Objective To investigate the cross-talk between extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) signal transduction pathways in A375 human melanoma cells.Methods Cultured A375 cells were randomly divided into 5 groups:control group receiving no treatment,two U0126 (a selective inhibitor of the ERK signaling pathway) groups treated with U0126 of 10 and 5 μmol/L,and two BMS-345541 groups treated with BMS-345541 of 10 and 5 μmol/L.After 24-hour treatment,Western blot and reverse transcription PCR were performed to measure the protein expressions of NF-κB P65,phosphorylated IκBα (p-IκBα),ERK1/2,as well as p-ERK1/2,and the mRNA expressions of NF-κB P65 and ERK1,respectively.One-way analysis of variance and least significant difference (LSD)-t test were carried out for statistical analysis.Results After 24 hours of treatment with U0126 of 10 and 5 μmol/L,a significant decrease was noted in the relative expression level of NF-κB p65 protein (0.60 ± 0.04 and 0.56 ± 0.06 vs.1.54 ± 0.15,both P＜ 0.01) and mRNA (0.79 ± 0.05 and 0.75 ± 0.04 vs.0.86 ± 0.05,both P ＜ 0.01),but a statistical increase in that of p-IκBα protein (0.90 ± 0.05 and 0.70 ± 0.02 vs.0.61 ± 0.03,both P ＜ 0.01) in the two U0126 groups compared with the control group; significant differences were observed in the expression level of p-IκBo protein (P ＜ 0.01) but not in that of NF-κB p65 protein (P ＞ 0.01) between the two U0126 groups.The relative expression levels of ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 proteins as well as ERK1 mRNA were significantly higher in the control A375 cells than those in the cells treated with BMS-345541 of 10 μmol/L (0.73 ± 0.07,0.75 ± 0.09,1.51 ± 0.02,all P ＜ 0.01),but similar to those treated with BMS-345541 of 5 μmol/L (0.94 ± 0.11,0.99 ± 0.04,1.62 ± 0.03,all P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion There is a cross-talk between ERK and NF-κB signal transduction pathways in A375 melanoma cells.

Objective:To investigate the effectiveness and safety of soothing moisturizing repair cream on acne depressed scar exfoliative fractional laser wound repair.Methods:From October 2018 to June 2020, the Department of Dermatology, Qingdao Haici Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University took 33 patients with acne depressed scars as the research object, including 8 males and 25 females, aged from 20 to 36 years (29.6±8.6) years. The left and right face comparison method was adopted. After laser operation, the trial side was given a soothing moisturizing repair cream, and the control side was given a placebo. By collecting the patient's facial pictures and objective skin data before and after the laser operation, 1 h, 1 d, 3 d, 7 d, 21 d, and combined with the researcher's semi-subjective evaluation and patient's subjective evaluation the wound skin reaction and wound healing were observed.Results:At 1, 3, 7, 21 days after laser operation, the skin water content of the test side was higher than that of the control side ( P<0.05), and the skin water loss was lower than the control side ( P<0.05); at 3, 7, 21 days, the skin pigment of the test side was lower than the control side ( P<0.05); at 3, 7 d, the test side skin erythema index was lower than the control side ( P<0.05); at 1, 3, 7 d, the test side wound skin erythema, edema, dryness and tightness, etc. were better than the control side ( P<0.05). The duration of pain, crusting time, scab removal time, and complete healing time of the wound on the test side were shorter than those on the control side ( P<0.05). The patient's satisfaction with the moisturization and comfort of the nursing products on the trial side was better than that on the control side ( P<0.05). Conclusions:There is no adverse reaction to the soothing moisturizing repair cream after laser surgery, which can better inhibit skin inflammation, reduce post-inflammatory pigmentation, promote skin healing, and help repair the wound after laser surgery.

Objective To evaluate the impact of particulate matter (PM) pollution on the hospitalization for respiratory diseases (RD), to estimate the avoidable economic loss by reducing the level of PM pollution, and to provide a basis for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of air pollution control. Methods The data of RD inpatients in two class-A tertiary hospitals in Wuhan from 2015 to 2019, PM concentration and meteorological data in Wuhan in the same period were collected. The generalized additive model (GAM) was used to estimate the impact of PM on the number of RD inpatients, and the cost of illness approach (COI) was used to estimate the avoidable economic loss caused by the reduction of PM concentration. Results PM pollution caused an increase in the number of RD inpatients. Each 10 g/m³ increase in PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations resulted in an increase of 1.71% and 0.71% in the number of RD inpatients, respectively. Among them, men and children aged 0-14 years were more affected. For every 10 g/m³ increase in PM_2.5 concentration, the number of hospitalized men and children aged 0-14 years increased by 1.97% and 2.65%, respectively. For every 10 g/m³ increase in PM₁₀ concentration, the number of hospitalized men and children aged 0-14 years increased by 0.87% and 0.88%, respectively. PM pollution caused 63 300 hospitalizations and 1.214 billion yuan of economic losses in 2015-2019,Wuhan. If the PM concentration is reduced to the recommended value of the World Health Organization in the same period, 194 million yuan of economic loss and 10100 hospitalizations could be avoided every year in Wuhan. Conclusion PM exposure can lead to heavy disease burden and economic loss. Taking effective measures to control PM concentration will bring great economic benefits.

Objective:To evaluate the safety and efficacy of enteromorpha prolifera enzymatic hydrolysate in alleviating scalp sensitive symptoms.Methods:The inhibitory effects of different concentrations of enteromorpha prolifera hydrolysate on tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-6, and other inflammatory factors were observed through in vitro experiments. Subsequently, the abilities to scavenge [2, 2＇-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] (ABTS) and to promote proliferation of mouse fibroblasts were evaluated. A prospective study was conducted on 20 patients with scalp sensitivity at Qingdao Hiser Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University from April 2023 to October 2023. The patients included 2 males and 18 females with an average age of (34.9±10.3) years. They were treated with a scalp essence containing 10% enteromorpha enzymatic hydrolysate for consecutive 28 days. Changes in scalp cuticle water content, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and oil content were measured before and after 14 and 28 days of treatment. Expert interviewers assessed the skin irritation test to elucidate any undesirable side effects.Results:The results of in vitro experiments demonstrated that enteromorpha protophora enzymatic hydrolysate at different concentrations exhibited inhibitory effects on the expression of IL-1α, IL-6, and TNF-α, while it also displayed a dose-dependent ability to scavenge ABTS free radicals. Furthermore, it effectively promoted the proliferation of mouse fibroblasts, resulting in a significant increase of 43.22% in fibroblast viability when the concentration of enteromorpha protophora enzymatic hydrolysate was 0.10%. The outcomes from clinical trials revealed that after using a scalp essence containing enteromorpha protophora enzymatic hydrolysate for 14 and 28 days, there were significant improvements observed in terms of increased water content in the scalp epidermis, along with decreased oil content and TEWL value (all P< 0.001). Moreover, remarkable effective rates were achieved for treating various scalp conditions including redness (80.0%, 16/20), dandruff (80.0%, 16/20), itching (85.0%, 17/20), stinging sensation (90.0%, 18/20), and tightness (80.0%, 16/20) after using the scalp essence for 28 days. Adverse effects on the skin were not observed in any subject during the test period. Conclusions:The enzymatic hydrolysate of enteromorpha demonstrates both safety and efficacy in alleviating symptoms associated with scalp sensitivity.

Objective:To screen active antibacterial components from licorice extract using BamA and BamD, the core components of Escherichia coli ( E. coli) β-barrel assembly machinery (BAM), as targets in order to combat the increasingly serious problem of antibiotic resistance. Methods:Affinity ultrafiltration combined with high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was used to screen the potential components interacting with BamA and BamD from licorice extract. Changes in the expression of bamA and bamD genes of E. coli after treatment with the compounds were detected by fluorescence quantitative PCR, and the effects of the compounds on the function of the BAM complex to integrate outer membrane proteins into the bacterial outer membrane were analyzed using an in vitro recombination system. The influence of the compounds on the integrity of bacterial membranes was evaluated through analyzing the accumulation of SDS within the bacterial cells. Results:Bioaffinity ultrafiltration combined with HPLC-MS screening revealed that 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid could interact with BamD. After 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid treatment, the expression of bamA gene increased by 1.5 times, and the expression of bamD gene increased by 2 times. However, the inhibitory effect of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid on the membrane insertion function of the BAM complex was not observed in the in vitro recombinant system assay, and the cell membrane integrity assay experiments did not reveal any disruption of the E. coli cell membrane by 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid. Conclusions:Using BamA and BamD proteins as targets, a natural product screening method using affinity ultrafiltration combined with HPLC-MS is established. The screening result shows that 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid can interact with BamD and affect the expression of outer membrane proteins in E. coli. Therefore, the screening and experimental procedures established in this study are of good reference value for the screening of novel antimicrobial drugs from other sources targeting outer membrane proteins, and this study also suggests that the selection of the relevant target sites is crucial for the successful screening of the corresponding natural products.