Objective:To explore the mechanism of herb-partitioned moxibustion in relieving rat intestinal inflammation by focusing on the neutrophil extracellular traps(NETs)in Crohn disease(CD)development. Methods:Rats were randomly divided into a normal group,a model group,a herb-partitioned moxibustion group,and a mesalazine group.The CD rat model was prepared with 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid except for rats in the normal group.Rats in the normal group and model group did not receive any treatment but had the same fixation as the other groups.Rats in the herb-partitioned moxibustion group received herb-partitioned moxibustion at Qihai(CV6)and bilateral Tianshu(ST25).Rats in the mesalazine group received intragastric administration of mesalazine enteric-coated tablets.The general situation of rats in each group was recorded,and the histopathological changes in the colon were observed and scored by hematoxylin-eosin staining.The serum concentrations of NETs DNA(NETs-DNA),neutrophil elastase(NE)-DNA,and myeloperoxidase(MPO)-DNA were detected by ABC enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,and the citrullinated histone 3(citH3),MPO,and NE protein and mRNA expression levels in rat colon tissue were observed by immunofluorescence and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results:Compared with the normal group,the mucosal ulcer reached the muscularis,the epithelium was incomplete,the goblet cells decreased obviously with significant inflammatory cell infiltration in the colon;the colonic mucosa damage index(CMDI)score increased significantly(P<0.01);the serum NETs-DNA,NE-DNA,and MPO-DNA concentrations increased(P<0.05);the NE,citH3,and MPO protein and mRNA expression in the colonic tissue increased significantly in the model group(P<0.01 or P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the mucosal epithelium in the herb-partitioned moxibustion group and the mesalazine group was repaired and the goblet cells increased with a few infiltrating inflammatory cells in the colon;the CMDI score decreased(P<0.01);the serum NETs-DNA,NE-DNA,and MPO-DNA concentrations decreased(P<0.05);the NE,citH3,and MPO protein and mRNA expression in the colonic tissue was down-regulated(P<0.01 or P<0.05). Conclusion:Herb-partitioned moxibustion reduced the serum NETs complex and inhibited the protein and mRNA expression of NETs complex in the colon tissue,which may be one mechanism of herb-partitioned moxibustion in relieving colon mucosal inflammation in CD.

Objective:To understand the current situation of nurses in 52 hospitals in China on mastery of knowledge about skin injury in the elderly based on the background of mixed-mode homogenization training.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 1 067 nurses from 52 hospitals in China were selected as the research objects in January 2021. A self-designed questionnaire on knowledge of skin injury in the elderly was used to investigate the nurses through the questionnaire star and univariate analysis was used to analyze the influencing factors. A total of 1 067 questionnaires were distributed and 1 067 valid questionnaires were recovered, and the effective recovery rate was 100%.Results:The knowledge scores of pressure injury, incontinence-associated dermatitis, skin tear and xerosis cutis among 1067 nurses were (95.66±7.37) , (95.65±9.15) , (91.37±15.45) and (87.67±15.91) , respectively. The results of univariate analysis showed that hospital grade was the influencing factor of nurses' knowledge score of pressure injury, skin tear and incontinence-associated dermatitis ( P<0.05) , educational background was the influencing factor of nurses' knowledge score of skin tear ( P<0.05) , professional title was the influencing factor of nurses' knowledge scores of pressure injury, incontinence-associated dermatitis and xerosis cutis ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:Hospitals at all levels need to strengthen the theoretical and practical knowledge training for nurses on skin xerosis and skin tear in the elderly, especially for nurses with primary titles and lower education in grassroots hospitals.

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected with Delta variant, so as to provide further references for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A real-world study was conducted to analyze the characteristics of 166 COVID-19 patients infected with Delta variant at Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University.Results:The study enrolled 5 asymptomatic cases, 123 non-severe cases (mild and moderate type), and 38 severe cases (severe and critical type). Among these patients, 69 (41.6%) were male and 97 (58.4%) were female, with a mean age of 47.0±23.5 years. Thirty-nine cases (23.5%) had received 1 or 2 doses of inactivated vaccine. The incidence of severe COVID-19 cases was 7.7% in 2-doses vaccinated patients, which was lower than that of 11.5% in 1-dose and 26.8% in unvaccinated patients. The proportion of severe cases in 2 dose-vaccinated patients was 7.7%, which was lower than that of 11.5% in 1-dose vaccinated patients and 26.8% in unvaccinated patients, but the difference was not significant ( P>0.05). The most common clinical symptom was fever (134 cases, 83.2%), and 39.1% of cases presented with high-grade fever (≥39 °C); other symptoms were cough, sputum, fatigue, and xerostomia. The proportion of fever in severe cases was significantly higher than that of non-severe cases (97.4% vs. 76.4%, P<0.01). Similarly, the proportion of severe cases with high peak temperature (≥39 ℃) () was also higher than that of non-severe cases (65.8% vs. 30.9%, P<0.01). The median minimal Cycle threshold (Ct) values of viral nucleic acid N gene and ORFlab gene were 20.3 and 21.5, respectively, and the minimum Ct values were 11.9 and 13.5, respectively. Within 48 h of admission, 9.0% of cases presented with decreased white blood cell counts, and 52.4% with decreased lymphocyte counts. The proportions of increased C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, interleukin 6, and interleukin 10 were 32.5%, 57.4%, 65.3%, and 35.7%, respectively. The proportions of elevated C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A and interleukin-6 in severe cases were significantly higher than those in non-severe cases ( P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that older age and higher peak temperature were associated with a higher likelihood of severe cases ( OR>3, 95% CI: 2-7, P<0.01). In terms of treatment, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was used in 97.6% of non-severe cases and 100% in severe cases. Other treatments included respiratory and nutritional support, immunotherapy (such as neutralizing antibodies and plasma of recovered patients). The median times from admission to progression to severe cases, of fever clearance, and of nucleic acid conversion were 5 days, 6 days and 19 days, respectively. No deaths were reported within 28 days. Conclusions:The symptoms of Delta variant infection in Guangzhou are characterized by a high proportion of fever, high peak temperature, long duration of fever, high viral load, a long time to nucleic acid conversion, and a high incidence of severe cases. The severe cases exhibit a higher percentage of elderly patients, a longer duration of fever and have a higher fever rate and a higher hyperthermia rate than non-severe cases. Age and hyperthermia are independent risk factors for progression to severe disease. The combination of TCM and Western medicine can control the progression of the disease effectively.

OBJECTIVES: Cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis are major pathological manifestations observed in left ventricular remodeling induced by angiotensin II (AngII). Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been reported to ameliorate cardiac dysfunction and myocardial fibrosis in myocardial infarction (MI) through mechano-transduction and its downstream pathways. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether LIPUS could exert a protective effect by ameliorating AngII-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis and if so, to further elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. METHODS: We used AngII to mimic animal and cell culture models of cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. LIPUS irradiation was applied in vivo for 20 min every 2 d from one week before mini-pump implantation to four weeks after mini-pump implantation, and in vitro for 20 min on each of two occasions 6 h apart. Cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis levels were then evaluated by echocardiographic, histopathological, and molecular biological methods. RESULTS: Our results showed that LIPUS could ameliorate left ventricular remodeling in vivo and cardiac fibrosis in vitro by reducing AngII-induced release of inflammatory cytokines, but the protective effects on cardiac hypertrophy were limited in vitro. Given that LIPUS increased the expression of caveolin-1 in response to mechanical stimulation, we inhibited caveolin-1 activity with pyrazolopyrimidine 2 (pp2) in vivo and in vitro. LIPUS-induced downregulation of inflammation was reversed and the anti-fibrotic effects of LIPUS were absent. CONCLUSIONS These results indicated that LIPUS could ameliorate AngII-induced cardiac fibrosis by alleviating inflammation via a caveolin-1-dependent pathway, providing new insights for the development of novel therapeutic apparatus in clinical practice.

【Objective】 To explore the maximum tolerated dose(MTD) of pegylated liposome doxorubicin(PLD) when combined with cisplatin as a modified regimen for osteosarcoma. 【Methods】 A total of 14 patients with pathologically confirmed metastatic or unresectable osteosarcoma received one cycle of PLD combined with cisplatin therapy. The study used a traditional 3+3 design, with three PLD dose levels(40, 50, and 60 mg/ m², day 1). It was designed to recruit three patients initially at each dose level. Cisplatin was given at a dose of 100 mg/m²(administered within four days) for each patients. Patients received prophylactic granulocyte stimulating factor therapy 48 h after chemotherapy. Toxicities were documented according to the the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0(NCI CTCAE v4.0) . 【Results】 Of the 14 patients, 9 were male and 5 female, with a median age of 20 years(range 14~43). Both of the patients at dose level of 60 mg/m² experienced dose-limiting toxicity(DLT) (grade 3 oral mucositis and grade 4 neutropenic fever). Only 1 of the 9 patients at dose level of 50 mg/m² experienced DLT(grade 4 thrombocytopenia lasting for more than 3 days) and thus the MTD was 50 mg/m². Most common grade 3~4 adverse events across all cohorts included neutropenia(12 cases, 12/14), thrombocytopenia(7 cases, 7/14), anemia(4 cases, 4/14) and oral mucositis(2 cases, 2/14). All the adverse events were relieved after symptomatic and supportive treatment. No treatment-related death was observed. 【Conclusions】 For advanced osteosarcoma, when combined with cisplatin, the MTD of PLD was 50 mg/m². The main DLT was oral mucositis and neutropenic fever. The adverse events can be relieved after symptomatic treatment.

In the original publication, the label of Fig. 2C should be read as "GFAP/lectin/DAPI" not "DMP1/GFAP/lectin/DAPI".

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a tight boundary formed between endothelial cells and astrocytes, which separates and protects brain from most pathogens as well as neural toxins in circulation. However, detailed molecular players involved in formation of BBB are not completely known. Dentin matrix protein 1 (DMP1)-proteoglycan (PG), which is known to be involved in mineralization of bones and dentin, is also expressed in soft tissues including brain with unknown functions. In the present study, we reported that DMP1-PG was expressed in brain astrocytes and enriched in BBB units. The only glycosylation site of DMP1 is serine89 (S89) in the N-terminal domain of the protein in mouse. Mutant mice with DMP1 point mutations changing S89 to glycine (S89G), which completely eradicated glycosylation of the protein, demonstrated severe BBB disruption. Another breed of DMP1 mutant mice, which lacked the C-terminal domain of DMP1, manifested normal BBB function. The polarity of S89G-DMP1 astrocytes was disrupted and cell-cell adhesion was loosened. Through a battery of analyses, we found that DMP1 glycosylation was critically required for astrocyte maturation both in vitro and in vivo. S89G-DMP1 mutant astrocytes failed to express aquaporin 4 and had reduced laminin and ZO1 expression, which resulted in disruption of BBB. Interestingly, overexpression of wild-type DMP1-PG in mouse brain driven by the nestin promoter elevated laminin and ZO1 expression beyond wild type levels and could effectively resisted intravenous mannitol-induced BBB reversible opening. Taken together, our study not only revealed a novel element, i.e., DMP1-PG, that regulated BBB formation, but also assigned a new function to DMP1-PG.
Animals ; Astrocytes ; cytology ; metabolism ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; cytology ; metabolism ; Cells, Cultured ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Glycosylation ; Male ; Mice ; Proteoglycans ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

Objective To investigate the effect of caveolin-1 scaffolding domain (CSD) peptides on heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) activity increasing and M1/M2 phenotype polarization in rat alveolar macrophages (AMs) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).Methods Bioinformatics was used to analyze the binding of full-length wild-type CSD polypeptide and 101 amino acid deleted truncated mutant CSD polypeptide (Δ101CSD) to HO-1. Primary AMs were isolated from rats, when cell fusion reached 80％, they were synchronized with serum-free medium and divided into five groups: no treatment was given to the blank control group; LPS group was treated with 100μg/L LPS for 16 hours;LPS+ hemin group was treated with 100μg/L LPS and 20μmol/L hemin for 16 hours; wild-type CSD polypeptide+ LPS+hemin group was pretreated with 10μmol/L wild-type CSD polypeptide 6 hours before LPS treatment; Δ101CSD+ LPS+hemin group was pretreated with 10μmol/L Δ101CSD polypeptide 6 hours before LPS treatment. After treatment for 16 hours, the co-localization between caveolin-1 (Cav-1) and HO-1 was displayed by confocal microscope; the mRNA expressions of inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and M1/M2 polarization cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), leukocyte differentiation antigen 206 (CD206) and IL-10 were determined by real-time fluorescent quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR); the HO-1 activity and nitric oxide (NO) production were determined by spectrophotometry.Results Bioinformatics analysis showed: both wild-type CSD and Δ101CSD peptides could bind to HO-1, and there was no significant difference in the binding ability between the two peptides, but the deletion of 101 Arg resulted in the disappearance of part of the binding region between Δ101CSD and HO-1. The results of laser confocal microscopy showed: the expressions of Cav-1 and HO-1 were lowed in the blank control group, and Cav-1 was bound to HO-1 in LPS group and LPS+ hemin group. Both wild-type CSD and Δ101CSD peptides pretreatment could significantly reduce the binding of HO-1 to Cav-1 induced by LPS. HO-1 activity analysis showed: after LPS stimulation, the activity of HO-1 was significantly higher than that of the blank control group; the activity of HO-1 induced by LPS was increased by hemin; after pretreatment with two kinds of CSD peptides, the activity of HO-1 was further increased, and the effect of wild-type CSD peptide was more significant, which showed a statistically significant difference as compared with that of LPS+ hemin group (pmol·mg-1·h-1: 3683±266 vs. 2408±132,P < 0.05). RT-qPCR results showed: LPS could induce elevation of cytokines and M1 markers and decrease of M2 markers, while hemin could inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory response and M1/M2 phenotypic polarization. Compared with LPS+ hemin group, after pretreatment with wild-type CSD peptide, the levels of inflammatory factors in AMs were decreased, and the mRNA expression levels of TNF-α and iNOS, M1 markers, were decreased [TNF-α mRNA (2-??Ct): 6.82±0.05 vs. 8.70±0.24, iNOS mRNA (2-??Ct): 331.50±32.05 vs. 506.70±0.10, bothP < 0.05], and IL-10 mRNA expression level was increased (2-??Ct: 269.09±6.54 vs. 119.05±3.30,P < 0.05). The deletion of 101 site partially weakened the inhibitory effect of CSD peptides on inflammatory factors and only reduced the expression of iNOS mRNA (2-??Ct: 429.11±8.92 vs. 506.70±0.10,P < 0.05), indicating that its ability to transform AMs from M1 phenotype to M2 phenotype was poor. The two peptides had no effect on the expression of CD206.Conclusion Wild-type CSD had beneficial effects of anti-inflammation by reducing Cav-1 binding to HO-1 induced by LPS, restoring the HO-1 activity and driving M2 phenotype in alveolar macrophages.

OBJECTIVETo study a non-drug therapy for hypertension disease by combining percutaneous laser and electric pulse stimulation to acupoint with music, and to test the efficiency of the combining treatment to grade 1 essential hypertension.

METHODSA total of 174 patients with grade 1 essential hypertension were randomly assigned to 3 groups with a random number table after Chinese medicine (CM) syndrome differentiation: the photoelectric and musical treatment group (Group 1, with a self-developed multi-mode audio frequency pulse photoelectric therapeutic apparatus), acupuncture group (Group 2), and oral placebo group (Group 3), 58 cases per group. The curative effect of each group was evaluated by the changes of blood pressure and CM syndrome integral before and after treatment.

RESULTSCompared with Group 3, there were significant decrease of blood pressure and CM syndrome integral in Group 1 and Group 2 (P<0.01). Compared with Group 2, Group 1 showed the highest decrease in systolic pressure (P<0.017). The total effective rate of anti-hypertension in Group 1 (91.38%, 53/58) was significantly higher than that in Group 2 (74.13%, 43/58) and Group 3 (18.97%, 11/58, P<0.05 or P<0.01); and that in Group 2 was also significantly higher than that in Group 3 (P<0.01). There were significant difference in the total effective rate of CM syndrome integral in both Group 1 (93.10%, 54/58) and Group 2 (84.48%, 49/58) as compared with Group 3 (17.24%, 10/58, P<0.01), while there was no significant difference between Group 1 and Group 2 (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe multi-mode audio frequency pulse photoelectric therapeutic apparatus, combining music, laser and electric pulse stimulation, is clinically useful for grade 1 essential hypertension. This "three in one" therapy method is non-invasive, easy and simple to handle. It is expected to be popularized as a new alternative treatment.

Acupuncture Points ; Blood Pressure ; Electric Stimulation Therapy ; Essential Hypertension ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Lasers ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Music ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent in the treatment of cancers in clinic; but it often induces adverse effects on ovarian functions such as reduced fertility and premature menopause. Mesna could attenuate the cisplatin-induced ovarian damages; however, the underlying mechanism is still unknown. This study aimed to figure out the underlying mechanism of the protection of mesna for ovaries against cisplatin therapy in cancers. METHODS: We performed female adult Sprague-Dawley rats into normal saline control (NS), low-dose cisplatin (CL), high-dose cisplatin (CH), CL plus mesna (CL+M), and CH plus mesna (CH+M) groups and detected anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH)-positive follicle, oxidative stress status and anti-oxidative capability in ovaries. RESULTS: AMH-positive follicles were significantly decreased after cisplatin administration, which was significantly reversed when mesna was co-administered with cisplatin. The end product of lipid peroxidation, malondialdehyde (MDA), was significantly increased, but the anti-oxidative enzymatic activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) were significantly decreased in cisplatin groups when compared with NS group. In contrast, after co-administration of cisplatin with mesna, MDA was significantly decreased whereas the activity of SOD and the concentration of GSH were increased. Moreover, mesna did not decrease the anti-tumor property of cisplatin in HePG2 cell lines. CONCLUSION: Cisplatin damages the granulosa cells by oxidative stress to deplete the ovarian reserve and mesna could protect ovarian reserve through anti-oxidation. These results might highlight the mechanism of the protection of mesna for ovarian reserve and open an avenue for the application of mesna as a protective additive in cisplatin chemotherapy in clinical practise.
Adult ; Animals ; Anti-Mullerian Hormone ; Cisplatin ; Female ; Fertility ; Glutathione ; Granulosa Cells ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Malondialdehyde ; Menopause, Premature ; Mesna ; Ovary ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Superoxide Dismutase