Development of liver fibrosis is closely associated with angiogenesis and abnormal vascular remodeling. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of angiogenesis and vascular remodeling in fibrogenesis, the results that inhibition of angiogenesis is effective in suppression of liver fibrosis demonstrate that therapies with several molecular targets against angiogenesis, inflammation and fibrosis might be beneficial for the treatment of cirrhosis. However, there is some evidence that inhibition of angiogenesis can even worsen fibrosis. This article outlines recent advances regarding the interplay between inflammation, angiogenesis and fibrogenesis in terms of cellular and molecular mechanisms, and suggests a requirement of greater understanding to intervene in these key processes, such as liver sinusoidal endothelial cell fenestration and impact distinct chemokine actions driving monocyte migration and differentiation, for therapeutic benefit in the future.
Humans ; Inflammation ; therapy ; Liver Cirrhosis ; therapy ; Neovascularization, Pathologic ; therapy ; Vascular Remodeling

[Abstrict]Objective To explore the key points and clinical value of combined direct and indirect extracranial-in?tracranial (EC-IC) bypass in patients with adult moyamoya disease. Methods Retrospective analysis of combined revas?cularization surgery in 25 adult patients with moyamoya disease. The frontal branch and parietal branch of the superficial temporal artery (STA) were dissected. Combined revascularization surgery consisted of direct (anastomosis between the su?perficial temporal artery and cortical branch of the middle cerebral artery) and indirect (encephalodurogaleosynan-giosis EDAS) surgeries. Clinical status was evaluated using the modified Rankin Scale and NIHSS score at 1 day before, 1 week and 3 months after surgery. Results Thirty lateralities were successfully performed on 25 patients. Postoperative angiogra?phy or CTA and cranial computer tomography perfusion imaging(CTP) were conducted to examine the patency of the di?rect anastomosis and cerebral blood flow in 23 patientswithin 1 weeks after surgery . The results showed that the anasto?motic vascular patency was excellent and the cerebral blood flow increased in parallel to the relief of the patients’s isch?emic symptoms. The median mRS scores were 3 (1,3) before surgery, 2 (1,3) 1 week and 1 (0,3) 1 month after surgery.The median mRS scores were significantly improved (Z=15.14, P<0.01). The median NIHSS scores was 5 (4,8) preopera?tively and 4(2,7) postoperation 1 week and 3(1,4) 3 months. The median NIHSS scores were also significantly improved (Z=11.36, P<0.01). Unfortunately, two patients had complication and left hemiparesis. One patient complicated with con?tralateral hemisphere infarction and the another one complicated with ipsilateral hemispheric hemorrhage after operation. Conclusions Combined revascularization surgery may result in satisfying improvement in clinical, angiographic, and he?modynamic states and prevention of recurrent stroke. The stabilized hemodynamic is the key point in peroperative period for moyamoya patients.

Objective To analyze the expression and role of the disulfidptosis-related gene PDZ and LIM domain protein 1(PDLIM1)in various tumors.Methods The expression of PDLIM1 mRNA was analyzed by Xiantao website.The diagnostic and prognostic capabilities of PDLIM1 in 33 types of tumors were explored using the Xiantao website and Sangerbox 3.0 data analysis platform.The correlation between PDLIM1 and clinical classification and its staging was analyzed by the TISIDB database.The correlation between PDLIM1 and tumor immunity was analyzed by Sangerbox 3.0 data analysis platform and Kaplan-Meier Plotter database.Protein-protein interaction networks(PPI)were constructed by STRING database and Cytoscape,and were enriched by Sangerbox 3.0 data analysis platform.Finally,the GSCA website was applied to acquire the expression of PDLIM1 mRNA and its sensitivity to drugs.Results There was heterogeneity in the expression of PDLIM1 mRNA among 33 tumors.PDLIM1 had good diagnostic ability in cholangiocarcinoma(CHOL),glioblastoma multiforme(GBM),kidney renal clear cell carcinoma(KIRC),lung adenocarcinoma(LUAD),ovarian cancer(OV),pancreatic cancer(PAAD),skin cutaneous melanoma(SKCM)and testicular germ cell tumor(TGCT).High expression of PDLIM1 mRNA in glioma,low-grade glioma(LGG),KIPAN,GBM,uveal melanoma(UVM),and adrenocortical carcinoma(ACC)suggested poor prognosis,while low expression in sarcoma suggested poor prognosis.PALIM1 mRNA expression was correlated with the classification of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSC),kidney renal papillary cell carcinoma(KIRP),uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma(UCEC),uterine carcinosarcomas(UCS),and UVM as well as the staging of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma(CESC),HNSC,UCEC,and LGG.PDLIM1 was significantly associated with immune infiltration of 36 tumors led by prostateadenocarcinoma(PRAD),and was found to have a relatively good prognosis after immunotherapy in patients with high PDLIM1 mRNA expression.PDLIM1 exerted effects on organisms mainly through its involvement in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton,cell adhesion,and cancer-related pathways,and was sensitive to various drugs led by Isoliquiritigenin.Conclusion PDLIM1 was closely related to the clinical prognosis and immune infiltration of a variety of tumors,and it is expected to be a cancer diagnostic and prognostic biomarker or therapeutic target.

Objective: To clinically validate the feasibility and accuracy of cine images acquired through the multitasking method, with no electrocardiogram gating and free-breathing, in measuring left ventricular (LV) function indices by comparing them with those acquired through the balanced steady-state free precession (bSSFP) method, with multiple breath-holds and electrocardiogram gating. Materials and Methods: Forty-three healthy volunteers (female:male, 30:13; mean age, 23.1 ± 2.3 years) and 36 patients requiring an assessment of LV function for various clinical indications (female:male, 22:14; 57.8 ± 11.3 years) were enrolled in this prospective study. Each participant underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using the multiple breath-hold bSSFP method and free-breathing multitasking method. LV function parameters were measured for both MRI methods. Image quality was assessed through subjective image quality scores (1 to 5) and calculation of the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between the myocardium and blood pool. Differences between the two MRI methods were analyzed using the Bland–Altman plot, paired t-test, or Wilcoxon signed-rank test, as appropriate. Results: LV ejection fraction (LVEF) was not significantly different between the two MRI methods (P = 0.222 in healthy volunteers and P = 0.343 in patients). LV end-diastolic mass was slightly overestimated with multitasking in both healthy volunteers (multitasking vs. bSSFP, 60.5 ± 10.7 g vs. 58.0 ± 10.4 g, respectively; P < 0.001) and patients (69.4 ± 18.1 g vs. 66.8 ± 18.0 g, respectively; P = 0.003). Acceptable and comparable image quality was achieved for both MRI methods (multitasking vs. bSSFP, 4.5 ± 0.7 vs. 4.6 ± 0.6, respectively; P = 0.203). The CNR between the myocardium and blood pool showed no significant differences between the two MRI methods (18.89 ± 6.65 vs. 18.19 ± 5.83, respectively; P = 0.480). Conclusion Multitasking-derived cine images obtained without electrocardiogram gating and breath-holding achieved similar image quality and accurate quantification of LVEF in healthy volunteers and patients.

WRKY, a class of conserved transcription factors in plants, plays important roles in plant growth, development and secondary metabolism. In the present study, 65 WRKY members were identified from de novo transcriptome sequencing data of three different tissues (root, stems and leaves) of Baphicacanthus cusia. BcWRKY proteins contained from 221 to 706 amino acids and the isoelectric point is from 4.68 to 9.68. Molecular weights range from 25 711.8 to 75 475 Da. The main secondary structures of BcWRKYs protein are random coil. A subcellular localization prediction indicated that the putative BcWRKY proteins were enriched in the nuclear region. Phylogenetic analysis showed that BcWRKYs could be categorized into three groups and five subgroups (Group IIa, Group IIb, Group IIc, Group IId and Group IIe) in Group II. Structural analysis found that all BcWRKY proteins contained a highly conserved motif WRKYGQK. Finally, the transcriptional profiles of ten BcWRKY genes highly expressed in root, stem and leaf tissues under abscisic acid (ABA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA), or salicylic acid (SA) treatment were systematically investigated using qRT-PCR analysis. Results showed that a total of ten BcWRKY genes were differentially expressed in response to ABA, MeJA, and SA treatment. This work would be provided a basis for further elucidating the molecular mechanism of WRKY transcription factors in the biosynthesis of indole alkaloids in B. cusia.

This study was designed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of recombinant human kallistatin (Kal) on ulcerative colitis (UC) in the mouse model. Acute colitis was induced by administration of 4% dextran sodium suffate (DSS) to KM mice for 7 days. The mice were then randomized into 5 groups:model control, Kal 0.2 mg·kg^-1·d^-1, 1.0 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 and 2.0 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 group, salazosulfapyridine (SASP) group. Ten age-matched normal KM mouse were administered with saline in the normal control. The weight, colon length, inflammation factor (MPO/SOD/MDA) and TNF-α/IL-10 levels among the five groups of mice were determined. The results showed that histological index score and MPO/MDA/TNF-α levels of high-dose Kal treatment group and SASP group were significantly lower compared with the model group (P<0.01), but the weight, colon length, IL-10 level and SOD activity were significant higher than the model group (P<0.01), approaching the normal group. These parameters showed that Kal can significantly relieve the UC state in a dose-dependent manner. This study demonstrates that Kal significantly remits UC in mice, and participates in the regulation of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α/IL-10 levels and has some antioxidant activity.

OBJECTIVE：To investigate the improvement effect of Tiarella polyphylla ethanol extract （TPME）on CCl 4-induced hepatic fibrosis in mice ，and to explore its possible mechanism preliminarily. METHODS ：Totally 60 male Kunming mice were randomly divided into normal group ，model group ，positive control group （colchicine 0.1 mg/kg），TPME low-dose ，medium-dose and high-dose groups （250，500，1 000 mg/kg）according to body weight ，with 10 mice in each group. Except for normal group ， other groups were given 20％ CCl4 olive oil solution intraperitoneally to induce hepatic fibrosis ，twice a week ，for consecutive 8 weeks. From the fifth week after modeling ，administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically ，normal group and model group were given constant volume of normal saline intragastrically ，once a day ，for consecutive 4 weeks. Twelve hours after last administration ，the liver weight of mice in each group was measured and the liver index was calculated. The serum contents of ALT，AST，SOD，MDA，PC-Ⅲ，C-Ⅳ，LN，TNF-α and IL- 6 were determined. Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression of α-SMA，TGF-β1 and Smad 3 in liver tissue. HE and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes of hepatic tissue. RESULTS ：Compared with normal group ，the liver index ，the activities of ALT and AST and the contents of MDA ， LN，PC- Ⅲ ，C- Ⅳ ，LN，TNF-α and IL- 6 in serum were increased significantly ， while the activity of SOD was 6011） decreased significantly in model group （P＜0.01）；the protein expression of α-SMA，TGF-β1 and Smad 3 in liver tissues were hfjsznd8@126.com increased significantly （P＜0.01）. Obvious fibrosis lesions was observed in liver tissue. Compared with model group ，the live indexes ，the activities of ALT and AST ，the contents of MDA，PC-Ⅲ，C-Ⅳ，LN，TNF-α and IL-6 in serum were decreased significantly in positive control group and TPME groups ， while the activities of SOD were increased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The protein expression of α-SMA，TGF-β1 and Smad3 in liver tissue were decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01），and liver fibrosis was improved to different extent. Compared with TPME low-dose group ，the contents of PC- Ⅲ，LN and IL- 6 in serum ，protein expression of TGF-β1 and Smad 3 in liver tissue were decreased significantly in TPME high-dose group （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS ：TPME can improve hepatic fibrosis induced by CCl 4 in mice ，the mechanism of which may be associated with the inhibition of collagen synthesis and oxidative stress，the reduction of inflammatory factors ，and the down-regulation of the expression α-SMA and relative proteins of TGF-β1/ Smad signal pathway.

Intracellular overexpression of cytoglobin (Cygb) has been shown to reduce extracellular matrix deposition and promote liver fibrosis recovery, but its mechanism is not yet clear. This study constructed and expressed a fusion protein (TAT-Cygb) of cell penetrating peptide TAT and Cygb, to investigate the effect of fusion protein TAT-Cygb on regulating hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) ferroptosis. Cultured human hepatic stellate cells line (LX2) were treated with TAT-Cygb and erastin in vitro, respectively. The effects of ferroptosis phenotype in LX2 cells induced by TAT-Cygb, including cell viability, cell morphology, iron ion (Fe²⁺) content, lipid peroxidation product levels, and antioxidant system indicators, were investigated using trypan blue staining, transmission electron microscopy, Prussian blue staining, and reagent kits detection. After co-treatment with TAT-Cygb and ferrostain-1, the levels of Fe²⁺, reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and glutathione (GSH) were measured by reagent kits. The protein expression levels of alpha smooth actin (α-SMA), collagen I and fibronectin were detected by Western blot, and the protein expression level of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and desmin relevant to fibrosis were observed by immunofluorescence. The results showed that TAT-Cygb could significantly reduce the viability of LX2 cells and trigger events relevant to ferroptosis, including promoting intracellular Fe²⁺ accumulation, and inducing mitochondrial morphological changes, and intensifying lipid peroxidation products accumulation, and decreasing the level of antioxidant indexes, which played a similar role as erastin; Fer-1 significantly weakened the increase in Fe²⁺, ROS, MDA, 4-HNE levels induced by TAT-Cygb, as well as the decrease in NADPH and GSH levels, while also weakening the TAT-Cygb-induced over-expression levels of α-SMA, collagen I and fibronectin, and TAT-Cygb-induced under-expression levels of EGFR and desmin. This cellular level study indicated that TAT-Cygb can induce ferroptosis of activated HSCs. This study revealed the potential mechanism of TAT-Cygb anti-liver fibrosis, and provided the experimental basis for further research on the molecular mechanism of TAT-Cygb realizing biological function by regulating the ferroptosis pathway.