Objective To investigate the effects of extracellular vesicles(EVs)derived from synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)patients on angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells,and to preliminarily explore the underlying mechanisms.Methods Synovial fluid samples of knee joint were collected from 20 patients with RA and 20 patients with osteoarthritis(OA)in this study.EVs were purified using ultracentrifugation.The morphology and size of EVs were observed by transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis.CD9,CD63,cytochrome c(Cyt-c),vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),lysyl oxidase(LOX),matrix metalloproteinase 2(MMP2),tumour necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α),transforming growth factor beta1(TGF-β1)in EVs were detected using Western blot.Human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC)were treated with the EVs.The growth,migration and angiogenesis of HUVEC were observed by CCK8 assay,TranswellTM chamber assay,scratch test and matrigel angiogenesis assay,respectively.The effect of EVs on the PI3K/AKT pathway in HUVEC was assessed using Western blot.Results Both EVs from RA synovial fluid(RA-EVs)and OA synovial fluid(OA-EVs)were cup-shaped,mainly between 30-400 nm in diameter,expressing CD63 and CD9,but not Cyt-c.RA-EVs carried more VEGF,LOX,MMP2,TNF-α and TGF-β1 than OA-EVs.Compared with the OA-EVs intervention,RA-EVs significantly promoted the proliferation,migration,and angiogenesis of HUVECs,as well as upregulated PI3K/AKT phosphorylation.The inhibitor of PI3K suppressed angiogenesis induced by EVs.Conclusion EVs in synovial fluid of RA carried more cytokines and enzymes that related angiogenesis and inflammation.These EVs exert their pro-angiogenic effects by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway,then contributing to the pathological progression of RA.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease has become a common chronic liver disease with changes in lifestyle and the increasing prevalence rate of overweight and obesity in adults and even children. The liver synthesizes bile acids via cholesterol metabolism, which are important signaling molecules that modulate and regulate host glucose, lipid metabolism, and immunity. Abnormal bile acid metabolism closely correlates with the occurrence and progression of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease. This article systematically organizes the research of bile acid metabolism in children and adults with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease from the perspective of analyzing bile acid profiles by mass spectrometry detection, and compares the characteristics of bile acid metabolic disorders across different age groups and different developmental stages of disease so as to provide a reference for subsequent research.

Objective To investigate the effects of extracellular vesicles(EVs)derived from synovial fluid of rheumatoid arthritis(RA)patients on angiogenesis of human umbilical vein endothelial cells,and to preliminarily explore the underlying mechanisms.Methods Synovial fluid samples of knee joint were collected from 20 patients with RA and 20 patients with osteoarthritis(OA)in this study.EVs were purified using ultracentrifugation.The morphology and size of EVs were observed by transmission electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis.CD9,CD63,cytochrome c(Cyt-c),vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),lysyl oxidase(LOX),matrix metalloproteinase 2(MMP2),tumour necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α),transforming growth factor beta1(TGF-β1)in EVs were detected using Western blot.Human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC)were treated with the EVs.The growth,migration and angiogenesis of HUVEC were observed by CCK8 assay,TranswellTM chamber assay,scratch test and matrigel angiogenesis assay,respectively.The effect of EVs on the PI3K/AKT pathway in HUVEC was assessed using Western blot.Results Both EVs from RA synovial fluid(RA-EVs)and OA synovial fluid(OA-EVs)were cup-shaped,mainly between 30-400 nm in diameter,expressing CD63 and CD9,but not Cyt-c.RA-EVs carried more VEGF,LOX,MMP2,TNF-α and TGF-β1 than OA-EVs.Compared with the OA-EVs intervention,RA-EVs significantly promoted the proliferation,migration,and angiogenesis of HUVECs,as well as upregulated PI3K/AKT phosphorylation.The inhibitor of PI3K suppressed angiogenesis induced by EVs.Conclusion EVs in synovial fluid of RA carried more cytokines and enzymes that related angiogenesis and inflammation.These EVs exert their pro-angiogenic effects by activating the PI3K/AKT pathway,then contributing to the pathological progression of RA.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease has become a common chronic liver disease with changes in lifestyle and the increasing prevalence rate of overweight and obesity in adults and even children. The liver synthesizes bile acids via cholesterol metabolism, which are important signaling molecules that modulate and regulate host glucose, lipid metabolism, and immunity. Abnormal bile acid metabolism closely correlates with the occurrence and progression of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease. This article systematically organizes the research of bile acid metabolism in children and adults with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease from the perspective of analyzing bile acid profiles by mass spectrometry detection, and compares the characteristics of bile acid metabolic disorders across different age groups and different developmental stages of disease so as to provide a reference for subsequent research.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the composition of vaginal microbiota and the course of cervical precancerous lesion.Methods A total of 64 vaginal swabs were collected from 22 healthy women, 18 CINⅠ patients and 24 CINⅡ/Ⅲ patients who visited Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University during July 2014 and July 2015.The Bacterial genomic DNA was extracted and the V3 and V4 hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA were amplified and high-throughput sequenced.The abundance and composition of vaginal microbiota were analyzed by Uparse, Mothur and LefSe statistical software.Results There was no significant difference in Alpha diversity index between CINⅡ/Ⅲ group(Chao:63±32;ACE:72±38;Simpson:0.70±0.27;Shannon:0.70±0.63) and control group ( Chao:48±24;ACE:54±25;Simpson:0.71±0.27;Shannon:0.65±0.58)(W=192,P=0.11;W=189,P=0.10;W=281,P=0.72;W=241,P=0.62).The ACE(85±37) and Chao(66±25) values of CINⅠgroup were significantly different from those of the control group (ACE:54±25;Chao:48±24)(W=99,P=0.006;W=113,P=0.02).At the phylum level, 78.69%(309 020/392 722) of the vaginal microbiota in the control group was Firmicutes, 16%(62 846/392 722) was Actinobacteria.Firmicutes was reduced to 64.86%(208 422/321 318) and Actinobacteria increased to 27.71%(89 040/321 318) in CINⅠgroup.The composition of vaginal microbiotain in CINⅡ/Ⅲ group was similar to those of control group.At the genus level, the composition of vaginal microbiota were similar between CINⅡ/Ⅲ group and control group, with Lactobacillus as predominant genus[71.81%(307 658/418 424)], Gardnerella[12.91%(55 299/428 424)], others such as Prevotella, atopobium were less.In the CINⅠ group, the abundance of Lactobacillus was decreased to 56.26%(180 787/321 318), Gardnerella was increased to 19.62%(63 057/321 318), and Listeria was increased to 7.7%(24 746/321 318).The composition of vaginal microbiota in the most samples was classified as CSTⅢ and CSTⅠ, with Lactobacillus inersand and Lactobacillus crispatus were dominant respectively.There was no significant difference in the composition of vaginal microbiota between the three groups(χ2=2.72, P=0.949).LEfSe analysis showed that the abundance of bacteria in CIN group and control group were varied.At the genus level, there were significant differences in the abundance of Geobacter, Atopobium and Ureaplasma (P<0.05, P<0.05, P<0.01, respectively).At the species level, there was significant difference in the abundance of Ureaplasma urealyticum serotype 9 (P<0.01).Conclusion The diversity and the composition of vaginal microbiota were similar between CIN patients and healthy women, but the abundances of some bacteria were varied, with Ureaplasma increased in patients with CIN.

Background and objective Treatment options for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (SCC) are limited in chemotherapy. However, not all patients could benefit form standard platinum regimen. Considering the dismal prognosis of patients with advanced SCC, a greater focus on selecting sensitive chemotherapy regimens remains of up-most importance to improve outcomes in this disease. In this study, we used matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to detect pre-chemotherapy serum peptides in advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma patients accepting paclitaxel combined with platinum chemotherapy and to analyze the correlation between serum peptides and che-motherapy efcacy. Methods Patients with advanced lung squamous cell carcinoma received paclitaxel combining with plati-num chemotherapy and evaluated the efcacy every two cycles. Evaluation of complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) patients defined as sensitive group, progressive disease (PD) patients defined as resistant group. Serum samples were collected from patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma. Eighty-one patients were randomly divided into training group (sensitive group Ⅰ and resistant group Ⅰ) and validation group (sensitive group Ⅱ and resistant group Ⅱ) according to the ratio of 3:1. Se-rum samples were pretreated and Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was used to detect serum peptide fingerprints. ClinProTools software was used to analyze the differences between the sensitive group Ⅰ and the resistant group Ⅰ. Three kinds of biological algorithms (SNN, GA, QC) built in CPT software were used to establish the curative effect prediction model respectively and the optimal algorithm was selected. The validation group was used for blind verification. Results Thirty sensitive patients and 31 resistant patients were enrolled in the training group. Ten sensitive patients and 10 resistant patients were included in the validation group. The training group had 96 differentially expressed peptides in the sensitive and resistant patients, with 16 statistically significant peptides (P<0.001). The predictive model was established by 5 polypeptides (1,897.75 Da, 2,023.93 Da, 3,683.36 Da, 4,269.56 Da, 5,341.29 Da). The recognition rate of this model was 89.18% and the cross validation rate was 95.11%. The accuracy of the model was 85%, the sensitivity was 90.0% and the specificity was 80.0%. The median PFS in the sensitive group was better than patients in the resistant group (7.2 months 95%CI: 4.4-14.5 vs 1.8 months 95%CI: 0.7-3.5). The results showed that the differential peptides 4,232.04 Da and 4,269.56 Da were correlated with PFS in patients with lung squamous cell carcinoma (P<0.001). Conclusion MALDI-TOF-MS was used to detect the difference of serum peptides between sensitive and resistant groups. The preliminary curative effect prediction model was used to predict the efcacy of paclitaxel combined with platinum regimen. However, this model need further investigations to verify the accuracy and the sensitivity.

Objective To observe the effects of Fuyanshu Capsule on phenol mucilage-induced endometritis rats and the possible anti-inflammation mechanism of the therapeutic effects.Methods Chronic endometritis in rats was induced by injection of phenol mucilage suspension into the uterus.Sixty female SD rats were randomly divided into 6 groups,namely,sham-operation group (distilled water,10mL/kg),model group,Jinji capsule group (0.65 g/kg),and Fuyanshu Capsule groups (1.8 g/kg,0.9 g/kg and 0.45 g/kg).After the rats were treated 28 days with corresponding medicine by intragastric administration,the pathology of the endometrium and changes of tumor necrosis factor α(TNF-α)and interleukin-2 (IL-2)levels were detected to evaluate the effects of Fuyanshu Capsule. Results Fuyanshu Capsule (1.8 g/kg and 0.9 g/kg)ameliorated the body weight reduction caused by endometritis in rats.Fuyanshu Capsule (1.8 g/kg,0.9 g/kg and 0.45 g/kg)reduced the ratio of the swelling uterus and ovaries to body weight of the rats.It ameliorated obviously the hyperplasia,necrosis and degeneration of endometrial epithelia and infiltration of inflammatory cells.The capsule (1.8 g/kg)decreased the serum IL-2 level in the rats with phenol mucilage-induced endometritis. Conclusion The anti-inflammatory effect of Fuyanshu Capsule on chronic endometritis induced by phenol mucilage in rats may be related to the decrease of IL-2 level.

Background and objective Gemcitabine and taxanes are effective agents commonly used in advanced squamous lung cancer. hTe best treatment sequence, however, is unclear to our knowledge. So we conducted this retrospective study in order to compare the effcacy and toxicities of ifrst-line Gemcitabine+/-platinum followed by second-line taxanes+/-platinum with the reverse sequence. Methods We totally analyzed 105 patients with stage IIIb-IV squamous lung cancer in our retrospective study. hTere were 49 patients receiving gemcitabine+/-platinum ifrst-line followed by taxanes+/-plati-num second-line (G-T group), and 56 patients receiving taxanes+/-platinum ifrst-line followed by gemcitabine+/-platinum second-line (T-G group). hTe primary endpoint of the study was overall survival (OS), and the secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and toxicities. Results hTe me-dian OS were 18.5 mo in G-T group and 19.0 mo in T-G group (P=0.520). hTe median PFS1 was 5.0 mo and 4.0 mo with ifrst-line gemcitabine+/-platinum and taxanes+/-platinum, respectively (P=0.584). hTe median PFS2 was 2.7 mo and 2.5 mo with second-line gemcitabine+/-platinum and taxanes+/-platinum (P=0.432). hTe ORR1 of G-T group and T-G group were 36.73%and 33.92%(P=0.577), and DCR1 were 79.59%and 89.29%(P=0.186);the ORR2 of G-T group and T-G group were 4.08%and 5.36%(P=0.085), and DCR2 were 51.02%and 66.07%, respectively (P=0.118). Hematologic toxicities was more frequent in G-T group, the patients experienced more grade 3-4 lower hemoglobin (P=0.027) and thrombocytopenia (P=0.002). Conclusion hTe effcacy of ifrst line gemcitabine+/-platinum followed by second line taxanes+/-platinum and the reverse sequence was similar, and the toxicities was tolerable. Both sequential patterns were effective in advanced squamous lung cancer.

Objective To detect time-dependent change of neuritin expression in brain tissues after traumatic brain injury and discuss the effect of neuritin after brain damage occurred. Methods Forty-two rats were divided into normal group, control and experimental group. According to the postoperative time divided into 6 subgroups, including 6 hours group, 12 hours group, 24 hours group, 3 days group, 7 days group and 14 days group. Immunohistochemical and western-blot were used to detected the protein expression levels of neuritin. Results The immunohistochemical staining indicated that the positive expression of neuritin was strong in the cytomembrane and cytoplasms of the neurons, with a higher intensity, 6 hours after the operation. 12 hours after the operation last to the seventh day, the neurons with the strongest positive expression, is significantly higher than control group and normal group, significant decrease on the fourteenth day. The result of western-blot indicated that the level of neuritin protein sharply increased at 6 hours, reached the peak on 24 hours and after lasted to the seventh day, significantly higher than control group and normal group (P < 0.01), significant decrease on the fourteenth day (P < 0.05). Conclusion Up-regulation of neuritin in cerebral contusion tissues may play an important role after traumatic brain injury.

Objective To establish a serum-free primary culture method for cortical neurons of new-born rats .Methods The cortical tissue was digested and the cells were planted in the medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum ,and then maintained feed-ing with neurobasal medium containing B27 after 4 to 8 h .The morphology was observed under phase-contrast microscope .RT-PCR ,Western blot and immunocytochemistry were applied to identify the expression of NSE gene and protein in neurons .Results A large number of neurons began to adhere to the cover glasses after 2 to 8 h .They showed different shapes-shuttle ,triangle pyram-idal ,or no regular after clinging to the plate .Their processes connected to nets and were different in length and thickness .They well developed at the 7th to 10th day .The isolated and cultured cells were confirmed as neurons by RT-PCR ,Western blot and immuno-cytochemistry .Conclusion This technique is an easy and practical tool for primary culture of new-born rats cortical neurons with high purity ,and can be used as an in-vitro model of research .