Objective To explore the mechanism of IL-6 in EAE. Methods 25 female Wistar rats were randomly divided into 2 groups, EAE group( n=15 ) and normal control group( n=10). The expression of IL-6, TNF-αtand TGF-β of the two groups rots were ob-served by immunohistochemistry staining, and then correlation analysis of the expression of IL-6, TNF-αtandTGF-β was made. Results There was negative correlation between gray scale of IL-6 and symptom scores( r=-0.953, P＞0.05). IL-6 and TGF-β had no statistical-ly significant correlation ( r=-0.492, P＞0.05). There was negative correlation between gray scale of TNF-α and symptom scores( r=-0.978, P＜0.05), and both of the correlation between TNF-α and TGF-β ( r=-0.502, P＞0.05), TGF-β and scores( r=0.470,P＞0.05 ) were not statistically significant. Conclusions IL-6 may participate in EAE as a inflammatory factor.

BACKGROUND:Intestinal fibrosis is a common complication in inflammatory bowel disease and leads to functional damage and intestinal obstruction. Intestinal fibrosis is mainly related to the imbalance of deposition and degradation of extracellular matrix components, such as collagens and fibronectins. Studies have found that mesenchymal stem cells secreted soluble bioactive substance such as extracellular vesicles via paracrine action, which exerted marked anti-fibrosis effect. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of human placenta mesenchymal stem cells-derived extracellular vesicles on collagen deposition in mice with colitis. METHODS: Totally 24 BALB/c mice were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group and extracellular vesicles group, with 8 mice in each group. Except the sham operation group, the remaining mice of model group and extracellular vesicles group were treated with trinitro-benzene-sulfonic acid to induce intestinal fibrosis, once a day for 6 weeks. The mice in the extracellular vesicles group and model group were administered with extracellular vesicles and phosphate-buffered saline, respectively, at 3 weeks, once a day for 6 weeks. The therapeutic effect of extracellular vesicles was evaluated by disease active index score and the colon weight/length ratio at 1-7 weeks. Diseased intestinal segment was subjected to histological staining. Western blot assay and RT-PCR were used to measure fibrosis related indicators so as to evaluate the degree of intestinal fibrosis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Compared with the model group, disease active index score and the colon weight/length ratio were significantly reduced, and colonic pathology was significantly improved in the extracellular vesicles group. (2) Compared with the model group, collagen deposition in colon mucosa of mice was significantly reduced, and the expression of collagen I, collagen III and transforming growth factor-β1 decreased significantly in the extracellular vesicles group. (3) Compared with the model group, expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 and matrix metalloproteinase 9 in mouse colon tissue were significantly increased, while the expression level of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 was decreased in the extracellular vesicles group. (4) Results suggest that human placenta mesenchymal stem cells-derived extracellular vesicles can obviously improve the severity of colon injury and reduce the collagen deposition of intestinal mucosa in mice with enteritis.

Objective To assess the value of echo tracking(ET) technique on atherosclerosis in the rabbit models, and to probe the pathological foundation of its indexes changes and the usefulness in evaluating arterial elasticity. Methods Thirty New Zealand rabbits were divided into 3 groups randomly: group A was the control group;group B,C were fed with high lipid feedstuffs for 8 weeks and 12 weeks, respectively. The ET examination of abdominal aorta was performed in group A and group B at the end of 8 weeks,it was performed in group A and group C at the end of 12 weeks. The parameters of elasticity were measured including pressure-strain elastic modulus (Ep), stiffness parameters(β), pulse wave velocity (PWVβ), augmentation index (AI), arterial compliance (AC), etc. Two dimensional ultrasound and pathological examination of abdominal aorta were performed at the same time. Results No obvious plaque and arterial wall thickness were seen in the abdominal aorta. Ep,β,PWVβ of group C were higher than that of group A and B, while AC of group C was lower than that of group A and B, and the difference had statistical significance (P<0.05). AI had no significant difference in all groups (P>0.05). Pathological examinations indicated that foam cell formation was seen in the abdominal aorta intima, the elastic fiber layer and smooth muscle layer were kept well in B group. Lots of cholesterol crystal formation was seen in the abdominal aorta intima and the two layer were obvious destroyed in group C. Conclusions ET can detect the atherosclerosis earlier than two-dimensional ultrasound. ET can detect the elasticity changes only when the elastic fiber layer and smooth muscle layer were destroyed . So it can be concluded that the destroy of elastic fiber layer and smooth muscle layer may be the pathological foundation of ET elasticity parameters changes.

Good self-management behaviors can control symptoms of the patients with osteoarthritis, improve the patients' joint function and quality of life. Patients' self-management behaviors have been impacted by disease knowledge, self-effcacy, emotional state, and social support. All the above factors should been taken into full consideration when intervening. Self-management program is an intervention mode which can improve patient self-management behaviors and promote patient health.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the potential mechanism of procyanidin on rats with gingivitis by regulating phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） signaling pathway. METHODS The rat model of gingivitis was constructed by sewing the neck of the first maxillary molar with silk thread+applying maltose on the gum+feeding with 20% sucrose solution and soft food. Forth-eight model rats were randomly divided into model group， procyanidin group （160 mg/kg）， 740Y-P group （PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activator， 0.02 mg/kg）， and procyanidin+ 740Y-P group （procyanidin 160 mg/kg+740Y-P 0.02 mg/kg）， with 12 rats in each group； another 12 rats were selected as control group； each medication group was treated with corresponding drugs intragastrically or/and intraperitoneally， once a day， for 7 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the last administration， the gingival index of rats was measured； the levels of interleukin- 18 （IL-18）， inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS） and alkaline phosphatase （ALP） in gingival crevicular fluid， as well as the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD）， catalase （CAT） and reactive oxygen species （ROS） in gingival tissues of rats were detected； the pathological changes in gingival tissues were observed； the expression levels of PI3K/Akt/VEGF signaling pathway- related proteins in gingival tissues of rats were detected. RESULTS Compared with control group， the gingival tissues of rats in the model group had severe pathological damage，which was manifested as local tissue expansion and congestion， new capillaries， degeneration and loss of collagen fibers and disorder of arrangement， and a large number of inflammatory cell infiltration in the gingival sulcus wall. The gingival index， the levels of IL-18， iNOS， ALP in gingival crevicular fluid， the level of ROS in gingival tissues， the phosphorylations of PI3K and Akt， as well as the protein expression of VEGF in gingival tissues were significantly increased； the levels of SOD and CAT in gingival tissues of rats in model group were significantly decreased （P＜0.05）. Compared with model group， the pathological damage to the gingival tissues of rats in procyanidin group was reduced， and all quantitative indicators were significantly improved （P＜0.05）； 740Y-P could reverse the improvement effect of procyanidin on various indicators （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Procyanidin may alleviate gingival tissue damage， and improve gingival inflammation and oxidative stress in rats with gingivitis by inhibiting PI3K/Akt/VEGF signaling pathway.

Objective A feasible and stable mouse model of thoracic aortic dissection(TAD)combined with acute lung injury(ALI)was established using β-aminopropionitrile monofumarate(BAPN)1 g/(kg·d)administered in drinking water.The mouse model of TAD combined with acute lung injury(ALI)was established to provide a rational animal model to study TAD combined with ALI.Methods Forty-five SPF-grade 3-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were selected and randomly allocated to a CON group(normal dietary water;15 mice)or BAPN group(administration in sterile water at 1 g/(kg·d);30 mice)for 4 weeks.During the experimental period,the general condition and modeling rate of mice were observed.TAD model mice were validated,and the BAPN group was divided into TAD and non-TAD groups by measuring the maximum diameter of the thoracic aorta and HE staining of aortic tissues.HE pathological staining,the wet/dry weight(W/D)ratio,total protein level in bronchioalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),and interleukin(IL)-1 β,IL-6,and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in BALF)were used to validate the TAD combined ALI model in mice.Results BAPN treatment significantly delayed the increase in body mass and water intake of mice.Compared with CON and non-TAD groups,the maximum diameter of the thoracic aorta of mice in the TAD group was significantly thickened(P＜0.05).HE staining of the aorta showed significant thickening of the middle aortic layer,and the structure of the aortic wall was damaged and disordered.HE staining of lung tissues showed significant interstitial edema and inflammatory exudation accompanied by enlargement of alveolar lumen,alveolar wall epithelial exfoliation and hyaline membrane formation,and a significant increase in the pathological scores of lung injury(P＜0.05).Total protein levels and expression of IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α in lung tissue,W/D ratio,and BALF were also significantly increased(P＜0.05),whereas no significant difference was observed in the above indexes between the other two groups.Conclusions A mouse model of thoracic aortic dissection combined with acute lung injury can be established by BAPN administration in drinking water.

Objective:To explore the relationship between vegetarian diets and vitamin B 12 levels in Chinese pregnant women. Methods:A cross-sectional survey was used to explore the relationship between vegetarian diets and vitamin B 12 levels in Chinese pregnant women based on data from the Chinese National Nutrition and Health Surveillance (2015-2017). Maternal serum vitamin B 12 concentration was determined by electrochemiluminescence. Background and diet information of all subjects were collected using general and food frequency questionnaires. General Linear Model was used to analyze the difference in serum vitamin B 12 levels between vegetarian and non-vegetarian pregnant women and multivariate logistic regression for examining the relationship between vegetarian diets and vitamin B 12 deficiency (vitamin B 12<150 pmol/L) in pregnant women. Results:A total of 8 366 pregnant women were included in the analysis, and vegetarians accounted for 1.2% (102/8 366). The median serum vitamin B 12 concentrations were 155.8(93.6-212.4) pmol/L and 187.2(127.4-267.6) pmol/L ( Z=－4.22, P<0.001), and the vitamin B 12 deficiency rates were 48.0% (49/102) and 35.0% (2 896/8 264) in vegetarian and non-vegetarian women, respectively. The vitamin B 12 deficiency rate in vegetarian women was 0.89-fold higher than in non-vegetarians (95% CI: 1.24-2.89). Among the vegetarian and non-vegetarian pregnant women, vitamin B 12 deficiency rates during the first, second, and third trimesters were 34.8%(16/46), 54.3%(19/35), 66.7%(14/21), and 20.4%(521/2 559), 32.6%(941/2 886), 50.9%(1 430/2 807), noting for an increasing trend ( Z=23.54 and 2.57, P=0.010 and P<0.001). Conclusions:Vegetarian pregnant women are at high risk of vitamin B 12 deficiency. Compared with non-vegetarian women, vegetarian pregnant women in China have lower vitamin B 12 levels and a higher risk of vitamin B 12 deficiency. Moreover, the risk of vitamin B 12 deficiency will gradually increase during pregnancy.

Objective    To evaluate the prognosis of interventional treatment with covered stent graft for retrograde Stanford type A aortic dissection and intramural hematoma by single-arm meta-analysis. Methods    Related studies on treating retrograde Stanford type A aortic dissection and intramural hematoma with covered stent graft were retrieved from the databases by computer, including PubMed, EMbase, The Cochrane Library, Wanfang Data, VIP, CNKI and CBM, from inception to January 2020. Literatures were screened by researchers step by step according to the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Quality of the enrolled literatures was evaluated, and data were extracted from the included studies. Afterwards, single-arm meta-analysis was carried out by the R3.6.3 software. Results    A total of 12 English and 5 Chinese studies were included, which were all case series, and the quality of all literatures was moderate evaluated by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). After analyzing the clinical prognosis of 260 patients, the 30-day mortality was 6% (95%CI 0.04 to 0.11, P=0.97), the late mortality was 8% (95%CI 0.05 to 0.14, P=0.78), the incidence of endoleak was 21% (95%CI 0.16 to 0.29, P=0.06), the incidence of stroke was 5% (95%CI 0.03 to 0.09, P=0.99), the incidence of new aortic dissection was 7% (95%CI 0.04 to 0.11, P=0.96), the incidence of dissection progression was 10% (95%CI 0.07 to 0.16, P=0.24), and the absorption rate of intramural hematoma was 84% (95%CI 0.37 to 1.00, P<0.01). Conclusion    Interventional treatment with covered stent graft for retrograde Stanford type A aortic dissection and intramural hematoma can obtain good early treatment results for some patients, and can be used as a safe and effective treatment for aged patient with high risk who cannot tolerate surgery. Endoleak, stroke and new aortic dissection are the early serious complications of this method.

In atherosclerosis, chronic inflammatory processes in local diseased areas may lead to the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we devised a highly sensitive H₂O₂-scavenging nano-bionic system loaded with probucol (RPP-PU), to treat atherosclerosis more effectively. The RPP material had high sensitivity to H₂O₂, and the response sensitivity could be reduced from 40 to 10 μmol/L which was close to the lowest concentration of H₂O₂ levels of the pathological environment. RPP-PU delayed the release and prolonged the duration of PU in vivo. In Apolipoprotein E deficient (ApoE^‒/‒) mice, RPP-PU effectively eliminated pathological ROS, reduced the level of lipids and related metabolic enzymes, and significantly decreased the area of vascular plaques and fibers. Our study demonstrated that the H₂O₂-scavenging nano-bionic system could scavenge the abundant ROS in the atherosclerosis lesion, thereby reducing the oxidative stress for treating atherosclerosis and thus achieve the therapeutic goals with atherosclerosis more desirably.