Objective To evaluate the effect of total glucosides of paeony (TGP) on the expression of interleukin-18 (IL-18) in human HaCaT keratinocytes,and to explore the roles of extracelluar signal-regulated protein kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase 1/2 (JNK1/2) signaling pathways in the effect.Methods Some cultured human HaCaT keratinocytes were classified into three groups:control group treated with dimethyl sulfoxide (0.031％),TGP groups treated with 6 different concentrations (0.5,2.5,12.5,62.5,125.0 and 312.5 mg/L) of TGP respectively,inhibitor groups treated with TGP of 125 mg/L after 2-hour pretreatment with PD98059 (an ERK1/2 inhibitor) and SP600125 (a JNK1/2 inhibitor) of 10 μmol/L respectively.After additional culture for 48 hours,reverse transcription (RT)-PCR was performed to measure the mRNA expression level of IL-18,and enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to determine the level of IL-18 protein in the culture supematant of HaCaT cells.Some HaCaT keratinocytes were classified into two groups to be treated with TGP of 125 mg/L for 15,30 and 60 minutes with or without the pretreatment with PD98059 and SP600125 of 10 μmol/L; then,Western blot was carried out to determine the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2 and JNK1/2 in HaCaT cells.Results The levels of IL-18 mRNA and protein in culture supernatant were significantly increased by TGP of 0.5 and 2.5 mg/L,but decreased by TGP of 62.5 and 125.0 mg/L,and TGP of 125.0 mg/L showed the strongest inhibitory effect.After treatment with TGP of 125.0 mg/L,the level of phosphorylated ERK1/2 in HaCaT cells peaked at 15 minutes (0.448 ± 0.018),decreased to 0.213 ± 0.005 at 30 minutes and 0.217 ± 0.005 at 60 minutes,with significant differences between TGP-treated and untreated cells at 15 minutes (0.448 ± 0.018 vs.0.204 ± 0.005,P＜ 0.05) but not at 30 or 60 minutes (both P ＞ 0.05).The phosphorylation level of ERK1/2 was 0.237 ± 0.010 in HaCaT cells pretreated with PD98059 prior to the treatment with TGP,significantly different from that in HaCaT cells treated with TGP only (P ＜0.01).TGP of 125.0 mg/L had no obvious effect on JNK phosphorylation,and there was no significant difference in the level of phosphorylated JNK1/2 between HaCaT cells untreated and those treated with TGP of 125.0 mg/L for different durations (all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions TGP can inhibit the expression of IL-18 mRNA and protein in HaCaT cells,likely through the ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND:Increasing reports have focused on the application of tranexamic acid to reduce bleeding during total knee arthroplasty, but its usage method remains controversial.
OBJECTIVE:To explore the impact of topical articular application of tranexamic acid and intravenous application of tranexamic acid on blood loss during primary unilateral total knee arthroplasty.
METHODS:According to randomized control ed principle, 90 patients who received unilateral total knee arthroplasty in the Tengzhou Central People’s Hospital from October 2013 to December 2014 were enrol ed in this study, and randomly assigned to intravenous injection group and topical injection group (n=45). Patients in the intravenous injection group were given tranexamic acid by intravenous injection (10 mg/kg, maximum 1.2 g) during the induction of anaesthesia. Patients in the topical injection group were given intraarticularly tranexamic acid (2 g dissolved in 50 mL physiological saline) before articular capsule suture and after prosthesis fixation. Drainage amount after replacement, hemoglobin and hematocrit on the next day after replacement, and the number of blood transfusion population were compared between the two groups. Simultaneously, clinical symptoms of pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis in the lower limb were observed. If necessary, lower extremity vascular Doppler ultrasound was conducted.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:No significant differences in drainage amount after replacement, hemoglobin and hematocrit on the next day after replacement, the number of blood transfusion population, and the proportion of blood transfusion were detected between the two groups (P>0.05). No deep vein thrombosis was found in the lower limbs at 14 days after replacement in both groups. These findings confirm that compared with intravenous systemic application, periarticular topical application of tranexamic acid during total knee replacement could obtain identical effects on reducing blood loss and blood transfusion after surgery, and could avoid relevant complications of intravenous application of tranexamic acid.

BACKGROUND: Reducing perioperative blood loss in total hip arthroplasty is a hot topic for joint surgeons. Both intravenous infusion and intra-articular injection of tranexamic acid significantly reduce perioperative blood loss, blood transfusion volume, and need for blood transfusion in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty. However, differences between the intravenous and intra-articular methods are not clear.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of these two tranexamic acid administration methods on perioperative blood loss in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty.METHODS: We are conducting a prospective, single-center, open-label, randomized, controlled clinical trial at the Tengzhou Central People's Hospital, China. Ninety patients undergoing unilateral total hip arthroplasty have been randomized into three groups. In the intravenous infusion group (n=30), 15 mg/kg tranexamic acid diluted in 100 mL physiological saline was infused intravenously at the beginning of surgery and 20 mL of physiological saline was injected intra-articularly after deep fascia suturing. In the intra-articular injection group (n=30), 100 mL of physiological saline was infused intravenously at the beginning of surgery and a mixture of 1.5 g tranexamic acid and 20 mL physiological saline was injected intra-articularly after deep fascia suturing. In the control group (n=30), 100 mL of physiological saline was infused intravenously at the beginning of surgery and 20 mL of physiological saline was injected intra-articularly after deep fascia suturing. The primary outcome is hidden blood loss at 1 and 3 days postoperatively. The secondary outcomes are visible blood loss, need for blood transfusion, and mean blood transfusion volume intraoperatively and on days 1 and 3 postoperatively. Other outcomes are the incidence of adverse reactions and complications within 3 months of surgery. The study protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Tengzhou Central People's Hospital of China, approval number 2015-026. All protocols will be performed in accordance with the Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects in the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was provided by each patient and their family members after they indicated that they fully understood the treatment plan.DISCUSSION: This trial was designed in April 2015. Cases were collected in July 2015. Data analysis will be finished in December 2017. This study is designed to investigate the effects of intravenous infusion versus intra-articular injection of tranexamic acid on perioperative blood loss in patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty to determine the more effective mode of administration.

AIM: To investigate the predictive value of serum histone deacetylase 1(HDAC1)and endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)for infectious endophthalmitis after cataract surgery.METHODS: A total of 362 cataract patients(362 eyes)admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to January 2023 were selected as the research objects. According to the occurrence of postoperative infectious endophthalmitis, they were divided into infection group(15 cases, 15 eyes)and non-infection group(347 cases, 347 eyes). Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was applied to detect the levels of serum HDAC1 and eNOS in all subjects, and the levels of serum HDAC1 and eNOS in both groups were compared; the influencing factors of infectious endophthalmitis were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression; the receiver operative curve(ROC)was applied to analyze the predictive value of serum HDAC1 and eNOS levels for postoperative infectious endophthalmitis in cataract patients.RESULTS: The levels of serum HDAC1 and eNOS in the infected group were obviously higher than those in the uninfected group(all P<0.01). Surgical time, vitreous overflow, HDAC1, and eNOS were all risk factors for postoperative infectious endophthalmitis(all P<0.05). ROC results showed that the AUC of HDAC1 and eNOS in predicting postoperative infectious endophthalmitis in cataract patients was 0.878 and 0.877, respectively, with sensitivity of 88.7% and 87.7%, specificity of 70.4% and 7.8%, respectively, while the AUC of the two combination in predicting postoperative infectious endophthalmitis in cataract patients was 0.978, with a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 85.3%.CONCLUSION:The serum levels of HDAC1 and eNOS in patients with infectious endophthalmitis after cataract surgery are obviously increased, and the combined detection of serum HDAC1 and eNOS can improve the predictive efficacy of infectious endophthalmitis in cataract patients after surgery. Both can provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

AIM: To investigate the predictive value of serum histone deacetylase 1(HDAC1)and endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)for infectious endophthalmitis after cataract surgery.METHODS: A total of 362 cataract patients(362 eyes)admitted to our hospital from January 2020 to January 2023 were selected as the research objects. According to the occurrence of postoperative infectious endophthalmitis, they were divided into infection group(15 cases, 15 eyes)and non-infection group(347 cases, 347 eyes). Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was applied to detect the levels of serum HDAC1 and eNOS in all subjects, and the levels of serum HDAC1 and eNOS in both groups were compared; the influencing factors of infectious endophthalmitis were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression; the receiver operative curve(ROC)was applied to analyze the predictive value of serum HDAC1 and eNOS levels for postoperative infectious endophthalmitis in cataract patients.RESULTS: The levels of serum HDAC1 and eNOS in the infected group were obviously higher than those in the uninfected group(all P<0.01). Surgical time, vitreous overflow, HDAC1, and eNOS were all risk factors for postoperative infectious endophthalmitis(all P<0.05). ROC results showed that the AUC of HDAC1 and eNOS in predicting postoperative infectious endophthalmitis in cataract patients was 0.878 and 0.877, respectively, with sensitivity of 88.7% and 87.7%, specificity of 70.4% and 7.8%, respectively, while the AUC of the two combination in predicting postoperative infectious endophthalmitis in cataract patients was 0.978, with a sensitivity of 86.7% and a specificity of 85.3%.CONCLUSION:The serum levels of HDAC1 and eNOS in patients with infectious endophthalmitis after cataract surgery are obviously increased, and the combined detection of serum HDAC1 and eNOS can improve the predictive efficacy of infectious endophthalmitis in cataract patients after surgery. Both can provide reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

AIM: To investigate the expression changes and significance of serum microRNA-34a-5p(miR-34a-5p)and silent information regulator T1(SIRT1)in patients with endophthalmitis after cataract surgery.METHODS: Patients with endophthalmitis after cataract surgery from May 2020 to May 2024 were selected as infection group(20 cases), and patients without endophthalmitis were selected as control group(74 cases). Serum SIRT1 levels were detected by ELISA; the serum level of serum miR-34a-5p was detected by qRT-PCR; the correlation between miR-34a-5p and SIRT1 was analyzed by Pearson method; Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of endophthalmitis after cataract operation. Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to analyze the diagnostic value of serum miR-34a-5p and SIRT1 levels in postoperative endophthalmitis.RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the serum level of miR-34a-5p in the infected group was significantly increased(P<0.001), and the serum level of SIRT1 was significantly decreased(P<0.001). Correlation analysis showed that miR-34a-5p was negatively correlated with SIRT1(r=-0.421, P<0.001). Logistic multivariate regression analysis showed that miR-34a-5p was an independent risk factor affecting endophthalmitis infection after cataract surgery(OR=3.532, P<0.05), and SIRT1 was a protective factor affecting endophthalmitis infection after cataract surgery(OR=0.875, P<0.05). The ROC curve showed that the area under curve(AUC)of serum miR-34a-5p combined with SIRT1 in the diagnosis of postoperative endophthalmitis was 0.933(95%CI: 0.861-0.975).CONCLUSION:Serum levels of miR-34a-5p are highly expressed and SIRT1 is lowly expressed in postoperative endophthalmitis, they are closely related to the occurrence and development of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery.

AIM: To explore the value of changes in the serum expression levels of triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1(TREM-1)and matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP-9)in early clinical diagnosis of postoperative endophthalmitis in patients with cataract surgery.METHODS: A total of 21 patients who underwent cataract surgery with infectious endophthalmitis in our hospital from May 2021 to May 2023 were selected as the study subjects(endophthalmitis group), and another 100 patients who underwent cataract surgery without endophthalmitis were selected as the non-endophthalmitis group. The serum levels of TREM-1, MMP-9, and the expression levels of inflammatory factors such as interleukin-1β(IL-1β), IL-17, and tumor necrosis factors-α(TNF-α)were detected and compared between the endophthalmitis group and the non-endophthalmitis group. The correlation between TREM-1 and MMP-9 was analyzed by Pearson method. Logistic regression was applied to analyze the factors that affected the occurrence of endophthalmitis in cataract patients after surgery. Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was applied to analyze the early clinical diagnostic efficacy of TREM-1 and MMP-9 levels for postoperative endophthalmitis in cataract patients.RESULTS: Compared with the non-endophthalmitis group after cataract surgery, the expression levels of serum TREM-1, MMP-9, and inflammatory factors IL-1β, IL-17, and TNF-α in the endophthalmitis group were obviously increased(all P<0.05), and the TREM-1 was positively correlated with MMP-9(r=0.389, P<0.001). Logistic regression results showed that elevated levels of serum TREM-1 and MMP-9 expression, and vitreous overflow were independent risk factors for postoperative endophthalmitis in cataract patients(all P<0.05). ROC curve showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of TREM-1, MMP-9, and their combination in diagnosing postoperative endophthalmitis in cataract patients was 0.845, 0.844, and 0.935, respectively, and the clinical efficacy of the combination of the two in early diagnosis of postoperative endophthalmitis in cataract patients was better than that of serum TREM-1 and MMP-9 alone(all P<0.05).CONCLUSION: The expression levels of serum TREM-1 and MMP-9 in patients with endophthalmitis after cataract surgery are abnormally elevated, and the combination of the two has high clinical application value in early diagnosis of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery.