BACKGROUND:Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cel s 2 (TREM-2) is highly expressed throughout the synovial tissue in active rheumatoid arthritis patients, but the role of TREM-2 in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis stil remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE:To explore the TREM-2 expression in the synovial tissue of col agen type II-induced arthritis rats.
METHODS:The col agen-induced arthritis models were established in rats. The activity indicators and pathological changes of arthritis synovial were dynamical y observed. The mRNA levels of TREM-2, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-10 were detected in synovial tissue of rats by RT-PCR. The protein expression and location of TREM-2 were measured with western blot assay and immunohistochemistry, respectively.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:At day 13 after immunization, the paws of model rats appeared red and swel ing, the arthritis index scores were increased (P<0.01). At day 19-25 after immunization, the inflammation reached the peak. Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that, the synovium of col agen-induced arthritis rats were proliferated and were infiltrated by inflammatory cel s, cartilage was destroyed. Compared with the control group, the expression of TREM-2 mRNA and protein, the mRNA levels of tumor necrosis factor-αand interleukin-1βin synovial tissue of the model rats were significantly increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), while interleukin-10 mRNA expression was significantly decreased (P<0.05). Experimental findings indicate that, TREM-2 is a crucial inflammatory regulator and the increasing expression of TREM-2 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of col agen-induced arthritis.

AIM: To investigate the effects of transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6) on the proliferation of rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLS) induced by IL-1β.METHODS: The mRNA expression of TRPC6 in synovial tissues from RA or OA patients was studied by RT-qPCR.RA-FLS were cultured by enzyme digestion and tissue adhesion methods.The method of flow cytometry was applied to identify the RA-FLS.RA-FLS were treated with different concentrations (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 μg/L) of IL-1β for 36 h.The cell viability was examined by CCK-8 assay.RA-FLS were incubated with IL-1β (16 μg/L) for different time (12, 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 h), and the cell viability was measured by CCK-8 assay.The interference efficiency of TRPC6-siRNA was determined by RT-qPCR and Western blotting.After incubation in the presence or absence of IL-1β medium, the cell viability, the percentage of EdU-positive cells and the percentage of (G2/M+S) phase were measured by CCK-8 assay, EdU labeling assay and flow cytometry, respectively.RESULTS: The mRNA expression of TRPC6 was found in synovial tissue with higher levels in RA patients than that in OA patients.TRPC6-siRNA significantly decreased the mRNA and protein expression of TRPC6 (P<0.05).When RA-FLS were treated with IL-1β, the proliferation of RA-FLS was increased (P<0.05).The differences of the cell viability, the percentage of EdU-positive cells and the (G2/M+S) phase percentage between TRPC6-siRNA group and blank control group or NC-siRNA group were significant, in the presence of IL-1β (P<0.05).However, they were not significant in the absence of IL-1β.CONCLUSION: TRPC6 is involved in the proliferation of RA-FLS induced by IL-1β.Silencing of TRPC6 gene inhibits the growth of RA-FLS induced by IL-1β.

Esophageal carcinoma is one of the most common malignant tumor, a serious threat to human health. In the early and middle esophageal carcinoma patients, surgery is the only expected treatment to cure esophageal carcinoma. Traditional surgery of esophageal cancer needs thoracotomy and laparotomy, which has great trauma and high incidence of complications. So surgeons are looking for a minimally invasive surgical methods alternative to traditional esophagectomy. Video-mediastinoscopy is used to free middle and upper esophagus, as a minimally invasive surgical method, it is used in radical resection of esophageal cancer gradually. This article reviews the recent progress and the related research results in the application of mediastinoscopy in the radical resection of esophageal cancer. It is found that mediastinoscopy assisted the radical resection of esophageal cancer is a safe and feasible operation. It provides a feasible treatment option for early and middle stage esophageal cancer patients with pulmonary insufficiency who can not be resected by thoracoscopy.

Dopamine D₃ receptor (D₃R) is implicated in multiple psychotic symptoms. Increasing the D₃R selectivity over dopamine D₂ receptor (D₂R) would facilitate the antipsychotic treatments. Herein, novel carbazole and tetrahydro-carboline derivatives were reported as D₃R selective ligands. Through a structure-based virtual screen, ZLG-25 (D₃R K_i = 685 nmol/L; D₂R K_i > 10,000 nmol/L) was identified as a novel D₃R selective bitopic ligand with a carbazole scaffold. Scaffolds hopping led to the discovery of novel D₃R-selective analogs with tetrahydro-β-carboline or tetrahydro-γ-carboline core. Further functional studies showed that most derivatives acted as hD₃R-selective antagonists. Several lead compounds could dose-dependently inhibit the MK-801-induced hyperactivity. Additional investigation revealed that 23j and 36b could decrease the apomorphine-induced climbing without cataleptic reaction. Furthermore, 36b demonstrated unusual antidepressant-like activity in the forced swimming tests and the tail suspension tests, and alleviated the MK-801-induced disruption of novel object recognition in mice. Additionally, preliminary studies confirmed the favorable PK/PD profiles, no weight gain and limited serum prolactin levels in mice. These results revealed that 36b provided potential opportunities to new antipsychotic drugs with the multiple antipsychotic-like properties.

Anoctamin 1 (ANO1) is a kind of calcium-activated chloride channel involved in nerve depolarization. ANO1 inhibitors display significant analgesic activity by the local peripheral and intrathecal administration. In this study, several thiophenecarboxylic acid and benzoic acid derivatives were identified as novel ANO1 inhibitors through the shape-based virtual screening, among which the 4-arylthiophene-3-carboxylic acid analogues with the best ANO1 inhibitory activity were designed, synthesized and compound