ObjectiveTo study the effects of vitamins on human pr eadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. MethodsVit amins (A, B, C, D, E and K families) were added to the culture media of human p readipocytes, then the proliferation of cells, the expression of GPDH and lipid droplet accumulation in the cytoplasm were recorded. ResultsVitamin A inhibited human preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. Vi tamin C enhanced differentiation and proliferation. Vitamin B 6 stimulated diff erentiation. vitamin D 3 inhibited differentiation. Vitamin E had a strong inhi bitory effect on human preadipocyte differentiation. Vitamin K 1 had an unexpec tedly great stimulatory effect on human preadipocyte differentiation. Vitamin K 3 inhibited both human preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. Other v itamins tested showed no noticeable effects. ConclusionT hese data are advisory to our balanced daily intake of vitamins.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the roles of microfilaments in the expression of collagenase and TIMP-1 in normal and hypertrophic scar.

METHODSCell culture and Northern blot hybridization methods were used in this study.

RESULTSAfter the disruption of microfilaments with cytochalasin B, mRNA contents of collagenase and TIMP-1 both increased significantly in normal and hypertrophic scar fibroblasts.

CONCLUSIONThe result suggest that the microfilament cytoskeleton may regulate the synthesis and degradation of ECM, which may be a mechanism of gene regulation during wound healing.

Actin Cytoskeleton ; physiology ; Cells, Cultured ; Collagenases ; genetics ; Fibroblasts ; metabolism ; Humans ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; genetics ; Wound Healing ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the molecular biological mechanism of endothelial cell proliferation induced by bFGF.

METHODSCultured rat myocardial microvascular endothelial cells were stimulated with bFGF of various concentrations. By northern blot analysis, the levels of c-myc mRNA expression were detected.

RESULTSThe expression of c-myc mRNA in the bFGF-treated groups increased (P < 0.05) with a dose- and stimulating time-dependent manner. The c-myc mRNA expression reached to a peak level at 2 hours.

CONCLUSIONSC-myc expression may be an important component in controlling the transit of cells through the cell cycle.

Animals ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Endothelium, Vascular ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; pharmacology ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Genes, myc ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Time Factors

Notch signaling pathway has a wide range of effects in the field of embryonic development, nervous system, vascular system, endocrine system and tumor. In recent years, studies have shown that Notch plays an important role in the regulation of bone metabolism, especially in bone remodeling. The disorder of bone remodeling is closely related to the progress of diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Notch signaling pathway can affect the process of bone remodeling by regulating the function of different cells in bone tissues, but its specific participation in different cells is still unknown. This review summarizes recent advances about the role of Notch signaling in bone remodeling.

Objective: Based on physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior (SB) variables on weekdays and weekends, the study aims to cluster the physical activities inside and outside kindergartens and to explore the cluster characteristics of different children using physical fitness indicators, so as to provide new strategies and methods for early childhood education and health. Methods: From March to June 2019, 291 children aged 3-6 years from 6 kindergartens in Nanchang were recruited by a stratified cluster random sampling method. The ActiGraph GT3X-BT triaxial accelerometer was used to measure and analyze the PA and SB levels inside and outside the kindergarten. A twostep clustering algorithm model was employed for cluster analysis. Physical fitness were measured and evaluated according to the "National Physical Fitness Measurement Standard Manual (Preschool Section)". Differences in physical fitness among different clusters of children were compared, and the cluster characteristics of different children were analyzed. Results: The clustering algorithm model indicated that based on six indicators, including PA and SB inside the kindergarten on weekdays, and PA and SB outside the kindergarten on both weekdays and weekends, children could be divided into three categories:active inside (high PA, low SB inside), active outside (high PA outside), and inactive (low PA, high SB both inside and outside). The average silhouette coefficient of the model was 0.3, indicating good clustering results. Both the active inside and active outside children showed significantly higher PA inside on weekdays, PA outside on weekdays and weekends, daily low intensity physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) than the inactive children ( F=157.91, 80.79 , 95.86, 95.52, 124.74, P <0.05). After adjusting for gender and age, the physical fitness scores of both active outside ( 19.03 ±0.47) and active inside (19.11±0.40) were significantly higher than those of the inactive children (17.94±0.31). Additionally, active inside children (3.91±0.14) also showed significantly better performance in continuous double-leg jumps, compared to inactive children (3.45±0.11) ( P <0.05). Conclusion Children active inside and those active outside perform well in PA. Future research should focus on the proportion of structured and unstructured PA time to enhance the overall physical fitness of children.

Osteosarcoma is one of the most common primary malignant bone tumors, which has reached a "bottleneck" in the current clinical treatment of patients with osteosarcoma due to its poor prognosis and lack of therapeutic modalities. Recently, more and more researches have found that ferroptosis, as a novel cell death modality, may play an important role in osteosarcoma treatment. In recent years, with more in-depth studies on the mechanisms and molecular pathways related to ferroptosis, its specific therapeutic strategies in osteosarcoma have also been validated, which is expected to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment of osteosarcoma patients.

Objective:This study aims to evaluate the performance of digital PCR (dPCR) detecting multiple and single copies genes of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) for nucleic acid quantification and explore their applicability in clinical settings.Methods:Compared the sensitivity, specificity, precision, lower limit of detection (LoD), and linearity for multicopy BamHI-W dPCR and single-copy EBNA1 dPCR systems. Linear regression analysis using the least squares method was employed to evaluate the linearity. Additionally, we analyzed plasma samples from 182 patients with suspected EBV-related diseases between January and July 2022 at the Southern Medical University Southern Hospital, using both dPCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR) for EBV DNA quantification. Linear regression analysis using the least squares method was conducted to assess their quantitative correlation.Results:The dPCR systems for both multicopy and single-copy genes showed excellent linearity ( R 2 values of 0.992 and 0.997, respectively, both P<0.001). The LoD were 188 IU/ml for BamHI-W gene and 358 IU/ml for EBNA1 gene dPCR systems. The logarithmic coefficient of variation ( CV) values for high-concentration samples (1 000 000 IU/ml) were 0.34% and 0.21% for the BamHI-W gene and EBNA1 gene dPCR assays, respectively, while for low-concentration samples (5 000 IU/ml) were 0.98% and 0.64%, respectively. In the detection of seven common clinical infectious pathogens and EBV positive samples, only EBV-positive samples yielded positive signals in the dPCR detection system, with no cross-reaction with other pathogens. In 182 samples, the positive detection rates were 47.80% (87/182) for BamHI-W gene and 35.16% (64/182) for EBNA1 gene dPCR, compared to 43.41% (79/182) for qPCR. Linear correlation analysis with qPCR showed R2 values of 0.837 for BamHI-W gene and 0.763 for EBNA1 gene dPCR (both P<0.001). The BamHI-W gene copy number ranged from 3 to 18 copies per clinical sample, with patient-specific variations. There was a high consistency in viral load trends between the multicopy BamHI-W gene and single-copy EBNA1 gene dPCR systems within individual patients. Conclusions:The dPCR methods detecting EBV multiple and single copies genes showed high sensitivity, specificity, precision, and quantitative accuracy, suitable for clinical sample analysis. The multicopy BamHI-W gene dPCR method notably enhances detection sensitivity and can be used as a supplement to current EBV DNA load detection methods, especially in low-concentration samples. For within-patient EBV DNA monitoring, the multicopy gene method proves more effective, while inter-patient comparisons might necessitate single-copy gene methods or normalize them using the same standard.

Objective:To explore the factors affecting the prognosis of severe pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support.Methods:It was a multicenter prospective observational study. A total of 95 children with severe ARDS who were treated with ECMO salvage therapy from January 2018 to December 2022 in 9 pediatric ECMO centers in China were enrolled in the study. The general data, disease severity, organ function, comprehensive treatment and prognosis were recorded, and they were divided into survival group and death group according to the outcome at discharge. T test, chi-square test, multivariate Logistic regression and mixed linear model were used to analyze the relationship among baseline before ECMO treatment, some important indicators (pediatric critical scores, platelet count, albumin, fibrinogen, etc) during ECMO treatment and prognosis. Results:Among the 95 children with severe ARDS who received ECMO, 55 (58%) were males and 40 (42%) were females, aged 36.9 (0.5, 72.0) months. Twelve children (13%) were immunodeficient. Sixty-eight (72%) children were treated with venous artery (VA) mode and 27 (28%) with venous vein (VV) mode. The discharge survival rates of overall, VA, and VV mode children were 51% (48/95), 47% (32/68), and 59% (16/27), respectively. The number of immunodeficient children in the death group was higher, and there were lower pediatric critical scores, platelet count, albumin, fibrinogen and arterial oxygen partial pressure/fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO 2/FiO 2), higher ventilator driving pressure (ΔP), oxygenaion index (OI), and longer ARDS duration before ECMO (all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in other indicators, including age, gender, weight, and ECMO mode among different prognostic groups (all P>0.05). High ΔP, high OI, low P/F, and low albumin were high-risk factors affecting prognosis(all P<0.05). After further grouping, it was found that ΔP≥25 cmH 2O (1 cmH 2O=0.098 kPa), P/F≤67 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) and OI≥35 were the thresholds for predicting poor prognosis ( P<0.05). From 24 h after ECMO, there were significant differences in ΔP, P/F and OI between the dead group and the survival group (all P<0.05), and the differences gradually increased with the ECMO process. The platelet level was significant from 7 days after ECMO ( P<0.05) and gradually expanded. Blood lactate levels showed a significant difference between the 2 groups on before and after ECMO ( P<0.05) and gradually increased from 24 h after ECMO. Conclusions:The risk factors affecting the prognosis of severe ARDS in ECMO include high ΔP, high OI, low P/F and low albumin purification therapy before ECMO. The gradual decrease of ΔP, OI and increase of P/F from 24 h of ECMO predicted a good prognosis, while the gradual increase of lactate after ECMO application showed a poor prognosis.

Objective:This study aimed to explore the status of radiological Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) among school-aged children in Chamdo City, Tibet, through a 3-year monitoring survey, providing epidemiological evidence for prevention and control strategies.Methods:The target areas for this study were Luolong, Bianba, and Basu counties in Chamdo City, Tibet Autonomous Region, identified as having the most severe historical cases of KBD. Children aged 7-12 years attending school were enrolled as study subjects. Anteroposterior X-ray films of the right-hand were taken, and radiological diagnoses were made based on the "Diagnosis of Kashin-Beck Disease" criteria (WS/T 207-2010). Two experienced researchers independently reviewed the X-rays, and intra- and inter-group consistency were assessed using weighted Kappa values and percentage agreement. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in 2017 and 2020 to describe the X-ray detection rates of KBD, and logistic regression analysis was employed to construct a predictive model of risk factors for radiological KBD cases.Results:In 2017, a total of 5,711 children aged 7-12 years in Chamdo City, Tibet, participated in the baseline cross-sectional survey (average age 9.2 years, 48.0% female), with 28 cases of radiological KBD. The age- and gender-standardized prevalence rate was 0.527%. In 2020, 6,771 participants (average age 9.3 years, 49.5% female) underwent a second cross-sectional survey, with 9 cases of radiological KBD and a standardized prevalence rate of 0.134%. Logistic regression analysis indicated that older age [ OR=2.439, 95% CI(1.299, 4.580), P=0.006] and female gender [ OR=8.157, 95% CI(1.016, 65.528), P=0.048] were independent risk factors for radiological KBD cases. Conversely, higher residential altitude, under the premise of Tibet's high altitude, was a protective factor [ OR=0.995, 95% CI(0.990, 0.999), P=0.032). Conclusion:The radiographically positive detection rate of KBD among school-aged children in Chamdo City, Tibet Autonomous Region, is at an extremely low level and showing a declining trend, reaching the historical standard in 2020. Considering the absence of positive signs in affected children, it suggests that local KBD has been effectively eliminated.

Objective To grasp the main environmental factors affecting the growth of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao;To predict the distribution of suitable areas of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province;To provide references for the rational distribution of the resources in Shanxi Province.Methods This study utilized the sample point longitude and latitude information collected in the"Fourth Survey of Chinese Materia Medica Resources"database in Shanxi Province.The data were supplemented by searching the China Digital Herbarium and retrieving related literature records.347 sample points distribution data and environmental factors were added to the MaxEnt model.The main environmental factors and contribution rates affecting the geographical distribution of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao were screened out.The ArcGIS software was used to divide the ecological suitable area of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province.Results The area under the ROC curve of the established MaxEnt model was 0.909,indicating that the model prediction results were accurate.The model screened 19 environmental factors.Among them,climate factor was the most important environmental factor,followed by biological factor and topographic factor,and soil factor had the least influence.The potential suitable areas of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province were mainly distributed in the northern mountainous areas,presenting a trend of gradually decreasing suitability levels from north to south.Under the current climate conditions,the most suitable area for Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province was 15 424 km2,the suitable area was 19 856 km2,the sub suitable area was 59 436 km2,and the unsuitable area was 61 894 km2.Conclusion Based on MaxEnt model and ArcGIS software,this study predicts the distribution of suitable areas of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao in Shanxi Province,which has certain reference value for the protection and rational distribution of Astragalus membranaceus(Fisch.)Bge.var.mongholicus(Bge.)Hsiao resources in Shanxi Province.