OBJECTIVE:To prepare nifedipine (NF) hollow controlled-release microspheres and evaluate the quality. METH-ODS:Solvent diffusion volatilization method was used to prepare microspheres,using comprehensive scores of cumulative release in 2,12,24 h(Q2 h,Q12 h,Q24 h)as indexes,orthogonal test was designed to screen the carrier material ethyl cellulose(EC),poly-vinyl pyrrolidone(PVP)and main drug NF amounts;appearance,particle size distribution,drug loading,floating and cumulative release of the microspheres prepared by optimal formulation were evaluated and compared of in vitro release behavior with imported preparation of Nifedipine controlled-release tablets (Adalat?). RESULTS:The optimal formulation was as follow as NF 3.00 g, PVP 1.60 g,EC 15.65 g. Prepared NF hollow controlled-release microspheres were spherical in shape with particle size distribution of 24-40 mesh and drug loading of 8.66%;24 h floating rate in release medium was 97.93%,Q2 h,Q12 h,Q24 h were 20.49%, 52.90%,91.00%(RSD<10%,n=3). Compared with the imported preparation,similarity factor f2 values of cumulative release were higher than 50,showing in vitro drug-release was consistent with the zero-order kinetic equation (r=0.9993);n of Rit-ger-Peppas equation (r=0.9807) was 0.478. CONCLUSIONS:Prepare NF hollow controlled-release microspheres show similar drug-release behavior with the imported preparation,the drug is released by the combination of diffusion and erosion.

Objective:To explore if there is premature senescence of chondrocytes in patients with Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) and osteoarthritis.Methods:Five knee cartilage samples of KBD, osteoarthritis and control groups were collected, respectively, from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University. DNA was then extracted from cartilage samples and DNA methylation was analyzed by Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. At the same time, based on genome-wide methylation data, the online DNA methylation aging clock calculator (https://dnamage.genetics.ucla.edu/home) was used to calculate the DNA methylation age (DNAm age) of samples, and the results were compared with their actual ages.Results:In the comparison between KBD group and control group, 1 212 differentially methylated CpG sites were found, including 497 hypermethylated CpG sites and 715 hypomethylated CpG sites, corresponding to 264 hypermethylated genes and 368 hypomethylated genes, respectively. In the comparison between osteoarthritis group and control group, 656 differentially methylated CpG sites were found, including 343 hypermethylated CpG sites and 313 hypomethylated CpG sites, corresponding to 177 hypermethylated genes and 174 hypomethylated genes, respectively. In the above comparison, 367 overlapped CpG sites (corresponding to 182 genes) were found, which were differentially methylated in both KBD and control groups and osteoarthritis and control groups. The results of DNA methylation aging clock showed that the average age acceleration differences between DNAm age and actual age of KBD, osteoarthritis and control groups were 2.549, 0.017, and - 5.364 years, respectively, the DNAm ages of KBD and osteoarthritis groups were greater than the actual ages.Conclusion:The chondrocytes show premature senescence in both KBD and osteoarthritis.

BACKGROUND: The isolated and purified mammary stem cells from Holstein dairy cows have been induced to differentiate into nerve cells, adipocytes and osteoblasts, further enriching their multi-directional differentiation potential, which is of great significance for the study on mammary stem cells. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the osteogenic potential of mammary stem cells from Holstein dairy cows. METHODS: Mammary stem cells from Holstein dairy cows were isolated and purified, which were provided by the Key Laboratory of Biological Manufacturing of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The fourth generation of mammary stem cells were cultured for 21 days in an osteogenic induction medium, and identified by alizarin red staining and RT-PCR. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: After osteogenic induction, the cell edge was indistinct, and there were some granular calcified nodules in the cells. The induced cells were positive for alizarin red staining. The positive expressions of Alpl and Bglap in the induced osteoblasts were detected, indicating that the mammary stem cells from Holstein dairy cows have the potential to differentiate into osteoblasts.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the persistent damage of learning and memory ability after the cessation of sub-chronic manganese(Mn)-exposure in rats. METHODS: Specific pathogen free weaning male SD rats were randomly divided into control group and low-, medium-and high-dose groups based on body weight, with 6 rats in each group. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with Mn chloride(MnCl_2·4 H_2O) at the concentrations of 0, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg body weight, 5 days per week for 6 weeks and continued to be observed for 12 weeks after the cessation of Mn-exposure. During the experiment, the body mass of the rats was weighed. Learning and memory ability was evaluated by a Morris water-maze task at the 6 th weeks of Mn-exposure(cessation of Mn-exposure of week 0), the 6 th and 12 th week of the cessation of Mn-exposure. The organ coefficients of heart, liver, spleen, kidney and testicles were evaluated after the cessation of Mn-exposure on week 12. RESULTS: The body mass of the high-dose group was lower than that of the other 3 groups(P<0.05) at the 4 th and 6 th week of Mn-exposure and the 2 nd week of the cessation of Mn-exposure. There was no significant difference in body mass between the groups(P>0.05) on the 12 th week of the cessation of Mn-exposure. The escape latency of high-dose group was higher than that of the control group(P<0.05), and the number of platform crossings in the low-, medium-and high-dose groups were fewer than that in the control group(P<0.05) after the cessation of Mn-exposure. The escape latency was shorter and the numbers of platform crossings were higher on the 6 th and 12 th week of the cessation of Mn-exposure(P<0.05) when compared with that of the 6 th week of Mn-exposure rats. There was no statistical significance in the organ coefficients of heart, liver, spleen, kidney and testicles among the 4 groups at the 12 th week of the cessation of Mn-exposure in rats(P>0.05).CONCLUSION: Sub-chronic Mn exposure can impair learning and memory ability of rats, and the damage persists after the cessation of Mn-exposure.

Objective:To study the therapeutic effect Tetrandrine (TET) on striatal injury caused by microwave radiation and underlying mechanism.Methods:C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into blank control group (C), radiation control group (R), TET group (TET) and TET combined with radiation group (TET+ R). The mice of radiation group were exposed to 2.856 GHz 8 mW/cm2 microwave on whole-body for 15 min. TET (60 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally once a day for 3 consecutive days. The TET structure was verified by ultraviolet spectrophotometry. The open field experiment was used to detect the change of anxiety in mice. Histopathological and ultrastructural changes of the striatum were observed by light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TMT). Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) was used to detect gene expression changes of voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) subtype in the striatum.Results:The open field experiments showed that the time and distance of mice to explore the central region after microwave radiation were significantly lower than that before radiation ( t=4.60, 5.18, P<0.01), and the TET administration significantly improved these changes ( F=1.43, 4.37, P < 0.05). 7 d after microwave radiation, some neuronal nuclei in the striatum of mice contracted and could be stained deeply, which was more obvious in the globus pallidus area. The partial neuronal apoptosis, swelling and cavitation of glial cell mitochondria, blurring of synaptic gaps, and widening of perivascular gaps in the striatum were observed by TMT. The above lesions were significantly rescued after TET administration. But both microwave radiation and TET administration had no significant effect on the gene expressions of striatal VGCC ( P > 0.05). Conclusions:TET has a therapeutic effect on anxiety-like behavior and structural damage of striatum caused by microwave radiation, which is independent of the expression of striatal VGCC genes.

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and correlation of sleep disturbances(SD)with cognitive impairment-associated cerebral small vascular disease(CSVD-CI)in elderly patients.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, 261 elderly CSVD-CI patients admitted to the Department of Neurology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University between December 2019 and December 2021 were continuously enrolled.The Pittsburgh Sleep Index Scale(PSQI)was used to evaluate the overall sleep quality.Those with a PSQI score ≥7 was assigned to the CSVD-CI with sleep disturbances(CSVD-CI-SD)group, while those with a PSQI score <7 was assigned to the CSVD-CI without SD(CSVD-CI-NSD)group.The Montreal Cognitive Assessment(MoCA)was used to evaluate the cognitive function of patients with CSVD-CI, and scores on the overall cognitive function and various cognitive domains were compared between the CSVD-CI-SD group and the CSVD-CI-NSD group.Results:There were no significant differences between the CSVD-CI-SD group and the CSVD-CI-NSD group in sex ratio, age, education level and comorbidities( P>0.05). Compared with the CSVD-CI-NSD group, patients in the CSVD-CI-SD group took longer to fall asleep, had worse sleep efficiency, a shorter sleep duration, more obvious SD at night, worse sleep quality, more use of sleeping drugs, and more obvious daytime dysfunction(all P<0.05). Compared with the CSVD-CI-NSD group, the total MoCA score, attention score and orientation score in the CSVD-CI-SD group were significantly decreased( P<0.01). Correlation analysis results showed that the total MoCA score and attention in the CSVD-CI-SD group were negatively correlated with SD at night( r=-0.198, r=-0.115, P<0.05 for both), and orientation was negatively correlated with sleep quality( r=-0.170, P<0.05). Conclusions:The prevalence of SD is high in CSVD-CI patients, with CSVD-CI-SD patients showing more obvious overall cognitive, attention and orientation impairment in MoCA.Additionally, the total MoCA score and attention are negatively correlated with nighttime SD, and orientation is negatively correlated with sleep quality in CSVD-CI-SD patients.

Objective To explore the changes in macrophage infiltration behavior during the dynamic evolution of thrombi following the formation of acute carotid artery thrombosis occlusion(ACTO).Methods 15 healthy male New Zealand rabbits were selected to establish an ACTO model by causing injury to the rabbit carotid artery using surgical sutures treated with ferric chloride.All rabbits were randomly divided into 5 groups according to the end-point time using the random number table method,namely 24-hour group,1 week group,4week group,8 week group,and 12week group postoperatively,with 3 rabbits in each group.At 24 hours post-operation,the ACTO model was examined by DS A.At 24 hours,1 week,4 weeks,8 weeks,and 12 weeks post-operation,samples were taken from the thrombotic arterial segment of the 3 rabbits in each group and embedded in paraffin.The thrombus samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin(HE)and Martius scarlet blue(MSB)to analyze changes in thrombus morphology and composition(including red blood cells,fibrin and collagen fibers).Orbit Imaging Analysis software was used for semi-quantitative analysis of the thrombus composition components.Using immunohistochemistry to detect the distribution of MO and M2 macrophages in thrombi,aimed to summarize the dynamic evolution of thrombus morphology,composition,and macrophage infiltration behavior at different stages following ACTO occurrence.Results The 24-hour DSA results indicated that all experimental rabbits successfully established the ACTO model.(1)HE staining showed a continuous increase in thrombus size from 24 hours to 1 week.By 4 weeks,signs of thrombus dissolution appeared,and at 8 weeks,neovascularization was observed within the thrombus.By 12 weeks,signs of fibrosis were evident in the thrombus.(2)MSB staining revealed that during the acute phase of thrombus formation(within 24 hours after surgery),red blood cells were the predominant component initially,but after this period,fibrin and collagen fibers became the main components.(3)The detection results of MO macrophages showed that 24 hours after surgery,MO macrophages in the thrombus were not evenly distributed throughout the thrombus,but mainly gathered at the thrombus edge;at 1 week after surgery,the positive area percentage of MO macrophage in the thrombus increased compared with 24 hours after surgery(thrombus edge:[41.7±27.0]％vs.[24.6±16.7]％,thrombus core:[35.7±19.6]％vs.[11.1±10.4]％,all P＜0.001),and evenly distributed within the thrombus;at 4 weeks after surgery,MO macrophages in the thrombus decreased compared with 1 week after surgery(thrombosis edge:[10.7±6.1]％vs.[41.7±27.0]％,thrombus core:[12.1±8.5]％vs.[35.7±19.6]％,all P＜0.001),the differences were statistically significant.At 4,8,and 12 weeks after surgery,MO macrophages within the thrombus did not change significantly with time(thrombus edge:[10.7±6.1]％,[8.0±7.7]％,and[8.9±5.3]％;thrombus core:[12.1±8.5]％,[9.5±4.2]％,and[15.7±11.0]％),and the differences were not statistically significant(all P＞0.05).In addition,at 12 weeks after surgery,MO macrophages at the thrombus edge was less than the thrombus core([8.9+5.3]％vs.[15.7±11.0]％,P＜0.01).The detection results of M2 macrophages showed that 24 hours after surgery,M2 macrophages in the thrombus were widely distributed throughout the thrombus;at 1 week after surgery,the positive area percentage of M2 macrophages in the thrombus increased compared with 24 hours after surgery(thrombus edge:[22.1±11.3]％vs.[11.4±8.7]％,P＜0.001;thrombus core:[24.5±9.8]％vs.[7.6±6.0]％,P＜0.001);at 4 weeks after surgery,M2 macrophage in the thrombus decreased compared with 1 week after surgery(thrombosis edge:[10.6±3.7]％vs.[22.1±11.3]％,P＜0.001;thrombus core:[9.2±4.3]％vs.[24.5±9.8]％,P＜0.001);at 8 weeks after surgery,M2 macrophages in the thrombus increased compared with 4 weeks after surgery([17.9±8.8]％vs.[9.2±4.3]％,P＜0.001),and the differences were statistically significant.However,M2 macrophages in the thrombus did not change significantly from 8 weeks to 12 weeks after surgery(thrombus edge:[9.4±6.3]％vs.[8.5±5.3]％,P＞0.05;thrombus core:[17.9±8.8]％vs.[14.4±10.0]％,P＞0.05).In addition,at 8 and 12 weeks after surgery,M2 macrophages in the thrombus core was greater than the thrombus edge(8 weeks after surgery:[17.9±8.8]％vs.[9.4±6.3]％,P＜0.001;12weeks after surgery:[14.4±10.0]％vs.[8.5±5.3]％,P＜0.001).Conclusions This study successfully established an ACTO animal model and demonstrated for the first time the dynamic evolution of macrophages within 12 weeks post-thrombus formation.Macrophages may played a significant role in both thrombus formation and fibrinolysis,as well as in the promotion of thrombus dissolution and the formation of new blood vessels within the thrombus which may potentially promote the spontaneous reperfusion of the occluded vessels.The results of this study need further verification.

Objective:To explore the clinical features of Heidenhain variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (HvCJD) to deepen understanding and recognition of this disease.Methods:Clinical data of 1 case of HvCJD admitted to Hainan General Hospital on August 4, 2022, were collected, whose clinical characteristics were reviewed and analyzed, and literature review was conducted.Results:The 59 years old male patient initially experienced symptoms of blurred vision, followed by a rapid decline in cognitive function. Mini-Mental State Examination score was 21/30 and Montreal Cognitive Assessment score was 11/30. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the presence of mild ribbon-like hyperintensity within the bilateral frontal-parietal-occipital-insular cortex. T 2WI fluid attenuated inversion recovery imaging exhibited slight hyperintensity within the bilateral parietal cortex. The electroencephalography showed atypical triphasic waves. The examination of cerebrospinal fluid demonstrated 14-3-3 protein with a positive result. Two months after onset of illness, follow-up revealed new symptoms of myoclonus in the patient. Finally, the patient was not effectively treated and died about 2.5 months after onset. Thirty-six relevant literatures of HvCJD were reviewed. Most Heidenhain variant patients exhibited occipital cortical diffusion weighted imaging hyperintensity. Posterior cortical damage may affect primary and higher-level visual processing, leading to various visual disturbances. The early symptoms were mainly visual symptoms, such as visual reduction, blurred vision, visual field defect and color vision impairment. Conclusions:HvCJD patients only present with various visual disorders at the onset, followed by other neurological symptoms. The disease progresses rapidly, and patients often die in a short period of time. The disease is very rare and is often misdiagnosed. Currently, there is no feasible and effective treatment for HvCJD.

Bone formation and deposition are initiated by sensory nerve infiltration in adaptive bone remodeling.Here,we focused on the role of Semaphorin 3A(Sema3A),expressed by sensory nerves,in mechanical loads-induced bone formation and nerve withdrawal using orthodontic tooth movement(OTM)model.Firstly,bone formation was activated after the 3rd day of OTM,coinciding with a decrease in sensory nerves and an increase in pain threshold.Sema3A,rather than nerve growth factor(NGF),highly expressed in both trigeminal ganglion and the axons of periodontal ligament following the 3rd day of OTM.Moreover,in vitro mechanical loads upregulated Sema3A in neurons instead of in human periodontal ligament cells(hPDLCs)within 24 hours.Furthermore,exogenous Sema3A restored the suppressed alveolar bone formation and the osteogenic differentiation of hPDLCs induced by mechanical overload.Mechanistically,Sema3A prevented overstretching of F-actin induced by mechanical overload through ROCK2 pathway,maintaining mitochondrial dynamics as mitochondrial fusion.Therefore,Sema3A exhibits dual therapeutic effects in mechanical loads-induced bone formation,both as a pain-sensitive analgesic and a positive regulator for bone formation.

Bone formation and deposition are initiated by sensory nerve infiltration in adaptive bone remodeling.Here,we focused on the role of Semaphorin 3A(Sema3A),expressed by sensory nerves,in mechanical loads-induced bone formation and nerve withdrawal using orthodontic tooth movement(OTM)model.Firstly,bone formation was activated after the 3rd day of OTM,coinciding with a decrease in sensory nerves and an increase in pain threshold.Sema3A,rather than nerve growth factor(NGF),highly expressed in both trigeminal ganglion and the axons of periodontal ligament following the 3rd day of OTM.Moreover,in vitro mechanical loads upregulated Sema3A in neurons instead of in human periodontal ligament cells(hPDLCs)within 24 hours.Furthermore,exogenous Sema3A restored the suppressed alveolar bone formation and the osteogenic differentiation of hPDLCs induced by mechanical overload.Mechanistically,Sema3A prevented overstretching of F-actin induced by mechanical overload through ROCK2 pathway,maintaining mitochondrial dynamics as mitochondrial fusion.Therefore,Sema3A exhibits dual therapeutic effects in mechanical loads-induced bone formation,both as a pain-sensitive analgesic and a positive regulator for bone formation.