BACKGROUND: Renal osteodystrophy (ROD) is a skeletal pathology associated with chronic kidney disease-mineral and bone disorder (CKD-MBD) that is characterized by aberrant bone mineralization and remodeling. ROD increases the risk of fracture and mortality in CKD patients. The underlying mechanisms of ROD remain elusive, partially due to the absence of an appropriate animal model. To address this gap, we established a stable mouse model of ROD using an optimized adenine-enriched diet and conducted exploratory analyses through ribonucleic acid sequencing (RNA-seq). METHODS: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly allocated into three groups: control group ( n = 5), adenine and high-phosphate (HP) diet group ( n = 20), and the optimized adenine-containing diet group ( n = 20) for 12 weeks. We assessed the skeletal characteristics of model mice through blood biochemistry, microcomputed tomography (micro-CT), and bone histomorphometry. RNA-seq was utilized to profile gene expression changes of ROD. We elucidated the functions of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using gene ontology (GO) analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). DEGs were validated via quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). RESULTS: By the fifth week, adenine followed by an HP diet induced rapid weight loss and high mortality rates in the mouse group, precluding further model development. Mice with optimized adenine diet-induced ROD displayed significant abnormalities in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels, accompanied by pronounced hyperparathyroidism and hyperphosphatemia. The femur bone mineral density (BMD) of the model mice was lower than that of control mice, with substantial bone loss and cortical porosity. ROD mice exhibited substantial bone turnover with an increase in osteoblast and osteoclast markers. Transcriptomic profiling revealed 1907 genes with upregulated expression and 723 genes with downregulated expression in the femurs of ROD mice relative to those of control mice. Pathway analyses indicated significant enrichment of upregulated genes in the sphingolipid metabolism pathway. The significant upregulation of alkaline ceramidase 1 ( Acer1 ), alkaline ceramidase 2 ( Acer2 ), prosaposin-like 1 ( Psapl1 ), adenosine A1 receptor ( Adora1 ), and sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor 5 ( S1pr5 ) were successfully validated in mouse femurs by qRT-PCR. CONCLUSIONS Optimized adenine diet mouse model may be a valuable proxy for studying ROD. RNA-seq analysis revealed that the sphingolipid metabolism pathway is likely a key player in ROD pathogenesis, thereby providing new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
Animals ; Mice ; Chronic Kidney Disease-Mineral and Bone Disorder/genetics* ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Sphingolipids/metabolism* ; Transcriptome/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/genetics* ; X-Ray Microtomography ; Adenine

Although cancer immunotherapy has made great strides in the clinic, it is still hindered by the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME). The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway which can modulate TIME effectively has emerged as a promising therapeutic recently. However, the delivery of most STING agonists, specifically cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs), is performed intratumorally due to their insufficient pharmacological properties, such as weak permeability across cell membranes and vulnerability to nuclease degradation. To expand the clinical applicability of CDNs, a novel pH-sensitive polycationic polymer-modified lipid nanoparticle (LNP-B) system was developed for intravenous delivery of CDNs. LNP-B significantly extended the circulation of CDNs and enhanced the accumulation of CDNs within the tumor, spleen, and tumor-draining lymph nodes compared with free CDNs thereby triggering the STING pathway of dendritic cells and repolarizing pro-tumor macrophages. These events subsequently gave rise to potent anti-tumor immune reactions and substantial inhibition of tumors in CT26 colon cancer-bearing mouse models. In addition, due to the acid-sensitive property of the polycationic polymer, the delivery system of LNP-B was more biocompatible and safer compared with lipid nanoparticles formulated with an indissociable cationic DOTAP (LNP-D). These findings suggest that LNP-B has great potential in the intravenous delivery of CDNs for tumor immunotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and analgesic effects of Yinqiao Powder (YQS) formulated granules and decoction. METHODS: We first evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of the two dosage forms of YQS in a LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cell model using RT-qPCR and Western blotting. We further constructed zebrafish models of inflammation by copper sulfate exposure, caudal fin transection, or LPS and Poly (I:C) microinjection, and evaluated anti-inflammatory effects of YQS granules and decoction by examining neutrophil aggregation and HE staining findings. In a mouse model of acute lung injury (ALI) induced by intratracheal LPS instillation, the effects of YQS gavage at 10, 15, and 20 g/kg on lung pathologies were evaluated by calculating lung wet-dry weight ratio and using HE staining, ELISA and Western blotting. The microbroth dilution method was used to evaluate the antibacterial effect of YQS. Mouse pain models established by hot plate and intraperitoneal injection of glacial acetic acid were used to evaluate the analgesic effects of YQS at 10, 15, and 20 g/kg. RESULTS: Both YQS granules and decoction significantly reduced TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β expressions and p-STAT3 (Tyr 705) phosphorylation level in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, and obviously inhibited neutrophil aggregation in the zebrafish models. In ALI mice, YQS granules and decoction effectively ameliorated lung injury, lowered lung wet-dry weight ratio, and reduced p-STAT3 (Tyr 705) expression and TNF-α and IL-6 levels. YQS produced obvious antibacterial effect at the doses of 15.63 and 31.25 mg/mL, and significantly reduced body torsion and increased pain threshold in the mouse pain models. CONCLUSIONS The two dosage forms of TQS have similar anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and analgesic effects with only differences in their inhibitory effect on TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β mRNA expressions in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells.
Animals ; Mice ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology* ; Analgesics/pharmacology* ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Zebrafish ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; Powders ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; Acute Lung Injury/drug therapy* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Lipopolysaccharides

Retroperitoneal liposarcoma is the most common retroperitoneal soft tissue tumor with insidious onset, difficulty in treatment, and easy recurrence. Different subtypes of retroperitoneal liposarcoma differ significantly in pathogenic mechanism, biological behavior, and prognosis. The characteristic molecular event of well-differentiated and dedifferentiated liposarcoma is the amplification of the long arm segment of chromosome 12. The genome of myxoid liposarcoma is characterized by translocations of chromosomes 12 and 16 to form fusion genes. The genomic changes of pleomorphic and myxoid pleomorphic liposarcoma are complex, with multiple chromosomal structural abnormalities. Several signaling pathways related to adipocyte differentiation or lipid metabolism have been found to be involved in the initiation and progression of retroperitoneal liposarcoma. It is unclear whether retroperitoneal liposarcoma originates from naive preadipocytes or dedifferentiated mature adipocytes, and its metabolic characteristics are also poorly understood. The first-line drug treatment for retroperitoneal liposarcoma is anthracycline-based chemotherapy, but patients receive little benefit. Therefore, it is urgent to strengthen the basic research on retroperitoneal liposarcoma to find effective therapeutic targets.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of imatinib on the endotoxemia-induced acute lung injury in mice.Methods:Sixty SPF male, 8-12 weeks, C57BL/6 mice were randomly (random) divided into 4 groups ( n=15 each): control group (group C), imatinib group (groupⅠ), endotoxemia group (group LPS) and imatinib + endotoxemia group (group I+LPS). The endotoxemia model of acute lung injury was established. After 24 hours, the mice were sacrificed. The pathological changes of lung tissues were evaluated, the lung injury scores were calculated, and the wet/dry ratios of lung tissues were measured. ELISA was used to detect the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum. Detection kits were used to analyze the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the ratio of reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) in lung tissues; The expression levels of phosphorylated nuclear factor-kappa B (p-NF-κB), nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in lung tissues were analyzed by western blotting. Results:Compared with the group C, the wet/dry (W/D) ratio of lungs [(3.47±0.41) vs. (5.58±0.47)], lung injury scores [(1.25±0.89) vs. (10.25±1.75)], and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum increased in the group LPS ( P<0.05). The levels of SOD, CAT, GSH and GSH/GSSG decreased, the level of MDA increased, and the expression of p-NF-κB, Nrf2 and HO-1 protein up-regulated ( P<0.05). Compared with the LPS group, the W/D ratio of lungs [(5.58±0.47) vs.(4.62±0.38)] and lung injury scores [(10.25±1.75) vs. (7.00±1.31)] in the I+LPS group decreased ( P<0.05), and the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in the serum decreased ( P<0.05). In lung tissues, the levels of SOD, CAT, GSH and GSH/GSSG increased (all P<0.05), the level of MDA decreased (all P<0.05), the expression of p-NF-κB protein decreased, and the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 protein increased ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Imatinib improves sepsis-induced acute lung injury in mice, and the mechanism of actions behind may be related to the inhibition of oxidative stress.

Retroperitoneal liposarcoma is the most common retroperitoneal soft tissue tumor with insidious onset, difficulty in treatment, and easy recurrence. Different subtypes of retroperitoneal liposarcoma differ significantly in pathogenic mechanism, biological behavior, and prognosis. The characteristic molecular event of well-differentiated and dedifferentiated liposarcoma is the amplification of the long arm segment of chromosome 12. The genome of myxoid liposarcoma is characterized by translocations of chromosomes 12 and 16 to form fusion genes. The genomic changes of pleomorphic and myxoid pleomorphic liposarcoma are complex, with multiple chromosomal structural abnormalities. Several signaling pathways related to adipocyte differentiation or lipid metabolism have been found to be involved in the initiation and progression of retroperitoneal liposarcoma. It is unclear whether retroperitoneal liposarcoma originates from naive preadipocytes or dedifferentiated mature adipocytes, and its metabolic characteristics are also poorly understood. The first-line drug treatment for retroperitoneal liposarcoma is anthracycline-based chemotherapy, but patients receive little benefit. Therefore, it is urgent to strengthen the basic research on retroperitoneal liposarcoma to find effective therapeutic targets.

Objective:To evaluate the effects of heparin on focal adhesion kinase (FAK)/Ras homolog gene family member A (RhoA)/Rho-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase (ROCK) signaling pathways during acute lung injury (ALI) in septic mice.Methods:Thirty SPF healthy adult male C57BL/6J mice, aged 6-8 weeks, weighing 20-23 g, were assigned into 3 groups ( n=10 each) using a random number table method: control group (group C), ALI group, and heparin group (group H). Septic ALI model was prepared by intraperitoneal injection of lipopolysaccharide 15 mg/kg, while group C received the equal volume of normal saline. In group H, heparin sodium solution 10 U was injected via the tail vein at 30 min before developing the model. The equal volume of normal saline was injected in C and ALI groups. Venous blood samples were collected from the eyeballs under deep anesthesia at 24 h after lipopolysaccharide injection. The mice were subsequently sacrificed and lung tissues were obtained for determination of the serum concentrations of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) (using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), wet/dry lung weight (W/D) ratio, expression of vascular endothelial adhesion factor 1 (VCAM-1) (by immunohistochemical staining) and expression of FAK, phosphorylated FAK (p-FAK), RhoA, GTP-bound RhoA (RhoA-GTP) and ROCK (by Western blot) and for examination of the pathological changes. The lung injury was assessed and scored. Results:Comparison with group C, the serum concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, W/D ratio and lung injury scores were significantly increased, and the expression of VCAM-1, p-FAK, RhoA-GTP and ROCK was up-regulated in ALI group ( P<0.05). Compared with ALI group, the serum concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, W/D ratio and lung injury scores were significantly decreased, and the expression of VCAM-1, p-FAK, RhoA-GTP and ROCK was down-regulated in H group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism through which heparin mitigates ALI is associated with the inhibition of the FAK/RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway in septic mice.

Objective:To explore the value of dual-layer detector spectral CT quantitative parameters in evaluating the treatment response of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).Methods:The study was a cross-sectional study. From May 2021 to March 2023, a total of 52 patients with LARC who received complete nCRT and were pathologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma at the Guangdong Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were retrospectively enrolled. Each patient underwent spectral CT examination before and after nCRT, including plain scan, arterial phase (AP), and venous phase (VP) scans. According to the tumor regression grade, the patients were divided into the good response ( n=20) and the poor response group ( n=32). Measurements of the primary tumor′s spectral CT parameters, including effective atomic number (Z eff) at plain scan, iodine concentration (IC), CT values of 40 keV and 100 keV virtual monochromatic image (VMI) at dual-enhanced phases, were taken before and after nCRT. Additionally, the normalized iodine concentration (NIC), spectral curve slope (λHU), and the change rate of the above parameters before and after nCRT were calculated. The independent sample t-test or Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the differences between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to assess the efficacy of various metrics in evaluating the tumor treatment response of nCRT. A binary logistic regression analysis of combined parameter results was performed for the parameters with the areas under curve (AUC)>0.75, and the AUC of the combined parameter was evaluated. Results:There were significant differences in NIC AP and λHU VP before nCRT, NIC VP and λHU VP after nCRT, and the change rates of Z eff, NIC AP, NIC VP and λHU AP between the good response group and the poor response group ( P<0.05). The remaining parameters showed no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05). The ROC curve results showed that the AUCs of the above 8 parameters for evaluating tumor treatment response of nCRT were 0.702, 0.655, 0.695, 0.769, 0.738, 0.807, 0.791, and 0.677, respectively. The AUC of the combined model of the three parameters with AUC>0.75 (λHU VP after nCRT, the change rate of NIC AP and NIC VP) was 0.869, with 80.0% sensitivity and 84.4% specificity. Conclusion:The quantitative parameters derived from spectral CT may provide new markers for evaluating the response to nCRT treatment in patients with LARC. The multi-parameter combined model can improve diagnostic efficacy.

In the process of conducting implementation research on health service issues, stakeholders' preference for contents related to evidence-based practice (EBP) and implementation strategies is closely related to whether EBP can be effectively implemented.However, multiple preference assessment methods exist, each with their own strengths, weaknesses, and application scenarios, which makes it challenging for researchers to select appropriate and effective preference assessment methods. This paper aims to review the origins, characteristics, and application scenarios of commonly used preference assessment methods, with the hope of providing valuable reference and lessons for domestic scholars to select and apply appropriate preference assessment methods in implementation research.

Background The benchmark dose (BMD) method calculates the dose associated with a specific change in response based on a specific dose-response relationship. Compared with the traditional no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) method, the BMD method has many advantages, and the 95% lower confidence limit of benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL) is recommended to replace NOAEL in deriving biological exposure limits. No authority has yet published any health-based guideline for rare earth elements. Objective To evaluate genotoxicity threshold induced by acute exposure to neodymium nitrate in mice using BMD modeling through micronucleus test and comet assay. Methods SPF grade mice (n=90) were randomly divided into nine groups, including seven neodymium nitrate exposure groups, one control group (distilled water), and one positive control group (200 mg·kg⁻¹ ethyl methanesulfonate), 10 mice in each group, half male and half female. The seven dose groups were fed by gavage with different concentrations of neodymium nitrate solution (male: 14, 27, 39, 55, 77, 109, and 219 mg·kg⁻¹; female: 24, 49, 69, 97, 138, 195, and 389 mg·kg⁻¹) twice at an interval of 21 h. Three hours after the last exposure, the animals were neutralized by cervical dislocation. The bone marrow of mice femur was taken to calculate the micronucleus rate of bone marrow cells, and the liver and stomach were taken for comet test. Results The best fitting models for the increase of polychromatophil micronucleus rate in bone marrow of female and male mice induced by neodymium nitrate were the exponential 4 model and the hill model, respectively. The BMD and the BMDL of female mice were calculated to be 31.37 mg·kg⁻¹ and 21.90 mg·kg⁻¹, and those of male mice were calculated to be 58.62 mg·kg⁻¹ and 54.31 mg·kg⁻¹, respectively. The best fitting models for DNA damage induced by neodymium nitrate in female and male mouse hepatocytes were the exponential 5 model and the exponential 4 model, respectively, and the calculated BMD and BMDL were 27.15 mg·kg⁻¹ and 11.99 mg·kg⁻¹ for female mice, and 16.28 mg·kg⁻¹ and 10.47 mg·kg⁻¹ for male mice, respectively. The hill model was the best fitting model for DNA damage of gastric adenocytes in both female and male mice, and the calculated BMD and BMDL were 36.73 mg·kg⁻¹ and 19.92 mg·kg⁻¹ for female mice, and 24.74 mg·kg⁻¹ and 14.08 mg·kg⁻¹ for male mice, respectively. Conclusion Taken the micronucleus rate of bone marrow cells, DNA damage of liver cells and gastric gland cells as the end points of genotoxicity, the BMDL of neodymium nitrate is 10.47 mg·kg⁻¹, which can be used as the threshold of genotoxic effects induced by acute exposure to neodymium nitrate in mice.