Exposure to cadmium (Cd) induces apoptosis in osteoblasts (OBs); however, little information is available regarding the specific mechanisms of Cd-induced primary rat OB apoptosis. In this study, Cd reduced cell viability, damaged cell membranes and induced apoptosis in OBs. We observed decreased mitochondrial transmembrane potentials, ultrastructure collapse, enhanced caspase-3 activity, and increased concentrations of cleaved PARP, cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3 following Cd treatment. Cd also increased the phosphorylation of p38-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK)1/2 and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) in OBs. Pretreatment with the caspase inhibitor, N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone, ERK1/2 inhibitor (U0126), p38 inhibitor (SB203580) and JNK inhibitor (SP600125) abrogated Cd-induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, Cd-treated OBs exhibited signs of oxidative stress protection, including increased antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase levels and decreased formation of reactive oxygen species. Taken together, the results of our study clarified that Cd has direct cytotoxic effects on OBs, which are mediated by caspase- and MAPK pathways in Cd-induced apoptosis of OBs.
Animals ; Apoptosis/*drug effects ; Cadmium/*toxicity ; Caspases/metabolism ; Environmental Pollutants/*toxicity ; Osteoblasts/*drug effects/metabolism ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism

Gap junctions mediate direct communication between cells; however, toxicological cascade triggered by nonessential metals can abrogate cellular signaling mediated by gap junctions. Although cadmium (Cd) is known to induce apoptosis in organs and tissues, the mechanisms that underlie gap junction activity in Cd-induced apoptosis in BRL 3A rat liver cells has yet to be established. In this study, we showed that Cd treatment decreased the cell index (a measure of cellular electrical impedance) in BRL 3A cells. Mechanistically, we found that Cd exposure decreased expression of connexin 43 (Cx43), increased expression of p-Cx43 and elevated intracellular free Ca2+ concentration, corresponding to a decrease in gap junctional intercellular communication. Gap junction blockage pretreatment with 18β-glycyrrhizic acid (GA) promoted Cd-induced apoptosis, involving changes in expression of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3 and the mitochondrial transmembrane electrical potential (Δψm). Additionally, GA was found to enhance ERK and p38 activation during Cd-induced activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, but had no significant effect on JNK activation. Our results indicated the apoptosis-related proteins and the ERK and p38 signaling pathways may participate in gap junction blockage promoting Cd-induced apoptosis in BRL 3A cells.
Animals ; Apoptosis/*drug effects ; Cadmium/*toxicity ; Calcium/metabolism ; Cell Communication/drug effects ; Connexin 43/genetics ; Enzyme Activation/drug effects ; Gap Junctions/*drug effects ; Gene Expression Regulation/drug effects ; Hepatocytes/cytology/*drug effects ; Rats ; Signal Transduction/drug effects

Objective To analyze the experience in diagnosis and surgical treatment for solid pseudopapillary neoplasm(SPN) of pancreas in children.Methods A retrospective study was performed in 12 pediatric patients with SPN who had been admitted to Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University during January 2004 to December 2016,and their general data,demographic data,types of operations,postoperative complications and follow-up were analyzed.Results Among the 12 patients,3 cases were male and 8 cases were female,with average age 14.3 years old (11-17 years old).The main clinical manifestations included abdominal pain(4/12 cases,33.3％),abdominal mass (2/12 cases,16.7％) and trauma(2/12 cases,16.7％).In those 12 patients,33.3％ (4/12 cases) SPN was located at the head of the pancreas,and 66.7％ (8/12 cases) at the body and tail of it.The tumors were usually large,the largest diameter ranged from 4.0 to 15.3 cm(average largest diameter,8.2 cm).The color uhrasonography indicated heterogeneous echogenic mass and clear boundary.CT scanning indicated that the tumor was a low-density cystic mass with a clear boundary,with enhanced tumor real component and irregular reinforcement.No calcification was found in the patients.Dynamic enhanced magnetic resonance imaging scan revealed gradual strengthening solid components in tumor.All the patients received surgical resection,with distal pancreatectomy in 4 patients,pancreaticoduodenectomy in 4 patients,spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy in 2 patients,Enucleation in 1 patient,and distal pancreatectomy and self-splenic slices transplantation in 1 patient.Lymphadenectomy was performed in 4 patients,and all the 21 removed lymph nodes were all negative.Pathological diagnosis confirmed the SPN in all the patients,among them 3 cases were malignant SPN,and one of them with tumor rupture and hemorrhage.The mean follow-up duration was 57.7 months(19-156 months) and no recurrence was found.Conclusion SPN is a rare neoplasm in children who go to see doctors because of clinical symptoms.Surgical resection,especially organs-preserving resection,may improve the long-term results.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and treatment regimens of adrenal incidentaloma (AI) in children.Methods:Clinical data of 38 children with AI treated in the Department of Urology, Children′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from December 2016 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed.A total of 38 children were divided into neonatal group and non-neonatal group according to their age at first diagnosis.The neonatal group had 7 males and 9 females patients, of whom 7 cases were detected with AI during prenatal examinations, 9 cases were diagnosed postnatally.Four children in neonatal group had AI in the left adrenal gland and 12 cases in the right, with the maximum diameter of tumor (MDT) ranging from 16-48 mm.In the non-neonatal group, there were 14 males and 8 females patients aged 7 months and 1 day to 12 years and 1 month, and the MDT was 29-131 mm.Paired t test was used to compare the age and MDT of benign and malignant tumors. Results:In the neonatal group, 3 patients were surgically treated, with 2 cases and 1 case of neuroblastoma and teratoma confirmed by postoperative histology, respectively.The remaining 13 patients in the neonatal group were followed up for 1-31 months, with 8 cases and 5 cases of complete remission and significantly decreased tumor volume, respectively.In the non-neonatal group, there were 3, 9 and 10 patients received open biopsy, laparoscopic adrenalectomy, and open adrenalectomy, respectively.Of these 22 surgically treated cases, 8 cases had a benign lesion, including ganglioneuroma ( n=4), adrenocortical adenoma ( n=1), adrenal cyst ( n=1), teratoma ( n=1), and pheochromocytoma ( n=1); while 14 cases had a malignant lesion, including neuroblastoma ( n=8), ganglioneuroblastoma ( n=5), and adrenocortical carcinoma ( n=1). The mean age of patients with malignant tumors was significantly younger than those with benign tumors[(38.94±35.44) months vs.(95.89±41.43) months, t=3.63, P=0.001]. The mean MDT in malignant tumors was significantly longer than that of benign tumors[(64.43±25.20) mm vs.(41.44±15.66) mm, t=2.45, P=0.023]. Conclusions:AI in children has a high risk of malignancy.Therefore, more detailed examinations are needed to detect tumor markers and endocrinological parameters, and imaging tests such as non-contrast and CT examination should be performed as early as possible.AI in children is predominantly neuroblastic tumors.For non-neonatal patients, surgery should be performed as early as possible.For AI found in the neonatal period and prenatal examination, expectant management is feasible if the tumor is relatively small and limited to the adrenal gland without distant metastases.

Orally inhaled drug products (OIDPs) play a great role in the pharmacological treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. There is an unmet clinical need for OIDPs. Pharmacodynamics-Bioequivalence studies (PD-BE) are recommended by several national guidelines as important research methods for bioequivalence study of OIDPs. It can effectively bridge the gap between in vitro studies and PK-BE studies in evaluating the efficacy and safety consistency of generic drugs with the original drugs. There are two research methods for PD-BE, using a diastolic model or an excitation model. The different methods use different metrics to evaluate efficacy. The more commonly used metrics include Forced Expiratory Volume in the First Second (FEV1), Specific Airway Conductance (sGaw), Peripheral Airway Resistance (R5-20), and stimulant concentration/dose (PC20/PD20). PD-BE studies using FEV1 as an efficacy metric is also recommended by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), EMA (European Medicines Agency) and NMPA (National Medical Products Administration) guidelines and is widely accepted by investigators. In such PD-BE studies, the trial protocols for different OIDPs drugs are relatively consistent in terms of trial design, trial data processing, and equivalence evaluation criteria, while there are detailed differences in terms of target population, single/multiple dosing, dose administration, and collection site design. This paper reviews the progress of PD-BE studies in the bioequivalence evaluation of OIDPs by combining national guidelines and PD-BE-related studies of OIDPs published in the last five years, with a view to providing important theoretical information for PD-BE studies of OIDPs.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of newly reported advanced schistosomiasis cases in Sichuan Province, so as to provide the evidence for analyzing the causes and formulating targeted control measures of newly reported advanced schistosomiasis cases. Methods Individual case investigation forms for advanced schistosomiasis cases were collected from the Sichuan Provincial Epidemic Annual Report System from 2011 to 2022, and patients’ demographics, previous medical history and liver parenchymal grading were retrieved. All advanced schistosomiasis cases’ medical records were reviewed, and the subtypes of schistosomiasis-endemic villages where the cases’ household registration were, floating population, survival and death and time of death were collected. Results A total of 321 newly reported advanced schistosomiasis cases were found in Sichuan Province from 2011 to 2022, with a male to female ratio of 0.99 to 1. There were 274 cases at ages of over 50 years (85.4%), with the highest proportion seen at ages of 60 to 69 years (87 cases, 27.1%), and splenomegaly was the most common type (180 cases, 56.1%), with no dwarfism type detected. The highest number of cases was reported in 2011 (78 cases), followed by in 2022 (74 cases), and the highest number of cases were reported in Meishan City (199 cases, 62.0%), Dongpo District (131 cases, 40.8%), and hilly subtype areas (136 cases, 42.4%). As of the end of 2022, there were 111 deaths due to advanced schistosomiasis, with the highest number of deaths seen in 2018 (25 deaths), and the highest mortality was seen among patients with the ascites type (41.2%). There were 47 (37.3%), 40 (59.5%) and 4 (23.5%) cases with grade III liver parenchyma among patients with splenomegaly, ascites, and colonic proliferation types, respectively, and there was a significant difference in the grading of III liver parenchyma among three types of patients (H = 12.092, P < 0.05), with more severe liver parenchyma injuries seen among patients with the ascites type than among those with splenomegaly and colonic proliferation type (Z = 24.262 and 44.738, both P_adjusted values < 0.05). Conclusions There have been newly reported advanced schistosomiasis cases in Sichuan Province during recent years, and patients with the ascites type should be given a high priority among advanced schistosomiasis cases in Sichuan Province. Intensified clue surveys are needed for early identification and treatment of advanced schistosomiasis cases, so as to increase the survival rate and improve the quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the value of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) for assessing disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with tofacitinib. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted among 98 RA patients in active stage treated with tofacitinib in Third Xiangya Hospital and 100 healthy control subjects from the Health Management Center of the hospital from 2019 to 2021. We collected blood samples from all the participants for measurement of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and other blood parameters 1 month before and 6 months after tofacitinib treatment. We further evaluated PLR and NLR before and after tofacitinib treatment in the RA patients, and analyzed their correlations with RA disease activity. RESULTS: PLR and NLR increased significantly in RA patients as compared with the healthy controls. In the RA patients, PLR and NLR were positively correlated with the levels of hs- CRP, ESR, IL- 6, Disease Activity Score of 28 joints-ESR (DAS28-ESR), anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP), and rheumatoid factor (RF) before and after tofacitinib treatment. Tofacitinib treatment for 6 months significantly decreased hs-CRP, ESR, IL-6, CCP, RF and DAS28-ESR levels in the RA patients. CONCLUSION NLR and PLR can be useful biomarkers for assessing disease activity in RA patients treated with tofacitinib.
Humans ; Neutrophils ; Retrospective Studies ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis* ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Lymphocytes