The inflammatory microenvironment is closely associated with the initiation and progression of osteoarthritis （OA）， specifically manifesting as macrophage activation， dysregulation of inflammatory cytokines， and redox imbalance. Following an overview of the pathological characteristics of the OA inflammatory microenvironment， this paper reviews the research progress on the mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） intervening in OA by modulating the inflammatory microenvironment. It has been found that TCM monomers/active ingredients （such as total alkaloids from Strychnos nux-vomica ， quercetin， triptolide， etc.）， herb pairs （e.g. Angelica pubescens - Gentiana macrophylla ， Carthami Flos-Lycopodii Herba）， and TCM formulas （such as Zhuanggu jianxi formula， Duhuo jisheng decoction and Rongjin niantong formula， etc.） can inhibit macrophage activation， reduce the release of proinflammatory cytokines and the generation of reactive oxygen species by inhibiting multiple signaling pathways， including nuclear factor-κB， Wnt/ β -catenin， and mitogen-activated protein kinase， thereby alleviating the articular inflammatory microenvironment， restoring local joint homeostasis， and slowing the progression of OA.

Gout significantly impacts both physical health and quality of life,while current pharmacological treatments face notable limitations.TCM non-pharmacological therapies have shown promising potential in the management of gout,offering diverse approaches with favorable efficacy.This article summarized the characteristics,clinical efficacy and mechanisms of different TCM non-pharmacological therapies for treating gout.Recent studies suggest that these therapies may be applied across all clinical stages of gout.During the acute phase,they can rapidly reduce joint inflammation and relieve pain.In the intercritical phase,they help prevent recurrence,decrease the frequency of attacks,and shorten episode duration.In the chronic tophaceous phase,they alleviate persistent symptoms,improve joint function,and support minimally invasive tophi removal.TCM non-pharmacological therapies have their own characteristics and good safety,and can be combined for clinical use,providing TCM treatment strategies for gout.

Gout significantly impacts both physical health and quality of life,while current pharmacological treatments face notable limitations.TCM non-pharmacological therapies have shown promising potential in the management of gout,offering diverse approaches with favorable efficacy.This article summarized the characteristics,clinical efficacy and mechanisms of different TCM non-pharmacological therapies for treating gout.Recent studies suggest that these therapies may be applied across all clinical stages of gout.During the acute phase,they can rapidly reduce joint inflammation and relieve pain.In the intercritical phase,they help prevent recurrence,decrease the frequency of attacks,and shorten episode duration.In the chronic tophaceous phase,they alleviate persistent symptoms,improve joint function,and support minimally invasive tophi removal.TCM non-pharmacological therapies have their own characteristics and good safety,and can be combined for clinical use,providing TCM treatment strategies for gout.

Aim To explore the role of the ten-eleven translocation 2(TET2)/ubiquinol-cytochrome C reductase hinge protein(UQCRH)axis in the inhibition of vascular smooth muscle cell(VSMC)apoptosis by fibroblast growth fac-tor-2(FGF-2).Methods Cultured VSMCs were divided into control group,FGF-2 group,and FGF-2+fibroblast growth factor receptor(FGFR)pan-inhibitor LY2874455 group.VSMCs overexpressing TET2(OETET2)or UQCRH(OEUQCRH)were divided into control group,FGF-2 group,and OETET2+FGF-2 or OEUQCRH+FGF-2 group.Ho-echst33342 and PI staining were used to detect cell apoptosis,CCK-8 assay was employed to measure cell proliferation,and Western blot was used to examine the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins pro-Caspase-3,cleaved Caspase-3,Bax,Bcl-2,as well as TET2 and UQCRH.The NCBI and methprimer websites were utilized for predicting and analyzing CpG island sites in the UQCRH gene promoter.Results FGF-2 could inhibit VSMC apoptosis,promote proliferation,downregulate apoptosis-related proteins cleaved Caspase-3,Bax,TET2,and UQCRH expression,and upregulate anti-ap-optotic protein Bcl-2 expression(compared with control group,P＜0.05).However,it did not affect pro-Caspase-3 ex-pression(compared with control group,P＞0.05).LY2874455 could counteract the effects of FGF-2(compared with FGF-2 group,P＜0.05).Overexpression of TET2 or UQCRH could reverse the anti-apoptotic and pro-proliferative effects of FGF-2 on VSMC,with upregulation of apoptosis-related protein expression and downregulation of anti-apoptotic protein expression(compared with FGF-2 group,P＜0.05).The UQCRH gene promoter region contained three CpG islands.Overexpression of TET2 could upregulate UQCRH expression in VSMC treated with FGF-2(compared with FGF-2 group,P＜0.05).Conclusion FGF-2,by inhibiting TET2 expression and UQCRH expression,reduces VSMC apoptosis and promotes its proliferation.

Objective Bibliometric approaches are used to investigate the characteristics and benefits of traditional Chinese medicine treatments for dominant diseases that can be applied in clinical therapy to effectively manage geriatric diseases.Methods Clinical research literature on the use of traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of geriatric diseases within the past 10 years was retrieved from CNKI,Wanfang,VIP,and CBM databases.The research trends and clinical efficiency of each disease were statistically analyzed to determine the dominant diseases of TCM.Results A total of 22 859 articles were collected,with 3768 included in the research.In accordance with the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems(ICD-11)of the World Health Organization,the diseases were classified into 17 categories and 149 diseases.The diseases primarily affect the circulatory system,skeletal musculoskeletal or connective tissue system,and digestive system.Conclusions Traditional Chinese medicine clinical trials on the treatment of geriatric illnesses cover a diverse spectrum of diseases,although the distribution of focus is unequal.Potential dominant illnesses were eventually identified to include osteoporosis,constipation,and hypertension,with heart failure,stroke,coronary heart disease,diabetes and its complications,and insomnia being potential sub-dominant diseases.

Odontoblasts are primarily responsible for synthesizing and secreting extracellular matrix proteins,which are crucial for dentinogenesis.Our previous single-cell profile and RNAscope for odontoblast lineage revealed that cyclic adenosine monophosphate responsive element-binding protein 3 like 1(Creb3l1)was specifically enriched in the terminal differentiated odontoblasts.In this study,deletion of Creb3l1 in the Wnt1+lineage led to insufficient root elongation and dentin deposition.Assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing(ATAC-seq)and RNA sequencing were performed to revealed that in CREB3L1-deficient mouse dental papilla cells(mDPCs),the genes near the closed chromatin regions were mainly associated with mesenchymal development and the downregulated genes were primarily related to biological processes including cell differentiation,protein biosynthesis and transport,all of which were evidenced by a diminished ability of odontoblastic differentiation,a significant reduction in intracellular proteins,and an even greater decline in extracellular supernatant proteins.Dentin matrix protein 1(Dmp1),dentin sialophosphoprotein(Dspp),and transmembrane protein 30B(Tmem30b)were identified as direct transcriptional regulatory targets.TMEM30B was intensively expressed in the differentiated odontoblasts,and exhibited a significant decline in both CREB3L1-deficient odontoblasts in vivo and in vitro.Deletion of Tmem30b impaired the ability of odontoblastic differentiation,protein synthesis,and protein secretion in mDPCs.Moreover,overexpressing TMEM30B in CREB3L1-deficient mDPCs partially rescued the extracellular proteins secretion.Collectively,our findings suggest that CREB3L1 participates in dentinogenesis and facilitates odontoblastic differentiation by directly enhancing the transcription of Dmp1,Dspp,and other differentiation-related genes and indirectly promoting protein secretion partially via TMEM30B.

Odontoblasts are primarily responsible for synthesizing and secreting extracellular matrix proteins,which are crucial for dentinogenesis.Our previous single-cell profile and RNAscope for odontoblast lineage revealed that cyclic adenosine monophosphate responsive element-binding protein 3 like 1(Creb3l1)was specifically enriched in the terminal differentiated odontoblasts.In this study,deletion of Creb3l1 in the Wnt1+lineage led to insufficient root elongation and dentin deposition.Assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing(ATAC-seq)and RNA sequencing were performed to revealed that in CREB3L1-deficient mouse dental papilla cells(mDPCs),the genes near the closed chromatin regions were mainly associated with mesenchymal development and the downregulated genes were primarily related to biological processes including cell differentiation,protein biosynthesis and transport,all of which were evidenced by a diminished ability of odontoblastic differentiation,a significant reduction in intracellular proteins,and an even greater decline in extracellular supernatant proteins.Dentin matrix protein 1(Dmp1),dentin sialophosphoprotein(Dspp),and transmembrane protein 30B(Tmem30b)were identified as direct transcriptional regulatory targets.TMEM30B was intensively expressed in the differentiated odontoblasts,and exhibited a significant decline in both CREB3L1-deficient odontoblasts in vivo and in vitro.Deletion of Tmem30b impaired the ability of odontoblastic differentiation,protein synthesis,and protein secretion in mDPCs.Moreover,overexpressing TMEM30B in CREB3L1-deficient mDPCs partially rescued the extracellular proteins secretion.Collectively,our findings suggest that CREB3L1 participates in dentinogenesis and facilitates odontoblastic differentiation by directly enhancing the transcription of Dmp1,Dspp,and other differentiation-related genes and indirectly promoting protein secretion partially via TMEM30B.

Objective:To investigate the teaching effect of flipped classroom combined with problem-based learning (PBL) in the teaching of the Diagnostic Audiology course.Methods:A total of 72 undergraduate students majoring in audiology and speech rehabilitation in the classes of 2019 and 2020 in Chongqing Medical University were enrolled as subjects, and three chapters of the Diagnostic Audiology course were selected for teaching reform. The 34 students in the class of 2019 were enrolled as control group and received lecture-based learning (LBL), and the 38 students in the class of 2020 were enrolled as experimental group and received flipped classroom combined with PBL. The teaching effect was evaluated by comparing the two groups in terms of classroom test scores, classroom participation scores, degree of satisfaction with teaching effect, and overall satisfaction with teaching. SPSS 23.0 software was used to perform the t-test, the chi-square test, and the Mann-Whitney U test. Results:The experimental group had a significantly higher classroom test score than the control group (25.95±1.21 vs. 23.21±1.55, P<0.001). In terms of classroom participation scores, the experimental group had significantly higher scores of participation in class discussion, cooperative and collaborative abilities, and questioning skills than the control group (all P<0.001). In terms of the degree of satisfaction with teaching, compared with the control group, the experimental group had significantly higher degrees of satisfaction in the dimensions such as interest in learning, mastery of theoretical knowledge, teamwork and collaboration abilities, self-learning ability, and self-presentation ( P=0.005, 0.009, 0.001, 0.016, and 0.005). In addition, the experimental group had a significantly higher degree of overall satisfaction with teaching than the control group ( P=0.006). Conclusion:Flipped classroom combined with PBL has a good teaching effect in the Diagnostic Audiology course and thus holds promise for further application.

The mechanisms of general anesthesia, which was introduced about 170 years ago, remain poorly under- stood. Even less well understood are the effects of general anesthesia on the human body. Recently we identified 18 G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) genes of Daphnia pulex, an invertebrate model organism. Phylogenetic analysis identified these genes to be the homologs of the human γ-aminobutyric acid, type B (GABAB) receptor, metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR), adrenergic receptor, serotonin (5-HT) receptor, dopamine receptor and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR). Using reverse transcription and quantitative PCR techniques, we systematically measured the effects of propofol, etomidate and ethanol on these 18 GPCR mRNA expressions in Daphnia pulex.
Animals ; Daphnia ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Ethanol ; pharmacology ; Etomidate ; pharmacology ; Phylogeny ; Propofol ; pharmacology ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptors, GABA-B ; genetics ; metabolism

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) is an important transcription factor under hypoxic condition in many organisms, and plays a key role in the induction of hypoxia tolerance. It is necessary to establish a hypoxia model for HIF and to perform further hypoxia tolerance research. To investigate the value of Daphnia as a model organism in hypoxia precondition, we developed a preconditioning protocol with a model organism, Daphnia pulex. We found that two episodes of exposure to hypoxic solution resulted in enhanced hypoxia tolerance which is dependent on HIF. Comparative genomic analysis was also made to highlight the homology of HIF-related genes among Daphnia, fruitfly and human. We found that Daphnia is suitable for the study of human hypoxic injury as a model organism.
Adaptation, Physiological ; genetics ; Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Cladocera ; genetics ; Culture Techniques ; Daphnia ; genetics ; Disease Models, Animal ; Hypoxia ; genetics ; metabolism ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 ; genetics ; Ischemic Preconditioning ; methods ; Molecular Sequence Data