ObjectiveThis paper aims to investigate the intervention effect and molecular mechanism of Gancao Fuzitang （GCFZT） in knee osteoarthritis （KOA）. MethodsNetwork pharmacology was employed to predict the key targets and signaling pathways of GCFZT. Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into a sham group， a model group （KOA）， a low-dose GCFZT group （GCFZT-L， 2.8 g·kg^-1）， a high-dose GCFZT group （GCFZT-H， 5.6 g·kg^-1）， and a positive drug celecoxib group （Celecoxib， 20 mg·kg^-1）， with 10 rats in each group. The rats in the sham group and the model group were given an equal volume of distilled water. Except for the sham group， the other four groups underwent anterior cruciate ligament transection to establish the KOA rat model. After successful modeling， the rats in each group received intragastric administration once a day for eight consecutive weeks. The structural changes of cartilage and subchondral bone were assessed via micro-computed tomography （micro-CT） and histological staining. The levels of inflammatory factors in the serum， such as interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） were measured using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） kit. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）， Western blot， and immunohistochemistry were used to detect changes in the expression of autophagy-related proteins such as microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B （LC3B）， selective autophagy junction protein 62 （p62）， and autophagy key molecule yeast Atg6 homolog （Beclin-1） in articular cartilage， as well as key molecules of the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）/mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） signaling pathway. ResultsNetwork pharmacology analysis suggests that GCFZT may exert anti-osteoarthritic effects through regulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In vivo experiment shows that GCFZT can significantly improve cartilage degeneration and attenuate subchondral bone destruction in KOA rats. Detection results of inflammatory factors in the serum reveal that， compared with those in the sham group， the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， and TNF-α in the serum of rats in the KOA group are significantly increased （P<0.05）. Compared with those in the KOA group， the levels of these three inflammatory factors in the GCFZT-L， GCFZT-H， and Celecoxib groups were significantly decreased （P<0.05）. However， there was no statistically significant difference in these three inflammatory factor levels between the GCFZT-H group and the celecoxib group. These findings suggest that GCFZT can effectively inhibit the systemic inflammatory response in KOA rats. Mechanism research indicates that GCFZT inhibits activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway， thereby enhancing autophagic activity and improving chondrocyte function and matrix degeneration. ConclusionGCFZT improves cartilage and subchondral bone damage in KOA rats by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and promoting autophagy. These findings provide theoretical evidence for the application of GCFZT in the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis.

Purpose To explore the influence of thrombolysis therapy before percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)on long-term left ventricular global and regional function in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)patients by cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR).Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 67 STEMI patients who were enrolled in a prospective study from November 2021 to August 2022 in the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University,the First People's Hospital of Lianyungang,the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University,Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital and Huai'an Second People's Hospital and underwent CMR examination one year later.STEMI patients were divided into thrombolysis group and non-thrombolysis group according to whether a single half-dose of 5 mg recombinant staphylokinase(r-SAK)was given within two hours before the first medical contact and PCI.Based on CMR cine images,the traditional left ventricular function,global and segmental functional parameters were measured,and the differences between the two groups were compared.According to the degree of late gadolinium enhancement involvement,myocardial segments were divided into the following four types:transmural infarcted segments,non-transmural infarcted segments,locally infarcted segments,and non-infarcted segments.The parameters of the two groups were compared across these different segments.Results At the patient level,the cardiac index,left ventricular wall thickening and left ventricular wall motion in r-SAK thrombolysis group were higher than those in non-thrombolysis group(t/Z=-2.426,-4.307,-2.735,all P<0.05).At the segment level,compared with non-thrombolysis group,patients received r-SAK before primary PCI showed greater segmental radial strain in non-transmural infarcted segments(Z=-2.117,P=0.034);larger segmental wall motion in locally infarcted segments(Z=-2.235,P=0.025),and better segmental circumference strain in the non-infarcted segments(Z=-3.869,P<0.001).Conclusion The thrombolytic therapy before PCI in STEMI patients retain better long-term left ventricular global and regional function evaluating by CMR.

The evaluation of blood compatibility of biomaterials is crucial for ensuring the clinical safety of implantable medical devices. To address the limitations of traditional testing methods in real-time monitoring and electrical property analysis, this study developed a portable electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system. The system uses a 16-electrode design, operates within a frequency range of 1 to 500 kHz, achieves a signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 69.54 dB at 50 kHz, and has a data collection speed of 20 frames per second. Experimental results show that the EIT system developed in this study is highly consistent with a microplate reader ( R ²=0.97) in detecting the hemolytic behavior of industrial-grade titanium (TA3) and titanium alloy-titanium 6 aluminum 4 vanadium (TC4) in anticoagulated bovine blood. Additionally, with the support of a multimodal image fusion Gauss-Newton one-step iterative algorithm, the system can accurately locate and monitor in real-time the dynamic changes in blood permeation and coagulation caused by TC4 in vivo. In conclusion, the EIT system developed in this study provides a new and effective method for evaluating the blood compatibility of biomaterials.
Electric Impedance ; Animals ; Tomography/instrumentation* ; Biocompatible Materials ; Materials Testing/instrumentation* ; Cattle ; Titanium ; Alloys ; Prostheses and Implants

Purpose To explore the influence of thrombolysis therapy before percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI)on long-term left ventricular global and regional function in ST segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)patients by cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR).Materials and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on 67 STEMI patients who were enrolled in a prospective study from November 2021 to August 2022 in the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University,the First People's Hospital of Lianyungang,the Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University,Changzhou No.2 People's Hospital and Huai'an Second People's Hospital and underwent CMR examination one year later.STEMI patients were divided into thrombolysis group and non-thrombolysis group according to whether a single half-dose of 5 mg recombinant staphylokinase(r-SAK)was given within two hours before the first medical contact and PCI.Based on CMR cine images,the traditional left ventricular function,global and segmental functional parameters were measured,and the differences between the two groups were compared.According to the degree of late gadolinium enhancement involvement,myocardial segments were divided into the following four types:transmural infarcted segments,non-transmural infarcted segments,locally infarcted segments,and non-infarcted segments.The parameters of the two groups were compared across these different segments.Results At the patient level,the cardiac index,left ventricular wall thickening and left ventricular wall motion in r-SAK thrombolysis group were higher than those in non-thrombolysis group(t/Z=-2.426,-4.307,-2.735,all P<0.05).At the segment level,compared with non-thrombolysis group,patients received r-SAK before primary PCI showed greater segmental radial strain in non-transmural infarcted segments(Z=-2.117,P=0.034);larger segmental wall motion in locally infarcted segments(Z=-2.235,P=0.025),and better segmental circumference strain in the non-infarcted segments(Z=-3.869,P<0.001).Conclusion The thrombolytic therapy before PCI in STEMI patients retain better long-term left ventricular global and regional function evaluating by CMR.

Objective:To investigate the body composition and sarcopenia in patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and to analyze the influencing factors.Methods:A total of 220 patients with stable COPD were enrolled in the study from China-Japan Friendship Hospital during July 2018 to December 2019; 220 age and sex-matched healthy subjects (control group 1) and 220 healthy young adults aged 20-40 years (control group 2) were enrolled from the community. The body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance method. The demographic characteristics, disease conditions, living background and other related factors were collected by questionnaire. T test or one-way ANOVA were used for comparison between groups, and non parametric test was used for non normal distribution data.Results:Compared with the control group 1 and control group 2, the body fat rate ( Z=-10.037, t=-8.411), the fat free mass index ( Z=-8.165, t=-7.856), and appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI) ( t=-7.158, t=-11.989) were significantly lower in stable COPD patients ( P<0.05). Among 220 patients with stable COPD, 51 (23.2%) were diagnosed as sarcopenia; the prevalence of sarcopenia was 18.3% (24/131) in men and 30.3% (27/89) in women (χ2=4.297, P=0.038). The decreased ASMI and grip strength in COPD patients with sarcopenia were significantly associated with age≥75 (χ2= 15.746, F= 14.048), female sex ( Z=5.805, t=2.672), low income ( Z=-4.291, t=-4.789), Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grade Ⅳ (χ2=22.644, F=3.905), Modified British Medical Research Council (mMRC) Dyspnea Scale grade 4 (χ2=12.475, F=4.369), not receiving systematic health education ( Z=-4.239, Z=-2.474), no exercise (χ2=14.786, F=3.402), insufficient nutrition intake (χ2=40.531, F=10.529). The range of 6-min walking distance was (110-268) m, that was even shorter for patients with mMRC dyspnea scale grade 4 ( F=3.468, P<0.05). Conclusion:The impairment of body composition is common in COPD patients, which will further affect the body function. It is suggested that the routine evaluation of COPD should include the measurement of body composition.

Objective:To investigate the effect of pressurization on the recovery of exercise-induced fatigue in rats in plateau environment.Methods:A total of 24 rats in natural environment were transported from altitude of 1 520 m to 2 260 m, then randomly divided into three groups: group A (quiet control group), group B (natural recovery group), and group C (pressurized recovery group), with 8 rats in each group. After the exercise fatigue model training on the running platform every day, the rats in the group B recovered naturally, while the rats in the group C had a 1-hour-recovery in a pressurized cabin of 0.2 MPa for 6 days. On the day 7, the rats in the group B and the group C exercised to exhaustion, and then were killed 24 hours later for sampling. The exercise time of exhaustion was recorded; gastrocnemius HIF-1α, lung iNOS, myocardial CaMKⅡ, and BNP protein expressions, and serum SOD, TAOC, GSH-Px and CAT, ROS, MDA concentration were determined; the morphological chages of myocardium after HE staining, and gastrocnemius were observed.Results:(1) The exhaustive exercise time of the group B (99.00±69.37 min) was lower than that of group C (126.14±59.09 min). (2)The expression level of HIF-1α protein in skeletal muscle was 0.220±0.170 in the group A, 0.070±0.003 in the group B, and 0.360±0.140 in the group C. The expression level of the group C was significantly higher than that in the group B ( P<0.05). The expression level of CaMKⅡ protein in myocardium was 1.18±0.17 in the group A, 1.07±0.13 in the group B, and 1.40±0.22 in the group C. There were no statistical difference between each group. The expression level of BNP protein in myocardium was 0.29±0.05 in the group A, 0.29±0.08 in the group B, 0.53±0.01 in the group C. There were significant differences comparing the group C with the group A and the group B respectively ( P<0.01). The expression level of iNOS in lung was 0.130±0.002 in the group A, 0.450±0.004 in the group B, and 0.360±0.005 in the group C. It was significantly lower in the group A than those in the group C and the group B ( P<0.01). (3) Compared with the group A, the serum SOD ( P<0.05) and GSH-Px decreased, ROS and MDA increased in the group B ( P<0.05). Compared with the group B, the serum SOD ( P<0.05), GSH-Px and TAOC increased, ROS and MDA decreased in the group C ( P<0.05). (4) Under light microscope, muscle fiber in the group B showed atrophy, thinning, rupture, increase of cell gap, and local lytic necrosis; while muscle fiber in the group C showed shrinking gap, decreased rupture, and relieved cell infiltration. Conclusion:In the plateau and hypoxia environment, the application of pressurization to the rats in exercise-induced fatigue can prolong the exhaustive exercise time, alleviate the morphological changes of muscle fibers in myocardium and skeletal muscles, e. g. thinning, rupture, and increase of cell gap, enhance the expressions of HIF-1α, CaMKⅡand BNP in gastrocnemius muscle, increase the levels of serum SOD, GSH Px, and TAOC, reduce the levels of serum ROS and MDA, and contribute to sports fatigue recovery.

Objective:To investigate the effect of pressurization on the recovery of exercise-induced fatigue in rats in plateau environment.Methods:A total of 24 rats in natural environment were transported from altitude of 1 520 m to 2 260 m, then randomly divided into three groups: group A (quiet control group), group B (natural recovery group), and group C (pressurized recovery group), with 8 rats in each group. After the exercise fatigue model training on the running platform every day, the rats in the group B recovered naturally, while the rats in the group C had a 1-hour-recovery in a pressurized cabin of 0.2 MPa for 6 days. On the day 7, the rats in the group B and the group C exercised to exhaustion, and then were killed 24 hours later for sampling. The exercise time of exhaustion was recorded; gastrocnemius HIF-1α, lung iNOS, myocardial CaMKⅡ, and BNP protein expressions, and serum SOD, TAOC, GSH-Px and CAT, ROS, MDA concentration were determined; the morphological chages of myocardium after HE staining, and gastrocnemius were observed.Results:(1) The exhaustive exercise time of the group B (99.00±69.37 min) was lower than that of group C (126.14±59.09 min). (2)The expression level of HIF-1α protein in skeletal muscle was 0.220±0.170 in the group A, 0.070±0.003 in the group B, and 0.360±0.140 in the group C. The expression level of the group C was significantly higher than that in the group B ( P<0.05). The expression level of CaMKⅡ protein in myocardium was 1.18±0.17 in the group A, 1.07±0.13 in the group B, and 1.40±0.22 in the group C. There were no statistical difference between each group. The expression level of BNP protein in myocardium was 0.29±0.05 in the group A, 0.29±0.08 in the group B, 0.53±0.01 in the group C. There were significant differences comparing the group C with the group A and the group B respectively ( P<0.01). The expression level of iNOS in lung was 0.130±0.002 in the group A, 0.450±0.004 in the group B, and 0.360±0.005 in the group C. It was significantly lower in the group A than those in the group C and the group B ( P<0.01). (3) Compared with the group A, the serum SOD ( P<0.05) and GSH-Px decreased, ROS and MDA increased in the group B ( P<0.05). Compared with the group B, the serum SOD ( P<0.05), GSH-Px and TAOC increased, ROS and MDA decreased in the group C ( P<0.05). (4) Under light microscope, muscle fiber in the group B showed atrophy, thinning, rupture, increase of cell gap, and local lytic necrosis; while muscle fiber in the group C showed shrinking gap, decreased rupture, and relieved cell infiltration. Conclusion:In the plateau and hypoxia environment, the application of pressurization to the rats in exercise-induced fatigue can prolong the exhaustive exercise time, alleviate the morphological changes of muscle fibers in myocardium and skeletal muscles, e. g. thinning, rupture, and increase of cell gap, enhance the expressions of HIF-1α, CaMKⅡand BNP in gastrocnemius muscle, increase the levels of serum SOD, GSH Px, and TAOC, reduce the levels of serum ROS and MDA, and contribute to sports fatigue recovery.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of consolidation chemotherapy combined with allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell infusion in the treatment of low or intermediate-risk (LIR) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) . Methods: A cohort of 23 LIR AML patients at hematologic complete remission (CR) received NK cell transfusion combined with consolidation chemotherapy after 3 consolidation courses from January 2014 to June 2019 were reviewed. Control group cases were concurrent patients from Department of Hematology, and their gender, age, diagnosis, risk stratification of prognosis, CR and the number of courses of consolidate chemotherapy before NK cell transfusion were matched with LIR AML patients. Results: A total of 45 times of NK cells were injected into 23 LIR AML patients during 4 to 7 courses of chemotherapy. The median NK cell infusion quantity was 7.5 (6.6-8.6) ×10(9)/L, and the median survival rate of NK cells was 95.4% (93.9%-96.9%) . Among them, the median CD3(-)CD56(+) cell number was 5.0 (1.4-6.4) ×10(9)/L, accounting for 76.8% (30.8%-82.9%) ; The number of CD3(+) CD56(+) cells was 0.55 (0.24-1.74) ×10(9)/L, accounting for 8.8% (4.9%-20.9%) . Before NK cell infusion, the number of patients with positive MRD in the treatment and control groups were 9/23 (39.1%) and 19/46 (41.3%) (χ(2)=0.030, P=0.862) respectively. After NK infusion, There was no significant difference in terms of MRD that went from negative to positive between the treatment and the control groups (14.3% vs 22.2%, χ(2)=0.037, P=0.847) . In the treatment group, 66.7% (6/9) of the MRD were converted from positive to negative, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (10.5%, 2/19) (χ(2)=6.811, P=0.009) . Morphological recurrence occurred in 1 case of MRD negative in the treatment group and 2 cases of MRD positive in the control group. By the end of follow-up, the median follow-up was 35 (10-59) months, the number of patients with morphological recurrence in the treatment group was 30.4% (7/23) , which was significantly lower than that in the control group (50.2%, 24/46) (χ(2)=2.929, P=0.087) , although there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. There was no significant difference on MRD-negative between the treatment and the control groups (43.5% vs 43.5%, χ(2)=1.045, P=0.307) . The 3-year leukemia-free survival was better in the treatment group [ (65.1±11.1) %] than that in the control group [ (50.0±7.4) %] (P=0.047) . The 3-year overall survival in the treatment and control groups were (78.1±10.2) % and (65.8±8.0) % (P=0.212) , respectively. Conclusion: The consolidation of chemotherapy combined with allogeneic NK cell infusion contributed to the further remission of patients with LMR AML and the reduction of long-term recurrence.
Consolidation Chemotherapy ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy* ; Prognosis ; Remission Induction

Objective The health risk behaviors of undergraduates exist universally, which can induce other social problems. The aim of this study was to describe the present situation and analyze the influencing factors of health risk behaviors of 404 undergradu-ates. Methods Adolescent Health Related Behaviors Questionnaires were conducted in 404 undergraduates chosen from a University in Nantong by stratified cluster sampling method.Logistic regression and multiplicative interactive effects were adopted to analyze the influ-encing factors. Results Health risk behaviors were common among college students.In the past 30 days, 33.4%of students had rule-breaking behaviors in bicycle riding and 45.3%had rule breaking behaviors in walking.In the past 12 months, 2.7%of students had in-tentionally hurt themselves, 2.5%had suicidal inclination, 19.8%had smoking history, 69.3%had drinking history, 7.4%participa-ted in the gambling, 7.7%and 11.9%played video games and surfed online over 4 hours everyday, respectively, and 4.5%of students have had sex.In the past 30 days, 94.3% of students lost their weight through the unhealthy way, and 37.8%of students participated physi-cal exercise over 60 minutes for at least 3 days in the past 7 days.Lo-gistic regression indicated that male, higher grade and higher education level of the student′s mother were the risk factors of some health risk behaviors.Interactive effect was not found between the different influencing factors. Conclusion Health risk behaviors exist widely a-mong college students and more attention should be paid to risk behaviors of college students.Health behaviors should be trained among adolescents to improve their overall health level.

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of vascular endothelial growth factor ( VEGF)165 and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) improving cardiomyocyte proliferation in experimental porcine after myocardial infarction (MI).
Methods: The MI model was established by left anterior descending artery ligation in 15 male pigs and the animals were divided into 3 groups, n=5 in each group. Control group, the pigs received normal saline injection at the infarct and peri-infarct zones. VEGF group, the pigs received (1×1010 ) pfu of viral titers of Ad-VEGF injection. HGF group, the pigs received (1×1010 ) pfu of viral titers of Ad-HGF injection. The myocardial perfusion and cardiac function were examined by SPECT, the protein expressions of VEGF165 and HGF were measured by Western blot analysis, cardiomyocyte proliferation was analyzed by immunolfuorescence and immunoprecipitation method.
Results: ① Compared with Control group, the expressions of VEGF165 and HGF were higher at the infarct and peri-infarct zones in both treatment groups; ② Both treatment groups had better cardiac function and myocardial perfusion; ③ Both treatment groups had improved cardiomyocyte proliferation at the infarct and peri-infarct zones.④VEGF165 promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation via p27 pathway;⑤HGF promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation via p21 and p27 pathways.
Conclusion: VEGF165 and HGF could improve myocardial perfusion and function in experimental porcine after MI, VEGF165 and HGF promote cardiomyocyte proliferation via different pathways.