With the widespread use of antibiotics, drug-resistant bacterial infections have become a significant threat to human health. Finding new antibacterial strategies that can effectively control drug-resistant bacterial infections has become an urgent task. Unlike small molecule drugs that target bacterial proteins, antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) can target genes related to bacterial resistance, pathogenesis, growth, reproduction and biofilm formation. By regulating the expression of these genes, ASO can inhibit or kill bacteria, providing a novel approach for the development of antibacterial drugs. To overcome the challenge of delivering antisense oligonucleotide into bacterial cells, various drug delivery systems have been applied in this field, including cell-penetrating peptides, lipid nanoparticles and inorganic nanoparticles, which have injected new momentum into the development of antisense oligonucleotide in the antibacterial realm. This review summarizes the current development of small nucleic acid drugs, the antibacterial mechanisms, targets, sequences and delivery vectors of antisense oligonucleotide, providing a reference for the research and development of antisense oligonucleotide in the treatment of bacterial infections.

BACKGROUND: Early control of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is crucial for reducing the progress of cardiovascular disease. However, its additional role to the risk of primary osteoporosis in men with coronary heart disease was inconclusive. Our study aims to determine the association of LDL-C and its trajectories for osteoporosis risk in the middle-aged and aged men of China. METHODS: The retrospective cohort study of 1546 men aged 69.74 ± 11.30 years conducted in Beijing, China from 2015 to 2022. And the incidence of primary osteoporosis was annually recorded. LDL-C trajectories were further identified by latent class growth model using repeated measurements of LDL-C. The association of baseline LDL-C for osteoporosis was estimated using hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI in Cox proportional hazard model, while mean level and trajectories of LDL-C for osteoporosis were evaluated using odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI in logistic regression model. RESULTS: During the median 6.2-year follow-up period, 70 men developed primary osteoporosis. The higher level of baseline LDL-C (HR = 1.539, 95% CI: 1.012-2.342) and mean LDL-C (OR = 2.190, 95% CI: 1.443-3.324) were associated with higher risk of osteoporosis in men with coronary heart disease after adjusted for covariates. Compared with those in the LDL-C trajectory of low-stable decrease, participants with medium-fluctuant trajectory, whose longitudinal LDL-C started with a medium LDL-C level and appeared an increase and then decrease, were negatively associated with osteoporosis risk (OR = 2.451, 95% CI: 1.152-5.216). And participants with initially high LDL-C level and then a rapid decrease demonstrated a tendency towards reduced risk (OR = 0.718, 95% CI: 0.212-2.437). CONCLUSIONS Elevated LDL-C level and its long-term fluctuation may increase the risk of primary osteoporosis in men. Early controlling a stable level of LDL-C is also essential for bone health.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays a crucial role in regulating many physiological processes. Activating the AhR-CYP1A1 axis has emerged as a novel therapeutic strategy against various inflammatory diseases. Here, a practical in situ cell-based fluorometric assay was constructed to screen AhR-CYP1A1 axis modulators, via functional sensing of CYP1A1 activities in live cells. Firstly, a cell-permeable, isoform-specific enzyme-activable fluorogenic substrate for CYP1A1 was rationally constructed for in-situ visualizing the dynamic changes of CYP1A1 function in living systems, which was subsequently used for discovering the efficacious modulators of the AhR-CYP1A1 axis. Following screening of a compound library, LAC-7 was identified as an efficacious activator of the AhR-CYP1A1 axis, which dose-dependently up-regulated the expression levels of both CYP1A1 and AhR in multiple cell lines. LAC-7 also suppressed macrophage M1 polarization and reduced the levels of inflammatory factors in LPS-induced bone marrow-derived macrophages. Animal tests showed that LAC-7 could significantly mitigate DSS-induced ulcerative colitis and LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice, and markedly reduced the levels of multiple inflammatory factors. Collectively, an optimized fluorometric cell-based assay was devised for in situ functional imaging of CYP1A1 activities in living systems, which strongly facilitated the discovery of efficacious modulators of the AhR-CYP1A1 axis as novel anti-inflammatory agents.

N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) modification is a crucial post-transcriptional regulatory mechanism and the most abundant and highly conserved RNA epigenetic modification in eukaryotes. Previous studies have indicated the involvement of m6A modification in various tissue regeneration processes, including liver regeneration. Vir-like m6A methyltransferase associated protein (VIRMA) is an m6A methyltransferase with robust methylation capability. However, its role in liver regeneration remains poorly understood. In this study, we generated liver-specific Virma knockout mice using the Cre-loxP system and investigated the biological functions of VIRMA in liver regeneration using both the Associating Liver Partition and Portal vein Ligation for Staged Hepatectomy (ALPPS) mouse model and the carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) mouse model. The expression level of VIRMA was rapidly up-regulated after ALPPS surgery and gradually down-regulated during liver repair. Virma deficiency significantly impaired liver regeneration capacity and disrupted cell cycle progression. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeRIP-seq) analysis revealed that Shq1 is an effective downstream target of VIRMA-mediated m6A modification. The upregulation of Shq1 enhanced the proliferation ability of cells, which was attenuated by the specific AKT inhibitor ipatasertib. Supplementation of Shq1 in vivo alleviated the liver cell proliferation inhibition caused by Virma deficiency. Furthermore, the m6A-binding protein heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein a2b1 (HNRNPA2B1) enhanced the mRNA stability of Shq1. Mechanistically, Virma deficiency resulted in decreased m6A modification on Shq1 mRNA, leading to reduced binding ability of m6A-binding protein HNRNPA2B1 with Shq1, thereby decreasing the mRNA stability of Shq1 and reducing its protein expression level. Downregulation of Shq1 inhibited the PI3K/AKT pathway, thereby suppressing cell proliferation and cell cycle progression, ultimately impeding liver regeneration. In summary, our results demonstrate that VIRMA plays a critical role in promoting liver regeneration by regulating m6A modification, providing valuable insights into the epigenetic regulation during liver regeneration.

OBJECTIVE: Comorbid pain and depression are common but remain difficult to treat. Electroacupuncture (EA) can effectively improve symptoms of depression and relieve pain, but its neural mechanism remains unclear. Therefore, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) to detect cerebral changes after initiating a mouse pain model via constriction of the infraorbital nerve (CION) and then treating these animals with EA. METHODS: Forty male C57BL/6J mice were divided into 4 groups: control, CION model, EA, and sham acupuncture (without needle insertion). EA was performed on the acupoints Baihui (GV20) and Zusanli (ST36) for 20 min, once a day for 10 consecutive days. The mechanical withdrawal threshold was tested 3 days after the surgery and every 3 days after the intervention. The depressive behavior was evaluated with the tail suspension test, open-field test, elevated plus maze (EPM), sucrose preference test, and marble burying test. The rs-fMRI was used to detect the cerebral changes of the functional connectivity (FC) in the mice following EA treatment. RESULTS: Compared with the CION group, the mechanical withdrawal threshold increased in the EA group at the end of the intervention (P < 0.05); the immobility time in tail suspension test decreased (P < 0.05); and the times of the open arm entry and the open arm time in the EPM increased (both P < 0.001). There was no difference in the sucrose preference or marble burying tests (both P > 0.05). The fMRI results showed that EA treatment downregulated the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity values, while these indicators were elevated in brain regions including the amygdala, hippocampus and cerebral cortex in the CION model for comorbid pain and depression. Selecting the amygdala as the seed region, we found that the FC was higher in the CION group than in the control group. Meanwhile, EA treatment was able to decrease the FC between the amygdala and other brain regions including the caudate putamen, thalamus, and parts of the cerebral cortex. CONCLUSION EA can downregulate the abnormal activation of neurons in the amygdala and improve its FC with other brain regions, thus exerting analgesic and antidepressant effects. Please cite this article as: Yin X, Zeng XL, Lin JJ, Xu WQ, Cui KY, Guo XT, Li W, Xu SF. Brain functional changes following electroacupuncture in a mouse model of comorbid pain and depression: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 159-168.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Male ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Depression/diagnostic imaging* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Brain/diagnostic imaging* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mice ; Pain/diagnostic imaging* ; Acupuncture Points

OBJECTIVE: To explore and quantify the association of hot night exposure during the sperm development period (0-90 lag days) with semen quality. METHODS: A total of 6,640 male sperm donors from 6 human sperm banks in China during 2014-2020 were recruited in this multicenter study. Two indices (i.e., hot night excess [HNE] and hot night duration [HND]) were used to estimate the heat intensity and duration during nighttime. Linear mixed models were used to examine the association between hot nights and semen quality parameters. RESULTS: The exposure-response relationship revealed that HNE and HND during 0-90 days before semen collection had a significantly inverse association with sperm motility. Specifically, a 1 °C increase in HNE was associated with decreased sperm progressive motility of 0.0090 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: -0.0147, -0.0033) and decreased total motility of 0.0094 (95% CI: -0.0160, -0.0029). HND was significantly associated with reduced sperm progressive motility and total motility of 0.0021 (95% CI: -0.0040, -0.0003) and 0.0023 (95% CI: -0.0043, -0.0002), respectively. Consistent results were observed at different temperature thresholds on hot nights. CONCLUSION Our findings highlight the need to mitigate nocturnal heat exposure during spermatogenesis to maintain optimal semen quality.
Humans ; Male ; Semen Analysis ; Adult ; Sperm Motility ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects* ; China ; Middle Aged ; Spermatozoa/physiology* ; Young Adult

Cervical spondylotic radiculopathy(CSR)is a condition caused by the degeneration of cervical intervertebral discs and facet joints,primarily manifesting as the pain,sensory abnormalities,and motor dysfunction in the cervical nerve innervation area of neck,shoulder,and upper limb.For the treatment of CSR,tendon-bone syndrome differentiation in traditional Chinese medicine often faces the issues of conceptual confusion and non-standard syndrome differentiation.Based on the traditional tendon-bone syndrome differentiation and by integrating modern anatomical insights,Professor LIN Ding-Kun,an esteemed scholar of Traditional Chinese Medicine,proposed a classification system for the cervical spine that includes the categories of tendons,joints,bones and marrow.This paper explored the thoughts of Professor LIN for the tendon-bone syndrome differentiation of CSR,summarized the targets of manual therapy,and proposed the four kinds of pathological changes such as tendon overstrain,joint dislocation,bone lesion,and marrow injury,as well as the four techniques of traditional Chinese medicine manipulations,i.e.relaxation of tendons,reduction of joints,protection of marrow,and treatment of bones.The aim is to improve the syndrome-differentiation and treatment for CSR with orthopedic and traumatologic manipulations,and to provide reference for clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of Xuebijing on anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor(NMDAR)encephalitis mice and its effect on the changes of helper T cell 1(Th1)/helper T cell 2(Th2).Methods The experimental groups included control group,model group,low-dose Xuebijing(low-XBJ)group,high-dose Xuebijing(high-XBJ)group,with 10 mice in each group,except the control group,the other 3 groups of mice were treated with antigen injection and immune stimulation to establish anti-NMDAR encephalitis models,the mice in the low-XBJ and high-XBJ groups were intraperitoneally injected with 5 ml/kg and 10 ml/kg of Xuebijing injection,respectively,once every 12 hours for 3 consecutive days;After 2 weeks,HE staining was used to observe the pathological changes of mice brain tissue,Nissl staining was used to observe the morphological changes of mice neurons,TUNEL staining was used to detect the apoptosis of mice neurons,ELISA was used to detect the contents of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-4 and interferon-γ(IFN-γ)in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of mice,immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of IFN-γ and IL-4 in brain tissue,flow cytometry was used to detect the distribution of Th1 and Th2 cells in peripheral blood,and the ratio of Th1/Th2 was calculated.Results Compared with the model group,hippocampal tissue damage was improved in low-XBJ group and high-XBJ group,the morphological changes of neurons were small,the morphology of Nissl bodies was more complete and the number of Nissl bodies was increased,the TUNEL positive rate of neurons decreased,the contents of TNF-α,IL-1β and IFN-γ in serum and cerebrospinal fluid decreased while the content of IL-4 increased,the percentage of IFN-γ positive cells and the relative expression of protein in brain tissue decreased,the percentage of IL-4 positive cells and the relative expression of protein increased,the proportion of cluster of differentiation(CD)4+IFN-γ+labeled Th1 cells and the ratio of Th1/Th2 in peripheral blood decreased,and the proportion of CD4+IL-4+labeled Th2 cells in peripheral blood of mice in high-XBJ group increased,the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).In addition,compared with the low-XBJ group,the improvement effect of the above detection indicators in the high-XBJ group was more obvious,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Xuebijing can improve hippocampal neuronal damage in anti-NMDAR encephalitis mice,which may play a therapeutic role by reducing the expression of IFN-γ,promoting the expression of IL-4 and maintaining the balance of Th1/Th2 cells.

Objective:To explore and analyze the clinical features and prognostic factors of secondary intestinal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(SI-DLBCL),in order to provide reference for the basic research and clinical diagnosis and treatment of secondary lymphoma of rare sites in the field of hematology.Methods:The clinical data of 138 patients with SI-DLBCL admitted to Fujian Medical University Union Hospital from June 2011 to June 2022 were collected and sorted,the clinical and pathological features,diagnosis,treatment and prognosis were analyzed.Cox regression risk model was used to conduct univariate and multivariate analysis on the prognostic risk factors.Results:Among the 138 patients with SI-DLBCL included in this study,85(61.59％)were male,53(38.41％)were female,the median age of onset was 59.5(16-84)years,the clinical manifestations lacked specificity,the first-line treatment regimen was mainly chemotherapy(67.39％),94 cases(68.12％)received chemotherapy alone,40 cases(28.98％)were treated with chemotherapy combined with surgery,and 4 cases(2.90％)were treated with surgery alone.The median follow-up time was 72(1-148)months.Among the 138 patients with SI-DLBCL,79(57.25％)survived,34(24.64％)died,25 cases(18.12％)lost to follow-up,the PFS rates of 1-year,3-year and 5-year were 57.97％,49.28％and 32.61％,and the OS rates of 1-year,3-year and 5-year were 60.14％,54.35％and 34.06％,respectively.The results of univariate Cox regression analysis showed that age,Lugano stage and IPI score were the influencing factors of OS in SI-DLBCL patients,and age,Lugano stage and IPI score were the influencing factors of PFS in SI-DLBCL patients.The results of multivariate Cox analysis showed that Lugano stage was an independent prognostic factor affecting OS and PFS in SI-DLBCL patients.Conclusion:Patients with SI-DLBCL are more common in middle-aged and elderly men,and the early clinical manifestations lack specificity,and the first-line treatment regimen is mainly R-CHOP chemotherapy,and Lugano stage is an independent prognostic factor affecting OS and PFS in SI-DLBCL patients.

Objective:To explore the causes of platelet aggregation in version 6.4 Trima Accel automated blood collection system and the effect of 2 intervention measures.Methods:The data on platelet aggregation(n=61)and non-aggregation(n=323)of 61 donors in 2020 were collected and the causes of aggregation were analyzed.Then the 72 donors with platelet aggregation in 2021 were randomized into intervention group A(increasing the anticoagulant-to-blood ratio)and intervention group B(wrapping the donor's arm with an electric blanket to keep warm and improve the blood flow speed).The collection time,average blood flow speed,number of machine alarms,anticoagulant usage,deaggregation and citrate reaction of the two groups were compared.Results:Platelet aggregation was negatively correlated with the average blood flow speed(r=-0.394)and positively correlated with the collection time(r=0.458).The equations for predicting aggregation and non-aggregation were constructed based on Bayesian and Fisher discriminant analysis,and the predicted accuracy was 77.1％.The comparison of the effects of two intervention measures showed that the average blood flow speed in group B was higher than that in group A;the collection time,number of machine alarms,anticoagulant usage and proportion of citrate reaction in blood donors in group B were all lower than those in Group A,all these differences were significant(P＜0.05).In the entire cohort in 2021,90.28％of the products were immediately deaggregated after collection,and 9.72％of the products were deaggregated within 4 hours.There was no statistically significant difference in deaggregation between the two intervention groups(P＞0.05).Conclusion:During apheresis platelet collection,the predictive equations for aggregation and non-aggregation can be used to predict the occurrence probability of aggregation,and the intervention can be made in advance.Both intervention measures are effective in reducing platelet aggregation,however,measure B has the advantages of improving the speed of blood collection,shortening the collection time,reducing the alarm frequency and the anticoagulant usage,and reducing the incidence of citrate reaction in blood donors.