Objective To investigate the role of hydrogen therapy in reducing radiation-induced lung injury and the specific mechanism. Methods Forty C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups: normal control group, model group, hydrogen therapy group I, and hydrogen therapy group II. A mouse model of radiation-induced lung injury was established. The pathological changes in the lung tissue of the mice were examined with HE staining. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expression of surface markers of M1 and M2 macrophages to observe macrophage polarization. The expression of interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-10 in the lung tissue was measured by immunohistochemistry. The expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 and phosphorylated NF-κB (P-NF-κB) p65 was measured by Western blot. Results HE staining showed that compared with the control group, the model group exhibited alveolar septal swelling and thickening, vascular dilatation and congestion, and inflammatory cell infiltration in the lung tissue; the hydrogen groups had significantly reduced pathological damage and inflammatory response than the model group, with more improvements in hydrogen group II than in hydrogen group I. Immunohistochemical results showed that compared with those in the control group, the levels of the inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α were significantly increased in the model group; the hydrogen groups showed significantly decreased IL-6 and TNF-α levels and a significantly increased level of the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 than the model group, which were more marked in hydrogen group II than in hydrogen group I. Immunofluorescence results showed that compared with the control group, the expression of the surface marker of M1 macrophages in the model group was significantly upregulated; the hydrogen groups showed significantly downregulated M1 marker and significantly upregulated M2 marker, and hydrogen group II showed significantly increased M2 marker compared with hydrogen group I. Western blot results showed that compared with that in the control group, the ratio of P-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 in the model group was significantly increased; the P-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 ratio was significantly reduced in the hydrogen groups than in the model group, and was significantly lower in hydrogen group II than in hydrogen group I. Conclusion Hydrogen inhalation therapy may reduce the inflammatory response of radiation-induced lung injury by inhibiting the NF-κB signaling pathway to promote the polarization of the macrophage M1 subtype to the M2 subtype.

Optogenetics combines optics and genetic engineering to control specific gene expression and biological functions and has the advantages of precise spatiotemporal control,noninvasiveness,and high efficiency.Genetically modified photosensory sensors are engineered into proteins to modulate conformational changes with light stimulation.Therefore,optogenetic techniques can provide new insights into oral biological processes at different levels,ranging from the subcellular and cellular levels to neural circuits and behavioral models.Here,we introduce the origins of optogenetics and highlight the recent progress of optogenetic approaches in oral and craniofacial research,focusing on the ability to apply optogenetics to the study of basic scientific neural mechanisms and to establish different oral behavioral test models in vivo(orofacial movement,licking,eating,and drinking),such as channelrhodopsin(ChR),archaerhodopsin(Arch),and halorhodopsin from Natronomonas pharaonis(NpHR).We also review the synergic and antagonistic effects of optogenetics in preclinical studies of trigeminal neuralgia and maxillofacial cellulitis.In addition,optogenetic tools have been used to control the neurogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells in translational studies.Although the scope of optogenetic tools is increasing,there are limited large animal experiments and clinical studies in dental research.Potential future directions include exploring therapeutic strategies for addressing loss of taste in patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19),studying oral bacterial biofilms,enhancing craniomaxillofacial and periodontal tissue regeneration,and elucidating the possible pathogenesis of dry sockets,xerostomia,and burning mouth syndrome.

Objective:To investigate the effects of Houttuynize Herba decoction on aspirin-induced gastric ulcer (GU) in mice; To discuss its mechanism.Methods:A total of 64 SPF male mice were selected, and 48 mice were randomly selected to establish the model by gavage of 20 mg/ml aspirin solution. The remaining 16 rats were treated as normal group by gavage with the same amount of normalsaline once a day for 7 consecutive days. After successful modeling, the remaining mice in the model group were randomly divided into 5 groups, with 8 mice in each group, namely normal saline group (given normal saline), omeprazole group (given omeprazole 0.5 mg/ml), Houttuynize Herba high-, medium- and low-dosage groups (given 1.08 g/ml, 0.54 g/ml, 0.27 g/ml), and the remaining 8 mice in the normal group were given the same amount of normal saline by gavage. The mice were treated by gavage once a day for 7 days. The number of Escherichia coli and Bifidobacterium in mouse feces was counted by bacterial culture method, and the ratio of Bifidobacterium to Escherichia coli (B/E value) was used to judge the imbalance of bacterial flora. The expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum was detected by magnetic particle chemiluminescence. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the expression of prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2) in the serum of mice to determine the level of inflammation. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to determine the ulcer and healing. ImageJ 1.8.0 was used to calculate the ulcer inhibition rate. The protein expression levels of IκBα, NF-κB-p65 subunit and phosphorylated IκBα (p-IκBα) and p65 (p-NF-κB-p65) subunits in gastric tissue of mice were evaluated by Western blot. Results:Compared with the normal group, the epithelial cells of the gastric mucosa were missing, the glands were irregularly arranged, and the tissue structure was severely damaged in the modeling group; the number of Escherichia coli in the intestine increased ( P<0.01), the number of Bifidobacterium decreased ( P<0.01), and the B/E value was less than 1 ( P<0.01); Serum PGE2 levels were decreased ( P<0.01), IL-6 levels were increased ( P<0.01); The expression of p-IκBα and p-NF-κB-p65 proteins in gastric tissues was elevated ( P<0.05). After 7 days of drug treatment, compared with the saline group, gastric mucosal cells and structures were improved, and weight gained in the Houttuynize Herba groups ( P<0.05); the rate of inhibition of ulcers in mice in the Houttuynize Herba high-dosage group was significantly improved ( P<0.01); the number of Bifidobacteria in the intestinal tract significantly increased ( P<0.01), that of Escherichia coli was diminished ( P<0.05), B/E value was greater than 1 ( P<0.05), IL-6 content in peripheral blood was reduced ( P<0.05), PGE 2 levels significantly increased ( P<0.01); the level of p-IκBα/IκBα and p-NF-κB-p65/NF-κB-p65 in the gastric tissues of mice decreased ( P<0.01). Conclusion:Houttuynize Herba decoction can effectively improve gastric mucosal injury in mice, and its mechanism may be related to regulating intestinal microorganisms, inhibiting the opening of IκBα/NF-κB pathway, and reducing inflammatory response.

Objective:We aimed to develop a novel visualized model based on nomogram to predict postoperative overall survival.Methods:This was a multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study, including participants with histologically confirmed gastric and colorectal cancer who underwent radical surgery from 11 medical centers in China from August 1, 2015 to June 30, 2018. Baseline characteristics, histopathological data and nutritional status, as assessed using Nutrition Risk Screening 2002 (NRS 2002) score and the scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, were collected. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression and Cox regression were used to identify variables to be included in the predictive model. Internal and external validations were performed.Results:There were 681 and 127 patients in the training and validation cohorts, respectively. A total of 188 deaths were observed over a median follow-up period of 59 (range: 58 to 60) months. Two independent predictors of NRS 2002 and Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage were identified and incorporated into the prediction nomogram model together with the factor of age. The model's concordance index for 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival was 0.696, 0.724, and 0.738 in the training cohort and 0.801, 0.812, and 0.793 in the validation cohort, respectively.Conclusions:In this study, a new nomogram prediction model based on NRS 2002 score was developed and validated for predicting the overall postoperative survival of patients with gastric colorectal cancer. This model has good differentiation, calibration and clinical practicability in predicting the long-term survival rate of patients with gastrointestinal cancer after radical surgery.

The intestinal microbiota refers to the microbial group that exists in the intestine, and its composition disorder may affect human health. Many studies have found that intestinal microbiota and their metabolites may be closely related to the pathologies of Alzheimer′s disease (AD) through the gut-brain axis. This article will review the roles and possible mechanisms of lipopolysaccharide, functional bacterial amyloid proteins and bile acids, which are common metabolites of intestinal microbiota, in the pathogenesis of AD, and provide valuable information for exploring the pathogenesis of AD.

Objective:To study the protective effect of Mongolian medicine Bateri-7 on radiation-induced intestinal injury in mice.Methods:C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into control group, irradiation group and irradiation plus drug administration group, with 10 or 15 mice in each group. For irradiation group, the mice were given a single dose of 12 Gy 60Co γ-rays with total body irradiation. For drug treatment, the mice were gavaged with Bateri-7 (530 mg/kg) 7 d before irradiation until 3 d after IR. At 6 h and 24 h after irradiation, the Tunel positive cells in intestine were detected immunohistochemically. At 3.5 d after irradiation, the structure of intestinal villi was observed by HE staining, and the BrdU and Ki67 positive cells were detected immunohistochemically. The expression levels of IL-6, TNF-α and Cxcl-5 were detected by qPCR. The FITC-dextran in peripheral blood was also determined. Results:The survival of irradiated mice was significantly increased by Bateri-7 ( χ2= 5.84, P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference in weight between two groups ( P > 0.05). The villi length of small intestine in the irradiation plus drug group was significantly longer than that in the irradiation group ( t = 20.24, P < 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the depth of intestinal crypt between two groups ( P > 0.05). At 6 and 24 h after irradiation, the number of Tunel positive cells in intestinal crypts in the irradiation plus drug group was significantly reduced in comparison with the irradiation group ( t = 3.52, 2.90, P < 0.05). At 3.5 d after irradiation, the level of FITC-dextran in serum and the expressions of IL-6, TNF-α and Cxcl-5 in small intestine of mice in the irradiation plus drug group were significantly lower than those in the irradiation group, respectively( t = 6.92, 7.01, 7.18, 13.16, P < 0.05). The number of BrdU and Ki67 positive cells in the crypt of mice in the irradiation plus drug group was higher than that of the irradiation group ( t = 3.91, 2.57, P < 0.05). Conclusions:Mongolian medicine Bateri-7 can effectively alleviate irradiation-induced intestinal injury of mice, which may have a good preventive and therapeutic effect on radiation enteritis.

At present, the treatment methods of lymphoma mainly include the combined chemotherapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, immunotherapy and new targeted therapies, but the treatment-related drug resistance, recurrence, extranodal and central nervous system infiltration, and leukemia transformation are still intractable problems that need to be solved in clinical practice. Studies have shown that cytokines are expressed to varying degrees in patients with lymphoma, which are significantly related to the progression of lymphoma, poor prognosis, chemotherapy response, and drug resistance. It has been confirmed that interleukin 6 (IL-6) and IL-10 are highly expressed in all types of lymphoma, and IL-10 is highly expressed in the cerebrospinal fluid of central nervous system lymphoma, all of which indicate a poor prognosis. This article reviews the role of cytokines in the development, treatment and prognosis of lymphoma.

Catheter related blood stream infection (CRBSI) has become the first cause of blood stream infection and the third cause of hospital-acquired infections. With the rapid development of critical care technology, arterial CRBSI has been paid more attention. This paper analyzed the pathogen colonization, research status at home and abroad, risk factors and preventive measure on arterial CRBSI to determine the arterial CRBSI in intensive care unit (ICU), guided nurses to take the effective preventive measure and reduced, the incidence of arterial CRBSI, so as to provide a theoretical basis for clinical quality control.

Calmodulin,as an important signaling regulatory protein,widely exists in eukaryotic cells and participates in a variety of physiological activities.Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a typical neurodegenerative diseasemostly affecting the old people.Senile plaques (SP) caused by amyloid protein deposition and neurofibrillary tangles (NTF) caused by over-phosphorylation of Tau protein in the brain are the two major neuropathological hallmarks of AD.Neuronal apoptosis induced by dysregulation of calcium homeostasis also plays a significant role during this pathological process.Recent studies have found that calcium and its downstream receptor,calmodulin,are closely associated with the pathogenesis and progress of Alzheimer's disease.This article reviews the current development and the latest research progress on the effects of calmodulin on β-amyloid protein generation and deposition,neurofibrillary tangle formation,synaptic plasticity in AD around the world,comprehensively discusses the role of calmodulin in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.