Astrocytes in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) exhibit diverse reactive phenotypes under neuropathic conditions, yet the mechanisms driving this diversity and its implications in chronic pain remain unclear. Here, we report that spared nerve injury (SNI) induces marked upregulation of both complement component 3 (C3⁺, A1-like) and S100 calcium-binding protein A10 (S100A10⁺, A2-like) astrocyte subpopulations in the SDH, with elevated microglial cytokines including interleukin-1α, tumor necrosis factor-α, and complement component 1q. Transcriptomic, immunohistochemical, and Western blot analyses reveal co-activation of multiple reactive astrocyte states over a unidirectional shift toward an A1-like phenotype. Fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8), a neuroprotective factor via FGFR3, mitigated microglia-induced C3⁺ astrocyte reactivity in vitro and suppressed spinal C3 expression and mechanical allodynia following intrathecal administration in SNI mice. These findings reveal a microglia-astrocyte signaling axis that promotes A1 reactivity and position FGF8 as a promising therapeutic candidate for neuropathic pain by modulating astrocyte heterogeneity.
Animals ; Astrocytes/drug effects* ; Neuralgia/pathology* ; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 3/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/physiology* ; Male ; Mice ; Microglia/drug effects* ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 8/pharmacology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Hyperalgesia/drug therapy* ; Spinal Cord/drug effects* ; Complement C3/metabolism* ; Spinal Cord Dorsal Horn/metabolism*

ObjectiveTo investigate the safety and feasibility of intra-biliary drainage tube placement after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration in elderly patients with choledocholithiasis， and to provide more options for surgical procedures in the clinical management of elderly patients with choledocholithiasis. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 52 elderly patients with choledocholithiasis who were admitted to Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery， Affiliated Dalian Friendship Hospital of Dalian Medical University， from November 2021 to October 2024. According to the biliary drainage method after surgery， the patients were divided into internal drainage group with 24 patients and T-tube drainage group with 28 patients， and there were 19 patients in each group after propensity score matching. The two groups were compared in terms of perioperative parameters and postoperative complications. The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups， and the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. ResultsCompared with the T-tube drainage group， the internal drainage group had a significantly shorter length of postoperative hospital stay and a significantly lower volume of postoperative bile loss （Z=-2.845 and -5.633， both P<0.05）， while there were no significant differences between the two groups in time of operation， intraoperative blood loss， and drainage tube indwelling time （all P>0.05）. There were no significant differences between the two groups in postoperative bile leak， stone recurrence， biliary stricture， and drainage tube-related complications， and the internal drainage group had a significantly lower total complication rate than the T-tube drainage group ［1 （5.3%） vs 7 （36.8%）， P<0.05］. ConclusionFor elderly patients with choledocholithiasis， intra-biliary drainage tube placement after laparoscopic common bile duct exploration can shorten the length of postoperative hospital stay， reduce bile loss， and lower the incidence rate of postoperative complications， thereby helping to accelerate postoperative recovery.

Objective To explore the difference in efficacy of metoprolol versus ivabradine in the treatment of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome(POTS)in the elderly after COVID-19 infection.Methods A total of 110 patients diagnosed with POTS at our department from Decem-ber 1,2022 to January 31,2023 were included.According to their drug regimen,they were divided into metoprolol group(62 patients)and ivabradine group(48 patients).On the 28th day of out-patient follow-up,the resting heart rate,heart rate of 10 min of standing,symptom disappearance rate,hospitalization rate,and mortality rate were compared between the two groups.Results On the 28th day of treatment,the resting heart rate and postural heart rate for 10 min were decreased in both groups when compared with the levels at initial diagnosis(P＜0.01).And there were no significant differences in the two types of heart rate between the two groups on the 28th day(71.0±7.0 vs 72.1±7.0,P=0.401;76.5±7.2 vs 77.4±7.6,P=0.573).No obvious differences were observed between the two groups in symptom disappearance rate,hospitalization rate,or mortality rate(88.7％vs 89.6％,3.2％vs2.1％,0％vs 0％,P＞0.05).Conclusion Metoprolol and ivabradine can effectively treat POTS in the elderly patients after COVID-19 infection.

Objective: To translate the Maternal Blue Scale (MBS) into Chinese, and evaluate the reliability and validity. Methods: The MBS was translated back-translated, culturally adapted and pre-tested according to the Brislin translation model to develop the Chinese version of MBS. Postpartum women from obstetrics centers in three tertiary general hospitals in Shandong Province were selected using convenience sampling method to assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of MBS. Content validity was evaluated based on expert ratings. Criterion-related validity was evaluated using the Chinese version of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) as the criterion. Structural validity was evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Reliability was assessed by calculating Cronbach's α and split-half reliability. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate predictive validity. Results: Totally 500 questionnaires were allocated, and 479 valid ones were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 95.80%. The Chinese version of MBS consisted of 32 items across 6 dimensions: mother-infant communication, infant feeding, role adaptation, maternal responsibilities, family acceptance and social support. The item-level content validity index ranged from 0.900 to 1.000, and the scale-level content validity index/average was 0.990. The correlation coefficient between the Chinese version of MBS scores and the Chinese version of EPDS scores was 0.675 (P<0.05). Exploratory factor analysis extracted 6 common factors, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 74.581%. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated good model fit, with a root mean square error of approximation of 0.014, a goodness of fit index of 0.896, a comparative fit index of 0.996, an incremental fit index of 0.996, a normed fit index of 0.913, and a Tucker-Lewis index of 0.995. The overall Cronbach's α was 0.924, and the split-half reliability was 0.765. The Cronbach's α of each dimension ranged from 0.809 to 0.956, and the split-half reliability ranged from 0.807 to 0.966. The area under the ROC curve was 0.909 (95%CI: 0.880-0.937). At the optimal cutoff score of 75.5, the Youden index reached its maximum of 0.698, with a sensitivity of 0.874 and a specificity of 0.824. Conclusion The Chinese version of MBS has good reliability and validity, and it is suitable to evaluate maternal blue among Chinese postpartum women.

Objective To explore the current status of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among nurses at psychiatric department and analyze its latent profiles and population characteristics. Methods A total of 357 nurses from psychiatric departments of five tertiary Grade A hospitals were selected as the research subjects using the convenience sampling method. The PTG and professional quality of life were studied using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory and the Chinese version of the Compassion Fatigue Scale. Results The PTG score of the nurses was (56.6±23.2). The scores of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress among nurses were (32.6±7.2), (26.9±5.9), and (26.0±5.4), respectively. The result of potential profile analysis showed that the nurses could be divided into three latent profiles based on PTG levels: low PTG group (34.4%), moderate PTG group (44.0%), and high PTG group (21.6%). The results of multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the nurses who slept 7-8 hours per day were at higher risk of being in the high PTG group compared with those who slept more than eight hours per day (P<0.05). Psychiatric nurses who took regular exercise were at higher risk of being in the high PTG group compared with those who took irregular exercise (P<0.05). The nurses who had high job satisfaction scores were at higher risk of being in the high PTG group compared with those who had low job satisfaction scores (P<0.01). The nurses with higher compassion satisfaction scores increased the risk of being in the high PTG group compared with those with lower compassion satisfaction scores (P<0.01). The nurses with higher burnout scores increased the risk of being in the low PTG group compared with those with lower burnout scores (P<0.01). Conclusion The PTG characteristics of the nurses exhibit heterogeneity and can be categorized into three distinct profiles. Sleep duration, regular exercise, job satisfaction, compassion satisfaction, and burnout are influencing factors for the PTG latent profiles of nurses working at psychiatric department.

Beta-thalassemia major(β-TM)is an inherited disease caused by a defect in the synthesis of globin. The disease requires long-term blood transfusion and iron chelator treatment, which can cause various secondary changes in the body and eye tissues. Compared with normal peers, β-TM patients will show changes in the eye such as steeper corneal curvature, shallower anterior chamber, increased lens thickness, shorter axial length, and reduced tear secretion. At the same time, nutritional deficiencies and the use of iron chelator drugs will increase the risk of complicated cataract and retinal degeneration, thus affecting the quality of life of β-TM patients.This article combines relevant domestic and foreign literatures to explore and review the changes in the eye of β-TM patients, with a view to providing valuable insights for clinical practice.

Objective To investigate the effect of solasonine,an active component of Solanum nigrum,on proliferation and apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer PC9 cells.Methods PC9 cells were treated with 2,5,10,15,20,or 25 μmol/L solasonine,and the changes in cell proliferation were examined using CCK-8 assay.Tetramethyl rhodamine ethyl ester(TMRE)was used to detect the changes in mitochondrial membrane potential,and caspase-3/7 detection kit and GreenNuc? caspase-3/Annexin V-mCherry kit for live cell were used to analyze the changes in caspase-3 of the cells.Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining was employed to analyze the apoptosis rate of the cells.The effect of PTEN inhibitors on solasonine-induced cell apoptosis was examined by detecting apoptosis-related protein expressions using Western blotting.Results Solasonine treatment for 24,48,and 72 h significantly lowered the viability of PC9 cells.The cells treated with solasonine for 24 h showed significantly decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and increased cell apoptosis with enhanced caspase-3/7 and caspase-3 activities and expression of cleaved caspase-3.Solasonine treatment significantly decreased phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt,increased the protein expressions of PTEN and Bax,and lowered the expression of Bcl-2 protein in the cells.Conclusion Solasonine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of PC9 cells by regulating the Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 pathway and its upstream proteins.

Objective To investigate the effect of solasonine,an active component of Solanum nigrum,on proliferation and apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer PC9 cells.Methods PC9 cells were treated with 2,5,10,15,20,or 25 μmol/L solasonine,and the changes in cell proliferation were examined using CCK-8 assay.Tetramethyl rhodamine ethyl ester(TMRE)was used to detect the changes in mitochondrial membrane potential,and caspase-3/7 detection kit and GreenNuc? caspase-3/Annexin V-mCherry kit for live cell were used to analyze the changes in caspase-3 of the cells.Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining was employed to analyze the apoptosis rate of the cells.The effect of PTEN inhibitors on solasonine-induced cell apoptosis was examined by detecting apoptosis-related protein expressions using Western blotting.Results Solasonine treatment for 24,48,and 72 h significantly lowered the viability of PC9 cells.The cells treated with solasonine for 24 h showed significantly decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and increased cell apoptosis with enhanced caspase-3/7 and caspase-3 activities and expression of cleaved caspase-3.Solasonine treatment significantly decreased phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt,increased the protein expressions of PTEN and Bax,and lowered the expression of Bcl-2 protein in the cells.Conclusion Solasonine inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of PC9 cells by regulating the Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 pathway and its upstream proteins.

Objective To investigate the effect of microRNA-223(miR-223)on prostate cancer cell damage by regulating the Kelch-like epichlorohydrin related protein 1(Keap1)/nuclear factor E2 related factor 2(Nrf2)/antioxidant response element(ARE)signaling pathway.Methods The prostate cancer cell line PC3 was cultured and randomly divided into control,down-regulated miR-223,and up-regulated miR-223 groups.Changes in miR-223 expression,cell proliferation rate,cell migration number,cell invasion number,apoptosis rate,and expression level of Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway were explored.Results Compared with the control group,the cell invasion number,cell migration number,cell proliferation rate,Nrf2 and ARE expression increased at 24,48 and 72 h in down-regulated miR-223 group,while the expressions of miR-223,Keap1 and apoptosis rate decreased(P<0.05).Compared with the down-regulated miR-223 group,24,48 and 72 h cell proliferation rate,cell invasion number,cell migration number,ARE and Nrf2 expression decreased in the up-regulated miR-223 group,while miR-223,apoptosis rate and Keap1 expression increased(P<0.05).Conclusion Regulation of miR-223 effectively ameliorates prostate cell injury,and the mechanism may be related to the Keap1/Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.