Objective: To analyze influence of fluvastatin on carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and pulse pressure (PP) in patients with essential hypertension (EH). Methods: A total of 62 EH patients were enrolled and randomly divided into fluvastatin group (n=32, received fluvastatin therapy based on routine antihypertensive therapy) and routine treatment group (n=30, received routine antihypertensive therapy). Course of treatment was one year for all patients. Levels of blood lipids, PP and carotid IMT were compared between two groups before, six and 12 months after treatment. Results: Compared with before treatment, there were significant decrease in levels of all blood lipids, PP [(66.9±7.3) mmHg vs. (53.1±6.2) mmHg] and IMT [(0.97±0.42) mm vs. (0.76±0.29) mm] in fluvastatin group after treatment six and 12 months, and significantly improved more than those of routine treatment group, P<0.05 all. The levels of above-mentioned indexes were no significant improvement in routine treatment group before and after treatment（P>0.05）. Conclusion: Fluvastatin can improve carotid intima-media thickness and pulse pressure in patients with hypertension and is worth extending in clinic.

BACKGROUND:Previous studies have confirmed that ethanol can promote adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), and up-regulate the expression of PPARγ and aP2 in the tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) signaling pathway. As a member of the ZIP protein family, Zrt/Irt-like protein 1 (ZIP1) is closely related to bone metabolism and osteogenic differentiation.OBJECTIVE:To study the effect of BMSCs transfected by ZIP1 on TNF-α signaling pathway in the process of adipogenic differentiation.METHODS:The BMSCs from rabbits were isolated and cultured under different concentrations of alcohol (0.03, 0.09,0.15, 0.21 mol/L), followed by transfection by ZIP1 siRNA and ZIP1 expression vector.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After culture in alcohol, the expression levels of aP2 and PPARγ proteins were both significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the level of triglyceride was increased in all alcohol groups except for 0.03 mol/L alcohol group (P < 0.05). After siRNA transfection, the expression levels of aP2 and PPARγ as well as the level of triglyceride were increased significantly in all the alcohol groups (P < 0.05); however, ZIP1 transfection decreased the expression levels of aP2 and PPARγ proteins (P < 0.05). To conclude, ZIP1 siRNA could promote the adipogenic differentiation of BMSCs through the activation of TNF-α signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the suppressive effect of resveratrol on growth of U251 human glioma cells and its correlated mechanism.

METHODU251 human glioma cells were treated with resveratrol at various concentrations, MTT assay was used to determine the inhibitory rate of cell proliferation, FCM to detect the cell apoptosis, the expressions of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, STAT3 and CyclinD1 were analysed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot to examine the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, STAT3, CyclinD1, Caspase-3 and Bax.

RESULTAfter treatment with resveratrol, MTT assay showed the growth of U251 cells was inhibited in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners, apoptosis of cells advanced stage was built up, immunohistochemical staining displayed decreased the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, STAT3 and CyclinD1 and Western blot showed that resveratrol decreased the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, STAT3 and CyclinD1, and built up Bax and Caspase-3.

CONCLUSIONIt is possible that downregulated the expression of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, but upregulated Bax and Caspase-3, and the indication was obviously in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Blotting, Western ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cyclin D1 ; metabolism ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; drug effects ; Glioma ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; STAT3 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; Stilbenes ; therapeutic use ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism ; bcl-X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the relationship of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) in glioma apoptosis and possible mechanisms of its interaction.

METHODSTwo glioblastomamultiforme (GBM) cell lines: U87 (wild-type p53) and U251 (mutant p53) were used in this study and divided into normal control group, mock group and experiment group.Small interfering RNA-carried recombinant lentivirus, LV-bFGFsiRNA and LV-STAT3siRNA, targeting bFGF and STAT3 were constructed respectively. After 48 hours of lentivirus transfection, small molecular inhibitors were used to block specific signaling pathways, AG490 20 µmol/L blocking JAK, LY294002 20 µmol/L blocking PI3K/Akt pathways for 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours, respectively. Then, apoptosis, changes in apoptosis-related proteins and mitochondrial membrane potential were detected through the methods of flow cytometry, protein chip and confocal microscopy, respectively.Groups were compared using single factor analysis of variance (One-way ANOVA).

RESULTSWestern blot results revealed the levels of Tyr705 and Ser727 phosphorylationin reduced in a time dependent manner by blocking JAK and PI3K/Akt pathway respectively. The results of flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate in normal control group, mock group, experiment group were 17.97% ± 0.24%, 18.26% ± 0.88%, 46.57% ± 1.63% in U87 cells and 15.94% ± 1.18%, 16.88% ± 0.17%, 39.34% ± 0.87% in U251 cells, respectively. There was no statistically significant change between the normal control group and the mock group (P > 0.05) , while when compared with the experiment group, both group showed statistically significant difference (F = 697.41, 729.58, both P < 0.05). The results of protein chip demonstrated that protein expression of Bad, Caspase3, Cytochrome C, p27 were higher and XIAP was lower in the experiment group compared with the normal control group and mock group. Also, confocal microscopy could detect apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential reduced significantly in the experimental group compared with the normal control group and the mock group.

CONCLUSIONSbFGF mainly interacts with STAT3 tyrosine site-pSTAT3(Tyr705) to influence the level of STAT3 phosphorylation;blocking bFGF/STAT3 signaling pathway can induce glioma cell apoptosis through mitochondrial pathway.

Apoptosis ; Brain Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cytochromes c ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; metabolism ; Glioma ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mitochondria ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Phosphorylation ; RNA, Small Interfering ; STAT3 Transcription Factor ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; Transfection ; Tyrphostins

Objective To analyze the timeliness of the start time of the first elective operation in a hospital and observe its impact on the operating room cost.Methods Make statistics and analysis on the opening of the first operation in a hospital,record the on-time opening rate of the first operation,analyze the reasons for the delay in the opening time of the first operation,formulate corresponding intervention measures and set up a"management team to improve the efficiency of operating room use".The on-time rate of the first operation,operation,cost control and the satisfaction of surgeons and patients were compared before and after the operation.Results The overall punctuality rate of the first operation was 53.74％,among which the colorectal sur-gery department had the highest punctuality rate of 63.16％,while the minimally invasive surgery department had the lowest punctuality rate of 45.45％.The main reasons for the delay of first operation(35.29％),failed anesthesia(30.88％),and the termination of the operation(17.65％);compared with before implementation,higher overtime time of nurses,shorter opening time and expected time,decreased interval between operation(P＜0.05),lower frequency of centralized delivery and unnecessa-ry consumables cost within 1 month after implementation(P＜0.05),and higher satisfaction of patients and physicians after im-plementation(P＜0.05).Conclusion By improving the first elective operation on time,can effectively reduce the cost of the operating room,shorten the nurse overtime time,at the same time improve the satisfaction of doctors and patients,and improve the management efficiency of the operating room,the first operation on time improved,interval time and unnecessary consumables costs are significantly reduced,optimize the use efficiency of the operating room resources.

ObjectiveTo investigate the predictive indicators of early efficacy of Bushen Shengxue prescription combined with western medicine in the treatment of aplastic anemia， and provide prognosis indicators for the treatment of aplastic anemia （AA） with kidney-tonifying therapy in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） combined with western medicine. MethodA total of 126 patients treated by Bushen Shengxue prescription combined with western medicine in 19 hospitals including Xiyuan Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from September 2018 to March 2021 were selected for a retrospective study. The therapy was proven to be effective after six months of treatment. According to the efficacy after 4 months of treatment， the patients were assigned into a 4-month effective group and a 4-month ineffective group. The age， sex， disease severity （including severe aplastic anemia and non-severe aplastic anemia）， course of disease， degree of bone marrow nucleated cell proliferation， baseline hemogram levels ［including white blood cell count （WBC）， absolute neutrophil count （ANC）， hemoglobin （HGB）， platelets （PLT）， and reticulocytes （RET）］， T lymphocytes subsets， and the expression levels of T-box transcription factor （T-bet） and GATA-binding protein-3 （GATA-3） were compared between the two groups before treatment. ResultThe proportions of patients within the age ranges of ［20， 40） and ［60， 80） were higher in the 4-month effective group （P<0.05）. The sex， disease severity， course of disease， and comorbidities had no significant differences between the two groups. The 4-month effective group had higher baseline levels of HGB， WBC， ANC， and PLT than the 4-month ineffective group （P<0.05）， and there was no significant difference in the RET level between the two groups before treatment. Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the PLT level before treatment was an independent factor affecting the onset time， while other indicators did not affect the onset time. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was established to analyze the value of PLT level before treatment for predicting the onset time， and the area under the curve was 0.691. With the critical value of 40.5×10⁹/L， the sensitivity and specificity of the prediction that the therapy will take effect within 4 months were 0.569 and 0.893， respectively. The two groups of patients were graded according to age ｛（14， 20）， ［20， 40）， ［40， 60）， and ［60， 80）｝ and PLT level before treatment （PLT<40×10⁹/L， PLT≥40×10⁹/L）. The proportion of the patients with PLT≥40×10⁹/L before treatment in the 4-month effective group was significantly higher than that in the 4-month ineffective group （P<0.05）. The degree of bone marrow nucleated cell proliferation before treatment had no significant difference between the two groups. The level of total T lymphocytes in the 4-month effective patients was lower than that in the 4-month ineffective patients before treatment （P<0.05）. The levels of Th1 cells， Th2 cells， CD4⁺ T cells， and CD8⁺ T cells showed no significant differences between the two groups before treatment. The T-bet expression level in the 4-month effective group was higher than that in the 4-month ineffective group before treatment （P<0.05）， while the expression level of GATA-3 showed no significant difference between the two groups before treatment. ConclusionBushen Shengxue prescription combined with western medicine will achieve faster effect for the patients within the age ranges of ［20， 40） or ［40， 60）， with higher levels of HGB， WBC， ANC， and PLT （especially those with PLT≥40×10⁹/L）， lower level of total T lymphocytes， or higher T-bet expression level before treatment.

ObjectiveTo explore the predictive factors for the efficacy of Yiqi Yangxue prescription combined with western medicine in treating aplastic anemia （AA） in non-elderly adults， so as to provide a reference for predicting the prognosis of this therapy. MethodA retrospective study was conducted with the clinical data of non-elderly adult AA patients who visited 19 hospitals including Xiyuan Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from September 2018 to March 2021 and were treated with Yiqi Yangxue Prescription combined with western medicine. According to the efficacy evaluation results at the 6^th month of treatment， the patients were assigned into effective and ineffective groups. The two groups were compared in terms of the gender， age， disease classification ［non-severe aplastic anemia （NSAA）/severe aplastic anemia （SAA）］， course of disease， family history， complications， history of drug allergy， baseline blood routine examination ［hemoglobin （HGB）， white blood cell （WBC）， neutrophil （ANC）， platelet （PLT）， and reticulocyte （Ret）］， T lymphocyte subsets， degree of proliferation of nucleated cells in bone marrow， and expression of T-bet and GATA-3. ResultA total of 101 non-elderly adult AA patients were enrolled in this study， including 81 in the effective group and 20 in the ineffective group. The effective group had a higher proportion of the patients without a history of drug allergy than the ineffective group （P<0.05）. The body height， body weight， gender， age， disease classification， course of disease， family history， and complications showed no significant differences between two groups. The effective group had higher levels of ANC and PLT before treatment （P<0.05） and higher proportion of patients with ANC≥1.6×10⁹/L and PLT≥25×10⁹/L （P<0.05， P<0.01） than the ineffective group. The baseline levels of WBC， HGB， and Ret showed no significant statistical differences between two groups. The levels of CD3⁺HLA-DR⁺T cells in the effective group before treatment was higher than that in the ineffective group （P<0.05）. The levels of CD3⁺CD19^-T cells， CD4⁺T cells， CD8⁺T cells， Th1 cells， Th2 cells， and CD3⁺CD25⁺T cells showed no significant statistical differences between two groups before treatment. The proportion of patients with active bone marrow nucleated cells proliferation in the effective group before treatment were significantly higher than that in the ineffective group, while the proportion of patients with reduced or extremely reduced proliferation were significantly lower than that in the ineffective group （P<0.05）. The expression levels of T-bet and GATA-3 genes had no significant differences between two groups before treatment. The multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that the ANC level before treatment and history of drug allergy were independent influencing factors for efficacy （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while other indicators were not influencing factors for efficacy. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve was applied to analyze the predictive value of the ANC level before treatment in the treatment of AA in non-elderly adults with Yiqi Yangxue prescription combined with western medicine. The area under the curve was 0.679 （P<0.05）， with the critical value of 1.595×10⁹/L， the sensitivity of 0.42， and the specificity of 0.95. ConclusionThe history of drug allergy， pre-treatment ANC， PLT， CD3⁺HLA-DR⁺ T cell levels， and proliferation of nucleated cells in bone marrow before treatment are predictive factors for the efficacy of Yiqi Yangxue prescription combined with western medicine in treating AA in non-elderly adults. This therapy tends to be more effective for the patients with no history of drug allergy， higher ANC and PLT levels before treatment， especially those with ANC≥1.6×10⁹/L， PLT≥25×10⁹/L， and higher CD3⁺ HLA-DR⁺T cell levels and the more active proliferation of nucleated cells in bone marrow before treatment.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy of Bushen Shengxue prescription and Yiqi Yangxue prescription in the treatment of chronic aplastic anemia and the effect on T cell subsets and the expression of T-box expressed in T cells （T-bet） and GATA binding protein 3 （GATA3）. MethodA total of 585 patients with chronic aplastic anemia who were treated in 19 hospitals in China from May 2018 to June 2021 were enrolled. With the prospective， double-blind and randomized control methods， the patients were randomized into three groups： kidney deficiency group， Qi and blood deficiency group， and control group. The three groups were respectively treated with Bushen Shengxue prescription granule， Yiqi Yangxue prescription granule， and Placebo （half the dose of Bushen Shengxue formula granules）. In addition， all of them were given oral cyclosporin and androgen. The treatment lasted 6 months， with 3 months as a course. The blood routine indexes， T cell subsets， and fusion genes T-bet and GATA3 before and after treatment were analyzed， and the safety indexes were monitored. ResultDuring the observation， a total of 75 cases dropped out and 18 were rejected. Finally， 161 cases in the kidney deficiency group， 164 in the Qi and blood deficiency group， and 167 in the control group were included. After 6 months of treatment， the total effective rate was 98.8% （159/161） in the kidney deficiency group， which was higher than the 79.9% （131/164） in the Qi and blood deficiency group （χ²=30.135， P<0.01） and the 61.7% （103/167） in the control group （χ²=70.126， P<0.01）. The total effective rate was higher in the Qi and blood deficiency group than in the control group （χ²=13.232， P<0.01）. After treatment， the hemoglobin （HGB） content increased significantly in three groups （P<0.05） as compared with that before treatment， particularly the kidney deficiency group （P<0.01）. After treatment， the white blood cell （WBC） count and platelet （PLT） count in the kidney deficiency group and the control group increased compared with those in the Qi and blood deficiency group （P<0.01）. There was no specific difference in neutrophils （ANC） after treatment among the three groups. At the same time point， the level of T helper type 1 （Th1） cells， Th1/Th2 ratio （P<0.05）， level of CD4⁺， and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ ratio （P<0.05） were significantly low in the kidney deficiency group among three groups. There was no significant difference in CD19^-， HLA/DR⁺， and CD25⁺ between the kidney deficiency group and the other two groups， but the T-bet of the kidney deficiency group and the control group was lower than that of the Qi and blood deficiency group （P<0.05）. ConclusionBushen Shengxue prescription exerts therapeutic effect on the aplastic anemia by improving the immunoregulatory mechanism， inhibiting the activity of immune system， modulating T cell subsets， suppressing Th1 and CD4⁺， and promoting bone marrow hematopoiesis. Moreover， it is safe with little side effects， which is worthy of further promotion.

As a dioxygenase, Ten-Eleven Translocation 2 (TET2) catalyzes subsequent steps of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) oxidation. TET2 plays a critical role in the self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells, but its impact on mature hematopoietic cells is not well-characterized. Here we show that Tet2 plays an essential role in osteoclastogenesis. Deletion of Tet2 impairs the differentiation of osteoclast precursor cells (macrophages) and their maturation into bone-resorbing osteoclasts in vitro. Furthermore, Tet2 mice exhibit mild osteopetrosis, accompanied by decreased number of osteoclasts in vivo. Tet2 loss in macrophages results in the altered expression of a set of genes implicated in osteoclast differentiation, such as Cebpa, Mafb, and Nfkbiz. Tet2 deletion also leads to a genome-wide alteration in the level of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and altered expression of a specific subset of macrophage genes associated with osteoclast differentiation. Furthermore, Tet2 interacts with Runx1 and negatively modulates its transcriptional activity. Our studies demonstrate a novel molecular mechanism controlling osteoclast differentiation and function by Tet2, that is, through interactions with Runx1 and the maintenance of genomic 5hmC. Targeting Tet2 and its pathway could be a potential therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of abnormal bone mass caused by the deregulation of osteoclast activities.
5-Methylcytosine ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Animals ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; physiology ; Genome ; Genomics ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Osteoclasts ; cytology ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins ; physiology