Objective To determine the serum gastrin level, the expression of gastrin in colorectal carcinoma cells and observe the ultrastructure of gastrin secretory granule in colorectal carcinoma cells,in order to explore the relationship between gastrin and clinical behavior of colorectal carcinoma. Methods The serum gastrin and gastrin expression in colorectal carcinoma tissues of the 53 cases were examined by using radio-immunity analysis(RIA), immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopic technique. Results Compared with control group,the preoperative level of serum gastrin in colorectal group was significantly increased, especially in well-differentiation adenocarcinoma . In the tissue of colorectal carcinoma, the gastrin expression rate was 56.6%. The expression rate of well-differentiated adenocaroinoma was higher than that in moderate and poor differentiation adenocarcinoma. Immunoelectron microscopy showed that the granules of protein A-gold (PAG) could be seen in different electro- density secretion granules in carcinoma cells, in intercellular space and on the surface of membrane of microvillus.Conclusions The level of serum gastrin and the expression of gastrin in cancer tissues in colorectal carcinoma patients are increased. The colorectal carcinoma cells may synthesize and secrete gastrin themselves, which may be correlated with clinical behavior of colorectal carcinoma.

It has been known that the Alzheimer's disease(AD)is related closely with a synaptic failure,and the p21-activated kinase(PAK)is well documented to play an important role in the regulation of the synaptie functions.However,the relationship between thePAK and the pathology of AD is unclear.In the present study,we examined the expressions of the PAK3(one subtype ofPAK),phospho-rylated-PAK(pPAK) and β-amyloid42(Aβ42,β-amyloid with 42 peptides)in an APP/PS1 double transgenie mouse model of AD andthe morphologies of geurOtlS in the hippocampus at different ages.The Western Blot results showed that the expression of PAK remainedunchanged,while,the expression of pPAK decreased largely at the age of 32 weeks and further decreased significantly with aging in thehippocampus of the APP/PS1 transgenic mouse.A1342 levels in the hippocampus were detected to increase as early as the age of 22 weeks,and kept the increase to continue with aging.The morphological results showed no obvious neuron loss in the sections of Nissl staining,while serious distonion and disorder of the dendrites of the hippocampal neurons were observed on the sections of Gelgi staining in theAPP/PS1 transgenic mouse.The present results suggested that it seemed something wrong in the processes of phospholization of PAK,butnot in the expression of the PAK itself;the toxic Aβ42 might affect the PAK in its phospholization,which in turn directly influence thedendritic development in the hippocampal neurons and cause the dendrites distorting and disordering.

Objective:To compare the diagnostic accuracy between multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) and biparametric magnetic resonance imaging (bp-MRI) in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).Methods:The clinical data of 195 patients with bladder cancer at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from July 2020 to June 2022, were retrospectively reviewed. There were 160 males and 35 females, with the median age of 68(61, 76)years old. Mp-MRI was performed on each patient within 6 weeks before transurethral resection of bladder tumor or radical cystectomy. Each patients’ images were divided into two sets. Set 1 (bp-MRI) included the axial, sagittal, coronal T2-weighted images (T2WI), and axial diffusion-weighted images (DWI) or apparent diffusion coefficient maps. Set 2 (mp-MRI) included Set 1 images in addition to dynamic contrast-enhanced images. All images were independently reviewed and evaluated by two radiologists. Mp-MRI was evaluated according to the Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS)guideline, and bp-MRI was evaluated according to two types of criteria. Bp-MRI (Criterion A): VI-RADS scoring is determined 2 when T2WI 3-point with DWI 2-point. Bp-MRI (Criterion B): VI-RADS scoring is determined 3 when T2WI 3-point with DWI 2-point. VI-RADS scoring ≥ 3 or ≥ 4 was used as the cut-off value to predict MIBC. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of mp-MRI, bp-MRI (Criterion A), and bp-MRI (Criterion B) were calculated, as well as receiver operating characteristic curves and the areas under the curve (AUC).Results:Of 195 patients, 135 patients (69.2%) were pathologically confirmed as NMIBC and 60 patients (30.8%) were MIBC. When the VI-RADS cut-off value was ≥ 3, the sensitivity of mp-MRI, bp-MRI (Criterion A), and bp-MRI (Criterion B) were identical, all at 88.3% (53/60). The specificity of bp-MRI (Criterion A), bp-MRI (Criterion B), and mp-MRI were 88.9% (120/135), 73.3% (99/13), and 86.7% (117/135), respectively. When the VI-RADS cut-off value was ≥ 4, both bp-MRI (Criterion A) and bp-MRI (Criterion B) were classified as the same criterion. The sensitivity of bp-MRI and mp-MRI were 70.0% (42/60) and 75.0% (45/60), respectively. The specificity of bp-MRI and mp-MRI were identical, at 95.6% (129/135). The AUC for bp-MRI (Criterion A), bp-MRI (Criterion B), and mp-MRI were 0.927 (95% CI 0.881-0.959), 0.904 (95% CI 0.853-0.941), and 0.927 (95% CI 0.881-0.959), respectively. The AUC for bp-MRI (Criterion A) and mp-MRI were significantly higher than that of bp-MRI (Criterion B) ( P<0.001). There was no significant difference in AUC between bp-MRI (Criterion A) and mp-MRI ( P=0.939). Conclusions:Bp-MRI (Criterion A), VI-RADS scoring is determined 2 when T2WI 3-point with DWI 2-point, shows comparable diagnostic accuracy in predicting MIBC with mp-MRI. Compared to bp-MRI (Criterion B), the corresponding situation when VI-RADS scoring is determined 3, bp-MRI (Criterion A) may have better diagnostic accuracy than bp-MRI (Criterion B) in predicting MIBC.

Background::Sepsis, a serious condition with high mortality, usually causes sepsis associated encephalopathy (SAE) that involves neuronal cell death. However, the cell death programs involved and their underlying mechanisms are not clear. This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanisms of different cell death programs in SAE.Methods::A neonatal rat model of SAE was established by cecal ligation and perforation. Survival rate and vital signs (mean arterial pressure and heart rate) were monitored, nerve reflexes were evaluated, and cortical pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. The expression of pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis (PANoptosis)-related proteins, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and its upstream regulator toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) were detected. The expression of TLR9 in neurons was observed by immunofluorescence staining. The ultrastructure of neurons was observed by transmission electron microscope.Results::First, PANoptosis was found in cortical nerve cells of the SAE rats. Meanwhile, the subunits of MAPKs, p38 MAPK, Jun N-terminal kinase, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) were activated. After pharmacologically inhibiting each of the subunits, only p38 MAPK was found to be associated with PANoptosis. Furthermore, blocking the p38 MAPK signaling pathway activated necroptosis but inhibited apoptosis and pyroptosis. When necroptosis was pharmacologically inhibited, apoptosis and pyroptosis were reactivated. Finally, we found that the expression of TLR9, a regulator of MAPKs, was significantly increased in this model. After down-regulation of TLR9, p38 MAPK, and ERK signaling pathways were inhibited, which led to the inhibition of PANoptosis. Further analysis found that down-regulation of TLR9 improved the survival rate and reduced the pathological changes in SAE rats.Conclusions::Our study showed that the programs comprising PANoptosis are activated simultaneously in SAE rats. TLR9 activated PANoptosis through the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. TLR9 may work as a potential target for SAE treatment.

Background Salidroside (SAL) has a protective effect on multiple organ systems. Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in the atmosphere may lead to disruptions in gut microbiota and impact intestinal health. The regulatory effect of SAL on the gut microbiota of mice exposed to PM_2.5 requires further investigation. Objective To evaluate gut microbiota disruption in mice after being exposed to PM_2.5 and the potential effect of SAL. Methods Forty male C57BL/6 mice, aged 6 to 8 weeks, were randomly divided into four groups: a control group, an SAL group, a PM_2.5 group, and an SAL+PM_2.5 group, each containing 10 mice. In the SAL group and the SAL+PM_2.5 group, the mice were administered SAL (60 mg·kg⁻¹) by gavage, while in the control group and the PM_2.5 group, sterile saline (10 mL·kg⁻¹) was administered by gavage. In the PM_2.5 group and the SAL+PM_2.5 group, PM_2.5 suspension (8 mg·kg⁻¹) was intratracheally instilled, and in the control group and SAL group, sterile saline (1.5 mL·kg⁻¹) was intratracheally administered. Each experiment cycle spanned 2 d, with a total of 10 cycles conducted over 20 d. Histopathological changes in the ileum tissue of the mice were observed after HE staining. Colon contents were collected for gut microbiota sequencing and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) measurements. Results The PM_2.5 group showed infiltration of inflammatory cells in the ileum tissue, while the SAL+PM_2.5 group exhibited only a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration. Compared to the control group, the PM_2.5 group showed decreased Shannon index (P<0.05) and increased Simpson index (P<0.05), indicating that the diversity of gut microbiota in this group was decreased; the SAL+PM_2.5 group showed increased Shannon index compared to the PM_2.5 group (P<0.05) and decreased Simpson index (P<0.05), indicating that the diversity of gut microbiota in mice intervened with SAL was increased. The principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) revealed a significant separation between the PM_2.5 group and the control group, while the separation trend was less evident among the control group, the SAL group, and the SAL+PM_2.5 group. The unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) clustering tree results showed that the control group and the SAL group clustered together first, followed by clustering with the SAL+PM_2.5 group, and finally, the three groups clustered with the PM_2.5 group. The PCoA and UPGMA clustering results indicated that the uniformity and similarity of the microbiota in the PM_2.5 group were significantly decreased. Compared to the control group, the PM_2.5 group showed decreased abundance of phylum Bacteroidetes and Candidatus_Saccharimonas (P<0.05) and increased abundance of phylum Proteobacteria, genus Escherichia, genus Bacteroides, genus Prevotella, genus Enterococcus, and genus Proteus (P<0.05). Compared to the PM_2.5 group, the SAL+PM_2.5 group showed decreased abundance of phylum Proteobacteria, phylum Actinobacteria, genus Prevotella, and genus Proteus (P<0.05), and increased abundance of Candidatus_Saccharimonas (P<0.05). The PM_2.5 group showed reduced levels of propionic acid, valeric acid, and hexanoic acid compared to the control group (P<0.05), while the SAL+PM_2.5 group showed increased levels of propionic acid, isobutyric acid, butyric acid, valeric acid, and hexanoic acid compared to the PM_2.5 group (P<0.05). Conclusion Exposure to PM_2.5 can cause pathological alterations, microbial dysbiosis, and disturbing production of SCFAs in intestinal tissue in mice. However, SAL can provide a certain degree of protective effect against these changes.

【Objective】 To predict the expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) in urothelial bladder carcinoma based on normalized apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC). 【Methods】 The preoperative pelvic 3.0T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images of 127 patients with urothelial bladder carcinoma were retrospectively studied, the ADC was measured, and the HER2 expression in postoperative tissue specimens was determined with immunohistochemistry (IHC). The differences in normalized ADC were analyzed among different HER2 expressions and among different expression divisions. Correlation between normalized ADC and HER2 expression was analyzed. The optimal diagnostic threshold for distinguishing different expression divisions were determined with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. 【Results】 Normalized ADC was negatively correlated with HER2 expression (tau-b=-0.180, P=0.008). Normalized ADC of HER2 overexpression group (IHC 2+, 3+) was lower than that of HER2 negative group (IHC 0, 1+) (P=0.081). Normalized ADC of HER2 expression group (IHC 1+, 2+, 3+) was significantly lower than that of HER2 zero-expression group (IHC 0) (P=0.020). Normalized ADC of HER2 strong positive group (IHC 3+) was significantly lower than that of HER2 non-strong positive group (IHC 0, 1+, 2+) (P=0.024). The optimal diagnostic threshold of HER2 strong positive group was 0.849; the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 0.621, 0.909 and 0.765, respectively. The optimal diagnostic threshold of HER2 overexpression group was 0.909; the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy were 0.547, 0.667 and 0.607, respectively. 【Conclusion】 Normalized ADC is negatively correlated with HER2 expression. ADC may be a potential marker for predicting HER2 expression.