Objective To explore the effects of Jin's Three-needle Acupuncture combined with occupational therapy on function of upper limbs for stroke patients with hemiplegia. Methods 90 patients with stroke were randomly divided into control group (n=30), observation group (n=30) and experiment group (n=30). The control group received routine rehabilitation, the observation group received occupational therapy in addition, and the experiment group received Jin's Three-needle Acupuncture and occupational therapy in addition. They were assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) of upper limbs and Barthel index (BI) before and 4 weeks after treatment. Results The scores of FMA and BI improved in all the groups after treatment (P<0.001). The difference of scores of FMA and BI before and after treatment were more in the experiment group than in the observation group (P<0.001), observation group than the control group (P<0.001). Conclusion Jin's Three-needle Acupuncture combined with occupational therapy can further improve the motor function of upper limbs and activities of daily living for stroke patients with hemiplegia.

Objective:By exploring the management of subject complaints by the ethics committee, to identify and correct the problems that damage the rights of subjects in clinical drug trials, in order to improve the ability of the ethics committee of protecting the rights and interests of the subjects.Methods:We conducted a retrospective analysis of 13 cases of subject complaints accepted by the Ethics Committee of Peking University People′s Hospital from January to December 2021, analyzed the causes of complaints, and proposed countermeasures and suggestions.Results:Problems exist in the subject complaints regarding the payment of compensation, investigators′ communication attitude and skills, subjects′ understanding bias, etc.Conclusions:The ethics committee should attach great importance to subject complaints, adopt a closed-loop management process, carry out hierarchical management, strict ethical review, improve the ability of continuous supervision, conduct targeted training for investigators, and provide counseling services for subjects, to improve the communication between investigators and subjects, effectively reduce and avoid the occurrence of complaints. Relevant functional departments of medical and health institutions should work together to protect the rights and interests of the subjects.

Objective:To change the current situation of the relatively weak management of periodic follow-up review, and further to improve the continuous review capacity of the ethics committee.Methods:Through sorting out and analyzing the problems existing in the periodic follow-up review, corresponding solutions are taken: to detail management requirements; to strengthen daily supervision; special ethics training and communication to enhance the ethical awareness of researchers; to optimize the division of labor in the ethics office to improve work efficiency and the quality of committee review; the information review system helps strengthen tracking and reminding.Results:In one year′s practice, the omission of periodic follow-up has been significantly reduced, and the supervision ability of the Ethics Committee on periodic follow-up review has been improved.Conclusions:In periodic follow-up review, research institutions, ethics committees and researchers pay enough attention to fulfill their responsibilities and actively cooperate can effectively improve the quality of periodic follow-up review.

Objective To investigate whether chlorophyllin could protect human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) against oxidative damage by inducing the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and to explore the underlying mechanism.Methods The cellular protection of chlorophyllin against oxidative damage was detected by cell-survival assay with flow cytometry.The level of free radicals was detected directly by electron spin resonance spectra.The induced expression of HO-1 was shown by RT-PCR,Western blot,immunofluorescence confocal laser microscopy and enzymatic activity test.Whether the activation of PI3K/Akt pathway was involved was detected by Western blot.Results Chlorophyllin could protect HUVEC against oxidative damage caused by H2O2 via scavenging the excessive free radicals.Chlorophyllin treatment could induce expression of HO-1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner.The activation of PI3K/Akt pathway was required in the induction of HO-1.LY294002,the specific inhibitor of PI3K,could suppress the activation of PI3K/Akt and the induced expression of HO-1 in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusions Chlorophyllin shows cellular protection against oxidative damage by counteracting the excessive free radicals.Up-regulation of HO-1 expression plays a pivotal role in the protection of chlorophyllin,while the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is required in the induction of HO-1.

The application of electronic informed consent has the advantages of speeding up the recruitment of subjects, helping the less educated to understand research and recruit groups, facilitating direct communication between subjects and researchers, minimizing human omissions and errors, and effectively improving the efficiency of clinical research. However, there are also some challenges, such as privacy, ethical censorship, hardware costs and so on. On the basis of the above discussion, this paper believed that electronic informed consent, as a new form, would provide a more powerful tool for clinical research in an era full of opportunities and challenges, with research value and potential.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the plasma level of extracellular histones in patients with silicosis, and to explore the role of extracellular histones in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis in silicosis.

METHODSSixty-two patients with silicosis were enrolled as the silicosis group, consisting of 23 patients with stage I silicosis, 25 with stage II silicosis, and 14 with stage III silicosis; sixty workers who had a history of occupational exposure to silica dust for more than 2 years and had not been diagnosed with silicosis were enrolled as the silica dust exposure group; sixty-five healthy workers without a history of occupational exposure to dust were enrolled as healthy controls. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was applied to measure the plasma levels of plasma extracellular histone (H4) and transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β).

RESULTSCompared with healthy controls [(0.82±0.67) μg/ml], the silica dust exposure group[(4.14±2.85) μg/ml] and silicosis group[(9.50±5.04) μg/ml] had significant increases in plasma level of H4 (P<0.01). The plasma level of H4 was significantly correlated with the stage of silicosis(r=0.8955, P=0.0388). The silicosis group had a significantly higher plasma level of TGF-β than the silica dust exposure group and healthy controls(P <0.05). In the patients with silicosis, the plasma level of H4 was significantly correlated with that of TGF-β(r=0.5375, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe plasma level of extracellular histones increases significantly in the pathogenesis of silicosis, and extracellular histones may play an important role in the progression of fibrosis in silicosis.

Case-Control Studies ; Disease Progression ; Dust ; Histones ; blood ; Humans ; Occupational Exposure ; Silicon Dioxide ; Silicosis ; blood ; pathology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; blood

Objective:To investigate the effect of luteolin(Lut)on the proliferation and ferroptosis of human adriamycin(ADR)resistant chronic myeloid leukemia(CML)K562/ADR cells and the underlying molecular mechanism. Methods:K562 and K562/ADR cells were treated with different concentrations of ADR.The sensitivity of K562 and K562/ADR cells to ADR was evaluated by CCK-8 assay;the effect of different concentrations of Lut on the proliferation of K562/ADR cells was assessed by CCK-8 assay,and the half inhibitory concentration(IC50)was calculated for subsequent experiments;the morphological changes of the cells were observed by an inverted microscope;CCK-8 assay was used to examine the sensitizing effect of Lut on ADR;FCM assay was used to study the effect of Lut on the apoptosis of K562/ADR cells;fluorescence probe DCFH-DA,Fe2+colorimetric assay and glutathione(GSH)kit were used to detect the content of reactive oxygen species(ROS),Fe2+and GSH in K562/ADR cells,respectively;Western blotting was used to examine the expression levels of glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)and heme oxygenase-1(HO-1)in K562/ADR cells;the effects of Lut on the proliferation of K562/ADR cells,ROS content,GSH content,Fe2+content and GPX4 expression were studied after treatment with ferroptosis inhibitor Ferrostatin-1(Fer-1). Results:Compared with control group(cells treated with 0 μmol/L Lut),Lut significantly inhibited the proliferation of K562/ADR cells(P＜0.001),improved the chemosensitivity of K562/ADR cells to ADR(P＜0.05),increased apoptosis rate(P＜0.001)and ROS level(P＜0.05)of K562/ADR cells,reduced the GSH level(P＜0.001),and increase Fe2+content(P＜0.01).Compared with control group(cells treated with 0 μmol/L Lut),the protein expressions of GPX4,Nrf2 and HO-1 decreased with the increase of Lut concentration(P＜0.05).Compared with the Lut treatment alone,the inhibitory effect on the proliferation of K562/ADR cells induced by Lut was partially restored by Fer-1 intervention(P＜0.05),and intracellular ROS level was decreased(P＜0.001),GSH level was increased(P＜0.001),Fe2+content was decreased(P＜0.001)and the expression of GPX4 was increased(P＜0.01)in K562/ADR cells. Conclusion:Lut can inhibit the proliferation of K562/ADR cells through ferroptosis pathway,improve the chemosensitivity to ADR,and the potential mechanism may be related to the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway,which provides experimental basis for the treatment of leukemia by ferroptosis.

Objective:To investigate the effects of targeted silencing of muscle blind-like protein 1 (MBNL1) gene on the proliferation, apoptosis and migration abilities of leukemia cell line K562 and their possible mechanisms.Methods:Single gene analysis was used to search for differences in MBNL1 gene expression between leukemia samples (173 cases) and healthy control samples (70 cases) in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The data were updated in 2018. The logarithmic growth phase leukemia cell line K562 was taken and divided into sh-MBNL1 group (transfected with shRNA sequence with targeted silencing of MBNL1 gene), sh-NC group (transfected with corresponding negative control shRNA sequence) and blank control group (not transfected with shRNA sequence). Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the relative expression levels of MBNL1, transforming growth factor β 1 (TGF-β 1) and Smad7 mRNA in each group of cells; Western blotting was used to detect the relative expression levels of cell migration-related proteins, apoptosis-related proteins, TGF-β 1, and Smad7 proteins; CCK-8 method was used to detect cell proliferation ability; Transwell method was used to detect cell migration ability. Results:In TCGA database, the relative expression level of MBNL1 gene in leukemia samples was higher than that in healthy control samples ( P < 0.05). The relative expression levels of MBNL1 protein in the sh-MBNL1 group, sh-NC group and blank control group were 0.71±0.11, 1.00±0.11 and 1.03±0.10, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( F = 7.78, P < 0.05); the relative expression level of MBNL1 protein in the sh-MBNL1 group was lower than that in the sh-NC group and blank control group (both P < 0.05). The results of CCK-8 assay showed that the cell proliferation ability of sh-MBNL1 group at 72 and 96 hours after transfection was higher than that of sh-NC group and blank control group (both P < 0.05). The Transwell method detection results showed that the number of cell membrane penetration in the sh-MBNL1 group, sh-NC group and blank control group were 666±135, 1 072±157 and 1 006±51, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( F = 9.40, P = 0.014); the number of cell membrane penetration in the sh-MBNL1 group was less than that in the sh-NC group and blank control group (both P < 0.05). The relative expression level of E-cadherin protein in the sh-MBNL1 group was higher than that in the sh-NC group and blank control group (both P < 0.01); the relative expression levels of Vimentin, Bax, caspase-3, TGF-β 1, and Smad7 proteins in the sh-MBNL1 group were lower than those in the sh-NC group and blank control group (all P < 0.01). The qRT-PCR detection results showed that the relative expression levels of TGF-β 1 mRNA and Smad7 mRNA in the sh-MBNL1 group were lower than those in the sh-NC group and blank control group (both P < 0.05). Conclusions:Silencing of MBNL1 gene can promote the proliferation of leukemia cell line K562, weaken its migration ability, and affect cell apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to the regulatory effect of TGF-β-Smad signaling pathway.

Objective: To explore the role of lysophosphatidic acid, vascular endothelial growth facor and endothelin in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis in coal workers’pneumoconiosis patients, the relationship of lysophosphatidic acid, VEGF and ET in serum was studied. Methods: Sixty two pneumoconiosis patients were selected as cases group, which included 23 cases of stage Ⅰ, 25 cases of stageⅡand 14 cases of stageⅢ. Twenty workers were selected as dust exposure group who exposed to coal dust for more than 2 years and had not been diagnosed as pneumoconiosis. Ten healthy people who had no occupational dust exposure were simultaneously selected as the control group. The serum levels of LPA, VEGF and ET were measured by ELISA. Results: The serum levels of VEGF and ET in coal dust exposed group and pneumoconiosis group were much higher than in the control group. The differences were statistically significant among the three groups (P<0.01) . The serum levels of LPA increased in the dust exposed group, stage Ⅰand stage Ⅱgroup. The serum levels of LPA correlated positively with the levels of VEGF and ET (P<0.05) . Conclusions The serum levels of LPA, VEGF and ET had evident correlation with the pulmonary fibrosis caused by coal dust, which indicate that LPA, VEGF and ET may play a pivotal role in the process of pulmonary fibrosis. The study will throw light on both pathogenesis and early intervention for pneumoconiosis.

Objective: Buyinqianzheng Formula (BYQZF) is clinically employed in traditional Chinese medicine to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) by improving mitochondrial dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanisms by which BYQZF affects mitochondrial morphology remain unknown. Therefore, we observed the effects of BYQZF on mitochondria from the perspective of the PINK1/Parkin pathway. Methods: Cell survival rates were assessed by Cell Counting Kit-8 assay. Expression levels of PINK1 and Parkin mRNA were examined by qRT-PCR. Protein expression levels of PINK1, PINK1-Ser228, Parkin, Parkin-Ser65, Drp1, and Drp1-Ser637 were examined by western blotting. PINK1, Parkin, and Mito-Tracker? Red CMXRos (MTR) were stained by triple-labeled immunofluorescence, and observed under laser confocal microscopy. Results: Cell survival rate, mitochondrial form factor, mean length and number of mitochondrial network branches, mitochondrial activity, mRNA expression levels of PINK1 and Parkin, and protein expression levels of PINK1, Parkin, and Drp1-Ser637 were reduced after 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) intervention. In contrast, Pearson's correlation coefficients between PINK1 and Parkin, and between Parkin and MTR, as well as protein expression levels of PINK1-Ser228, Parkin-Ser65, and Drp1 increased significantly after MPP+intervention. Treatment with BYQZF increased cell survival rate, mitochondrial form factor, mean length and number of mitochondrial network branches, mitochondrial activity, mRNA expression levels of PINK1 and Parkin, and expression of PINK1, Parkin, and Drp1-Ser637 proteins. Pearson's correlation coefficients between PINK1 and Parkin, and between Parkin and MTR, as well as protein expression levels of PINK1-Ser228, Parkin-Ser65, and Drp1 decreased after BYQZF treatment. Conclusion: These results demonstrate that BYQZF has a protective effect on mitochondrial molecular mechanisms in the PD cell model, and the mechanism is related to the PINK1/Parkin pathway.