BACKGROUND: Concurrent chemo-radiotherapy (CCRT) is the standard treatment for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC), but there are still many patients who suffer tumor recurrence. However, valuable predictors of treatment outcomes remain limited. This study aimed to assess the value of the serum immune biomarkers to predict the prognosis. METHODS: We reviewed cervical cancer patients treated with CCRT between January 2014 and May 2018 at Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The systemic immune inflammation index (SII), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were calculated using blood samples. The relationship between immune markers and the treatment outcome was analyzed. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the predictive efficiency. The Cox proportional hazards model and log-rank were used to predict overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). RESULTS: This study included 667 patients. Among them, 195 (29.2%) patients were defined as treatment failure, including 127 (19.0%) patients with pelvic failure, 94 (14.1%) distant failure, and 25 (3.7%) concurrent pelvic and distant failure. It revealed that the tumor stage, size, metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs), and serum immune biomarkers, such as SII, SIRI, and LDH, were significantly related to treatment outcomes. We demonstrated that the optimal cut-off of the SII, SIRI, and LDH were 970.4 × 10 9 /L, 1.3 × 10 9 /L, and 207.52 U/L, respectively. Importantly, this study presented that LDH level had the highest OR (OR = 4.2; 95% CI [2.3-10.8]). Furthermore, the OS and DFS for patients with pre-SII ≥970.5 × 10 9 /L were significantly worse than those with pre-SII <970.5 × 10 9 /L. Similarly, pre-SIRI ≥1.25 × 10 9 /L and pre-LDH ≥207.5 U/L were related to poor survival outcomes. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that the baseline SII, SIRI, and LDH levels can be used to accurately and effectively predict the treatment outcomes after CCRT and long-term prognosis. Our results may offer additional prognostic information in clinical, which helps to detect the potential recurrent metastasis in time.
Humans ; Female ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Chemoradiotherapy/methods* ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/blood* ; Treatment Outcome ; Disease-Free Survival ; Prognosis ; ROC Curve ; Biomarkers, Tumor/blood* ; Proportional Hazards Models

OBJECTIVE: To explore the therapeutic effect of polygonum cuspidatum glycoside on steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head(SONFH) in rats and its potential mechanism of protecting bone tissue by regulating the Janus kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling pathway(JAK2/STAT3). METHODS: Fifty male SD rats were randomly divided into control group, model group, low-dose polygonum cuspidatum glycoside group (polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-L), high-dose polygonum cuspidatum glycoside group (polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-H), and polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-H+Colivelin (JAK2/STAT3 pathway activator) group. SONFH model was induced by lipopolysaccharide and dexamethasone. The treatment groups were given polygonum cuspidatum glycoside orally(polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-L 10 mg·kg^-1, polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-H 20 mg·kg^-1, and the polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-H+Colivelin group was injected with Colivelin (1 mg·kg^-1) intraperitoneally once a day, while the control and model groups were given an equal volume of saline for 6 weeks. The observed indicators included serum calcium(Ca), serum phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphatase, and transforming growth factor β1(TGF-β1) levels, micro-CT scanning, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and Western blot detection of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway and osteogenic differentiation marker genes, including Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2), and osteopontin (OPN) protein expression. RESULTS: Compared with the model group, the trabecular bone area percentage in the polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-L and polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-H groups was significantly increased, and the empty lacunar rate was significantly decreased (P<0.05). Micro-CT analysis showed that the bone volume fraction, trabecular number, and thickness increased, and the trabecular separation decreased in the polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-treated groups(P<0.05). Serum biochemical tests found that the serum Ca and P concentrations in the polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-L and polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-H groups were restored, the alkaline phosphatase levels decreased, and the transforming growth factor β1 levels increased (P<0.05). Western blot analysis showed that polygonum cuspidatum glycoside significantly inhibited the activation of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the model group and promoted the expression of osteogenic differentiation marker genes such as Runx2, BMP2, and OPN (P<0.05). Compared with the polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-H group, the improvements in the polygonum cuspidatum glycoside-H+Colivelin group were somewhat weakened, indicating the importance of the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the action of polygonum cuspidatum glycoside. CONCLUSION polygonum cuspidatum glycoside promotes osteogenic differentiation, improves bone microstructure, and has significant therapeutic effects on rat SONFH by regulating the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.
Animals ; Male ; Janus Kinase 2/physiology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Glucosides/pharmacology* ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/genetics* ; Femur Head Necrosis/chemically induced* ; Stilbenes/pharmacology*

OBJECTIVE: By analyzing the hormone secretion of the adenohypophysis, thyroid glands, gonads, and adrenal cortex in patients with hematological diseases before and after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), this study aims to preliminarily explore the effect of HSCT on patients' hormone secretion and glandular damage. METHODS: The baseline data of 209 hematological disease patients who underwent HSCT in our hospital from January 2019 to December 2023, as well as the data on the levels of hormones secreted by the adenohypophysis, thyroid glands, gonads and adrenal cortex before and after HSCT were collected, and the changes in hormone levels before and after transplantation were analyzed. RESULTS: After allogeneic HSCT, the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), free triiodothyronine (FT3) and estradiol (E2) decreased, while the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle- stimulating hormone (FSH) increased. The T3 level of patients with decreased TSH after transplantation was lower than that of those with increased TSH after transplantation. In female patients, the levels of prolactin (PRL), progesterone (Prog), and testosterone (Testo) decreased after HSCT. Testo and PRL decreased when there was a donor-recipient sex mismatch, and the levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol (COR) decreased when the HLA matching was haploidentical. The levels of T3, FT3, and PRL decreased after autologous HSCT. In allogeneic HSCT patients, the levels of TSH, T4, T3, FT3, and ACTH in the group with graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were significantly lower than those in the group without GVHD. Logistic regression analysis showed the changes in hormone levels after transplantation were not correlated with factors such as the patient's sex, age, or whether the blood types of the donor and the recipient are the same. CONCLUSION HSCT can affect the endocrine function of patients with hematological diseases, mainly affecting target glandular organs such as the thyroid, gonads, and adrenal glands, while the secretory function of the adenohypophysis is less affected.
Humans ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Female ; Male ; Hematologic Diseases/blood* ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood* ; Triiodothyronine/blood* ; Luteinizing Hormone/blood* ; Thyroid Gland/metabolism* ; Estradiol/blood* ; Thyrotropin/blood* ; Gonads/metabolism* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone/blood* ; Hormones/metabolism* ; Adrenal Cortex/metabolism* ; Prolactin

Glutamine provides carbon and nitrogen to support the proliferation of cancer cells. However, the precise reason why cancer cells are particularly dependent on glutamine remains unclear. In this study, we report that glutamine modulates the tumor suppressor F-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBW7) to promote cancer cell proliferation and survival. Specifically, lysine 604 (K604) in the sixth of the 7 substrate-recruiting WD repeats of FBW7 undergoes glutaminylation (Gln-K604) by glutaminyl tRNA synthetase. Gln-K604 inhibits SCFFBW7-mediated degradation of c-Myc and Mcl-1, enhances glutamine utilization, and stimulates nucleotide and DNA biosynthesis through the activation of c-Myc. Additionally, Gln-K604 promotes resistance to apoptosis by activating Mcl-1. In contrast, SIRT1 deglutaminylates Gln-K604, thereby reversing its effects. Cancer cells lacking Gln-K604 exhibit overexpression of c-Myc and Mcl-1 and display resistance to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Silencing both c-MYC and MCL-1 in these cells sensitizes them to chemotherapy. These findings indicate that the glutamine-mediated signal via Gln-K604 is a key driver of cancer progression and suggest potential strategies for targeted cancer therapies based on varying Gln-K604 status.
Glutamine/metabolism* ; Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein/genetics* ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; Signal Transduction ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; F-Box-WD Repeat-Containing Protein 7/genetics* ; Cell Survival ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Apoptosis

The adulteration and counterfeiting of herbal ingredients in medicinal and food homology (MFH) have a serious impact on the quality of herbal materials, thereby endangering human health. Compared to pharmaceutical drugs, health products derived from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) are more easily accessible and closely integrated into consumers' daily life. However, the authentication of the authenticity of TCM ingredients in MFH has not received sufficient attention. The lack of clear standards emphasizes the necessity of conducting systematic research in this area. This study utilized DNA barcoding technology, combining ITS2, psbA-trnH, matK as universal barcode sequences, and DX, HH, JYH as specific barcode sequences, to identify the authenticity of commercial medicinal and food homology scented herbal teas. The aim was to investigate the authenticity of scented herbal tea products circulating in the market. The research results revealed that among 180 scented herbal tea samples, DNA barcodes were successfully obtained from 164 samples, while the remaining samples either lacked the target components or suffered severe DNA degradation, resulting in failed amplification. Combined with morphological identification studies, it was found that out of the 180 samples, 141 were authentic, accounting for 78.33% of the total samples, while 31 samples showed adulteration and 8 samples lacked the target components, accounting for 21.67% of the total samples. Additionally, water testing revealed that 5 samples of Carthamus tinctorius herbal tea exhibited the phenomenon of weight adulteration. This study exposed the presence of adulteration and weight adulteration in scented herbal tea products, highlighting the need for regulatory authorities to expedite the establishment of quality standards in scented herbal tea industry. These findings provide valuable insights for the rapid development of the scented herbal tea industry.

Immune evasion has made ovarian cancer notorious for its refractory features, making the development of immunotherapy highly appealing to ovarian cancer treatment. The immune-stimulating cytokine IL-12 exhibits excellent antitumor activities. However, IL-12 can induce IFN-γ release and subsequently upregulate PDL-1 expression on tumor cells. Therefore, the tumor-targeting folate-modified delivery system F-DPC is constructed for concurrent delivery of IL-12 encoding gene and small molecular PDL-1 inhibitor (iPDL-1) to reduce immune escape and boost anti-tumor immunity. The physicochemical characteristics, gene transfection efficiency of the F-DPC nanoparticles in ovarian cancer cells are analyzed. The immune-modulation effects of combination therapy on different immune cells are also studied. Results show that compared with non-folate-modified vector, folate-modified F-DPC can improve the targeting of ovarian cancer and enhance the transfection efficiency of pIL-12. The underlying anti-tumor mechanisms include the regulation of T cells proliferation and activation, NK activation, macrophage polarization and DC maturation. The F-DPC/pIL-12/iPDL-1 complexes have shown outstanding antitumor effects and low toxicity in peritoneal model of ovarian cancer in mice. Taken together, our work provides new insights into ovarian cancer immunotherapy. Novel F-DPC/pIL-12/iPDL-1 complexes are revealed to exert prominent anti-tumor effect by modulating tumor immune microenvironment and preventing immune escape and might be a promising treatment option for ovarian cancer treatment.

Interleukin-35(IL-35)is an important immunosuppressive cytokine that has been shown to play a role in the immune response of various diseases.In this study,we cloned the coding sequence of human IL-35 gene,constructed single subunit expression vectors pXC17.4-p35 and pcDNA3.1(+)-EBI3,and co-transfected CHO-K1 cells to express IL-35 in vitro.No binding was found between subunits of p35 and EBI3.Knobs-into-Holes(KIH)can solve the problem of heavy chain mismatch of heterolo-gous antibodies.Therefore,expression vectors pXC17.4-p35-Fch and pcDNA3.1(+)-EBI3-Fck were constructed by fusing KIH structures on the basis of the original sequences to express the recombinant fu-sion protein of KIH-IL-35.The expression vectors of two subunits were exchanged at the same time to verify the influence of different vectors on the expression level of KIH-IL-35.The analysis of various pro-tein detection methods showed that the correct expression rate of KIH-IL-35 structure was significantly im-proved.Affinity purification of KIH-IL-35 was performed after large amount of expression,and the bind-ing activity of KIH-IL-35 to glycoprotein 130(gp130)was detected by ELISA.The results showed that the binding of KIH-IL-35 to gp130 was concentration dependent.The indirect activity of KIH-IL-35 and M1 cells was detected by cell activity assay.Further results showed that the inhibition rate of M1 cells in-creased in a dose-dependent manner with the concentration of KIH-IL-35.In addition,a method for de-termining IL-35 activity by activated human peripheral blood mononuclear cells was successfully estab-lished.Activated PBMCs increased in a dose-dependent manner with KIH-IL-35 concentration.In sum-mary,this study utilized the KIH-IL-35 model to enhance the expression of recombinant human IL-35 and validated its high activity in vitro,providing new ideas for the study of IL-35 and the recombinant expres-sion of similar heterodimeric cytokines.

Objective To investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of miR-34a/SIRT1 in intensive care unit acquired weakness(ICU-AW).Methods(1)C2C12 mouse skeletal muscle cells were induced to differentiate into myotubes,and were divided into two groups:model group[ICU-AW group,treated with lipopolysaccharides(LPS)for 12 hours]and normal control group(treated with the same amount of sterile water for 12 hours).Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression level of Muscle ring finger 1(MuRF-1),atrophy gene 1(Atrogin-1)and Sirtuin-1(SIRT1).RT-qPCR was used to assess the mRNA expression level of microRNA-34a(miR-34a),MuRF-1,Atrogin-1 and SIRT1,and light microscope was used to observe the growth and differentiation of C2C12 skeletal muscle cells in each group.(2)ICU-AW cells were further subdivided into control group(treated with siRNA transfection agent intervention),Scra siRNA group(treated with transfection agent and non-specific siRNA),miR-34a siRNA group(treated with transfection agent and specific siRNA intervention),vehicle group(treated with agonist solvent dimethyl sulfoxide)and SRT1720 group(treated with SIRT1 agonist SRT1720).Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression level of SIRT1,Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in each group.RT-qPCR was used to detect the miR-34a and the mRNA expression level of SIRT1,Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in each group.(3)In addition,another group of ICU-AW cells were divided into control group(treated with siRNA transfection),miR-34a siRNA group(treated with transfection agent and specific siRNA intervention),miR-34a siRNA+vehicle group(treated with transfection agent,specific siRNA and Dimethyl sulfoxide intervention)and miR-34a siRNA+EX-527 group(treated with transfection agent,specific siRNA and SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527).Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression level of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1.RT-qPCR was used to assess the mRNA expression level of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1.Results Myotube differentiation was observed on the 4th day.Compared with control group,myotube atrophy was obvious in ICU-AW group.RT-qPCR and Western blotting results revealed that,compared with normal control group,in ICU-AW group,the mRNA and protein expression levels of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 significantly increased(P＜0.05),and the expression level of miR-34a significantly increased(P＜0.05),while the mRNA and protein expression levels of SIRT1 significantly decreased(P＜0.05).RT-qPCR results showed that,compared with control group(treated with siRNA transfection agent intervention)and Scra siRNA group,the expression of miR-34a and mRNA expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in miR-34a siRNA group significantly decreased(P＜0.05),while the mRNA expression of SIRT1 significantly increased(P＜0.05),meanwhile the protein expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 decreased significantly(P＜0.01),and the protein expression of SIRT1 significantly increased(P＜0.05).RT-qPCR results also showed that,compared with vehicle group,the mRNA expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in SRT1720 group decreased significantly(P＜0.05),while SIRT1 increased significantly(P＜0.05).Western blotting results demonstrated that,compared with control group and Scra siRNA group,the protein expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in miR-34a siRNA group decreased significantly(P＜0.05),while SIRT1 increased significantly(P＜0.05).RT-qPCR and Western blotting results indicated that,compared with miR-34a siRNA+vehicle group,the mRNA and protein expression of Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 in miR-34a siRNA+EX-527 group increased significantly(P＜0.05).Conclusion Overactivation of miR-34a in ICU-AW contributes to skeletal muscle atrophy by inhibiting the expression of SIRT1,which may play an important role in the pathogenesis of ICU-AW.

OBJECTIVE: Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) is an obstacle to the success of cardiac reperfusion therapy. This study explores whether luteolin can mitigate MIRI by regulating the p53 signaling pathway. METHODS: Model mice were subjected to a temporary surgical ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and administered luteolin. The myocardial infarct size, myocardial enzyme levels, and cardiac function were measured. Latent targets and signaling pathways were screened using network pharmacology and molecular docking. Then, proteins related to the p53 signaling pathway, apoptosis and oxidative stress were measured. Hypoxia/reoxygenation (HR)-incubated HL1 cells were used to validate the effects of luteolin in vitro. In addition, a p53 agonist and an inhibitor were used to investigate the mechanism. RESULTS: Luteolin reduced the myocardial infarcted size and myocardial enzymes, and restored cardiac function in MIRI mice. Network pharmacology identified p53 as a hub target. The bioinformatic analyses showed that luteolin had anti-apoptotic and anti-oxidative properties. Additionally, luteolin halted the activation of p53, and prevented both apoptosis and oxidative stress in myocardial tissue in vivo. Furthermore, luteolin inhibited cell apoptosis, JC-1 monomer formation, and reactive oxygen species elevation in HR-incubated HL1 cells in vitro. Finally, the p53 agonist NSC319726 downregulated the protective attributes of luteolin in the MIRI mouse model, and both luteolin and the p53 inhibitor pifithrin-α demonstrated a similar therapeutic effect in the MIRI mice. CONCLUSION Luteolin effectively treats MIRI and may ameliorate myocardial damage by regulating apoptosis and oxidative stress through its targeting of the p53 signaling pathway. Please cite this article as: Zhai P, Ouyang XH, Yang ML, Lin L, Li JY, Li YM, Cheng X, Zhu R, Hu DS. Luteolin protects against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury by reducing oxidative stress and apoptosis through the p53 pathway. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(6): 652-664.
Luteolin/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/metabolism* ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/genetics* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Mice ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Male ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Myocardial Infarction/prevention & control* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism*