Background Silicosis, caused by inhalation of silica (SiO₂) dust, remains the most prevalent occupational pneumoconiosis in China. While galectin-3 (Gal-3) is known to play pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic roles in various diseases, its specific mechanism in the pathogenesis of silicosis has not been fully clarified. Objective To investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of Gal-3 in silicosis using clinical samples of silicosis and a silicosis mouse model. Methods Lung nodule biopsy samples were collected from patients with stage III pneumoconiosis. Concurrently a silicosis mouse model was constructed via non-exposed tracheal intubation with instillation of a SiO₂ suspension. The expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein in the lung tissues of the silicosis model mice were then detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Single-cell transcriptomic sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on both human and murine lung samples to analyze the expression of the Gal-3-encoding gene Lgals3 across different cell types. In vitro, RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with varying concentrations of SiO₂ suspension for 24 h and 48 h; the expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein were measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The Gal-3 inhibitor TD139 was used to intervene in the SiO₂-induced in vitro macrophage model, and Western blot was used to detect the intracellular expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Finally, mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908 were treated with varying concentrations of recombinant mouse Gal-3 protein (rmGal-3) for 48 h, and Western blot was used to detect the expression of fibrosis markers [(Collagen I, Collagen III, Fibronectin, and α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)] and proteins associated with the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. Results RT-qPCR and IHC staining showed that both the gene and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly elevated at all consecutive time points in the silicosis mouse model (P < 0.05). scRNA-seq revealed that Lgals3 was aberrantly highly expressed in lung tissues from pneumoconiosis patients and silicosis mouse models, with the highest expression observed in macrophages. After treatment of macrophages with different concentrations of SiO₂ for 24 h and 48 h, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly upregulated compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Following TD139 intervention, the protein expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 in dust-exposed macrophages were markedly downregulated (P < 0.0001). After 48 h of stimulation with rmGal-3, the protein expression levels of Collagen I, Fibronectin, and α-SMA in mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts (NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908) were significantly increased in all treatment groups compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Moreover, Gal-3 treatment markedly upregulated TGF-β1 protein expression in Mlg2908 cells and enhanced the phosphorylation levels of Smad2 and Smad3 (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Gal-3 is abnormally expressed in silicotic lung tissues, which primarily originates from macrophages, and inhibition of Gal-3 suppresses SiO₂-induced inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses. In addition, Gal-3 promotes fibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix production by activating the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway.

Background Silicosis, caused by inhalation of silica (SiO₂) dust, remains the most prevalent occupational pneumoconiosis in China. While galectin-3 (Gal-3) is known to play pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic roles in various diseases, its specific mechanism in the pathogenesis of silicosis has not been fully clarified. Objective To investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of Gal-3 in silicosis using clinical samples of silicosis and a silicosis mouse model. Methods Lung nodule biopsy samples were collected from patients with stage III pneumoconiosis. Concurrently a silicosis mouse model was constructed via non-exposed tracheal intubation with instillation of a SiO₂ suspension. The expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein in the lung tissues of the silicosis model mice were then detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Single-cell transcriptomic sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on both human and murine lung samples to analyze the expression of the Gal-3-encoding gene Lgals3 across different cell types. In vitro, RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with varying concentrations of SiO₂ suspension for 24 h and 48 h; the expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein were measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The Gal-3 inhibitor TD139 was used to intervene in the SiO₂-induced in vitro macrophage model, and Western blot was used to detect the intracellular expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Finally, mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908 were treated with varying concentrations of recombinant mouse Gal-3 protein (rmGal-3) for 48 h, and Western blot was used to detect the expression of fibrosis markers [(Collagen I, Collagen III, Fibronectin, and α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)] and proteins associated with the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. Results RT-qPCR and IHC staining showed that both the gene and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly elevated at all consecutive time points in the silicosis mouse model (P < 0.05). scRNA-seq revealed that Lgals3 was aberrantly highly expressed in lung tissues from pneumoconiosis patients and silicosis mouse models, with the highest expression observed in macrophages. After treatment of macrophages with different concentrations of SiO₂ for 24 h and 48 h, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly upregulated compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Following TD139 intervention, the protein expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 in dust-exposed macrophages were markedly downregulated (P < 0.0001). After 48 h of stimulation with rmGal-3, the protein expression levels of Collagen I, Fibronectin, and α-SMA in mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts (NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908) were significantly increased in all treatment groups compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Moreover, Gal-3 treatment markedly upregulated TGF-β1 protein expression in Mlg2908 cells and enhanced the phosphorylation levels of Smad2 and Smad3 (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Gal-3 is abnormally expressed in silicotic lung tissues, which primarily originates from macrophages, and inhibition of Gal-3 suppresses SiO₂-induced inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses. In addition, Gal-3 promotes fibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix production by activating the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway.

Objective:To explore the classification and influencing factors of family resilience and post-traumatic growth in patients with spinal tumor.Methods:A cross-sectional investigation was conducted among 219 inpatients with spinal tumor admitted from July 2021 to July 2022. The General Demographic Information questionnaire, Chinese-Family Resilience Assessment Scale, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, Family Crisis-Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES), and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) were used in the study. The ordinal and multivariate logistic regression analyses was applied to identify the factors associated with the classification of family resilience and post-traumatic growth.Results:Of the 219 patients, there were 62 cases of primary spinal tumors (28.3%). According to the results of latent profile analysis, the respondents were classified into three categories by family resilience and post-traumatic growth, namely family difficulty-resistant type ( n=38, 17.4%), general resilience-struggle type ( n=99, 45.2%) and family adaptation-growth type ( n=82, 37.4%). There were significant differences in occupational status, commitment to housework, family atmosphere( χ2=10.75, P=0.025; χ2=6.95, P=0.031; χ2=11.37, P=0.017), and total score of F-COPES and SSRS ( F=25.95, P<0.001; F=19.06, P<0.001)among three groups. Ordinal and multivariate logisitc regression analyses showed that retirement ( OR=2.928, 95% CI:1.098-7.808, P<0.05), family coping ( OR=1.113, 95% CI:1.063-1.165, P<0.05), and social support ( OR=1.226, 95% CI:1.103-1.362, P<0.05) were independently associated with family resilience and post-traumatic growth in patients with spinal tumor. Conclusion:Patients with spinal tumor have significant differences in characteristics by family resilience and post-traumatic growth. As a result, more targeted interventions should be provided for different categories of spinal tumor patients in the future.

Objective:To investigate the conversion of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) in the microenvironment of radiation-induced skin injuries to provide guidance for clinical applications.Methods:Based on a random number table, C57BL/6N mice were categorized into four groups: the blank control, negative control, acute injury, and chronic injury groups, with each group containing 25 mice. The backs of mice in the blank control, acute injury, and chronic injury groups were exposed to 15 Gy X-ray irradiation. Then, the mice in the negative control, acute injury, and chronic injury groups were injected subcutaneously with the SVF derived from B6/G-R mice. The survival of these mice was observed 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 d after the injection through fluorescence tracing and in vivo imaging. Accordingly, the clinical SVF injection regimens were optimized based on the experimental result of mice. Finally, local SVF injection was performed on different frequencies for patients in different wound conditions, with the efficacy being observed. Results:The fluorescence of SVF was observed from the tissue slices of the acute injury, chronic injury, and negative control groups 14 d post-injection. The result showed that the fluorescence intensity of SVF 1, 3, and 7 d post-injection was in the order of the negative control group > the acute injury group > the chronic injury group. The acute injury group ranked at the top and the chronic injury group remained at the bottom 14 d after the injection. The fluorescence of SVF in each group was barely detected 21 d after the injection. Compared to the negative control group, the acute injury group exhibited statistical differences only 14 d post-injection ( t = 4.11, P < 0.05), while the chronic injury group displayed statistical differences 1, 3, 7, and 14 d after the injection ( t = 3.88-5.74, P < 0.05). Furthermore, the acute injury group exhibited significantly higher fluorescence intensity of SVF than the chronic injury group ( t = 4.73-8.38, P < 0.05). The half-life of SVF for the negative control, acute injury, and chronic injury groups was 6.336, 6.014, and 2.163 d, respectively. As indicated by the application of SVF transplantation based on traditional surgical protocols in the clinical trial, SVF can significantly promote wound repair, with earlier SVF transplantation being more beneficial for wound healing. Conclusions:The conversion of SVF differs in the microenvironments of acute and chronic radiation-induced skin injuries. This can serve as an essential guide for the administration timing and injection frequency of SVF in clinical applications.

Objective To explore the effect of narrative nursing on anxiety,depression and postoperative pain in patients after implantation of foldable capsular vitreous body(FCVB)and to provide new ways for clinical work.Methods From September 2020 to June 2022,100 patients who received FCVB implantation were divided into a trial group(from Septmber 2020 to July 2021,n=44)and a control group(from Angust 2021 to June 2022,n=56)according to time of admission by before and after study.The patients in control group were offered with routine nursing care and those in the trial group were offered with narrative nursing interventions on the basis of control group.The two groups were compared in terms of the anxiety,depression and postoperative pain.Results The difference in scores of SAS and SDS before and after intervention was statistically significant between the two groups,and the difference before and after the intervention in the trial group was more significant than that in the control group(P<0.05).As for the 12 and 48 hours postoperative pain,the trial group was found significantly being relieved in comparison with that of the control group(P<0.01).Conclusion Narrative nursing can relieve the negative emotions and post-operative pain in patients who have received FCVB implantation.

Objective:To investigate the current situation of nurses′ professionalism in secondary and tertiary general hospitals, analyze its influence factors, and establish norms of nurses′ professionalism in secondary and tertiary hospitals, so as to provide references for evaluation the level of professionalism in nurses.Methods:From May to December 2016, the nurses′ professionalism evaluation system was used to investigate 3 315 nurses in 35 secondary and tertiary general hospitals in 14 cities of 7 regions in China by using random cluster sampling, and the corresponding norm, classification norm and delimitation norm were defined.Results:The average norm scores of nurses′ professionalism in the secondary and tertiary general hospitals was (71.02 ± 16.70), and the average norm scores of each dimension were professional ethics (18.97 ± 4.52) , comprehensive capabilities (17.99 ± 4.46), professional skills (17.07 ± 4.80), professional emotions (16.98 ± 4.70) . According to the differences in characteristics, the classification norms for different gender, age, working years, educational background, professional title, position, department, marital status, with or without children were formed. The level of nurses′ professionalism was divided into five grades: the total score in the interval [90.92, 100.00] was excellent, in the interval [78.31, 90.92) was good, in the interval [64.27, 78.31) was general, in the interval [50.49, 64.27) was relatively poor, in the interval [0.00, 50.49) was poor.Conclusions:Nurses′ professionalism in secondary and tertiary hospitals was in the general level and affected by a variety of factors, medical managers and nursing managers should take corresponding measures to improve nurses′ professionalism.

To improve the standard of quality control of tazobactam and its preparations in China, national reference standard of tazobactam impurity A was developed. After tazobactam impurity A was synthesized, its structure was validated by infrared (IR), mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and its content uniformity and short-term stability were measured and investigated. Then, water content and residue on ignition of impurity A were determined, and its purity was determined using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with 10 mmol/L ammonium acetate solution-acetonitrile (98∶2) as the mobile phase. Mass balance method was used to determine the content of the first batch of tazobactam impurity A national standard substance. Meanwhile, nuclear magnetic quantitative method was used to calculate the content, which was mutually verified with the mass balance method. The developed reference material of tazobactam impurity A is consistent with the maximum degradation impurity in tazobactam system applicability solution and the reference material of tazobactam related substance A contained in USP41. Within the 95% confidence range, the ratio of inter- and intra-bottle variance of impurity A after separation was 0.61 (< F0.05(11,12)), proving that the uniformity was satisfying. The contents of organic impurity, water content and inorganic impurity in impurity A were 0.90%, 1.24% and 0.25%, respectively. The content of impurity A was determined to be 97.6% by mass balance method, which was basically consistent with the result of nuclear magnetic quantitative method (97.1%). Under the condition of 25 °C, the area normalized purity of impurity A was 99.1% at 0, 3, 5 and 10 days, proving that the sample was stable at room temperature for 10 days. Finally the first batch of national standard substance of tazobactam impurity A was established successfully.

Purpose: Accumulating evidence has suggested that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is critically involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TLR4 in toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced allergic airway inflammation. Methods: TLR4−/− and wild-type (WT) C57BL/10J mice were sensitized and challenged with TDI to generate a TDI-induced asthma model. B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) inhibitors, ABT-199 (4 mg/kg) and ABT-737 (4 mg/kg), were intranasally given to TDI-exposed TLR4−/− mice after each challenge. Results: TDI exposure led to increased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), granulocyte flux, bronchial epithelial shedding and extensive submucosal collagen deposition, which were unexpectedly aggravated by TLR4 deficiency. Following TDI challenge, TLR4−/− mice exhibited down-regulated interleukin-17A and increased colony-stimulating factor 3 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), while WT mice did not. In addition, TLR4 deficiency robustly suppressed the expression of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 and NLR family CARD domain containing 4, decreased caspase-1 activity in TDI-exposed mice, but had no effect on the level of high mobility group box 1 in BALF. Flow cytometry revealed that TDI hampered both neutrophil and eosinophil apoptosis, of which neutrophil apoptosis was further inhibited in TDI-exposed TLR4−/− mice, with marked up-regulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, inhibition of Bcl-2 with either ABT-199 or ABT-737 significantly alleviated neutrophil recruitment by promoting apoptosis. Conclusions These data indicated that TLR4 deficiency promoted neutrophil infiltration by impairing its apoptosis via up-regulation of Bcl-2, thereby resulting in deteriorated AHR and airway inflammation, which suggests that TLR4 could be a negative regulator of TDI-induced neutrophilic inflammation.

Purpose: Accumulating evidence has suggested that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is critically involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of TLR4 in toluene diisocyanate (TDI)-induced allergic airway inflammation. Methods: TLR4−/− and wild-type (WT) C57BL/10J mice were sensitized and challenged with TDI to generate a TDI-induced asthma model. B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) inhibitors, ABT-199 (4 mg/kg) and ABT-737 (4 mg/kg), were intranasally given to TDI-exposed TLR4−/− mice after each challenge. Results: TDI exposure led to increased airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), granulocyte flux, bronchial epithelial shedding and extensive submucosal collagen deposition, which were unexpectedly aggravated by TLR4 deficiency. Following TDI challenge, TLR4−/− mice exhibited down-regulated interleukin-17A and increased colony-stimulating factor 3 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), while WT mice did not. In addition, TLR4 deficiency robustly suppressed the expression of NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 and NLR family CARD domain containing 4, decreased caspase-1 activity in TDI-exposed mice, but had no effect on the level of high mobility group box 1 in BALF. Flow cytometry revealed that TDI hampered both neutrophil and eosinophil apoptosis, of which neutrophil apoptosis was further inhibited in TDI-exposed TLR4−/− mice, with marked up-regulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, inhibition of Bcl-2 with either ABT-199 or ABT-737 significantly alleviated neutrophil recruitment by promoting apoptosis. Conclusions These data indicated that TLR4 deficiency promoted neutrophil infiltration by impairing its apoptosis via up-regulation of Bcl-2, thereby resulting in deteriorated AHR and airway inflammation, which suggests that TLR4 could be a negative regulator of TDI-induced neutrophilic inflammation.

Objective:To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Yinzhihuang oral liquid on mice with high-fat diet induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Methods:Eighteen C57BL/6J female mice were divided into normal diet group, high-fat diet group and Yinzhihuang oral liquid group, with six mice in each group. After hematoxylin-eosin staining, oil red O staining and Masson staining, pathological scores of liver biopsy slices were calculated. Plasma levels of triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, total bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were tested. The composition of bile acid in mouse ileum content were measured by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, which included tauro-β-muricholic acid (TβMCA), ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and cholic acid. The expression of farnesoid Ⅹ receptor ( FXR), fibroblast growth factor 15 ( FGF15), fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 ( FGFR4) genes at mRNA and protein levels and cytochrome P450 (CYP) 27a1, CYP7b1, CYP7a1 and CYP8b1 were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively. T test was used for statistical analysis. Results:The levels of plasma triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, total bilirubin, ALT and AST of Yinzhihuang oral liquid group were all lower than those of the high-fat diet group ((1.47±0.07) mmol/L vs. (1.90±0.13) mmol/L, (2.57±0.17) mmol/L vs. (6.84±0.23) mmol/L, (0.88±0.22) mg/dL vs. (2.06±0.25) mg/dL, (28.43±3.16) U/L vs. (87.15±23.27) U/L, (147.40±8.47) U/L vs. (289.00±12.66) U/L, respectively), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=3.90, 15.19, 4.31, 2.50 and 9.58, all P<0.05). The scores of adiposis and ballooning of hepatocytes of Yinzhihuang oral liquid group were lower than those of the high-fat diet group (1.00±0.26 vs. 2.33±0.33, 0.33±0.21 vs. 1.17±0.31, respectively), and the differences were all statistically significant ( t=3.90 and 4.90, both P<0.05). The levels of FXR antagonistic bile acids TβMCA and UDCA in ileal contents of Yinzhihuang oral liquid group were both higher than those of high-fat diet group ((4.95±0.68) nmol/g vs. (2.64±0.15) nmol/g, (7.86±1.84) nmol/g vs. (2.22±0.38) nmol/g, respectively), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=3.92 and 2.99, both P<0.05). The level of FXR agonistic bile acid cholic acid of Yinzhihuang oral liquid group were lower than that of the high-fat diet group ((4.69±0.46) nmol/g vs. (21.66±3.25) nmol/g), and the difference was statistically significant ( t=5.14, P<0.05). The expression of FXR, FGF15 in ileal tissues and FGFR4 in hepatic tissues at mRNA and protein levels of Yinzhihuang oral liquid group were all lower than those of the high-fat diet group (1.86±0.40 vs. 4.25±0.70, 9.99±2.82 vs. 75.17±23.41, 4.76±0.63 vs. 12.66±1.39, 2.20±0.14 vs. 5.30±0.25, 1.15±0.05 vs. 3.05±0.16 and 1.73±0.09 vs. 2.37±0.21, respectively), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=2.56, 2.76, 4.87, 10.90, 10.96 and 2.94, all P<0.05). The levels of CYP27a1 and CYP7b1 in the alternative pathway of bile acid synthesis in Yinzhihuang oral liquid group were both higher than those in the high-fat diet group (2.13±0.33 vs. 0.50±0.09 and 2.95±0.60 vs. 0.37±0.19), and the differences were statistically significant ( t=5.22 and 3.20, both P<0.05). But the expression level of CYP8b1 in the Yinzhihuang oral liquid group was lower than that in the high-fat diet group (2.38±0.41 vs. 8.63±2.20), and the difference was statistically significant ( t=2.80, P<0.05). Conclusion:Yinzhihuang oral liquid can reduce NAFLD by promoting bile acid synthesis through changing the components of intestinal bile acids in mice and inhibiting FXR-FGF15 signal pathway.