Objective To investigate the effects of fructose exposure on mitochondrial oxidative damage in M2-type macrophages and elucidate the regulatory role of protein phosphatase 2A(PP2A)in the process using its specific activator ABL127,an inhibitor of protein phosphatase methylesterase-1(PPME-1).Methods ① Immortalized mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages Ana-1 were subjected and grouped into M0(conventional culture),M2(treated with 20 ng/mL IL-4 for 24 h),and M2+Fru groups(IL-4 plus 0.04,0.20,1.00,or 5.00 mmol/L fructose).Cell viability was assessed with CCK-8 assay.Number of mitochondria,total and mitochondrial levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS),and mitochondrial membrane potential(ΔΨM)were measured using fluorescent probes.Total and demethylated PP2Ac protein levels were detected by Western blotting.② Ana-1 cells were also divided into M0,M2,M2+Fru(20 ng/mL IL-4+5.00 mmol/L fructose,24 h),and M2+Fru+ABL127(20 ng/mL IL-4+5.00 mmol/L fructose+1.00 μmol/L ABL127,24 h)to investigate PP2A-mediated mechanisms.Numbers of mitochondria and lysosomes,ROS level,and ΔΨM were detected via fluorescence assays.Expression of mitophagy-related proteins,PTEN induced putative kinase 1(PINK1),P62,microtubule-associated protein light chain 3(LC3),and voltage-dependent anion channel(VDAC)was evaluated by Western blotting,and the mRNA levels of M2 markers,found in inflammatory zone 1(Fizz1),arginase-1(Arg-1),and TGF-β were measured using RT-qPCR.Results ① Compared with the M2 group,fructose treatment at a concentration ranging from 0.04 to 5.00 mmol/L showed no effect on cell viability in M2 macrophages,but increased total ROS level in a dose-dependent manner(P<0.05).Fructose of 5.00 mmol/L resulted in significantly elevated mitochondrial ROS and mitochondrial quantity(P<0.05),reduced ΔΨM(P<0.05),up-regulated demethylated-PP2Ac(P<0.05),and no changed total-PP2Ac protein level.② Compared with the M2+Fru group,the addition of ABL127 led to decreased number of mitochondria but increased number of lysosomes(P<0.01),up-regulation of PINK1,LC3Ⅱ and VDAC proteins,down-regulation of P62(P<0.05),reduced total and mitochondrial ROS levels,and enhanced ΔΨM(P<0.01).The mRNA expression of Fizz1,Arg-1,and TGF-β was notably decreased in the M2+Fru group than the M2 group(P<0.05),and the levels were rescued by ABL127 treatment(P<0.05).Conclusion Fructose induces PP2Ac demethylation and then mitochondrial oxidative damage in M2-type macrophages.PP2A activation promotes mitophagy and reverses fructose-induced damage.

Objective To investigate the effect of leucine carboxyl methyltransferase 1(LCMT1)knockout on fructose-induced lipid deposition in primary mouse hepatocytes.Methods Primary hepatocytes were isolated from wild-type(WT)and hepatocyte-specific LCMT1 knockout(KO)mice via a two-step hepatic portal vein perfusion method.The cells were divided into four groups:WT-control group,WT-fructose group,KO-control group,and KO-fructose group.Cell viability was determined through Alamar-Blue assays.Hepatocyte injury was evaluated based on alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels.Lipid deposition was visualized via Oil Red O staining and lipid droplet green fluorescence staining,and the cellular triglyceride content was quantified via a GPO-POD assay.The mRNA expression of lipid metabolism-related genes was detected via quantitative real-time PCR,and the protein expression of LCMT1 and PP2Ac was detected via Western blot.Results Fructose treatment did not alter cell viability significantly in any group,and no significant cell damage was observed(P＞0.05).The WT-fructose group exhibited greater accumulation of lipid droplets in hepatocytes than that in the WT-control group(P＜0.001),with significantly elevated triglyceride contents(P＜0.05).The mRNA levels of the de novo lipid synthesis genes ChREBP,SREBP-1c,and ACC1 were increased significantly(P＜0.05,P＜0.001,P＜0.001),whereas FAS expression did not differ significantly between groups(P＞0.05).The mRNA levels of the lipid uptake genes FABP1 and FATP2 also increased significantly(both P＜0.05).In contrast,the KO-fructose group presented a reduced number of lipid droplets(P＜0.01,P＜0.001),decreased triglyceride content(P＜0.05),and decreased mRNA levels of ChREBP,SREBP-1c,ACC1,FABP1,and FATP2(P＜0.01,P＜0.001,P＜0.001,P＜0.001,P＜0.05);CPT1 mRNA levels were markedly increased(P＜0.01).Total PP2Ac expression was significantly higher(P＜0.05)and PP2Ac demethylation was significantly lower(P＜0.01)in the WT-fructose group than in the WT-control group.In the KO-control group,total PP2Ac expression remained unchanged(P＞0.05),whereas PP2Ac demethylation was markedly elevated(P＜0.001).Compared with levels in the WT-fructose group,the KO-fructose group presented markedly lower total PP2Ac expression and significantly higher PP2Ac demethylation levels(P＜0.05,P＜0.01,respectively).Conclusions LCMT1 knockout alleviates fructose-induced lipid deposition in primary hepatocytes by inhibiting lipid uptake,increasing fatty acid oxidation,and downregulating de novo lipid synthesis.These effects are medicated by the LCMT1 knockout-mediated upregulation of PP2Ac demethylation,thereby modulating PP2A activity.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of solid, endometrial-like and transitional (SET) cell growth subtype in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC).Methods:Clinical data of 25 cases of HGSC-SET were collected from January 2020 to March 2024 at the Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, and their histological features were analyzed. Immunohistochemical stains were used to analyze the expression of ER, PR, PAX8, WT-1, p16, p53 and Ki-67. Next generation sequencing method was used to detect breast cancer susceptibility (BRCA1/2) gene mutation, homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) status, and other homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes. The difference of HRD status between HGSC-SET and typical HGSC patients was further compared.Results:The age of HGSC-SET patients ranged from 41 to 81 years, with an average age of 59 years and a median age of 57 years. Four cases were premenopausal and 21 were postmenopausal. There were 12 cases of bilateral ovarian masses and 13 cases of unilateral ovarian masses. Serum CA125 was elevated in 21 patients and CA19-9 in 2 patients. Lymph node involvement was found in 9 cases, and distant dissemination or metastasis was found in 15 cases. Tumor cells were found in ascites of 10 cases. All the cases were of mixed type, with both typical components (papillae, micropapillae, and glands) and SET components. The total proportion of SET components was>25%. There were 15 cases with comedo/map-like necrosis. Most of the SET form showed pushing pattern of invasion, while the classic form showed infiltrative pattern of invasion. All 25 cases of HGSC-SET showed mutant type staining of p53, of which 20 cases indicated missense mutation and 5 cases indicated nonsense mutation. The positive rates of PAX8, WT-1 and p16 were 100% (25/25), 84% (21/25) and 92% (23/25), respectively. The positive rate of ER was 80% (20/25) in the SET morphological region and 68% (17/25) in the classic morphological region. The positive rate of PR was 16% (4/25) in the SET morphological region and 32% (8/25) in the classic morphological region. The proliferative index of Ki-67 was 60%-95% in the SET region and 20%-90% in the classic region. BRCA1/2 gene mutation was detected in 36% (9/25) of HGSC-SET patients. Among them, 2 cases had BRCA1 gene mutation, 6 cases had BRCA2 gene mutation, and 1 case had gene mutation both in BRCA1 and BRCA2. HRD was positive in 84% (21/25) of patients and negative in 16% (4/25) of patients. The positive rate of HRD in BRCA1/2 wild-type cases was 12/16. A total of 21 patients had HRR-related gene alterations other than BRCA1/2. The mutation rate of BRCA1/2 gene in HGSC-classic patients was 4/20, and the positive rate of HRD was 11/20.Conclusions:Histologically, HGSC-SET presents as a mixed pattern, with comedo/map-like necrosis in most cases. The mutation rate of BRCA1/2 and the positive rate of HRD are higher in HGSC-SET than in HGSC-classic type. BRCA1/2 wild-type HGSC-SET also has a higher HRD positive rate. Besides BRCA1/2, other HRR related gene mutations should not be ignored to avoid missing patients who may benefit from PARP inhibitor treatment.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the sustained and stable drug release profile of the injectable hydrogel lidocaine(LDC)/betamethasone sodium phosphate hydrogel(BetP-Gel)and its effect on analgesic duration in a mouse model of acute incisional pain.METHODS:The drug-loaded hydrogel LDC/BetP-Gel was prepared through a sim-ple mixing process.Its physicochemical properties were characterized using electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,Fouri-er-transform infrared spectroscopy,and rheological testing.In vivo gelation and injectability were evaluated through posi-tron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET-CT)imaging and pressure variation measurements.The in vitro drug release rate was determined using a direct release method,while the degradation rate was assessed using the residual weight method.A total of thirty BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to five groups:blank group,model group,4%LDC group,BetP-Gel group,and 4%LDC/BetP-Gel group.Pain behavior was assessed using the Up-Down method and Harg-reave's test.Biocompatibility was evaluated through HE staining,and the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).RESULTS:The LDC/BetP-Gel hydrogel demonstrated ex-cellent drug encapsulation and sustained release properties.Behavioral assessments indicated that the LDC/BetP-Gel group exhibited significantly higher pain thresholds compared to the model group(P＜0.05),suggesting improved postop-erative pain relief.Furthermore,the LDC/BetP-Gel group showed a markedly prolonged analgesic effect compared to the LDC group(P＜0.05).HE staining confirmed the biocompatibility of the hydrogel.ELISA results revealed a significant re-duction in inflammatory cytokine levels in the LDC/BetP-Gel group 24 hours post-surgery(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:The injectable hydrogel LDC/BetP-Gel possesses a dense and stable structure that enables effective drug loading and sus-tained release.Its ability to prolong anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects has been validated in a mouse model of acute incisional pain.

Objective:Drug safety assessments based on real-world data are often challenged by both treatment switching and rare events. In this study, we used statistical simulations to investigate the effects of switching rates and treatment effects on the statistical performance of commonly used analytical strategies and methods under overlapping scenarios of treatment switching and rare events.Methods:The simulation scenario was set up as a bidirectional treatment switching (allowing the control group to switch to the treatment group and the treatment group to switch to the control group), and the event rates were set at approximately 2%, 5%, and 20%. Different simulation scenarios were generated with sufficient sample size to consider switching rate and relative treatment effect. The simulated datasets were analyzed using three types of analysis strategy, i.e. intention to treat (ITT), per protocol (PP), and as treated (AT). The performance of five indicators, namely percentage bias, mean square error, empirical standard error, coverage, and rejection rate, were compared among the different methods in different scenarios, and recommendations for method selection were given.Results:In terms of analytical strategies and methods, AT analysis were relatively optimal in terms of percentage bias and accuracy, followed by PP analysis and ITT analysis. When the relative treatment effects converged (e.g. HR=1.0), both the ITT analysis and the time-dependent AT approaches (marginal structural model, time-dependent Cox regression model or time-dependent propensity score matching) performed well; when the relative treatment effects were small (e.g. HR=0.8), the marginal structural model was the most optimal; when the relative treatment effects were large (e.g. HR=0.6 or 0.4), the approaches of using a censored treatment for switchers in the AT analysis were more accurate. In addition, the time-dependent AT approaches had the highest rejection rate when there was a difference in treatment effect between the two groups, and the ITT analysis had the lowest rejection rate. Conclusions:For the dual challenges of bidirectional switching and rare events in real-world drug safety evaluations, adequate sample size is a prerequisite for accurate estimation of treatment effects, while switching rates and effect sizes of switched drugs might also affect estimation accuracy. Appropriate strategies and methods should be selected for the analysis. It is necessary to consider whether the event is rare or not, the switching rate and the expected treatment effect size of the two types of treatment to select appropriate analysis strategies and methods.

Objective To investigate the effect of leucine carboxyl methyltransferase 1(LCMT1)knockout on fructose-induced lipid deposition in primary mouse hepatocytes.Methods Primary hepatocytes were isolated from wild-type(WT)and hepatocyte-specific LCMT1 knockout(KO)mice via a two-step hepatic portal vein perfusion method.The cells were divided into four groups:WT-control group,WT-fructose group,KO-control group,and KO-fructose group.Cell viability was determined through Alamar-Blue assays.Hepatocyte injury was evaluated based on alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels.Lipid deposition was visualized via Oil Red O staining and lipid droplet green fluorescence staining,and the cellular triglyceride content was quantified via a GPO-POD assay.The mRNA expression of lipid metabolism-related genes was detected via quantitative real-time PCR,and the protein expression of LCMT1 and PP2Ac was detected via Western blot.Results Fructose treatment did not alter cell viability significantly in any group,and no significant cell damage was observed(P＞0.05).The WT-fructose group exhibited greater accumulation of lipid droplets in hepatocytes than that in the WT-control group(P＜0.001),with significantly elevated triglyceride contents(P＜0.05).The mRNA levels of the de novo lipid synthesis genes ChREBP,SREBP-1c,and ACC1 were increased significantly(P＜0.05,P＜0.001,P＜0.001),whereas FAS expression did not differ significantly between groups(P＞0.05).The mRNA levels of the lipid uptake genes FABP1 and FATP2 also increased significantly(both P＜0.05).In contrast,the KO-fructose group presented a reduced number of lipid droplets(P＜0.01,P＜0.001),decreased triglyceride content(P＜0.05),and decreased mRNA levels of ChREBP,SREBP-1c,ACC1,FABP1,and FATP2(P＜0.01,P＜0.001,P＜0.001,P＜0.001,P＜0.05);CPT1 mRNA levels were markedly increased(P＜0.01).Total PP2Ac expression was significantly higher(P＜0.05)and PP2Ac demethylation was significantly lower(P＜0.01)in the WT-fructose group than in the WT-control group.In the KO-control group,total PP2Ac expression remained unchanged(P＞0.05),whereas PP2Ac demethylation was markedly elevated(P＜0.001).Compared with levels in the WT-fructose group,the KO-fructose group presented markedly lower total PP2Ac expression and significantly higher PP2Ac demethylation levels(P＜0.05,P＜0.01,respectively).Conclusions LCMT1 knockout alleviates fructose-induced lipid deposition in primary hepatocytes by inhibiting lipid uptake,increasing fatty acid oxidation,and downregulating de novo lipid synthesis.These effects are medicated by the LCMT1 knockout-mediated upregulation of PP2Ac demethylation,thereby modulating PP2A activity.

Objective:Drug safety assessments based on real-world data are often challenged by both treatment switching and rare events. In this study, we used statistical simulations to investigate the effects of switching rates and treatment effects on the statistical performance of commonly used analytical strategies and methods under overlapping scenarios of treatment switching and rare events.Methods:The simulation scenario was set up as a bidirectional treatment switching (allowing the control group to switch to the treatment group and the treatment group to switch to the control group), and the event rates were set at approximately 2%, 5%, and 20%. Different simulation scenarios were generated with sufficient sample size to consider switching rate and relative treatment effect. The simulated datasets were analyzed using three types of analysis strategy, i.e. intention to treat (ITT), per protocol (PP), and as treated (AT). The performance of five indicators, namely percentage bias, mean square error, empirical standard error, coverage, and rejection rate, were compared among the different methods in different scenarios, and recommendations for method selection were given.Results:In terms of analytical strategies and methods, AT analysis were relatively optimal in terms of percentage bias and accuracy, followed by PP analysis and ITT analysis. When the relative treatment effects converged (e.g. HR=1.0), both the ITT analysis and the time-dependent AT approaches (marginal structural model, time-dependent Cox regression model or time-dependent propensity score matching) performed well; when the relative treatment effects were small (e.g. HR=0.8), the marginal structural model was the most optimal; when the relative treatment effects were large (e.g. HR=0.6 or 0.4), the approaches of using a censored treatment for switchers in the AT analysis were more accurate. In addition, the time-dependent AT approaches had the highest rejection rate when there was a difference in treatment effect between the two groups, and the ITT analysis had the lowest rejection rate. Conclusions:For the dual challenges of bidirectional switching and rare events in real-world drug safety evaluations, adequate sample size is a prerequisite for accurate estimation of treatment effects, while switching rates and effect sizes of switched drugs might also affect estimation accuracy. Appropriate strategies and methods should be selected for the analysis. It is necessary to consider whether the event is rare or not, the switching rate and the expected treatment effect size of the two types of treatment to select appropriate analysis strategies and methods.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of solid, endometrial-like and transitional (SET) cell growth subtype in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSC).Methods:Clinical data of 25 cases of HGSC-SET were collected from January 2020 to March 2024 at the Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, and their histological features were analyzed. Immunohistochemical stains were used to analyze the expression of ER, PR, PAX8, WT-1, p16, p53 and Ki-67. Next generation sequencing method was used to detect breast cancer susceptibility (BRCA1/2) gene mutation, homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) status, and other homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes. The difference of HRD status between HGSC-SET and typical HGSC patients was further compared.Results:The age of HGSC-SET patients ranged from 41 to 81 years, with an average age of 59 years and a median age of 57 years. Four cases were premenopausal and 21 were postmenopausal. There were 12 cases of bilateral ovarian masses and 13 cases of unilateral ovarian masses. Serum CA125 was elevated in 21 patients and CA19-9 in 2 patients. Lymph node involvement was found in 9 cases, and distant dissemination or metastasis was found in 15 cases. Tumor cells were found in ascites of 10 cases. All the cases were of mixed type, with both typical components (papillae, micropapillae, and glands) and SET components. The total proportion of SET components was>25%. There were 15 cases with comedo/map-like necrosis. Most of the SET form showed pushing pattern of invasion, while the classic form showed infiltrative pattern of invasion. All 25 cases of HGSC-SET showed mutant type staining of p53, of which 20 cases indicated missense mutation and 5 cases indicated nonsense mutation. The positive rates of PAX8, WT-1 and p16 were 100% (25/25), 84% (21/25) and 92% (23/25), respectively. The positive rate of ER was 80% (20/25) in the SET morphological region and 68% (17/25) in the classic morphological region. The positive rate of PR was 16% (4/25) in the SET morphological region and 32% (8/25) in the classic morphological region. The proliferative index of Ki-67 was 60%-95% in the SET region and 20%-90% in the classic region. BRCA1/2 gene mutation was detected in 36% (9/25) of HGSC-SET patients. Among them, 2 cases had BRCA1 gene mutation, 6 cases had BRCA2 gene mutation, and 1 case had gene mutation both in BRCA1 and BRCA2. HRD was positive in 84% (21/25) of patients and negative in 16% (4/25) of patients. The positive rate of HRD in BRCA1/2 wild-type cases was 12/16. A total of 21 patients had HRR-related gene alterations other than BRCA1/2. The mutation rate of BRCA1/2 gene in HGSC-classic patients was 4/20, and the positive rate of HRD was 11/20.Conclusions:Histologically, HGSC-SET presents as a mixed pattern, with comedo/map-like necrosis in most cases. The mutation rate of BRCA1/2 and the positive rate of HRD are higher in HGSC-SET than in HGSC-classic type. BRCA1/2 wild-type HGSC-SET also has a higher HRD positive rate. Besides BRCA1/2, other HRR related gene mutations should not be ignored to avoid missing patients who may benefit from PARP inhibitor treatment.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the sustained and stable drug release profile of the injectable hydrogel lidocaine(LDC)/betamethasone sodium phosphate hydrogel(BetP-Gel)and its effect on analgesic duration in a mouse model of acute incisional pain.METHODS:The drug-loaded hydrogel LDC/BetP-Gel was prepared through a sim-ple mixing process.Its physicochemical properties were characterized using electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction,Fouri-er-transform infrared spectroscopy,and rheological testing.In vivo gelation and injectability were evaluated through posi-tron emission tomography/computed tomography(PET-CT)imaging and pressure variation measurements.The in vitro drug release rate was determined using a direct release method,while the degradation rate was assessed using the residual weight method.A total of thirty BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to five groups:blank group,model group,4%LDC group,BetP-Gel group,and 4%LDC/BetP-Gel group.Pain behavior was assessed using the Up-Down method and Harg-reave's test.Biocompatibility was evaluated through HE staining,and the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).RESULTS:The LDC/BetP-Gel hydrogel demonstrated ex-cellent drug encapsulation and sustained release properties.Behavioral assessments indicated that the LDC/BetP-Gel group exhibited significantly higher pain thresholds compared to the model group(P＜0.05),suggesting improved postop-erative pain relief.Furthermore,the LDC/BetP-Gel group showed a markedly prolonged analgesic effect compared to the LDC group(P＜0.05).HE staining confirmed the biocompatibility of the hydrogel.ELISA results revealed a significant re-duction in inflammatory cytokine levels in the LDC/BetP-Gel group 24 hours post-surgery(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION:The injectable hydrogel LDC/BetP-Gel possesses a dense and stable structure that enables effective drug loading and sus-tained release.Its ability to prolong anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects has been validated in a mouse model of acute incisional pain.

The prefrontal cortex and hippocampus may support sequential working memory beyond episodic memory and spatial navigation. This stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) study investigated how the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) interacts with the hippocampus in the online processing of sequential information. Twenty patients with epilepsy (eight women, age 27.6 ± 8.2 years) completed a line ordering task with SEEG recordings over the DLPFC and the hippocampus. Participants showed longer thinking times and more recall errors when asked to arrange random lines clockwise (random trials) than to maintain ordered lines (ordered trials) before recalling the orientation of a particular line. First, the ordering-related increase in thinking time and recall error was associated with a transient theta power increase in the hippocampus and a sustained theta power increase in the DLPFC (3-10 Hz). In particular, the hippocampal theta power increase correlated with the memory precision of line orientation. Second, theta phase coherences between the DLPFC and hippocampus were enhanced for ordering, especially for more precisely memorized lines. Third, the theta band DLPFC → hippocampus influence was selectively enhanced for ordering, especially for more precisely memorized lines. This study suggests that theta oscillations may support DLPFC-hippocampal interactions in the online processing of sequential information.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Young Adult ; Epilepsy ; Hippocampus ; Memory, Short-Term ; Mental Recall ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Theta Rhythm ; Male