Twelve compounds were isolated from the rice fermentation extracts of Penicillium expansum GY618 by silica column chromatography, Sephadex gel column chromatography, ODS column chromatography and semi preparative HPLC methods. They were determined as 11-hydroxyl-penicitrinone F (1), penicitrinone F (2), betulin (3), erythrodiol (4), ergosterol (5), ergost-5α,8α-epidioxy-6,22-dien-3β-ol (6), (5α,8α-epidioxy-(22E,24R)-ergosta-6,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol) (7), 5α,8α-epidioxy-(22E,24R)-23-methylergosta-6,22-dien-3β-ol (8), 5α,8α-epidioxy- 23,24(R)-dimethylcholesta-6,9(11),22-trien-3β-ol (9), dankasterone A (10), (17R)-4-hydroxy-17-methylincisterol (11) and ergosta-4,6,8(14),22-tetraen-3-one (12), through mass spectrometer, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and comparison with the literature. Compound 1 was a new compound and compounds 2-4, 6-12 were isolated from Penicillium expansum fungus for the first time. The tyrosinase inhibitory activity experiment showed that compounds 1, 3 and 12 showed certain inhibitory activity against tyrosinase with IC₅₀ values of (75 ± 9), (69 ± 8) and (64 ± 2) μmol·L^-1, respectively. The IC₅₀ of other compounds were all greater than 100 μmol·L^-1, while IC₅₀ of the positive control kojic acid was (46 ± 4) μmol·L^-1.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the accuracy of human-computer interaction software in identifying and locating type C1 distal radius fractures. METHODS: Based on relevant inclusion and exclusion criteria, 14 cases of type C1 distal radius fractures between September 2023 and March 2024 were retrospectively analyzed, comprising 3 males and 11 females(aged from 27 to 82 years). The data were assigned randomized identifiers. A senior orthopedic physician reviewed the films and measured the ulnar deviation angle, radial height, palmar inclination angle, intra-articular step, and intra-articular gap for each case on the hospital's imaging system. Based on the reduction standard for distal radius fractures, cases were divided into reduction group and non-reduction group. Then, the data were sequentially imported into a human-computer interaction intelligent software, where a junior orthopedic physician analyzed the same radiological parameters, categorized cases, and measured fracture details. The categorization results from the software were consistent with manual classifications (6 reduction cases and 8 non-reduction cases). For non-reduction cases, the software performed further analyses, including bone segmentation and fracture recognition, generating 8 diagnostic reports containing fracture recognition information. For the 6 reduction cases, the senior and junior orthopedic physicians independently analyzed the data on the hospital's imaging system and the AI software, respectively. Bone segments requiring reduction were identified, verified by two senior physicians, and measured for displacement and rotation along the X (inward and outward), Z (front and back), and Y (up and down) axes. The AI software generated comprehensive diagnostic reports for these cases, which included all measurements and fracture recognition details. RESULTS: Both the manual and AI software methods consistently categorized the 14 cases into 6 reduction and 8 non-reduction groups, with identical data distributions. A paired sample t-test revealed no statistically significant differences (P>0.05) between the manual and software-based measurements for ulnar deviation angle, radial ulnar bone height, palmar inclination angle, intra-articular step, and joint space. In fracture recognition, the AI software correctly identified 10 C-type fractures and 4 B-type fractures. For the 6 reduction cases, a total of 24 bone fragments were analyzed across both methods. After verification, it was found that the bone fragments identified by the two methods were consistent. A paired sample t-tests revealed that the identified bone fragments and measured displacement and rotation angles along the X, Y, and Z axes were consistent between the two methods. No statistically significant differences(P>0.05) were found between manual and software measurements for these parameters. CONCLUSION Human-computer interaction software employing AI technology demonstrated comparable accuracy to manual measurement in identifying and locating type C1 distal radius fractures on CT imaging.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Radius Fractures/surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Software ; Wrist Fractures

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of ionizing radiation on the adipogenic of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). METHODS: Mouse MSCs were cultured in vitro and treated with 2 Gy and 6 Gy radiation with ⁶⁰Co, and the radiation dose rate was 0.98 Gy/min. Bulk RNA-seq was performed on control and irradiated MSCs. The changes of adipogenic differentiation and oxidative stress pathways of MSC were revealed by bioinformatics analysis. Oil Red O staining was used to detect the adipogenic differentiation ability of MSCs in vitro, and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to detect the expression differences of key regulatory factors Cebpa, Lpl and Pparg after radiation treatment. At the same time, qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the effect of inhibition of Nrf2, a key factor of antioxidant stress pathway, on the expression of key regulatory factors of adipogenesis. Moreover, the species conservation of the irradiation response of human bone marrow MSCs and mouse MSC was determined by qPCR. RESULTS: Bulk RNA-seq suggested that ionizing radiation promotes adipogenic differentiation of MSCs and up-regulation of oxidative stress-related genes and pathways. The results of Oil Red O staining and qPCR showed that ionizing radiation promoted the adipogenesis of MSCs, with high expression of Cebpa, Lpl and Pparg, as well as oxidative stress-related gene Nrf2. Nrf2 pathway inhibitors could further enhance the adipogenesis of MSCs in bone marrow after radiation. Notably, the similar regulation of oxidative pathways and enhanced adipogenesis post irradiation were observed in human bone marrow MSCs. In addition, irradiation exposure led to up-regulated mRNA expression of interleukin-6 and down-regulated mRNA expression of colony stimulating factor 2 in human bone marrow MSCs. CONCLUSION Ionizing radiation promotes adipogenesis of MSCs in mice, and oxidative stress pathway participates in this effect, blocking Nrf2 further promotes the adipogenesis of MSCs. Additionally, irradiation activates oxidative pathways and promotes adipogenic differentiation of human bone marrow MSCs.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology* ; Oxidative Stress/radiation effects* ; Animals ; Adipogenesis/radiation effects* ; Mice ; Radiation, Ionizing ; Cell Differentiation/radiation effects* ; Humans ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; PPAR gamma ; Cells, Cultured

OBJECTIVE: To establish an in vitro cell model simulating acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) bone marrow microenvironment injury with the advantage of mouse serum of aGVHD model and explore the effect of serum of aGVHD mouse on the adipogenic differentiation ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). METHODS: The 6-8-week-old C57BL/6N female mice and BALB/c female mice were used as the donor and recipient mice of the aGVHD model, respectively. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) mouse model (n=20) was established by being injected with bone marrow cells (1×10⁷ per mouse) from donor mice within 4-6 hours after receiving a lethal dose (8.0 Gy, 72.76 cGy/min) of γ ray general irradiation. A mouse model of aGVHD (n=20) was established by infusing a total of 0.4 ml of a mixture of donor mouse-derived bone marrow cells (1×10⁷ per mouse) and spleen lymphocytes (2×10⁶ per mouse). The blood was removed from the eyeballs and the mouse serum was aspirated on the 7^th day after modeling. Bone marrow-derived MSCs were isolated from 1-week-old C57BL/6N male mice and incubated with 2%, 5% and 10% BMT mouse serum and aGVHD mouse serum in the medium, respectively. The effect of serum in the two groups on the in vitro adipogenic differentiation ability of mouse MSCs was detected by Oil Red O staining. The expression levels of related proteins PPARγ and CEBPα were detected by Western blot. The expression differences of key adipogenic transcription factors including PPARγ, CEBPα, FABP4 and LPL were determined by real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). RESULTS: An in vitro cell model simulating the damage of bone marrow microenvironment in mice with aGVHD was successfully established. Oil Red O staining showed that the number of orange-red fatty droplets was significantly reduced and the adipogenic differentiation ability of MSC was impaired at aGVHD serum concentration of 10% compared with BMT serum. Western blot experiments showed that adipogenesis-related proteins PPARγ and CEBPα expressed in MSCs were down-regulated. Further RT-qPCR assay showed that the production of PPARγ, CEBPα, FABP4 and LPL, the key transcription factors for adipogenic differentiation of MSC, were significantly reduced. CONCLUSION The adipogenic differentiation capacity of MSCs is inhibited by aGVHD mouse serum.
Animals ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Adipogenesis ; Female ; Cell Differentiation ; Graft vs Host Disease/blood* ; Bone Marrow Cells/cytology* ; PPAR gamma/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-alpha/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To prepare clinical-grade human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSC) with high expression of hematopoietic supporting factors and evaluate their stem cell characteristics. METHODS: Fetal umbilical cord tissues were collected from healthy postpartum women during full-term cesarean section. Wharton's jelly was mechanically separated and hUC-MSCs were obtained by explant culture method and enzyme digestion method in an animal serum-free culture system with addition of human platelet lysate. The phenotypic characteristics of hUC-MSCs obtained by two methods were detected by flow cytometry. The differences in proliferation ability between the two groups of hUC-MSCs were identified through CCK-8 assay and colony forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) assay. The differences in multilineage differentiation potential between the two groups of hUC-MSCs were identified through induction of adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation. The mRNA expression levels of hematopoietic supporting factors such as SCF, IL-3, CXCL12, VCAM1 and ANGPT1 in the two groups of hUC-MSCs were identified by real-time fluorescence quantiative PCR(RT-qPCR). RESULTS: The results of flow cytometry showed that hUC-MSCs obtained by the two methods both expressed high levels of CD73, CD90 and CD105, while lowly expressed CD31, CD45 and HLA-DR. The results of CCK-8 and CFU-F assay showed that the proliferation ability of hUC-MSCs obtained by explant culture method was better than those obtained by enzyme digestion method. The results of the triple lineage differentiation experiment showed that there was no significant difference in multilineage differentiation potential between the two grous of hUC-MSCs. The results of RT-qPCR showed that the mRNA expression levels of hematopoietic supporting factors SCF, IL-3, CXCL12, VCAM1 and ANGPT1 in hUC-MSCs obtained by explant cultrue method were higher than those obtained by enzyme digestion method. CONCLUSION Clinical-grade hUC-MSCs with high expression levels of hematopoietic supporting factors were successfully cultured in an animal serum-free culture system.
Humans ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Umbilical Cord/cytology* ; Cell Differentiation ; Female ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Chemokine CXCL12/metabolism* ; Angiopoietin-1/metabolism* ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1/metabolism* ; Stem Cell Factor/metabolism* ; Flow Cytometry ; Pregnancy

Mesangial cell proliferation is an early pathological indicator of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Growing evidence highlights the pivotal role of paired-related homeobox 1 (Prrx1), a key regulator of cellular proliferation and tissue differentiation, in various disease pathogenesis. Notably, Prrx1 is highly expressed in mesangial cells under DN conditions. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that Prrx1 overexpression promotes mesangial cell proliferation and contributes to renal fibrosis in db/m mice. Conversely, Prrx1 knockdown markedly suppresses hyperglycemia-induced mesangial cell proliferation and mitigates renal fibrosis in db/db mice. Mechanistically, Prrx1 directly interacts with the Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) promoter, leading to the upregulation of YAP expression. This upregulation promotes mesangial cell proliferation and exacerbates renal fibrosis. These findings emphasize the crucial role of Prrx1 upregulation in high glucose-induced mesangial cell proliferation, ultimately leading to renal fibrosis in DN. Therefore, targeting Prrx1 to downregulate its expression presents a promising therapeutic strategy for treating renal fibrosis associated with DN.

OBJECTIVES: A stable, reliable, and easily implementable clinical diagnostic method for marginal velopharyngeal insufficiency (MVPI) was established on the basis of the subjective hearing judgement of hypernasality and objective examination of velopharyngeal closure to address the lack of unified diagnostic criteria for MVPI. METHODS: Nasopharyngeal fiberscopy and speech assessment results were collected from postoperative patients with cleft palate. These results were used to analyze the differences in the distribution of nasal resonance in patients with different velopharyngeal closure ratios and the correlation between velopharyngeal closure ratios and nasal resonance status. Mild-to-moderate hypernasality with its corresponding elopharyngeal closure ratio was employed to establish the diagnostic criteria of MVPI. The reproducibility of the criteria and whether the patients with MVPI diagnosed by using the criteria exhibited significantly different speech characteristics compared with other patients were verified. RESULTS: A strong correlation was found between velopharyngeal closure ratios and nasal resonance (P<0.001). Mild-to-moderate hypernasality mainly corresponded to velopharyngeal closure ratios ranging from 90% to 99%, and the combination of the two characteristics as the diagnostic criteria for MVPI demonstrated good consistency (Kappa value=0.789, P<0.001). Moreover, under the diagnostic criteria, significant differences in nasal resonance (P<0.001), nasal emission (P=0.007), and misarticulation (P<0.001) were found between patients with velopharyngeal insufficiency and those with MVPI. CONCLUSIONS Combining the subjective hearing judgement of mild-to-moderate hypernasality with velopharyngeal closure ratios over 90% under nasopharyngeal fiberscopy provides a reliable and effective clinical method for diagnosing MVPI.
Humans ; Velopharyngeal Insufficiency/physiopathology* ; Reproducibility of Results ; Cleft Palate/surgery* ; Male ; Female ; Child

Objective This study investigated the impact of occupational mercury(Hg)exposure on human gene transcription and expression,and its potential biological mechanisms. Methods Differentially expressed genes related to Hg exposure were identified and validated using gene expression microarray analysis and extended validation.Hg-exposed cell models and PTEN low-expression models were established in vitro using 293T cells.PTEN gene expression was assessed using qRT-PCR,and Western blotting was used to measure PTEN,AKT,and PI3K protein levels.IL-6 expression was determined by ELISA. Results Combined findings from gene expression microarray analysis,bioinformatics,and population expansion validation indicated significant downregulation of the PTEN gene in the high-concentration Hg exposure group.In the Hg-exposed cell model(25 and 10 μmol/L),a significant decrease in PTEN expression was observed,accompanied by a significant increase in PI3K,AKT,and IL-6 expression.Similarly,a low-expression cell model demonstrated that PTEN gene knockdown led to a significant decrease in PTEN protein expression and a substantial increase in PI3K,AKT,and IL-6 levels. Conclusion This is the first study to report that Hg exposure downregulates the PTEN gene,activates the PI3K/AKT regulatory pathway,and increases the expression of inflammatory factors,ultimately resulting in kidney inflammation.

Objective:To examine the burden and trends of acute viral hepatitis in Guangdong Province from 1990 to 2019, and provide reference evidences for hepatitis prevention and control in the province.Methods:Data on acute viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, B, C, and E) in Guangdong from 1990 to 2019 were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 database. The incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALY) data were analyzed by age and gender, and the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to describe the changing trends in disease burden.Results:From 1999 to 2019, the standardized incidence, prevalence, mortality, and DALY of acute viral hepatitis in Guangdong were higher than the national averages. In 2019, 51.43% (2 245 087/4 365 221) of acute viral hepatitis cases in Guangdong Province were mainly attributed to hepatitis B, and 77.18% (106/138) of deaths were due to acute hepatitis B. In different age groups, except for acute hepatitis B, which was more common in adults, the incidence rates of other types of viral hepatitis such as hepatitis A, B, and E showed an overall decreasing trend with age. The mortality rates of different types of acute viral hepatitis, except for the <5 age group, increased with age. The overall incidence and mortality rates of acute viral hepatitis were higher in men than in women.Conclusions:The overall burden of acute viral hepatitis in Guangdong declined in 2019, but remained higher than the national level. Further efforts are needed to strengthen hepatitis prevention and screening in different population in Guangdong Province, especially in children and the elderly.

BACKGROUND:Establishing a nomogram prediction model for postoperative pulmonary infection in hip fractures and taking early intervention measures is crucial for improving patients'quality of life and reducing medical costs. OBJECTIVE:To construct a nomogram risk prediction model of postoperative pulmonary infection in elderly patients with hip fracture,and provide theoretical basis for feasible prevention and early intervention. METHODS:Case data of 305 elderly patients with hip fractures who underwent surgical treatment at Wuxi Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine between January and October 2020(training set)were retrospectively analyzed.Using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test,receiver operating characteristic curve was utilized to analyze the diagnostic predictive efficacy of independent risk factors and joint models for postoperative pulmonary infections.Tools glmnet,pROC,and rms in R Studio software were applied to construct a nomogram model for predicting the risk of postoperative pulmonary infection in elderly patients with hip fractures,and calibration curves were further drawn to verify the predictive ability of the nomogram model.Receiver operating characteristic curves,calibration curves,and decision curves were analyzed for 133 elderly patients with hip fractures(validation set)receiving surgery at the same hospital from November 2022 to March 2023 to further predict the predictive ability of the nomogram model. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The postoperative pulmonary infection rate in elderly patients with hip fractures in this group was 9.18%(28/305).(2)Single factor and multivariate analysis,as well as forest plots,showed that preoperative hospitalization days,leukocyte count,hypersensitive C-reactive protein,and serum sodium levels were independent risk factors(P<0.05).The Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test showed good fit(χ2=4.57,P=0.803).Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was conducted on the independent risk factors and their joint models mentioned above,and the differentiation of each independent risk factor and joint model was good,with statistical significance(P<0.05).(3)The graphical calibration method,C-index,and decision curve were used to validate the nomogram prediction model.The predicted calibration curve was located between the standard curve and the acceptable line,and the predicted risk of the nomogram model was consistent with the actual risk.(4)The validation set used receiver operating characteristic curve,graphic calibration method,and decision curve to validate the prediction model.The results showed good consistency with clinical practice,indicating that the model had a good fit.The nomogram risk prediction model constructed for postoperative pulmonary infection in elderly patients with hip fractures has good predictive performance.The use of the nomogram risk prediction model can screen high-risk populations and provide a theoretical basis for early intervention.