Objective:To investigate the expression of activin A in paraventricular nucleus (PVN)of the WKY rats and its influence in arterial blood pressure,and to clarify the mechanism of activin A in the regulation of arterial blood pressure by PVN.Methods:The WKY rats were selected.The expressions of activin A,ActRⅡA,ActRⅡB,and Smads mRNA in PVN of the WKY rats were measured by RT-PCR.The expression of ActRⅡA protein in PVN was detected by immunohistochemical staining.The microinjection of exogenous activin A into PVN was used to observe the changes of arterial blood pressure.The primary cultured PVN neurons from the WKY rats were divided into control group and activin A group.The mRNA expression levels of ActRⅡA,ActRⅡB,and Smads in the PVN neurons were analyzed by RT-PCR.Results:Activin A,ActRⅡA,ActRⅡB,Smad2 and Smad3 mRNA were expressed in PVN of the WKY rats.The ActRⅡ A protein expression in PVN was further confirmed by immunohistochemical staining.After microinjection of activin A or angiotensin Ⅱ (AgⅡ)into PVN,the mean arterial blood pressure was increased obviously compared with before treatment (P <0.05).Moreover,compared with control group,the expression levels of ActRⅡA and Smad3 mRNA in primary cultured PVN neurons of the rats in vitro were significantly increased (P <0.05).Conclusion:Activin A can regulate the arterial blood pressure in PVN in an autocrine or paracrine manner,which is related to ActRⅡA-Smad3 signal pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of brazilin on the proliferation, apoptosis and autophagy of human tongue squamous cell carcinoma Tca8113 cells in vitro and explore its molecular mechanism. METHODS: The changes in the proliferation, morphology and apoptosis of Tca8113 cells in response to brazilin treatment were detected using MTT assay, Hoechst33342 staining, and Annexin V/PI double staining, respectively. The expressions of apoptosis-related protein Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3 and autophagy-related proteins p-AMPK, p-mTOR, LC3B, and p62 in the treated cells were detected using Western blotting. The effect of treatment with both the AMPK pathway inhibitor and brazilin on the expressions of the pathway-related proteins p-AMPK, p-mTOR, and LC3B was assessed. RESULTS: MTT assay showed that brazilin significantly inhibited the proliferation of Tca8113 cells with an IC50 of 31.17 μmol/L at 24 h. Hoechst33342 staining showed that brazilin induced apoptotic morphological changes in Tca8113 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment with different concentrations of brazilin resulted in increased apoptosis in the cells. Brazilin obviously inhibited the expression of Bcl-2, p62 and p-mTOR and enhanced the expressions of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, LC3B and p-AMPK. The AMPK pathway inhibitor significantly inhibited the increase in p-AMPK and LC3B expressions and the decrease in p-mTOR expression induced by brazilin. CONCLUSIONS Brazilin can inhibit the proliferation and promote apoptosis in Tca8113 cells and at the same time induces autophagy in the cells through the AMPK/mTOR pathway.
Apoptosis ; Autophagy ; Benzopyrans ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Humans ; Tongue Neoplasms

Objective:To investigate the clinical, genetic, and clonality related aspects of individuals with Richter transformation (RT) .Methods:From January 2019 to December 2021, 18 RT patients with diagnoses at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Pukou CLL center) were retrospectively examined. The immunoglobin heavy variable (IGHV) gene usage and IGHV-D-J rearrangement pattern of diagnosed CLL/SLL and transformed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) were compared to determine the clonality relatedness. To investigate the risk factors of RT, Clinical and laboratory data from patients with newly diagnosed CLL/SLL and transformed DLBCL were gathered.Results:The median age of RT was 56.5 (41-75) years old. 17 patients transformed to DLBCL and 1 transformed to Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) . Of 17 individuals who had DLBCL transformation, 15 had CLL/SLL-related clonality and 2 had unrelated clonality. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of 11 paired initially diagnosed treatment-naive CLL/SLL and RT DLBCL found that EGR2、TP53 and NOTCH1 were among the most frequently mutated genes both in treatment-naive CLL/SLL and in RT DLBCL. In several cases, specific mutations were gained or lost throughout RT, indicating clonal evolution. Among 10 patients before exposure to BTK inhibitors before RT, four patients acquired BTK mutation. The aforementioned mutations should be considered high-risk variables for transformation; in addition, TP53 and EGR2 mutations could be linked to a poor prognosis following RT in patients receiving a cocktail of new medicines.Conclusion:Most RT DLBCL patients in our center are clonality related (15/17, 88.2% ) and we recommend all qualified centers to evaluate clonality relatedness of RT DLBCL patients. There was some variability in the mutational landscape between DLBCL that had undergone a transformation and initially diagnosed, treatment-naive CLL/SLL. The underlying molecular mechanism of RT needs more research.

AIM:To explore the effects of moderate-altitude exposure on intestinal flora in healthy individuals.METHODS:The aid-Tibet cadres,who were sent to work from Guangdong(average altitude<50 m)to Nyingchi(average altitude of 2 900 m),were recruited.A total of 76 samples were collected,including 42 samples from healthy adults with plateau living for 0 day and 34 samples from healthy adults with plateau living for 6 months.Fecal samples DNA were ex-tracted,sequenced by the 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing technology and analyzed bioinformatically.RESULTS:Compared with the base group,α diversity was increased(P=4.00×10-4)and β diversity was decreased(P=1.00×10-3).After moderate altitude exposure,the relative abundance of phylum Proteobacteria(|LDA|>4,P<0.05),genus Escherich-ia-Shigella,species Enterococcus_faecalis,Haemophilus_influenzae and Helicobacter_sp._UNSW1.7sp decreased(adjust-ed P<0.05),wheras the relative abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes(|LDA|>4,P<0.05),genus Butyricimona,species Lactobacillus_sp._RA2113(s)and Butyricimonas_sp._Marseille-P2440(s)increased(adjusted P<0.05).The function-al prediction by PICRUSt showed a decrease in the relative abundance of pathway related to xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism,membrane transport and amino acid metabolism(adjusted P<0.05).Conversely,the relative abundance of pathway related to biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites and nucleotide metabolism was increased(adjusted P<0.05).Finally,the results of microbiome phenotype prediction by BugBase showed that moderate altitude exposure im-proves the gut microbiota functions involving anaerobic oxygen tolerance and gram positive(adjusted P<0.05).And bacte-ria containing facultatively anaerobic oxygen tolerance,oxidative stress tolerance,gram negative and biofilm formation in the six-group decreased significantly compared with those in base group(adjusted P<0.05).CONCLUSION:Moderate altitude exposure impacts the diversity,abundance and function of intestinal flora in healthy population,suggesting that al-titude factors may have some influence on gut microbiota.

Ischemic stroke and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury induced by thrombolytic therapy are conditions with high mortality and serious long-term physical and cognitive disabilities. They have a major impact on global public health. These disorders are associated with multiple insults to the cerebral microcirculation, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction, leukocyte adhesion and infiltration, brain blood barrier (BBB) disruption, and capillary hypoperfusion, ultimately resulting in tissue edema, hemorrhage, brain injury and delayed neuron damage. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in China, Korea, Japan and other Asian countries for treatment of a wide range of diseases. In China, the usage of compound TCM preparation to treat cerebrovascular diseases dates back to the Han Dynasty. Even thousands of years earlier, the medical formulary recorded many classical prescriptions for treating cerebral I/R-related diseases. This review summarizes current information and underlying mechanisms regarding the ameliorating effects of compound TCM preparation, Chinese materia medica, and active components on I/R-induced cerebral microcirculatory disturbances, brain injury and neuron damage.

Objective: Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury is a leading cause of flap compromise and organ dysfunction during free-tissue transfer, and remains a great challenge for plastic surgeons. Thioredoxin-1 (Trx-1) was proved to protect the IR flap by mitigating the oxidative stress, and inhibiting the activation of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase-1 (ASK-1) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. The aim of this study is to investigate the distinction of Trx-1 expression, apoptosis indices in different layers of IR flaps, and the feasibility of tissue-layer-specific administration of Trx-1. Methods: Ten patients′ specimens of IR flaps for DIEP breast reconstruction were collected and assessed for apoptosis and Trx-1 expression. Twenty mice were used to establish the IR flap model. The mice were sacrificed twenty-four hours after reperfusion. The flap tissues were harvested and tested by immunohistochemistry staining and TUNEL assay. The tissue-layer-specific dermoprotective effect of Trx-1 and the molecular mechanisms were assessed by an in vitro epithelial skin cell hypoxia-reoxygenation model. The statistics were conducted by t test and ANOVA using SPSS 20.0. Results: Trx-1 expression and apoptotic cells were observed mainly located in the basal layer of epidermis and the papillary layer of dermis in human IR flaps and mice models. Trx-1 depletion was 24.19 %± 2.23% in the basal layer of epidermis and the papillary layer of dermis of patient IR flaps, decreasing significantly compared with 70.71% ± 6.38% in control group (t = 27.54, P< 0.001). Similar tissue-layer-specific down regulation of Trx-1 also displayed in mice IR flap models (19.83% ± 2.34% vs. 76.59% ± 4.88%; t = 34.71, P<0.001). The apoptotic index in human samples significantly increased from 1.32% ± 1.52% in control group to 43.71 %± 3.17% in IR group (t =38.23, P<0.001); while it was proved to be dramatically raised in mice models from 0.86% ± 1.15% in control group to 41.14 %± 4.21% in IR group (t= 36.96, P < 0.001). Western Blot analysis revealed Trx-1 down regulation and a significant increase in ASK-1, p-p38, and c-PARP abundance in the hypoxia-reoxygenation-treated HaCaT cells (P < 0.01). Supplementation of recombinant human Trx-1 significantly reduced the apoptosis-related protein expression. Conclusions The basal layer of epidermis and the papillary layer of dermis are the main damaged tissue layers in the early stage of skin flap ischemia-reperfusion injury. The IR flap can be protected by precisely replenishing the vulnerable layers with Trx-1.

Neurogenesis decline in hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) participates in stress-induced depressive-like behaviors, but the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we observed low-expression of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 6 (NLRP6) in hippocampus of stress-stimulated mice, being consistent with high corticosterone level. NLRP6 was found to be abundantly expressed in neural stem cells (NSCs) of DG. Both Nlrp6 knockout (Nlrp6^-/-) and NSC-conditional Nlrp6 knockout (Nlrp6CKO) mice were susceptible to stress, being more likely to develop depressive-like behaviors. Interestingly, NLRP6 was required for NSC proliferation in sustaining hippocampal neurogenesis and reinforcing stress resilience during growing up. Nlrp6 deficiency promoted esophageal cancer-related gene 4 (ECRG4) expression and caused mitochondrial dysfunction. Corticosterone as a stress factor significantly down-regulated NLRP6 expression, damaged mitochondrial function and suppressed cell proliferation in NSCs, which were blocked by Nlrp6 overexpression. ECRG4 knockdown reversed corticosterone-induced NSC mitochondrial function and cell proliferation disorders. Pioglitazone, a well-known clinical drug, up-regulated NLRP6 expression to inhibit ECRG4 expression in its protection against corticosterone-induced NSC mitochondrial dysfunction and proliferation restriction. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that NLRP6 is essential to maintain mitochondrial homeostasis and proliferation in NSCs, and identifies NLRP6 as a promising therapeutic target for hippocampal neurogenesis decline linked to depression.