Polymeric hydrogels have been widely researched as drug delivery systems, wound dressings and tissue engineering scaffolds due to their unique properties such as good biocompatibility, shaping ability and similar properties to extracellular matrix. However, further development of conventional hydrogels for biomedical applications is still limited by their poor mechanical properties and self-healing properties. Currently, nanocomposite hydrogels with excellent properties and customized functions can be obtained by introducing nanoparticles into their network, and different types of nanoparticles, including carbon-based, polymer-based, inorganic-based and metal-based nanoparticle, are commonly used. Nanocomposite hydrogels incorporated with polymeric micelles can not only enhance the mechanical properties, self-healing properties and chemical properties of hydrogels, but also improve the
Biocompatible Materials ; Hydrogels ; Micelles ; Nanocomposites ; Polymers

Although hemorrhage after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography （ERCP） is mostly mild and self－limited， sometimes blood transfusion and endoscopic hemostasis are still needed. However， rebleeding may occur after conventional endoscopic hemostasis and thus requires interventional vascular embolization or surgical intervention， which might significantly increase the risk of death associated with post－ERCP bleeding. This article discusses the risk factors for post－ERCP bleeding， including disease－specific factors， patient－related factors， and operation－related factors， and elaborates on different measures for the prevention and treatment of post－ERCP bleeding， so as to provide a reference for identifying the high－risk population for bleeding and developing precise surgical strategies in clinical practice.

Precocious puberty (PP) is a common childhood sexual dysplasia. Central precocious puberty (CPP) is a disease in which the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is activated in early age, leading to the early release of gonadotrophin releasing hormone, the early development of gonads, and the early onset of puberty. The occurrence of puberty is regulated by gene and environment. Current clinical studies have found that gain-of-function mutations in the KISS1 gene, and loss-of-function mutations in KISS1R (also named GPR54), MKRN3 and DLK1 genes are all important single-gene causes of central precocious puberty. KISS1 is a tumor metastasis suppressor gene. KISS1R codes a G protein-coupled receptor which with its ligand, kisspeptin, forms an excitatory neuroregulator system for GnRH secretion. They play a role in the upstream of the HPG axis. MKRN3 is a maternal-imprinted gene. DLK1 is a gene that regulates the growth of cell. They play a role in the downstream of HPG axis. Recently, the incidence of central precocious puberty has become higher and higher, which is related to the excessive exposure of environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) due to the continuous development of social economy. A number of investigations have found that children’s exposure to EEDs is significantly related to the incidence of precocious puberty. In humans, these EEDs also affect the metabolism of gut microbes. This paper aims to review the current studies on the single-gene pathogenesis, epigenetics, gut microbiota and environmental factors of central precocious puberty, so as to provide help for the treatment and prevention of this disease.

Objective: To perform intrauterine adhesion modeling, and to investigate the repair effect of hypoxic treated bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) and their derived exosomes (BMSC-exo) on endometrial injury. Methods: BMSC and their exosomes BMSC-exo extracted from rats' femur were cultured under conventional oxygen condition (21%O₂) or hypoxia condition (1%O₂). Intrauterine adhesion modeling was performed on 40 healthy female SD rats by intrauterine injection of bacterial lipopolysaccharide after curettage. On the 28th day of modeling, 40 rat models were randomly divided into five groups, and interventions were performed: (1) NC group: 0.2 ml phosphate buffered solution was injected into each uterine cavity; (2) BMSC group: 0.2 ml BMSC (1×10⁶/ml) with conventional oxygen culture was injected intrauterine; (3) L-BMSC group: 0.2 ml of hypoxic cultured BMSC (1×10⁶/ml) was injected intrauterine; (4) BMSC-exo group: 0.2 ml of BMSC-exo cultured with conventional oxygen at a concentration of 500 μg/ml was injected into the uterine cavity; (5) L-BMSC-exo group: 0.2 ml hypoxic cultured BMSC-exo (500 μg/ml) was injected intrauterine. On the 14th and 28th day of treatment, four rats in each group were sacrificed by cervical dislocation after anesthesia, and endometrial tissues were collected. Then HE and Masson staining were used to observe and calculate the number of glands and fibrosis area in the endometrium. The expressions of angiogenesis related cytokines [vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) and CD₃₁], and fibrosis-related proteins [collagen-Ⅰ, collagen-Ⅲ, smooth muscle actin α (α-SMA), and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)] in endometrial tissues were detected by western blot. Results: (1) HE and Masson staining showed that the number of endometrial glands in L-BMSC group, BMSC-exo group and L-BMSC-exo group increased and the fibrosis area decreased compared with NC group on the 14th and 28th day of treatment (all P<0.05). Noteworthily, the changes of L-BMSC-exo group were more significant than those of BMSC-exo group (all P<0.05), and the changes of BMSC-exo group were greater than those of BMSC group (all P<0.05). (2) Western blot analysis showed that, compared with NC group, the expressions of collagen-Ⅲ and TGF-β1 in BMSC group, L-BMSC group, BMSC-exo group and L-BMSC-exo group decreased on the 14th and 28th day of treatment (all P<0.05). As the treatment time went on, the expressions of fibrosis-related proteins were different. Compared with BMSC group, the expressions of collagen-Ⅲ, α-SMA and TGF-β1 in the BMSC-exo group and L-BMSC group decreased on the 28th day (all P<0.05). Moreover, the expressions of collagen-Ⅲ and TGF-β1 in L-BMSC-exo group were lower than those in BMSC-exo group on the 28th day (all P<0.05). And the expressions of collagen-Ⅰ, α-SMA and TGF-β1 in L-BMSC-exo group were lower than those in L-BMSC group on the 28th day (all P<0.05). (3) The results of western blot analysis of VEGFA and CD₃₁ showed that, the expressions of VEGFA and CD₃₁ in BMSC group, L-BMSC group, BMSC-exo group and L-BMSC-exo group increased on the 14th and 28th day of treatment compared with NC group (all P<0.05). Treatment for 28 days, the expressions of VEGFA and CD₃₁ in BMSC-exo group and CD₃₁ in L-BMSC group were higher than those in BMSC group (all P<0.05). Moreover, the expressions of VEGFA and CD₃₁ in L-BMSC-exo group were higher than those in BMSC-exo group and L-BMSC group on the 28th day (all P<0.05). Conclusions: Treatment of BMSC and their exosomes BMSC-exo with hypoxia could promote endometrial gland hyperplasia, inhibit tissue fibrosis, and further repair the damaged endometrium in rats with intrauterine adhesion. Importantly, hypoxic treatment of BMSC-exo is the most effective in intrauterine adhesion rats.
Rats ; Female ; Humans ; Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; Exosomes/metabolism* ; Uterine Diseases/therapy* ; Collagen ; Hypoxia/therapy* ; Fibrosis ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Oxygen

Polymer micelles formed by self-assembly of amphiphilic polymers are widely used in drug delivery, gene delivery and biosensors, due to their special hydrophobic core/hydrophilic shell structure and nanoscale. However, the structural stability of polymer micelles can be affected strongly by environmental factors, such as temperature, pH, shear force in the blood and interaction with non-target cells, leading to degradations and drug leakage as drug carriers. Therefore, researches on the structural integrity and in vivo distribution of micelle-based carriers are very important for evaluating their therapeutic effect and clinical feasibility. At present, fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) technology has been widely used in real-time monitoring of aggregation, dissociation and distribution of polymer micelles ( in vitro and in vivo). In this review, the polymer micelles, characteristics of FRET technology, structure and properties of the FRET-polymer micelles are briefly introduced. Then, methods and mechanism for combinations of several commonly used fluorescent probes into polymer micelles structures, and progresses on the stability and distribution studies of FRET-polymer micelles ( in vitro and in vivo) as drug carriers are reviewed, and current challenges of FRET technology and future directions are discussed.
Micelles ; Drug Carriers/chemistry* ; Polymers/chemistry* ; Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer ; Polyethylene Glycols/chemistry*

OBJECTIVE To explore the action mechanism of kushenol F （KSCF） in treating ulcerative colitis （UC） in mice. METHODS The potential targets of KSCF intervening in UC were predicted with network pharmacology and molecular docking. C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided by body weight into model group， positive control group （sulfasalazine， 703 mg/kg）， KSCF group （100 mg/kg）， and normal group， with 6 mice per group. The UC model of mice was induced by dextran sulfate sodium solution. During the modeling period， the mice were given relevant medicine intragastrically， once a day， for 7 consecutive days. After the last administration， the disease activity index （DAI） of the mice was scored； the length of the mice’s colon was measured； pathological changes in the colon tissue of mice were observed； the levels of lipopolysaccharide （LPS） in serum， myeloperoxidase （MPO）， nitric oxide （NO） and superoxide dismutase （SOD） in the colon were detected in mice； the expression levels of occludin and ZO-1 in colon tissue of mice were detected； the proportions of CD3+T， CD4+T， and CD8+T lymphocytes in the spleen and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ were detected； changes in colonic microbiota were analyzed by 16S rDNA sequencing. RESULTS Results of network pharmacology indicated that KSCF may treat UC by regulating signaling pathways such as phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase/protein kinase B （PI3K/AKT） and nuclear factor kappa B （NF- κB）. Molecular docking results showed that KSCF bound most stably with NF-κB p65 protein. Animal experiment results demonstrated that， compared with the model group， the pathological characteristics of colon tissue in mice were improved in KSCF group. DAI scores， serum levels of LPS， the levels of MPO，NF-κB p65 phosphorylation and NLRP3 protein expression in the colon， and the proportion of CD8+T lymphocytes in the spleen were reduced significantly （P＜0.05）. Body weight， SOD levels， expression levels of occludin and ZO-1 in the colon， proportions of CD3+T and CD4+T lymphocytes， and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in the spleen were significantly increased （P＜0.05）； the abundance of Firmicutes， Actinobacteria， Akkermansia， and Lactobacillus genera were increased， while Proteobacteria decreased； the microbial community structure tended towards that of the normal group. CONCLUSIONS KSCF alleviates UC by restoring intestinal microbial imbalance， enhancing immune response， and inhibiting colonic inflammatory responses， thereby improving intestinal barrier integrity.

AIM: To observe the vascular density of optic disc region in radial peripapillary capillaries(RPC)layer of normal people and primary open argle glaucoma(POAG)patients using OCTA, and to explore the diagnostic ability of this technique for POAG.

METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study, including 45 patients(60 eyes)diagnosed as POAG and 48 healthy subjects(60 eyes)as normal control group. OCTA technique was used to scan the optic papilla area of all subjects, and the vascular density and longitudinal C/D ratio of RPC layer in optic papilla area were measured. Humphrey's field of view detected MD and PSD values. The correlation between vascular density and other parameters was analyzed. ROC curve and AUC were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of various parameters of vascular density in patients and were compared in pairs.

RESULTS: The vascular density decreases with the aggravation of glaucoma. The correlation between capillary density and vascular density in optic disc and MD and PSD values is weak. Other vascular density parameters have strong correlation with MD and PSD values. The whole image capillary density, peripapillary capillary density, whole image vascular density, peripapillary vascular density AUC>0.9 have high diagnostic value. There was no statistical difference between among the parameters(P>0.05). The diagnostic efficacy of inside disc capillary density and inside vascular density is significantly lower than that of other parameters AUC of 0.85 and 0.88 respectively(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION:Compared with the positive control group, the vascular density in POAG group decreased significantly and became more serious with the progress of the disease. Vascular density in optic disc region is a good indicator for evaluating structural damage in POAG patients, and is of great significance in diagnosis and follow-up of POAG. However, the diagnostic efficiency of inside disc vascular density and capillary density for POAG is obviously lower than other vascular parameters.

Acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) is the rate limiting enzyme of fatty acid synthesis pathway. Studies have shown that ACC1 is implicated in a variety of metabolic diseases and cancer. However, the role and mechanism of action of ACC1 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) have not been reported. In this study, 786-O and Caki-1 clear cell renal carcinoma cells were used as research objects to investigate the effect of abnormal expression of ACC1 on their proliferation and unravel the underlying mechanism. Red oil-O-staining results showed that the lipid content of 786-O and Caki-1 cells was significantly higher than that of human kidney 2 (HK2) cells. By searching TCGA database, we found that the expression of ACC1 proteins in ccRCC was significantly higher than that in normal renal tissues (P < 0.001). Plus, ACC1 protein expression in all clinical TNM stages was significantly higher than that in normal tissues, and the higher the expression of ACC1, the higher the pathological grade. Furthermore, high expression of ACC1 mRNA is positively correlated with poor prognosis in ccRCC patients. Western blotting analysis showed that the expression of ACC1 in 786-O and Caki-1 cells was significantly higher than that in HK2 cells. The results of red oil-O-staining showed that knocking down ACC1 could significantly reduce the lipid content of 786-O and Caki-1 cells. The results of CCK-8 assays and clonogenicity analysis showed that knocking down ACC1 could significantly reduce the proliferation and colony forming ability of 786-O and Caki-1 cells. Flow cytometry analysis showed that after knocking down ACC1, the cell cycle was blocked at the G

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are non-coding RNAs in the nucleolus and are mainly responsible for the 2'-O-methylation and pseudouridine modification of rRNA. snoRNAs regulate various biological processes, such as tRNA modification, spliceosome snRNA modification, maintenance of the telomere structure, and alternative splicing of mRNA. Aberrant expression of snoRNA is related to cancer progression, and it may become a new target for cancer treatment. snoRNAs are stable and easy to detect in body fluids, so they can be used as a biomarker for clinical diagnosis and prognostic. This article reviews the biogenesis, classification, structure, and function of snoRNAs and introduces their potential role in the occurrence and development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) has been proved to be a metabolic disease with high