Objective To study the effects of DMF on the quality of spermatozoa and sex hormone levels in male mice,and the possible mechanism. Methods Forty male KM mice were randomly divided into four groups and then treated with DMF dissolved in distilled water by gavage (10 ml/kg) at the doses of 0,0.5,1 and 2 g/kg,once a day for 30 consecutive days. The mice were weighted and then sacrificed on day 31. The epididymises were collected for determination of sperm motility,sperm counting and determination of abnormal sperm rate. The T,LH,and FSH levels in serum were determined. Results Compared with the control group,mice in all treated groups showed significant decrease in body weight (P

AIM:To investigate the effect of Haikun Shenxi Capsule(fucoidan)on disorder of lipid metabolism on the patients with chronic kidney disease(CKD).METHODS:98 patients with CKD 3、4 stage were divided into 2 groups at random:control group were given routine therapy and therapy group were given routine therapy plus Haikun Shenxi Capsule.The changes of the levels of TCH,TG,HDL-Ch,LDL-Ch,VLDL-Ch,ApoA-1,ApoB in 2 groups were observed.RESULTS:The level of TCH,TG decreased significantly(P 0.05).CONCLUSION:Haikun Shenxi Capsule has a positive effect on disorder of lipid metabolism on the patients with CKD.

AIM:To investigate the effect of 18 alpha-glycyrrhetinic acid (18α-GA) on delaying the senescent progress and promoting the proliferation in late-passage bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells ( BMSCs ) .METHODS:Late-passage BMSCs were incubated with 2.0 mg /L 18α-GA or the same volume of DMSO for 30 d, and the cells were harvested to determine the proteasome activity .The expression of senescence-related proteins p53, p21 and p16 was detec-ted by senescence-associated β-galactosidase ( SA-β-Gal) staining and Western blot .The cell proliferation , the expression level of cell cycle-related proteins and cell cycle distribution of the cells were measured by CCK -8 assay, BrdU incorpora-tion, Western blot and flow cytometry.RESULTS:Compared with DMSO group, the proteasome activity in 18α-GA group increased significantly by about 0.2 times (P<0.01).SA-β-Gal-positive cells in 18α-GA group decreased, and cell stai-ning was lighter.The contents of p53 and p21 in 18α-GA group were decreased (P<0.05).The results of CCK-8 assay showed that the A value in 18α-GA group was 0.3 times higher than that in DMSO group (P<0.01).BrdU incorporation showed the increased proliferation in 18α-GA group compared with DMSO group ( P<0.05).The cells in G1 phase in 18α-GA group decreased significantly compared with DMSO group , while the cells in S phase increased significantly ( P<0.05).The expression level of cyclin D1 in 18α-GA group was 2.8 times higher than that in DMSO group (P<0.01), and the CDK4 level was 1.4 times higher than that in DMSO group (P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Activation of the pro-teasome activity by 18α-GA delays the aging process in the BMSCs and promotes the cell proliferation via up -regulation of the cell cycle-related proteins .

BACKGROUND:Cationic liposome-mediated celltransfection is reliable and repeatable. However the transfection efficiency is often low.
OBJECTIVE:To study the optimized methods for gene transfection mediated by liposome into N2a cells (mouse neuroblastma cells).
METHODS:Using traditional adherent method and improved suspension method, 500 ng recombinant plasmid pcDNA3-GFP carrying green fluorescence protein was transfected into N2a cells in 24-wel culture plate, which was mediated by 1.5μL Lipofectamine?LTX Reagent. The expression of green fluorescent protein was observed by inverted fluorescence microscope, and the transfection efficiencies at different transfection ways were calculated. By using improved suspension transfection method, 500 ng plasmid DNA was transfected with different doses of Lipofectamine?LTX Reagent (1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5μL). The optimal ratio of liposome and DNA was explored.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The transfection efficiency of suspension transfection method was significantly higher than that of the tranditional adherent method (P<0.01) when using 1.5μL liposome/500 ng DNA. The transfection efficiency of the 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5μL Lipofectamine?LTX on 500 ng plasmid DNA was respectively (76.60±3.85)%, (80.00±4.17)%, (88.00±5.89)%, (54.96±4.23)%. It showed the 500 ng DNA and 2.0μL liposome achieve the highest transfection efficiency.

BACKGROUND:It is not fuly understood that whetherp53 inhibitor can directly intervene in the viability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels and the possible mechanism. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of p53 inhibitor, PFT-α, on the aging process of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels in late-phase amplification and to discover the key target to delay the replicative senescence of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels. METHODS:The expression levels ofp53,p21, andp15 mRNA in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels in both early and late-phase amplification were detected by quantitative PCR assay. Then, human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels in late-phase amplification were respectively treated with 20 μmol/L PFT-α or an equivalent amount of dimethyl sulfoxide for 2 weeks. The positive rate of aging cels was determined by SA-β-Gal staining. The apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining. Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels were treated with 300 μmol/L H2O2 for 30 minutes, and then celular anti-oxidative stress capacity was detected by cel counting kit-8 assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The quantitative PCR assay showed that the mRNA expression level ofp15, p21 andp53 in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels in late-phase amplification was significantly increased (1.45±0.23), (1.51±0.14) and (1.78±0.14) times as much as that in early phase amplification (P < 0.05). The positive rate of aging cels in PFT-α group was significantly lower than that in the dimethyl sulfoxide group[(41±5)%vs. (63±7)%,P < 0.05)]. However, there was no significant difference in apoptosis rate between PFT-α group and dimethyl sulfoxide group. After treatment with H2O2, the absorbance value in the PFT-α group was(1.27±0.13) times as much as that in the dimethyl sulfoxide group (P < 0.001). The above results demonstrate that the activation ofp53 signaling pathway may be an important factor of causing aging of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels. Application ofp53 inhibitor PFT-αcan enhance the anti-oxidative stress capacity of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cels in late phrase amplification.

BACKGROUND: BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice are two inbred strains, but after voluntary movement, there is no report on how to scientifical y reasonably select behavioral experiment methods and indicators and to evaluate the learning and memory abilities of mice.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze and compare the behavioral indicators between BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice fol owing voluntary wheel running, to explore the effect of exercise on learning and memory, and to provide a reference for selecting reasonable behavioral indicators.
METHODS: 2.5-month-old BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control and voluntary wheel running groups. Independent running wheel movement of mice was recorded with VitalView system. 4 weeks later, newborn neurons were labeled via DCX immunofluorescence. Spatial learning, memory and exploration abilities were compared through new arm test, new object recognition test and Morris water maze test.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) The mean spontaneous activity of BALB/c mice daily was 2.56 fold of that of C57BL/6 mice during wheel running (P < 0.001). (2) Hippocampal DCX-positive cel s in exercised BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice were more than those in control group. (3) Meantime, exhibited by higher frequencies to explore new arm or object, and longer time and distance of moving around them, the learning and exploring capability was improved after exercising (P < 0.001), especial y in BALB/c mice. (4) Wheel running C57BL/6 mice exhibited progressed spatial learning and memory abilities compared with control mice in Morris water maze test, characterized by decreased latency to target, elevated target crossings and longer time or distance in quadrant zone (P < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference between wheel running and control BALB/c mice. Taken these data together, voluntary wheel running contributed to hippocampal neurogenesis of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice, accompanied by the change of learning and memory capability, which could be detected properly via both new arm test and new object recognition test, but for Morris water maze test, C57BL/6 mice might be superior to BALB/c mice.

Objective:To study the risk factors of complications after bowel resection for acute mesenteric ischemic disease.Methods:Retrospective case-control study was used to analyze the case data of 68 patients diagnosed with acute mesenteric ischemic disease (AMI) with bowel resection at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from January 2010 to January 2020, including 43 males and 25 females. The patients were divided into complication group ( n=21) and the non-complication group ( n=47) according to whether they had complications after surgery. The risk factors associated with the development of postoperative complications were analyzed by multivariate Logistic stepwise regression method to determine the risk factors with clinical significance. Measurement data with normal distribution were expressed as mean ± standard deviation ( ± s), and t-test was used for comparison between groups. Chi-square test was used for comparison between count data groups. Results:Univariate analysis showed that age >60 years, Marshall score≥2, type of resected bowel, pathology suggestive of irreversible transmural necrosis, length of ICU stay >6 d, length of mechanical ventilation >2 d, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, and preoperative procalcitonin≥2 ng/mL were the risk factors affecting the development of complications after bowel resection for acute mesenteric ischemic disease risk factors ( P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age>60 years ( HR=12.364, 95% CI: 1.135-134.662, P=0.039) and preoperative procalcitonin ≥2 ng/mL ( HR=14.144, 95% CI: 1.280-156.303, P=0.031) were independent risk factors for the development of postoperative complications after AMI parallel bowel resection. Conclusion:The rate of complications after combined bowel resection for AMI is high. When patients are combined with age>60 years and preoperative procalcitonin≥2 ng/mL, preoperative prevention of postoperative complications should be emphasized to improve the prognosis of patients.

Objective:To investigate the treatment efficacy of adjuvant anti-VEGF/VEGFR targeted therapy in patients with non-metastatic (cM 0) non-clear cell renal cell carcinoma and tumor thrombus (nccRCC-VTT). Methods:This retrospective study enrolled 26 patients who underwent radical nephrectomy combined with inferior vena cava tumor thrombectomy at Peking University Third Hospital from January 2014 to July 2021. Patients were divided into adjuvant therapy group (10 cases) and control group (16 cases)based on the use of postoperative targeted therapy. The distribution of baseline clinical characteristics in the adjuvant therapy group and the control group were as follows: gender (6 males and 4 females in the adjuvant therapy group, 12 males and 4 females in the control group, P=0.66), age (56.2±18.5 years old in the adjuvant therapy group; 54.6±14.5 years old in the control group; P=0.80), BMI(24.0±3.5 in the adjuvant therapy group; 24.3±3.3 in the control group; P=0.80), presence of clinical symptoms (8 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 15 cases in the control group; P=0.54), tumor laterality(6 cases on the left and 4 cases on the right in the adjuvant therapy group; 6 cases on the left and 10 cases on the right in the control group; P=0.42), location of tumor thrombus (2 cases with renal vein tumor thrombus and 8 cases with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus in the adjuvant therapy group; 2 cases with renal vein tumor thrombus and 14 cases with inferior vena cava tumor thrombus in the control group; P=0.67), ASA classification (2 cases in ASA class 1 and 8 cases in ASA class 2 in the adjuvant therapy group; 2 cases in ASA class 1 and 14 cases in ASA class 2 in the control group; P=0.63), surgical approach (7 minimally invasive surgeries and 3 open surgeries in the adjuvant therapy group; 9 minimally invasive surgeries and 7 open surgeries in the control group; P=0.68), conversion to open surgery (2 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 2 cases in the control group; P=0.63), operation time [287.5(222.2, 456.0) minutes in the adjuvant therapy group; 344.0(287.8, 482.5) minutes in the control group; P=0.34), blood loss [400.0(250.0, 600.0)ml in the adjuvant therapy group; 575.0(175.0, 800.0)ml in the control group; P=0.63), Clavien-Dindo classification of postoperative complications (8 cases with no postoperative complications, 2 cases with level 1-2 complications, and 0 cases with level ≥3 complications in the adjuvant therapy group; 10 cases with no postoperative complications, 4 cases with level 1-2 complications, and 2 cases with level ≥3 complications in the control group; P=0.68), postoperative hospital stay (8.5 [5.5, 11.5] days in the adjuvant therapy group; 7.5 [6.0, 13.0] days in the control group; P=1.00), maximum tumor diameter[ (9.2±2.7)cm in the adjuvant therapy group; (8.9±3.3)cm in the control group; P=0.81], sarcomatoid differentiation (0 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 1 case in the control group; P=1.00), perinephric fat invasion (2 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 7 cases in the control group; P=0.40), tumor necrosis (6 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 5 cases in the control group; P=0.23), pathological subtype (1 case of PRCC type 1, 6 cases of PRCC type 2, and 3 cases of TFE3 rearrangement RCC in the adjuvant therapy group; 2 cases of PRCC type 1, 10 cases of PRCC type 2, and 1 case each of oncocytic PRCC, TFE3 rearrangement RCC, FH-deficient RCC, and unclassified RCC in the control group; P=0.72), WHO/ISUP nuclear grade (10 cases of grades 3-4 in the adjuvant therapy group; 4 cases of grades 1-2 and 12 cases of grades 3-4 in the control group; P=0.14), invasion of tumor thrombus into the vessel wall (5 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 5 cases in the control group; P=0.43), T stage (1 case of T 3a, 3 cases of T 3b, 5 cases of T 3c, and 1 case of T 4 in the adjuvant therapy group; 1 case of T 3a, 4 cases of T 3b, 10 cases of T 3c, and 1 case of T 4 in the control group; P=1.00), and positive lymph nodes metastasis(3 cases in the adjuvant therapy group; 0 cases in the control group; P<0.05). The recommended doses for sunitinib, axitinib, and pazopanib are 50mg qd, 5mg q12h, and 800mg qd, respectively. The primary endpoint of this study was disease-free survival (DFS), and the secondary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Statistical analyses were performed using R v4.2.2. Confounding factors were adjusted using propensity score weighting. Results:The median follow-up time for DFS was 29 months in the adjuvant therapy group and not reached in the control group, while median follow-up time for OS was 28 and 26 months, respectively. In the univariate Cox regression analysis, there were no statistically significant difference in the impact of all baseline characteristics and exposure factors on DFS and OS between the two groups. In survival analysis, there were no significant difference between DFS and OS curves of patients in the adjuvant therapy group and the control group (DFS, P=0.62; OS, P=0.74). The median DFS of patients in the adjuvant therapy group and the control group were 17 and 19 months, respectively, while the median OS was 43 and 27 months. After adjusting for confounding factors, the median DFS of patients in the adjuvant therapy group and the control group were 26 and 12 months, respectively, and the median OS remained 43 and 27 months, with no significant difference (DFS, P=0.81; OS, P=0.40). Conclusion:There is currently a lack of definitive evidence for survival benefit from adjuvant anti-VEGF/VEGFR targeted therapy in patients with cM0 nccRCC-VTT after surgery.

Objective:To examine the impact of varied surgical treatment strategies on the prognosis of patients with initial resectable gastric cancer liver metastases (IR-GCLM).Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. Employing a retrospective cohort design, the study selected clinicopathological data from the national multi-center retrospective cohort study database, focusing on 282 patients with IR-GCLM who underwent surgical intervention between January 2010 and December 2019. There were 231 males and 51 males, aging ( M(IQR)) 61 (14) years (range: 27 to 80 years). These patients were stratified into radical and palliative treatment groups based on treatment decisions. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method and distinctions in survival rates were assessed using the Log-rank test. The Cox risk regression model evaluated HR for various factors, controlling for confounders through multivariate analysis to comprehensively evaluate the influence of surgery on the prognosis of IR-GCLM patients. A restricted cubic spline Cox proportional hazard model assessed and delineated intricate associations between measured variables and prognosis. At the same time, the X-tile served as an auxiliary tool to identify critical thresholds in the survival analysis for IR-GCLM patients. Subgroup analysis was then conducted to identify potential beneficiary populations in different surgical treatments. Results:(1) The radical group comprised 118 patients, all undergoing R0 resection or local physical therapy of primary and metastatic lesions. The palliative group comprised 164 patients, with 52 cases undergoing palliative resections for gastric primary tumors and liver metastases, 56 cases undergoing radical resections for gastric primary tumors only, 45 cases undergoing palliative resections for gastric primary tumors, and 11 cases receiving palliative treatments for liver metastases. A statistically significant distinction was observed between the groups regarding the site and the number of liver metastases (both P<0.05). (2) The median overall survival (OS) of the 282 patients was 22.7 months (95% CI: 17.8 to 27.6 months), with 1-year and 3-year OS rates were 65.4% and 35.6%, respectively. The 1-year OS rates for patients in the radical surgical group and palliative surgical group were 68.3% and 63.1%, while the corresponding 3-year OS rates were 42.2% and 29.9%, respectively. A comparison of OS between the two groups showed no statistically significant difference ( P=0.254). Further analysis indicated that patients undergoing palliative gastric cancer resection alone had a significantly worse prognosis compared to other surgical options ( HR=1.98, 95% CI: 1.21 to 3.24, P=0.006). (3) The size of the primary gastric tumor significantly influenced the patients′ prognosis ( HR=2.01, 95% CI: 1.45 to 2.79, P<0.01), with HR showing a progressively increasing trend as tumor size increased. (4) Subgroup analysis indicates that radical treatment may be more effective compared to palliative treatment in the following specific cases: well/moderately differentiated tumors ( HR=2.84, 95% CI 1.49 to 5.41, P=0.001), and patients with liver metastases located in the left lobe of the liver ( HR=2.06, 95% CI 1.19 to 3.57, P=0.010). Conclusions:In patients with IR-GCLM, radical surgery did not produce a significant improvement in the overall prognosis compared to palliative surgery. However, within specific patient subgroups (well/moderately differentiated tumors, and patients with liver metastases located in the left lobe of the liver), radical treatment can significantly improve prognosis compared to palliative approaches.

Objective:To examine the impact of varied surgical treatment strategies on the prognosis of patients with initial resectable gastric cancer liver metastases (IR-GCLM).Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study. Employing a retrospective cohort design, the study selected clinicopathological data from the national multi-center retrospective cohort study database, focusing on 282 patients with IR-GCLM who underwent surgical intervention between January 2010 and December 2019. There were 231 males and 51 males, aging ( M(IQR)) 61 (14) years (range: 27 to 80 years). These patients were stratified into radical and palliative treatment groups based on treatment decisions. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method and distinctions in survival rates were assessed using the Log-rank test. The Cox risk regression model evaluated HR for various factors, controlling for confounders through multivariate analysis to comprehensively evaluate the influence of surgery on the prognosis of IR-GCLM patients. A restricted cubic spline Cox proportional hazard model assessed and delineated intricate associations between measured variables and prognosis. At the same time, the X-tile served as an auxiliary tool to identify critical thresholds in the survival analysis for IR-GCLM patients. Subgroup analysis was then conducted to identify potential beneficiary populations in different surgical treatments. Results:(1) The radical group comprised 118 patients, all undergoing R0 resection or local physical therapy of primary and metastatic lesions. The palliative group comprised 164 patients, with 52 cases undergoing palliative resections for gastric primary tumors and liver metastases, 56 cases undergoing radical resections for gastric primary tumors only, 45 cases undergoing palliative resections for gastric primary tumors, and 11 cases receiving palliative treatments for liver metastases. A statistically significant distinction was observed between the groups regarding the site and the number of liver metastases (both P<0.05). (2) The median overall survival (OS) of the 282 patients was 22.7 months (95% CI: 17.8 to 27.6 months), with 1-year and 3-year OS rates were 65.4% and 35.6%, respectively. The 1-year OS rates for patients in the radical surgical group and palliative surgical group were 68.3% and 63.1%, while the corresponding 3-year OS rates were 42.2% and 29.9%, respectively. A comparison of OS between the two groups showed no statistically significant difference ( P=0.254). Further analysis indicated that patients undergoing palliative gastric cancer resection alone had a significantly worse prognosis compared to other surgical options ( HR=1.98, 95% CI: 1.21 to 3.24, P=0.006). (3) The size of the primary gastric tumor significantly influenced the patients′ prognosis ( HR=2.01, 95% CI: 1.45 to 2.79, P<0.01), with HR showing a progressively increasing trend as tumor size increased. (4) Subgroup analysis indicates that radical treatment may be more effective compared to palliative treatment in the following specific cases: well/moderately differentiated tumors ( HR=2.84, 95% CI 1.49 to 5.41, P=0.001), and patients with liver metastases located in the left lobe of the liver ( HR=2.06, 95% CI 1.19 to 3.57, P=0.010). Conclusions:In patients with IR-GCLM, radical surgery did not produce a significant improvement in the overall prognosis compared to palliative surgery. However, within specific patient subgroups (well/moderately differentiated tumors, and patients with liver metastases located in the left lobe of the liver), radical treatment can significantly improve prognosis compared to palliative approaches.