransferase (Mettl) 3 in the process of angiotensin Ⅱ (Ang Ⅱ)-induced pericyte-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation and renal fibrosis.Methods:C57BL/6J mice were used, in cell experiments, mouse renal pericytes were isolated and cultured using magnetic bead sorting. These pericytes were then induced to transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts with 1×10 6 mmol/L Ang Ⅱ, which was the Ang Ⅱ group, while pericytes cultured in normal conditions served as the control group. Successful transdifferentiation was verified by immunofluorescence staining, Western blotting, and real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) for α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). The levels of m6A modifications and related enzymes (Mettl3, Mettl14), Wilms tumor 1-associated protein (WTAP), fat mass and obesity protein (FTO), ALKBH5, YTHDF1, YTHDF2, YTHDC1, YTHDC2, YTHDC3 were assessed by Dot blot, RT-qPCR and Western blot. Mettl3 expression was inhibited in cells using lentivirus-mediated Mettl3-shRNA transfection, creating sh-Mettl3 and Ang Ⅱ+sh-Mettl3 groups, while lentivirus empty vector transfection served as the negative control (Ang Ⅱ+sh-NC group). The impact of Ang Ⅱ on pericyte transdifferentiation was observed, and the expression of downstream phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling pathway proteins, including PI3K, AKT, phosphorylated AKT at serine 473 (p-AKT (S473)), and phosphorylated AKT at threonine 308 (p-AKT (T308)), were examined. PI3K gene transcription was inhibited by co-culturing cells with actinomycin D, and the half-life of PI3K mRNA was calculated by measuring residual PI3K mRNA expression over different co-culture time. The reversibility of Mettl3 inhibition on Ang Ⅱ-induced pericyte-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation was assessed by adding the AKT activator SC79 to the Ang Ⅱ+sh-Mettl3 group. In animal experiments, mice were divided into these groups: sham group (administered 0.9% sterile saline), Ang Ⅱ group (infused with Ang Ⅱ solution), sh-Mettl3 group (injected with Mettl3 shRNA lentivirus solution), Ang Ⅱ+sh-Mettl3 group (infused with Ang Ⅱ solution and injected with Mettl3 shRNA lentivirus solution), and Ang Ⅱ+sh-Mettl3+SC79 group (administered Ang Ⅱ solution and Mettl3 shRNA lentivirus, with an additional injection of SC79). Each group consisted of six subject mice. Blood pressure was measured using the tail-cuff method before and after surgery, and serum creatinine, urea, and urinary albumin levels were determined 4 weeks post-surgery. Kidney tissues were collected at 28 days and stained using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Masson′s trichrome to assess the extent of renal fibrosis. Results:Primary renal pericytes were successfully obtained by magnetic bead sorting, and intervened with 1×10 6 mmol/L Ang Ⅱ for 48 hours to induce pericyte-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation. Dot blot results indicated higher m6A modification levels in the Ang Ⅱ group compared to the control group ( P<0.05). RT-qPCR and Western blot results showed upregulation of Mettl3 mRNA and protein levels in the Ang Ⅱ group compared to the control group (both P<0.05). In the Ang Ⅱ+sh-Mettl3 group, Mettl3 protein expression was lower than that in the Ang Ⅱ group, with reduced expression levels of α-SMA, vimentin, desmin, fibroblast agonist protein (FAPa) and type Ⅰ collagen (all P<0.05). Compared to the control group, PI3K mRNA expression level was elevated in the Ang Ⅱ group, along with increased p-AKT (S473) and p-AKT (T308) expressions. In the Ang Ⅱ+sh-Mettl3 group, PI3K mRNA expression and p-AKT (S473) and p-AKT (T308) levels were decreased (all P<0.05). The half-life of PI3K mRNA was shorter in the Ang Ⅱ+sh-Mettl3 group than that in the Ang Ⅱ+sh-NC group (2.34 h vs. 3.42 h). The ameliorative effect of Mettl3 inhibition on Ang Ⅱ-induced pericyte-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation was reversible by SC79. Animal experiments showed higher blood pressure, serum creatinine, urea, and 24-hour urinary protein levels, and a larger fibrosis area in the Ang Ⅱ group compared to the sham group (all P<0.05). The fibrosis area was smaller in the Ang Ⅱ+sh-Mettl3 group than that in the Ang Ⅱ group ( P<0.05), but increased again upon addition of SC79. Conclusion:Mettl3-mediated RNA m6A epigenetic regulation is involved in Ang Ⅱ-induced pericyte-to-myofibroblast transdifferentiation and renal fibrosis, potentially by affecting PI3K stability and regulating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Objective:To identify the independent factors of unplanned interruption during continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) and construct a risk prediction model, and to verify the clinical application effectiveness of the model.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on critically ill adult patients who received CRRT treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) of Zhejiang Hospital from January 2021 to August 2022 for model construction. According to whether unplanned weaning occurred, the patients were divided into two groups. The potential influencing factors of unplanned CRRT weaning in the two groups were compared. The independent influencing factors of unplanned CRRT weaning were screened by binary Logistic regression and a risk prediction model was constructed. The goodness of fit of the model was verified by a Hosmer-Lemeshow test and its predictive validity was evaluated by receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve). Then embed the risk prediction model into the hospital's ICU multifunctional electronic medical record system for severe illness, critically ill patients with CRRT admitted to the ICU of Zhejiang Hospital from November 2022 to October 2023 were prospectively analyzed to verify the model's clinical application effect.Results:① Model construction and internal validation: a total of 331 critically ill patients with CRRT were included to be retrospectively analyzed. Among them, there were 238 patients in planned interruption group and 93 patients in unplanned interruption group. Compared with the planned interruption group, the unplanned interruption group was shown as a lower proportion of males (80.6% vs. 91.6%) and a higher proportion of chronic diseases (60.2% vs. 41.6%), poor blood purification catheter function (31.2% vs. 6.3%), as a higher platelet count (PLT) before CRRT initiation [×10 9/L: 137 (101, 187) vs. 109 (74, 160)], lower level of blood flow rate [mL/min: 120 (120, 150) vs. 150 (140, 180)], higher proportion of using pre-dilution (37.6% vs. 23.5%), higher filtration fraction [23.0% (17.5%, 32.9%) vs. 19.1% (15.7%, 22.6%)], and frequency of blood pump stops [times: 19 (14, 21) vs. 9 (6, 13)], the differences of the above 8 factors between the two groups were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that chronic diseases [odds ratio ( OR) = 3.063, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 1.200-7.819], blood purification catheter function ( OR = 4.429, 95% CI was 1.270-15.451), blood flow rate ( OR = 0.928, 95% CI was 0.900-0.957), and frequency of blood pump stops ( OR = 1.339, 95% CI was 1.231-1.457) were the independent factors for the unplanned interruption of CRRT (all P < 0.05). These 4 factors were used to construct a risk prediction model, and ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) predicted by the model was 0.952 (95% CI was 0.930-0.973, P = 0.003 0), with a sensitivity of 88.2%, a specificity of 89.9%, and a maximum value of 1.781 for the Youden index. ② External validation: prospective inclusion of 110 patients, including 63 planned interruption group and 47 unplanned interruption group. ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of the risk prediction model was 0.919 (95% CI was 0.870-0.969, P = 0.004 3), with a sensitivity of 91.5%, a specificity of 79.4%, and a maximum value of the Youden index of 1.709. Conclusion:The risk prediction model for unplanned interruption during CRRT has a high predictive efficiency, allowing for rapid and real-time identification of the high risk patients, thus providing references for preventative nursing.

OBJECTIVE To provide reference for improving the rational use of antimicrobial drugs in primary township medical institutions. METHODS Based on the county prescription pre-review center， a team led by anti-infective clinical pharmacists constructed the management mode for the use of antimicrobial drugs in county-level medical communities with clinical pharmacists as the main team by finding out the main problems in the use of antimicrobial drugs in primary township medical institutions， providing feedback on the problems， organizing relevant training for the problems， improving the customization rules of the prescription pre-review software， implementing the automatic interception and pharmacist online prescription review and other measures. Data on the use of antimicrobial drugs were collected and compared in the 15 primary township medical institutions between January-June in 2022 （before the implementation of the mode） and January-June in 2023 （after the implementation of the mode）. RESULTS Compared with before the implementation of the mode， the utilization rate of antimicrobial drugs in outpatients of primary township medical institutions decreased from 24.97% before the implementation of the mode to 19.39% after the implementation of the mode； the utilization rate of antimicrobial injection in outpatients decreased from 66.10% to 46.80%； the utilization rate of intravenous drip of antimicrobial drugs in outpatients decreased from 52.33% to 40.35%； the rates of combined use of antimicrobial drugs in outpatients decreased from 12.70% to 8.19%； the reasonable rate of antimicrobial prescribing in outpatients increased from 55.28% to 73.93%. After the implementation of the mode， the proportion of antimicrobial prescriptions for each diagnosis was basically the same as before； the defined daily dose system （DDDs） and proportion of a few antimicrobial drugs changed compared with before according to the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification of drugs， among which DDDs of lincomycin， gentamicin and other drugs declined significantly； DDDs of antimicrobial drugs for each classification was basically the same as before according to AWaRe classification. CONCLUSIONS The management mode of the use of antimicrobial drugs led by anti-infective clinical pharmacists is constructed in the prescription pre-reviewing center of county-level medical communities， which can effectively improve the rational use of antimicrobial drugs in the primary township medical institutions.