AIM: To investigate the effects of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and hyperlipidemia on the expression of NF-?B and AP-1 in the myocardium. METHODS: The indirect immunofluorescence method was used to examine wild C57BL/6J mice infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae and fed with an atherogenic diet. The expression of the subunit of NF-?B, P50, and c-Fos in the murine myocardium was observed. RESULTS: Chlamydia pneumoniae infection and hyperlipidemia induced the activation of NF-?B and AP-1 in murine myocardium. P50 and c-Fos were not detected in the controls, but there were different levels of positive expression in the experiments (P

Objective To evaluate the effect of dexmedetomidine on lung injury induced by renal ischemia/reperfusion (l/R) in rats.Methods Healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats,aged 4-5 months,weighing 250-300 g,were randomized into 4 groups (n =10 each) using a random number table:sham operation group (group S); group I/R; dexmedetomidine pretreatment group (group D1) and dexmedetomidine postconditioning group (group D2).Renal I/R was induced by right nephrectomy and occlusion of the left kidney for 45 min followed by reperfusion in animals anesthetized with intraperitoneal chloral hydrate.In group D1,dexmedetomidine was infused intravenously starting from 30 min before ischemia until beginning of ischemia.In group D2,starting from onset of reperfusion until 30 min of reperfusion,dexmedetomidine was infused intravenously for 10 min at a rate of 1 μg· kg-1 · h-1,and then infused for 20 min at 0.5 μg· kg-1 · h 1.Blood samples were collected at 6 h of reperfusion to determine serum creatinine,blood urea nitrogen,interleukin-1β (IL-1β),IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) concentrations,and IL-1β,IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF).Lungs were removed for microscopic examination and for determination of wet/dry lung weight ratio.Results Compared with group S,wet/dry lung weight ratio,serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen concentrations,and IL-1β,TNF-α and IL-6 concentrations in serum and BALF were significantly increased in the other three groups (P ＜ 0.05).The parameters mentioned above were significantly lower in D1 and D2 groups than in I/R group (P ＜ 0.05).Microscopic examination showed that the pathological changes were significantly attenuated in D1 and D2 groups as compared with I/R group.Conclusion Both dexmedetomidine pretreatment and postconditioning can attenuate lung injury induced by renal I/R and inhibition of inflammatory responses is involved in the mechanism.

Objective To explore the efficacy of triple therapy and sequential therapy in the eradication of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) in patients receiving long-term non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) treatment.Methods Patients receiving long-term NSAID treatment were enrolled in this study.Patients diagnosed as Hp infection were divided into triple therapy and sequential therapy groups.The patients in triple therapy group received omeprazole,clarithromycin and amoxicillin theray for 10 days.The patients in sequential group received esomeprazole with amoxicillin for five days,and then esomeprazole with clarithromycin and metronidazole for another five days.All patients were given mucosal protective therapy as maintenance treatment after eradication therapy and followed up for 12 weeks.Patients underwent endoscopy examination and Hp testing before and after follow-up.Hp eradication rates were compared with the intention-to-treat (ITT) and per protocol (PP) analysis.Results According to ITT analysis,the eradication rates of Hp in triple therapy group and sequential therapy group were 78.4 ％ (40/51) and 80.0 ％ (40/50) respectively,there was no significant difference between these two groups (x2 =0.038,P=0.846).According to PP analysis,the eradication rates of Hp in triple therapy group and sequential therapy group were 84.4％ (38/45) and 87.0％ (40/46) respectively,there was no significant difference between these two groups either (x2=0.117,P=0.732).Conclusion There was no significant difference in Hp eradication between triple therapy and sequential therapy in patients receiving long-term NSAID treatment.

Objective To investigate the effect ofmiR-184 on proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs) and its mechanisms in mice.Methods The pHBLV-U6-GFP-miR-184 over-expression plasmid and pHBLV-U6-GFP-miR-184 inhibitor plasmid were used to construct recombinant lentivirus.And the NSCs derived fiom subventricular zone of E14d CD1 mouse were confirmed by immunofluorescence assay.There were four groups that contain a miR-184 overexpression group,a miR-184 inhibitor group and two control groups.The NSCs which infected with lentiviral vectors were selected for puromycin resistance for 5-7 days,and then surviving cells were cultivated to three generations.The expression level ofmiR-184 was detected by real time-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR).And the target genes ofmiR-184 were predicted through TargetScan,IRTarBase and MiRanda,and were confirmed by Western blotting and RT-qPCR.The cells in the four groups were culttared under proliferating conditions incorporated bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) in cell proliferation analyses.The protein expressions of Hesl and Hes5,the target proteins of Notch signaling pathways,and their mRNA expressions were detected by Western blotting and RT-qPCR.Results There were 90％ of cells in each group expressing both Nestin and Sox2.The miR-184 level in the miR-184 overexpression group was 67.63±7.53 times of that of the control group,with significant difference (P＜0.05).The percent of BrdU+/DAPI+ of the miR-184 overexpression group was 1.47±0.05 times of that in the control group,with significant difference (P＜0.05);and the percent of BrdU+/DAPI+ of the miR-184 inhibitor group was 0.84±0.03 times of that in the inhibitor control group,with significant difference (P＜0.05).Numbl was a target gene ofmiR-184 indicated by IRTarBase and MiRanda.The miR-184 could inhibit Numbl protein expression;the Numbl protein expression level in the miR-184 overexpression group was 0.73±0.07times of that in the control group,and the Numbl protein expression level in the miR-184 inhibitor group was 1.30±0.05 times of that in the control group,with significant difference (P＜0.05);but miR-184 did not change the Numbl mRNA level.The miR-184 could activate Notch signaling pathway through inhibiting the Numbl protein expression,and increase the Hes1 and Hes5 protein and mRNA expression levels (P＜0.05).Conclusion The miR-184 promotes the NSCs proliferation through inhibiting the Numbl protein translation and further activating the Notch signaling pathway.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) has become an increasingly important health challenge, with a substantial rise linked to changing lifestyles and global obesity. Ursolic acid, a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid, has been explored for its potential therapeutic effects. Given its multifunctional bioactive properties, this research further revealed the pharmacological mechanisms of ursolic acid on MASLD. Methods: Drug target chips and bioinformatics analysis were combined in this study to explore the potential therapeutic effects of ursolic acid on MASLD. Molecular docking simulations, surface plasmon resonance analyses, pull-down experiments, and co-immunoprecipitation assays were used to verify the direct interactions. Gene knockdown mice were generated, and high-fat diets were used to validate drug efficacy. Furthermore, initial CD4+ T cells were isolated and stimulated to demonstrate our findings. Results: In this study, the multifunctional extracellular matrix phosphorylated glycoprotein secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) was investigated, highlighting its capability to induce Th17 cell differentiation, amplifying inflammatory cascades, and subsequently promoting the evolution of MASLD. In addition, this study revealed that in addition to the canonical TGF-β/IL-6 cytokine pathway, SPP1 can directly interact with ITGB1 and CD44, orchestrating Th17 cell differentiation via their joint downstream ERK signaling pathway. Remarkably, ursolic acid intervention notably suppressed the protein activity of SPP1, suggesting a promising avenue for ameliorating the immunoinflammatory trajectory in MASLD progression. Conclusions Ursolic acid could improve immune inflammation in MASLD by modulating SPP1-mediated Th17 cell differentiation via the ERK signaling pathway, which is orchestrated jointly by ITGB1 and CD44, emerging as a linchpin in this molecular cascade.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and short-term efficacy of stent on 17 patients with very small intracranial aneurysms.
 METHODS: A total of 17 patients with very small intracranial aneurysms were treated by LVIS stent from October 2014 to November 2015. The location, size of the aneurysms and the branch around aneurysms were evaluated by digital subtraction angiography (DSA). The metal coverage for aneurysms was enhanced by using deployment technology ("compression" mode). The safety and efficacy were assessed after operation.
 RESULTS: LVIS stents-assisted treatments for very small aneurysms were carried out in 17 cases, including 7 cases of paraclinoid aneurysms, 4 cases of posterior communicating artery aneurysms, 3 cases of anterior communicating artery aneurysms, 2 cases of carotid bifurcation aneurysms, 1 case of the superior cerebellar artery aneurysm. The stents for 17 patients with very small intracranial aneurysms were released completely (100%); Raymond grade I embolization was seen in 13 cases (76.5%); Raymond grade II embolization was seen in 4 cases (23.5%); during the follow up from a month to a year, 16 patients showed good curative effect (with the mRS score at 0-2), 1 showed poor effect (with the mRS score at 3-6), and the efficacy rate was 94.1%; no perioperative hemorrhagic and ischemic complications happened.
 CONCLUSION LVIS stent-assisted therapy for very small intracranial aneurysms by using deployment technology was safe and feasible, which can significantly improve the embolization rate for very small aneurysms.
Basilar Artery ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Safety ; Stents

OBJECTIVE： To establish the method for content determination of total flavonoids from Combretum alfrdii， and to optimize the extraction technology of total flavonoids from C. alfrdii. METHODS： Using aluminium trichloride as， chromogenic agent， UV spectrum was adopted to determine the content of total flavonoids from C. alfrdii. Based on single factor test， ethanol volume fraction， material-liquid ratio， extraction time， extraction temperature and times were selected as investigation factors， and the content of total flavonoids was selected as response value， Plackett-Burman design was used to screen the factors that had significant influence on the content of total flavonoidsfrom C. alfrdii. Then steepest climbing test was adopted to confirm the optimum valuing range； the extraction technology of total flavonoids was optimized by Box-Behnken response methodology. RESULTS： The linear range of total flavonoids were 0.012-0.036 mg/mL （r＝0.999 9）； RSDs of precision， stability and repeatability tests were less than 3％； the recovery ranged from 92.98％ to 99.86％ （RSD＝2.71％， n＝6）. The optimal extraction technology included that 60％ ethanol， material-liquid ratio of 1 ∶ 34 （g/mL）， extracting for 3 times， lasting for 60 min， extraction temperature of 80 ℃. Under this technology， average content of total flavonoids from C. alfrdii was 2.71％ （RSD＝1.69％， n＝6）， and the relative error was 2.65％ compared with predicted value of the model （2.64％）. CONCLUSIONS： Established method is stable and reproducible， and can be used for content determination of total flavonoids from C. alfrdii. The optimized extraction method is stable and feasible.

To establish an injectable hydrogel containing Prussian blue (PB) nanospheres for photothermal therapy against cancer, PB nanospheres were prepared by one-pot synthesis and the thermosensitive Pluronic F127 was used as the hydrogel matrix. The PB nanospheres and the hydrogel were characterized by shape, particle size, serum stability, photothermal performance upon repeated 808 nm laser irradiation, as well as the rheological features. The effect of the PB nanospheres and the hydrogel were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively in 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells. The retention, photothermal efficacy, therapeutic effects and systemic toxicity of the hydrogel were assessed in a tumor-bearing mouse model. The PB nanospheres had a diameter of about 150 nm and exhibited satisfactory serum stability, photo-heat convert ability and repeated laser exposure stability. The hydrogel encapsulation did not negatively influence the above features of the photothermal agent. The nanosphere-containing hydrogel showed a phase transition at body temperature and, as a result, a long retention time . The photothermal agent-embedded hydrogel displayed promising photothermal therapeutic effects in the tumor-bearing mouse model with little-to-no systemic toxicity after peritumoral administration.