Patients suffering from nerve injury often experience exacerbated pain responses and complain of memory deficits. The dorsal hippocampus (dHPC), a well-defined region responsible for learning and memory, displays maladaptive plasticity upon injury, which is assumed to underlie pain hypersensitivity and cognitive deficits. However, much attention has thus far been paid to intracellular mechanisms of plasticity rather than extracellular alterations that might trigger and facilitate intracellular changes. Emerging evidence has shown that nerve injury alters the microarchitecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and decreases ECM rigidity in the dHPC. Despite this, it remains elusive which element of the ECM in the dHPC is affected and how it contributes to neuropathic pain and comorbid cognitive deficits. Laminin, a key element of the ECM, consists of α-, β-, and γ-chains and has been implicated in several pathophysiological processes. Here, we showed that peripheral nerve injury downregulates laminin β1 (LAMB1) in the dHPC. Silencing of hippocampal LAMB1 exacerbates pain sensitivity and induces cognitive dysfunction. Further mechanistic analysis revealed that loss of hippocampal LAMB1 causes dysregulated Src/NR2A signaling cascades via interaction with integrin β1, leading to decreased Ca²⁺ levels in pyramidal neurons, which in turn orchestrates structural and functional plasticity and eventually results in exaggerated pain responses and cognitive deficits. In this study, we shed new light on the functional capability of hippocampal ECM LAMB1 in the modulation of neuropathic pain and comorbid cognitive deficits, and reveal a mechanism that conveys extracellular alterations to intracellular plasticity. Moreover, we identified hippocampal LAMB1/integrin β1 signaling as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of neuropathic pain and related memory loss.
Animals ; Laminin/genetics* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Neuralgia/metabolism* ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Male ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries/metabolism* ; Extracellular Matrix/metabolism* ; Integrin beta1/metabolism* ; Pyramidal Cells/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction

AIM To establish a quantitative analysis of multi-components by single-marker(QAMS)method for the simultaneous content determination of gastrodin,parishin E,syringin,parishin B,parishin C,ferulic acid,parishin A,buddleoside,harpagoside and cinnamic acid in Tianma Toufengling Capsules.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 30℃thermostatic GL Science InertsilTM ODS-3 column(150 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of acetonitrile-0.1%phosphoric acid flowing at 1.0 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and the detection wavelengths were set at 220,280 nm.Syringin was used as an internal standard to calculate the relative correction factors of the other nine constituents,after which the content determination was made.RESULTS Ten constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges(r≥0.999 7),whose average recoveries were 98.53%-102.22%with the RSDs of 1.26%-2.68%.The result obtained by QAMS approximated those obtained by external standard method.CONCLUSION This accurate and specific method can be used for the quality control of Tianma Toufengling Capsules.

Objective To investigate the effect of rats'injuries and its mechanism caused by specific dose of radiation combined with decompression exposure.Methods 81 male SD rats were randomly divided into control group(n=9),radiation group(n=18),radiation+low-load decompression group(n=18),radiation+medium-load decompression group(n=18),and radiation+high-load decompression group(n=18).In addition to control group,the rats were irradiated with 60Co γ rays at 4 Gy and then underwent rapid escape experiments.The high-pressure exposure schemes were to stay underwater 57 m for 30 min,45 min or 60 min and reduce to normal pressure within(30±5)s,respectively.The high-pressure exposure was not carried out in radiation group.The behavior and death of rats in each group were observed 0.5 h after leaving the cabin.Blood(abdominal aorta)and lung tissues were collected at 3 h and 72 h,respectively.The changes of lung wet-dry weight ratio(W/D),lung pathology and serum levels of interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-6,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),superoxide dismutase(SOD),malondialdehyde(MDA),nitric oxide(NO),intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1)and thromboxane B2(TXB2)were analyzed.Results Compared with control group and radiation group,radiation+low-load decompression group showed no significant difference in the injury and death rate of rats(P＞0.05),while radiation+medium-load decompression group and radiation+high-load decompression group showed significantly increase of the injury and death rate of rats(P＜0.05).Compared with control group,other groups showed no significant change in pulmonary W/D at 3 h(P＞0.05),and increased at 72 h(P＜0.05).HE staining showed that compared with control group,radiation group showed mild lung interstitial edema,while radiation+low-load decompression group showed obvious pulmonary tissue edema and a small number of red blood cells exudated in the alveolar cavity.The edema,congestion and inflammatory cell infiltration of lung tissue were more serious in radiation+medium-load decompression group and radiation+high-load decompression group.Compared with control group and radiation group,all radiation+decompression groups showed an increase in serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,MDA,NO,ICAM-1 and TXB2(P＜0.05),and a decrease in SOD activity(P＜0.05).Compared with radiation+low-load decompression group,radiation+medium-load decompression group and radiation+high-load decompression group showed increase in serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6,MDA,ICAM-1 and TXB2(P＜0.05),and decrease in activity of SOD(P＜0.05).Except for control group,serum levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,MDA,NO,ICAM-1 and TXB2 were decreased at 72 h compared with 3 h(P＜0.05),and SOD activity was increased at 72 h in all groups(P＜0.05).Conclusions High-load decompression can increase the injury and death rate of rats exposed to radiation and high pressure.The potential mechanism of the combined injury effect of radiation and decompression was related to inflammation,immune stress,oxidative damage,vasomotor activity and coagulation mechanism.

Objective To investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine(Dex)on inflammatory injury in rats with lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced myocarditis(Myo)by regulating AMP-activated protein kinase(AMPK)/silent information regulator 1(SIRT1)/nuclear factor κB(NF-κB)signaling pathway.Methods Rats were randomly divide into the NC group,the Myo group,and the L-Dex group(10 μg/kg Dex),the M-Dex group(30 μg/kg Dex),the H-Dex group(50 μg/kg Dex),the AICAR group(100 mg/kg AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB signal pathway activator),the H-Dex+GSK690693 group(50 μg/kg Dex+0.2 μmol/kg AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB signal pathway inhibitor GSK690693),with 10 rats in each group.M-mode echocardiography system was used to evaluate the cardiac function of rats;ELISA kit was used to detect the levels of serum interleukin-1β(IL-1β),interleukin-6(IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and malondialdehyde(MDA)in rats;TUNEL staining was used to observe cell apoptosis;HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of myocardial tissue;RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1(CXCL1),C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2(CXCL2),and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1(VCAM-1)in rat myocardial tissue;Western blot was used to detect the expression of AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB pathway-related proteins in rat myocardial tissue.Results There was no abnormal change in cardiomyocytes in the NC group,and cardiomyocytes in the Myo group showed deformation,necrosis,inflammatory cell infiltra-tion,and mesenchymal congestion;necrosis,inflammatory cell infiltration,and mesenchymal congestion in the L-Dex group,the M-Dex group,the H-Dex group,and the AICAR group were improved compared with that in the Myo group;changes in cardiomyocytes in the H-Dex group and the AICAR group were similar to those in the NC group,and changes in cardiomyocytes in the H-Dex+GSK690693 group were similar to those in the Myo group.Compared with the NC group,the left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),left ventricular fractional shortening(LVFS),expression levels of SOD,p-AMPK/AMPK,p-SIRT1/SIRT1 in the Myo group were obviously decreased(P<0.05),left ventricular end-systolic volume(LVESV),left ventricular end-diastolic volume(LVEDV),left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESD),left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDD),expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,MDA,CXCL1,CXCL2,VCAM-1,p-NF-κB/NF-κB,NF-κB p65 and cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate were obviously increased(P<0.05).Compared with the Myo group,the LVEF,LVFS,expression levels of SOD,p-AMPK/AMPK,p-SIRT1/SIRT1 in the L-Dex group,the M-Dex group,the H-Dex group and the AICAR group were obviously increased(P<0.05),LVESV,LVEDV,LVESD,LVEDD,expression levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,MDA,CXCL1,CXCL2,VCAM-1,p-NF-κB/NF-κB,NF-κB p65 and cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate were obviously decreased(P<0.05),and the effects were more obvious with the increase of the dosage of Dex.There was no significant difference in the above results between the AICAR group and the H-Dex group(P>0.05).Compared with the H-Dex group,the LVEF,LVFS,expression levels of SOD,p-AMPK/AMPK,p-SIRT1/SIRT1 in the H-Dex+GSK690693 group were obviously decreased(P<0.05),LVESV,LVEDV,LVESD,LVEDD,levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,MDA,cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate,the expression of CXCL1,CXCL2,VCAM-1,p-NF-κB/NF-κB and NF-κB p65 protein were obviously increased(P<0.05).Conclusion Dex may alleviate LPS-induced inflammatory injury in Myo rats by up-regulating AMPK/SIRT1/NF-κB signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between current and former smoking and the risk of mortality in elderly Chinese men. METHODS: Our study participants were elderly (≥ 60 years) men recruited in a suburban town of Shanghai. Cigarette smoking status was categorized as never smoking, remote (cessation > 5 years) and recent former smoking (cessation ≤ 5 years), and light-to-moderate (≤ 20 cigarettes/day) and heavy current smoking (> 20 cigarettes/day). Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic splines were used to examine the associations of interest. RESULTS: The 1568 participants had a mean age of 68.6 ± 7.1 years. Of all participants, 311 were never smokers, 201 were remote former smokers, 133 were recent former smokers, 783 were light-to-moderate current smokers and 140 were heavy current smokers. During a median follow-up of 7.9 years, all-cause, cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular deaths occurred in 267, 106 and 161 participants, respectively. Heavy current smokers had the highest risk of all-cause and non-cardiovascular mortality, with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 2.30 (95% CI: 1.34-4.07) and 3.98 (95% CI: 2.03-7.83) versus never smokers, respectively. Recent former smokers also had a higher risk of all-cause (HR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.04-2.52) and non-cardiovascular mortality (HR = 2.40, 95% CI: 1.32-4.37) than never smokers. Cox regression restricted cubic spline models showed the highest risk of all-cause and non-cardiovascular mortality within 5 years of smoking cessation and decline thereafter. Further subgroup analyses showed interaction between smoking status and pulse rate (≥ 70 beats/min vs. < 70 beats/min) in relation to the risk of all-cause and non-cardiovascular mortality, with a higher risk in current versus never smokers in those participants with a pulse rate below 70 beats/min. CONCLUSIONS Cigarette smoking in elderly Chinese confers significant risks of mortality, especially when recent former smoking is considered together with current smoking.

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists as to the optimal treatment approach for ostial left anterior descending (LAD) or ostial left circumflex artery (LCx) lesions. Drug-coated balloons (DCB) may overcome some of the limitations of drug-eluting stents (DES). Therefore, we investigated the security and feasibility of the DCB policy in patients with ostial LAD or ostial LCx lesions, and compared it with the conventional DES-only strategy. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled patients with de novo ostial lesions in the LAD or LCx who underwent interventional treatment. They were categorized into two groups based on their treatment approach: the DCB group and the DES group. The treatment strategies in the DCB group involved the use of either DCB-only or hybrid strategies, whereas the DES group utilized crossover or precise stenting techniques. Two-year target lesion revascularization was the primary endpoint, while the rates of major adverse cardiovascular events, cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction, and vessel thrombosis were the secondary endpoints. Using propensity score matching, we assembled a cohort with comparable baseline characteristics. To ensure result analysis reliability, we conducted sensitivity analyses, including interaction, and stratified analyses. RESULTS: Among the 397 eligible patients, 6.25% of patients who were planned to undergo DCB underwent DES. A total of 108 patients in each group had comparable propensity scores and were included in the analysis. Two-year target lesion revascularization occurred in 5 patients (4.90%) and 16 patients (16.33%) in the DCB group and the DES group, respectively (odds ratio = 0.264, 95% CI: 0.093-0.752, P = 0.008). Compared with the DES group, the DCB group demonstrated a lower major adverse cardiovascular events rate (7.84% vs. 19.39%, P = 0.017). However, differences with regard to cardiac death, non-periprocedural target vessel myocardial infarction, and definite or probable vessel thrombosis between the groups were non-significant. CONCLUSIONS The utilization of the DCB approach signifies an innovative and discretionary strategy for managing isolated ostial lesions in the LAD or LCx. Nevertheless, a future randomized trial investigating the feasibility and safety of DCB compared to the DES-only strategy specifically for de novo ostial lesions in the LAD or LCx is highly warranted.

Eleutherococcus senticosus is one of the Dao-di herbs in northeast China. In this study, the chloroplast genomes of three E. senticosus samples from different genuine producing areas were sequenced and then used for the screening of specific DNA barcodes. The germplasm resources and genetic diversity of E. senticosus were analyzed basing on the specific DNA barcodes. The chloroplast genomes of E. senticosus from different genuine producing areas showed the total length of 156 779-156 781 bp and a typical tetrad structure. Each of the chloroplast genomes carried 132 genes, including 87 protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs, and 8 rRNAs. The chloroplast genomes were relatively conserved. Sequence analysis of the three chloroplast genomes indicated that atpI, ndhA, ycf1, atpB-rbcL, ndhF-rpl32, petA-psbJ, psbM-psbD, and rps16-psbK can be used as specific DNA barcodes of E. senticosus. In this study, we selected atpI and atpB-rbcL which were 700-800 bp and easy to be amplified for the identification of 184 E. senticosus samples from 13 genuine producing areas. The results demonstrated that 9 and 10 genotypes were identified based on atpI and atpB-rbcL sequences, respectively. Furthermore, the two barcodes identified 23 genotypes which were named H1-H23. The haplotype with the highest proportion and widest distribution was H10, followed by H2. The haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity were 0.94 and 1.82×10~(-3), respectively, suggesting the high genetic diversity of E. senticosus. The results of the median-joining network analysis showed that the 23 genotypes could be classified into 4 categories. H2 was the oldest haplotype, and it served as the center of the network characterized by starlike radiation, which suggested that population expansion of E. senticosus occurred in the genuine producing areas. This study lays a foundation for the research on the genetic quality and chloroplast genetic engineering of E. senticosus and further research on the genetic mechanism of its population, providing new ideas for studying the genetic evolution of E. senticosus.
DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic ; Eleutherococcus/genetics* ; Base Sequence ; Chloroplasts/genetics* ; Genetic Variation ; Phylogeny

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical significance of translocator proteins (TSPO) gene in the treatment of FLT3-ITD/DNMT3A R882 double-mutated acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: Seventy-six patients with AML hospitalized in the Department of Hematology of the Affiliated People's Hospital of Ningbo University from June 2018 to June 2020 were selected, including 34 patients with FLT3-ITD mutation, 27 patients with DNMT3A R882 mutation, 15 patients with FLT3-ITD/DNMT3A R882 double mutation, as well as 19 patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) hospitalized during the same period as control group. RNA was routinely extracted from 3 ml bone marrow retained during bone puncture, and TSPO gene expression was detected by transcriptome sequencing (using 2-deltadeltaCt calculation). RESULTS: The expression of TSPO gene in FLT3-ITD group and DNMT3A R882 group at first diagnosis was 2.02±1.04 and 1.85±0.76, respectively, which were both higher than 1.00±0.06 in control group, but the differences were not statistically significant (P=0.671, P=0.821). The expression of TSPO gene in the FLT3-ITD/DNMT3A R882 group was 3.98±1.07, wich was significantly higher than that in the FLT3-ITD group and DNMT3A R882 group, the differences were statistically significant (P=0.032, P=0.021). The expression of TSPO gene in patients who achieved complete response after chemotherapy in the FLT3-ITD/DNMT3A R882 group was 1.19±0.87, which was significantly lower than that at first diagnosis, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.011). CONCLUSION TSPO gene may be used as an indicator of efficacy in FLT3-ITD /DNMT3A R882 double-mutated AML.
Humans ; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases/genetics* ; DNA Methyltransferase 3A ; Mutation ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy* ; Nucleophosmin ; Prognosis ; fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3/genetics* ; Receptors, GABA/therapeutic use*

OBJECTIVES: To establish a rapid and nondestructive identification method for human body fluid stains and non-biological stains using three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy. METHODS: The collected three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum data of human saliva, 3% blood, coffee and Fanta^® stains were processed with dimensionality reduction. After wavelet transform, spectral denoising and feature extraction, the classification formula was established. The Fisher discriminant was used for spectrum matching and recognition to establish the analysis method to distinguish stain types. RESULTS: According to the results of data training and comparison, all the recognition accuracies of Fanta^®, coffee, saliva and blood were more than 91.39%. Among them, saliva reached 100% recognition accuracy. CONCLUSIONS Three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy is a potential method for rapid and nondestructive identification of biological and non-biological stains.
Humans ; Forensic Medicine/methods* ; Coloring Agents/analysis* ; Coffee ; Spectrometry, Fluorescence ; Body Fluids/chemistry*

italic>Atractylodes chinensis has important medicinal and economic values. In this study, the chloroplast genome sequences of four A. chinensis samples from different producing areas were sequenced using the Illumina platform. The specific DNA barcodes were screened and the germplasm resources of A. chinensis samples from different producing areas and the genetic diversity of the population were analyzed basing on the specific barcodes. The whole chloroplast genomes of the four A. chinensis samples had a typical cyclic tetrad structure, with 112 genes annotated. The comparative genomics results indicated that ccsA and trnC-GCA_petN were potential specific DNA barcodes for intraspecific identification of A. chinensis. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of ccsA and trnC-GCA_petN was performed on 256 samples from 14 areas in 9 provinces, and the amplification efficiency was 100%. Sequence analysis showed that ccsA and trnC-GCA_petN had 11 and 22 variant positions, which could identify 16 and 22 haplotypes, respectively. The combined sequence analysis identified 39 haplotypes, named Hap1-Hap39, of which the most abundant and widely distributed genotype was Hap9. Haplotype diversity (H_d) = 0.896 and nucleotide diversity (Pi) = 0.002 22 indicated high genetic diversity at the species level in A. chinensis. The genetic distances of the haplotypes were 0.000 00-0.004 88, indicating that there were small genetic differences among the haplotypes. The results of phylogenetic tree analysis showed that 39 haplotypes had very close genetic relationship, and formed two obvious branches with other groups of the same genus except Atractylodes macrocephala. This study plays an important role in the identification of the origin of A. chinensis and the protection and breeding of germplasm resources.