The protective effects of Da Chai Hu Granules (DCHKL) on islet cells which were incubated with 4 mmol x L(-1) alloxan (AXN) were studied. The viability of islet cells were measured with MTT. Insulin released into medium and in islets was detected by radioimmunoassay. Cell apoptosis rate was determined by flow cytometry. The expression of anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic gene Bax in islet cells were measured with RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction). Serum containing DCHKL can promote the activity of islet cells significantly (P < 0.01). Basal insulin secretion and high glucose-stimulated insulin secretion increased significantly (P < 0.01). Serum containing DCHKL can inhibit apoptosis of islet cells, the ratio of apoptosis was decreased. Serum containing DCHKL increased expression of Bcl-2 mRNA and decreased expression of Bax mRNA. DCHKL can significantly promote proliferation of islet cells and increase the amount of basal secretion of pancreatic islet cells and high glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. The expression of Bcl-2 increased significantly. The expression of Bax decreased significantly. DCHKL have a protective effect on the islet cells.

AIM: To design a simple and effective auxiliary device for detection of the compound action poten-tial (CAP) and the force on the isolated sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius in toads, and to investigate its practicability. METHODS: A simple “L” shape device (L tube), which was composed of a nerve chamber and an organ bath, was made for fixing the isolated sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius.After fixing, the sciatic CAP and the gastrocnemius force were detected by BL-420S data acquisition and analysis system.The specimens were radomly divided into control group, and the lidocaine nerve and muscle groups.The sciatic nerve or gastrocnemius of each lidocaine group was firstly treated with the corresponding concentration of lidocaine, and then washed out with Ringer’s solution, and its reversible anesthetic action on nerve conduction and muscle force was analyzed to verify the practicability of the L tube device.RESULTS: The CAP and the force of the sciatic-gastrocnemius specimens were detected concurrently by fixing the specimens in the L tube, and the liquid in the nerve chamber and organ bath was changed easily.Compared with the control, lidocaine at 0.05 and 0.2 g/L significantly increased the sciatic threshold stimulus voltage and maximal stimulus voltage (P <0.05), prolonged the absolute refractory period (P <0.01), and slowed down the conduction velocity (P <0.01).Lidocaine at 1 g/L complete-
ly blocked the sciatic conduction.The rest tension of the gastrocnemius was increased, and the maximal twitch force was decreased significantly by 1 g/L lidocaine (P <0.01), but the threshold and maximal stimulus voltage did not show statis-tic difference.The parameters of the sicatic nerve and gastrocnemius completely or partially recovered to the control level after washing out.CONCLUSION: As an auxiliary device, L tube makes the detection of CAP and force on the isolated sciatic nerve and gastrocnemius in toads more conveniently.

Objective:To assess the value of amide proton transfer weighted (APTw) imaging in the evaluation of pH changes in infarct core (IC) and ischemic penumbra (IP) in subacute cerebral infarction.Methods:The data of twenty-three subacute cerebral infarction patients with unilateral steno-occlusive disease of the middle cerebral artery (subacute infarction group) from April to November 2019 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University were prospectively analyzed. Fifteen healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study as the control group. All subjects underwent conventional MRI, DWI, 3D-pseudo continuous arterial spin labeling (3D-pCASL) and APTw sequences. Based on DWI images, relative cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and APTw images to determine the region of IC, blood flow penumbra [cerebral blood flow(CBF)-DWI mismatch area, IP CBF] and metabolic penumbra (APTw-DWI mismatched area, IP APT). 3D ROIs were used to semi-automatically measure the APTw signals and the volume of IC and IP CBF of the patients in subacute infarction group. The comparison of APTw signals between the infarct side and the contralateral side in the subacute infarction group, the comparison of bilateral APTw signals in the control group, and the comparison of APTw signals in the IC and IP CBF regions were performed by paired-sample t test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The paired-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the APTw signals between the two groups. The Friedman test was applied to compare the difference of volumes among IP CBF1.5, IP CBF2.5 and IP APT . Results:There was no significant difference of the APTw signals among the IC, the contralateral side in the subacute infarction group and the control group ( P>0.05). The APTw signals of IP CBF and IC of the infarction group were statistically different ( P<0.05). Compared with the contralateral side of IP CBF1.5 (3.7±1.7, -1.84±1.48, 5.57±2.75), the APTwmax (3.07±1.41, t=-3.012, P=0.006), APTw min [-1.30 (-1.74, -0.57), Z=-2.099, P=0.036], and APTwmax-min(4.51±2.58, t=-3.273, P=0.003) signals in the IP CBF1.5 were decreased ( P<0.05). Compared with the contralateral side of IP CBF2.5 [-1.53 (-2.80, -0.91), 5.31±2.61], the APTw min [-1.08 (-1.60, -0.49), Z=-2.616, P=0.009] and APTwmax-min (4.41±2.72, t=-3.228, P=0.004) signals in the IP CBF2.5 were decreased. The volumes of IP CBF1.5 [107.51(50.08, 138.61)mm 3], IP APT [99.00 (53.27, 121.335) mm 3] and IP CBF2.5 [89.91 (51.53, 139.87) mm 3] were successively reduced (χ2=7.913, P=0.019), and the volume of IP CBF2.5 was significantly smaller than that of IP CBF1.5 ( P=0.037). Conclusion:The acid-base metabolism in the IC of subacute cerebral infarction is not obvious, but the blood flow penumbra has local acid-base metabolism imbalance, and the range of metabolic penumbra coincides with the blood flow penumbra.

Objective To discuss the possible etiology,pathogenesis,clinical features,diagnosis and treatment of epidermoid cysts of the jaw and to provide a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods A case of an epi-dermoid cyst in the right mandible with retained deciduous teeth and succedaneous impacted teeth was reviewed and an-alyzed in combination with the relevant literature.Results A patient presented with a mass in the right mandible that had persisted for 1 month after being found at imaging examination.Tooth 83 was retained,and tooth 43 was unerupted.Swelling was characterized by no obvious tenderness,fluctuation,or table tennis sensation and was observed in the lin-gual alveoli of teeth 83,44,and 45.Imaging revealed a low-density shadow in the apex of teeth 83,44,45,and 46,approximately 1.9 cm × 2.6 cm × 1.6 cm in size,which wrapped around the dental crown of tooth 43.Preliminary diag-noses were as follows:right mandibular mass thought to be a dentigerous cyst;impacted tooth 43;and retained primary tooth 83.The mass in the right mandible was removed,and teeth 43 and 83 were extracted under intravenous and inha-lation anesthesia.During the operation,the mass was observed to have a thin cyst wall and contained bean-like residue.Histopathological examination indicated an epidermoid cyst in the right mandible.At the 1-week follow-up examination,the patient reported no discomfort,and the surgical area showed good recovery.According to the literature,epidermoid cysts are benign cysts originating from ectopic ectodermal tissue that can occur throughout the body but rarely in the oral cavity and are even extremely rarer in the jaw.Epidermoid cysts of the jaw,which have no specific clinical manifes-tations,can be confused with odontogenic cysts such as dentigerous cysts and odontogenic tumors.Dental pulp tests and other techniques can serve as a reference for clinicians.The diagnosis is confirmed via histopathology.Surgical removal is a common treatment,with a good prognosis and a low recurrence rate.Conclusion The principle of treatment for an epidermoid cyst of the jaw is similar to that for a jaw cyst.The prognosis is good when the cyst is removed completely.

Objective:To explore the protective effect of α-lipoic acid (LA) on radiation damage of mice cochlear ribbon synapses.Methods:Mice were divided into five groups: control group, radiation 3 d group, radiation 3 d+ LA group, radiation 14 d group and radiation 14 d+ LA group. The radiation groups were irradiated with 16 Gy, the radiation+ LA groups were given LA once a day after radiation, the control group was given the same amount of normal saline. The auditory brainstem response (ABR) of mice were measured before irradiation and sacrifice. The number of ribbon synapses were observed with immunofluorescently labeled protein ctBP2. Western blot assay was performed to obtain the semi-quantitative expression levels of otoferlin and AP-2 protein.Results:Compared with the control group, the ABR threshold of radiation groups were significantly higher ( P<0.05) with the highest value at 14 d after irradiation ( P<0.05), and the ABR threshold of the radiation+ LA groups were significantly lower ( P<0.05). The ABR threshold shifts of 12 kHz, 24 kHz at 3 d and 14 d groups had no significant difference with 8 kHz threshold shift ( P>0.05). The 32 kHz threshold shift was significantly higher than 8 kHz threshold shift ( t=-2.38, -5.48, P<0.05). The number of ribbon synapses in the radiation groups was significantly lower than that of control group ( P<0.05), with the lowest value in the radiation 14 d group. LA treatment increased the ABR value significantly ( P<0.05). AP-2 and otoferlin protein levels were significantly reduced after irradiation, especially in the radiation 14 d groups, and they were increased by the LA treatment. Conclusions:LA has protective effect on the ribbon synapses of cochlear hair cells.

Purpose: Radiation-induced dermatitis (RD) is a common side-effect of therapeutic ionizing radiation that can severely affect patient quality of life. This study aimed to develop a risk prediction model for the occurrence of RD in patients with cervical carcinoma undergoing chemoradiotherapy using electronic medical records (EMRs). Methods: Using EMRs, the clinical data of patients who underwent simultaneous radiotherapy and chemotherapy at a tertiary cancer hospital between 2017 and 2022 were retrospectively collected, and the patients were divided into two groups: a training group and a validation group. A predictive model was constructed to predict the development of RD in patients who underwent concurrent radiotherapy and chemotherapy for cervical cancer. Finally, the model's efficacy was validated using a receiver operating characteristic curve. Results: The incidence of radiation dermatitis was 89.5% (560/626) in the entire cohort, 88.6% (388/438) in the training group, and 91.5% (172/188) in the experimental group. The nomogram was established based on the following factors: age, the days between the beginning and conclusion of radiotherapy, the serum albumin after chemoradiotherapy, the use of single or multiple drugs for concurrent chemotherapy, and the total dose of afterloading radiotherapy. Internal and external verification indicated that the model had good discriminatory ability. Overall, the model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of .66. Conclusions The risk of RD in patients with cervical carcinoma undergoing chemoradiotherapy is high. A risk prediction model can be developed for RD in cervical carcinoma patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy, based on over 5 years of EMR data from a tertiary cancer hospital.

Objective:To investigate the role and mechanism of splenic myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in sepsis-induced adrenal injury (SAI).Methods:Thirty male C57 mice aged 6-8 weeks were randomly divided into normal control group ( n = 5), sham operation group (Sham group, n = 5), sepsis model group [cecal ligation and perforation (CLP) group, n = 10] and sepsis+splenectomy group (CLPS group, n = 10). The sepsis model of mice was reproduced by CLP method. In Sham group, only the cecum was opened and separated, then closed, without CLP. In CLPS group, the spleen was removed before CLP. In normal control group, no challenge was given. After 24 hours, the rats were sacrificed by anesthesia, and peripheral blood, spleen, bone marrow, and bilateral adrenal glands were harvested. The pathological of adrenal gland was assessed by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining under optical microscope. The ratio of MDSCs in peripheral blood, spleen and bone marrow was determined by flow cytometry. The expressions of MDSCs surface antigen CD11b, Gr-1 and interleukins (IL-6, IL-1β) mRNA in adrenal tissue were measured by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Western Blot was used to detect the expressions of mammalian rapamycin target protein (mTOR) pathway related proteins including total mTOR (T-mTOR), phosphorylation of mTOR (p-mTOR) and caspase-3. Results:The adrenal cortex and medulla of the normal control group and Sham group were intact and the structure was clear under optical microscope, while in the CLP group, the adrenal gland showed edema, cortical hemorrhage and cell edema. Compared with the CLP group, the adrenal tissue injury was significantly reduced in the CLPS group. Compared with the normal control group and Sham group, MDSCs ratio in the peripheral blood was significantly increased and significantly reduced in the spleen in the CLP group, but there was no significant difference in bone marrow, the expression levels of CD11b, Gr-1, IL-6, IL-1β mRNA and caspase-3 protein were increased significantly and p-mTOR protein expression was significantly decreased in adrenal tissue, there was no significant difference in the expression of T-mTOR protein. Compared with the CLP group, in the CLPS group, the MDSCs ratio in the peripheral blood was significantly decreased (0.143±0.011 vs. 0.324±0.023, P < 0.01), the expression levels of CD11b, Gr-1, IL-6 , IL-1β mRNA and caspase-3 protein in adrenal gland were significantly decreased [CD11b mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 2.90±0.56 vs. 5.74±0.13, Gr-1 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 2.71±0.14 vs. 4.59±0.46, IL-6 mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 2.44±0.64 vs. 5.17±1.04, IL-1β mRNA (2 -ΔΔCt): 3.58±0.52 vs. 4.44±0.26, caspase-3 protein (caspase-3/GAPDH): 0.05±0.01 vs. 0.13±0.02, all P < 0.01], the p-mTOR protein expression was significantly increased (p-mTOR/GAPDH: 0.61±0.11 vs. 0.27±0.04, P < 0.01). Conclusions:The spleen is the major source of MDSCs in SAI. Splenectomy can attenuate SAI by reducing mobilization of MDSCs and activating the mTOR signaling pathway.

The occurrence of benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH)was related to disrupted sex steroid hormones,and metformin(Met)had a clinical response to sex steroid hormone-related gynaecological disease.How-ever,whether Met exerts an antiproliferative effect on BPH via sex steroid hormones remains unclear.Here,our clinical study showed that along with prostatic epithelial cell(PEC)proliferation,sex steroid hormones were dysregulated in the serum and prostate of BPH patients.As the major contributor to dysregulated sex steroid hormones,elevated dihydrotestosterone(DHT)had a significant positive rela-tionship with the clinical characteristics of BPH patients.Activation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK)by Met restored dysregulated sex steroid hormone homeostasis and exerted antiproliferative effects against DHT-induced proliferation by inhibiting the formation of androgen receptor(AR)-mediated Yes-associated protein(YAP1)-TEA domain transcription factor(TEAD4)heterodimers.Met's anti-proliferative effects were blocked by AMPK inhibitor or YAP1 over-expression in DHT-cultured BPH-1 cells.Our findings indicated that Met would be a promising clinical therapeutic approach for BPH by inhibiting dysregulated steroid hormone-induced PEC proliferation.

AIM: To explore which variables can predict the weight response to exenatide and to individualize specific therapies for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) who need treatment with exenatide. METHODS: We performed a study among T2DM patients who were treated with exenatide twice daily for at least 12 months from January 2017 to December 2020. Data of the height, weight, body mass index (BMI) calculated, and HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), postprandial plasma glucose (PPG), fasting serum insulin (FINS), postprandial serum insulin (PINS), blood lipids and concurrent diabetic medications at baseline, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after exenatide initiation were collected. Patients were categorized into two cohorts based on weight loss ≥3%: responders and non-responders. The binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the major variables of weight response to exenatide. RESULTS: The duration of diabetes in the responder group was shorter than that in patients in the non-responder group (P<0.05). For patients in the responder and non-responder groups, there was a significant decrease in weight, BMI, HbA1c, FPG, PPG, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and increase in homeostasis model assessment for beta cell function (HOMA-B) compared with the prarameters before treatment with exenatide (P<0.001). The baseline weight and baseline HbA1c were associated with weight loss after 6 months of treatment with exenatide (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Baseline weight and HbA1c improvement were positively correlated with weight loss after 6 months of treatment with exenatide and the major predictors of weight response to exenatide.

Objective: To investigate the differences and clinical significance of circRNA expression profiles in oral leukoplakia (OLK) tissues and normal oral mucosal (NOM) tissues. Methods: High-throughput sequencing was used to detect differentially expressed circRNAs in 6 pairs of OLK and NOM tissues, and qRT-PCR was used to verify the expression of 10 circRNAs screened in 6 pairs of OLK and NOM tissues. The ring formation of circRNA was verified by RNase R digestion and Sanger sequencing, and the target circHLA-C was further verified by qRT-PCR in 20 pairs of OLK and NOM tissues. CircHLA-C was visualized using the UCSC genome browser (genome.ucsc.edu). The function of differentially expressed circRNAs was analyzed by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. TargetScan and miRanda predicted the downstream miRNAs and mRNAs of the target circRNAs, and a ceRNA network related to the identified circRNAs was constructed in Cytoscape. Results: Sequencing analysis showed that 366 circRNAs were significantly differentially expressed in OLK tissues, including 65 upregulated and 301 downregulated circRNAs. After qRT-PCR verification, 7 of the 10 screened circRNAs were expressed consistent with the sequencing results. The upregulated circHLA-C was confirmed to be a real circRNA with back-splice junction sites by RNase R digestion and Sanger sequencing. Correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between circHLA-C and the degree of OLK dysplasia. ROC curve analysis suggested that circHLA-C had potential value in diagnosing OLK with high accuracy and specificity. Conclusion CircRNA was significantly abnormally expressed in OLK tissues, and the upregulation of circHLA-C may be related to the degree of OLK dysplasia, providing guiding value for the diagnosis of OLK in the future.