BACKGROUND:Naringin has been shown to promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells,making it a potential candidate for treating osteoporosis andenhancing fracture healing.However,its clinical application is limited by its low bioavailability.OBJECTIVE:To prepare chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds loaded with naringin and characterize their biological properties.METHODS:Chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying and chemical crosslinking.The chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds were immersed in anhydrous ethanol solution containing naringin for 3 hours.After vacuum cold drying,chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate/naringin scaffolds were obtained.The pore size,porosity,swelling rate,degradation rate,mechanical properties,and in vitro release capacity of naringin of the scaffolds were characterized.Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were inoculated on the surface of chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds and chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate/naringin scaffolds,respectively,and cell proliferation,adhesion,activity and alkaline phosphatase activity after osteogenic differentiation were detected.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The results of scanning electron microscopy showed that the naringin-chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate composite scaffold had a porous mesh structure.The average pore diameter was(106.82±25.22)μm;the porosity was(76.26±4.81)％;24-hour swelling rate was(796.17±31.76)％;in vitro degradation rate of 7.71％at 4 weeks,and naringin could be slowly released in vitro for 9 days.There was no significant difference in the average pore size,porosity,24-hour swelling rate,in vitro degradation rate,compression strength and compression modulus at 4 weeks between the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold and the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold(P＞0.05).(2)Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells adhered well to the surfaces of the two scaffolds and had good activity.Compared with the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold,the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate/naringin scaffold promoted the proliferation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(P＜0.05),and increased the alkaline phosphatase activity of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells after osteogenic differentiation(P＜0.05).(3)The results show that the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate/naringin scaffolds exhibit favorable physical properties and can effectively promote the adhesion,proliferation,and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

BACKGROUND:Naringin has been shown to promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells,making it a potential candidate for treating osteoporosis andenhancing fracture healing.However,its clinical application is limited by its low bioavailability.OBJECTIVE:To prepare chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds loaded with naringin and characterize their biological properties.METHODS:Chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying and chemical crosslinking.The chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds were immersed in anhydrous ethanol solution containing naringin for 3 hours.After vacuum cold drying,chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate/naringin scaffolds were obtained.The pore size,porosity,swelling rate,degradation rate,mechanical properties,and in vitro release capacity of naringin of the scaffolds were characterized.Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were inoculated on the surface of chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds and chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate/naringin scaffolds,respectively,and cell proliferation,adhesion,activity and alkaline phosphatase activity after osteogenic differentiation were detected.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The results of scanning electron microscopy showed that the naringin-chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate composite scaffold had a porous mesh structure.The average pore diameter was(106.82±25.22)μm;the porosity was(76.26±4.81)％;24-hour swelling rate was(796.17±31.76)％;in vitro degradation rate of 7.71％at 4 weeks,and naringin could be slowly released in vitro for 9 days.There was no significant difference in the average pore size,porosity,24-hour swelling rate,in vitro degradation rate,compression strength and compression modulus at 4 weeks between the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold and the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold(P＞0.05).(2)Rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells adhered well to the surfaces of the two scaffolds and had good activity.Compared with the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffold,the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate/naringin scaffold promoted the proliferation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(P＜0.05),and increased the alkaline phosphatase activity of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells after osteogenic differentiation(P＜0.05).(3)The results show that the chitosan/β-tricalcium phosphate/naringin scaffolds exhibit favorable physical properties and can effectively promote the adhesion,proliferation,and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Aim To investigate the effects of Ixerin Z,a sesquiterpene lactone from Ixeris sonchifolia,on bone-lipid metabolic imbalance in ApoE-/-mice and to elu-cidate its molecular mechanisms.Methods A mouse model of ApoE-/-was induced using a high-fat diet,followed by eight weeks of Ixerin Z administration at doses of 1 and 10 mg·kg-1.Serum markers related to bone-lipid metabolism and inflammatory cytokines were quantified.Bone mineral density,biomechanical prop-erties,bone tissue morphology,and bone microstructure changes were analyzed.Computational molecular doc-king was performed to identify potential target proteins of Ixerin Z,and its regulatory effects on bone-lipid me-tabolism were investigated.Results Treatment with Ixerin Z markedly decreased the serum levels of total cholesterol,triglycerides,TNF-α,and IL-1β in ApoE-/-mice.It significantly improved bone mineral density,enhanced biomechanical strength,restored tra-becular structure,and reduced fat accumulation in bone tissue.Investigations revealed that Ixerin Z activated PPARα,thereby promoting fatty acid β-oxidation in bone tissue,and stimulating the Wnt/β-Catenin signa-ling pathway to facilitate bone formation.Furthermore,Ixerin Z suppressed the OPG/RANKL/NF-κB signaling pathway,leading to reduced bone resorption,independ-ent of PPARα activation.Conclusions Ixerin Z dem-onstrates potent therapeutic effects on bone-lipid meta-bolic imbalance in ApoE-/-mice.The mechanism in-volves activating PPARα to promote fatty acid β-oxida-tion in bone tissue,activating PPARα/Wnt/β-Catenin signaling pathway to promote bone formation,and in-hibiting OPG/RANKL/NF-κB signaling pathway to re-duce bone resorption.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of toric collamer lens (TICL) rotation on myopia combined with astigmatism correction after V4c TICL implantation using standardized vector analysis.Methods:An observational case series study was performed.A total of 152 patients (268 eyes) who underwent V4c TICL implantation for the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism were enrolled at Henan Eye Hospital from January to December 2021.The preoperative spherical diopter, cylindrical diopter, and spherical equivalent (SE) were -15.00 to -3.25 D, -5.00 to -0.50 D, -16.50 to -3.88 D, respectively.Postoperative TICL vault and axis were measured by anterior segment optical coherence tomography, and postoperative TICL rotation was calculated.Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spherical diopter, cylindrical diopter, SE, and target astigmatism vector were recorded before and 1 month after surgery.The effectiveness index, safety index, surgically induced astigmatism vector (SIA), margin of error (ME), absolute value of the difference vector |DV|, correction index (CI), and achievement index (IS) were calculated based on the subjective refraction results 1 month after surgery and the cylindrical axis of the V4c TICL.Vector analysis parameters was compared among patients with different preoperative astigmatism, intraoperative TICL fixation, postoperative TICL rotation, and postoperative vault.The correlation between postoperative TICL rotation and TICL fixed angle deviation, postoperative vault, visual acuity and refraction, and vector analysis parameters were evaluated.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Henan Eye Hospital (No.HNEECKY-2021[13]).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject.Results:At 1 month postoperatively, the mean safety and efficacy indices were 1.27 and 1.29, respectively.There was no statistically significant difference between the predicted SE of (-0.11±0.13)D and the postoperative SE of (-0.07±0.52)D ( t=-0.994, P=0.321).UCVA, BCVA and cylinder diopter in the operative eyes were all improved after surgery compared to before surgery and the differences were statistically significant ( t=17.854, 5.446, -25.634; all P<0.001).The rotation of V4c TICL was 0° to 25°, with a mean of (5.41±4.35)°, which was positively correlated with the V4c TICL fixed angle deviation ( rs=0.461, P<0.001), negatively correlated with postoperative cylindrical diopter and positively correlated with postoperative UCVA, |DV| and SIA ( r=-0.360, 0.191, 0.205, 0.142; all P<0.05).Vector analysis between groups showed that vault, SIA and |DV| were higher and CI and IS were lower in low astigmatism group than in high astigmatism group ( Z=-3.017, -13.569, -2.793, -2.761, -4.779; all P<0.05).V4c TICL rotation and |DV| were lower in low fixation angle difference group than in high fixation angle difference group ( Z=-7.865, -2.080; both P<0.05).Preoperative cylindrical diopter, intraoperative V4c TICL fixed angle deviation, SIA and |DV| were lower in low rotation group than in high rotation group ( Z=-2.104, -4.578, -2.456, -2.090; all P<0.05).There were no statistically significant differences in the TICL rotation or in each vector between patients with different vault after the surgery (all P>0.05). Conclusions:V4c TICL implantation can achieve good results for the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism.There is a slight difference between the fixation axis and the target axis of V4c TICL, which affects the rotation of V4c TICL and |DV|.Postoperative V4c TICL rotation is related to TICL fixed angle deviation, postoperative UCVA, SIA, |DV| and postoperative cylindrical diopter.Postoperative vault has no significant effect on TICL rotation and differences in each vector.

Objective:To investigate the effects of two anastomosis methods on perioperative and pathological outcomes during totally laparoscopic right hemicolectomy (TLRH).Methods:In a national multicenter snapshot study, 1,854 patients who underwent laparoscopic right hemicolectomy were enrolled from 52 tertiary hospitals across China. The post-hoc analysis based on this study compared the data of 303 patients who underwent TLRH. Patients were divided into the antiperistaltic group (33 cases) and the isoperistaltic group (270 cases) according to type of anastomosis. Due to the significant difference in sample size between the two groups, propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to eliminate the influence of baseline characteristic discrepancies. The matching was based on the following known confounding factors: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), history of abdominal surgery, and history of diabetes, with a caliper value of 0.2. Perioperative and pathological outcomes were compared between the two groups.Results:After PSM, 33 patients were included in the antiperistaltic group and 65 patients in the isoperistaltic group. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline data between the two groups (all P>0.05). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in terms of operation time, blood loss, time to first defecation, time to first oral intake, or the incidence and grading of complications either (all P>0.05). However, length of postoperative hospital stay in the isoperistaltic group was significantly shorter than that in the antiperistaltic group, however (7.0 [6.0, 9.0] days vs. 8.0 [7.0, 10.5] days, P=0.049). In terms of pathological outcomes, there were also no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the number of harvested lymph nodes or the number of positive lymph nodes (all P>0.05). Conclusions:The two digestive tract reconstruction modalities, antiperistaltic and isoperistaltic anastomosis, have comparable perioperative safety and efficacy in TLRH. The isoperistaltic group had better outcomes in terms of postoperative hospital stay.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Yu Melody relaxation training (YMRT) combined with Jianpi Jieyu Decoction (JJD) in treating patients with insomnia disorders (ID). METHODS: In this randomized controlled study, 94 ID patients were included from Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences from September 2022 to January 2024. They were randomly assigned to the YMRT group (47 cases, YMRT plus JJD) and the control group (47 cases, oral JJD) using a random number table. Both treatment administrations lasted for 4 weeks, with a 2-week follow-up. The primary outcome was change in Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores from baseline to 4 weeks of intervention. Secondary outcomes included ISI response at week 4, as well as ISI, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scores at baseline and weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. Additionally, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) scores were evaluated at baseline and weeks 4 and 6. Adverse events (AEs) were recorded and compared between groups. RESULTS: Five patients in each group did not complete the protocol requirements. The overall dropout rate was 10.64%. The full analysis set included all 47 cases in each group. The ISI score decreased significantly at week 4 from baseline in the YMRT group compared with the control group, with a between-group difference of -3.2 points [95% confidence interval (CI): -5.08 to -1.34; P<0.05]. The ISI response at week 4 in the YMRT group was significantly higher than that in the control group (85.11% vs. 51.06%), with a between-group difference of 34.05% (95% CI: 13.77% to 50.97%; P<0.05). At week 6, the YMRT group demonstrated greater reductions from baseline than the control group, with between-group differences of -2.1 points (-95% CI: -3.49 to -0.64; P<0.05) for PHQ-9 scores, -3.5 points (95% CI: -5.21 to -1.85; P<0.05) for PSQI scores, and -1.9 points (95% CI: -3.47 to -0.28; P<0.05) for GAD-7 scores. Moreover, at weeks 4 and 6, the ISI and PSQI scores in the YMRT group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05); and at week 6, the PHQ-9 score in the YMRT group was significantly lower (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the incidence rates of AEs between the two groups (8.51% vs. 4.26%, P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS YMRT combined with oral JJD could improve sleep quality and alleviate depressive and anxiety symptoms in patients with ID. This combined therapy was effective and safe, and its effect was superior to oral JJD alone. (Registration No. ChiCTR2200063884).
Humans ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/drug therapy* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Male ; Female ; Relaxation Therapy/methods* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Treatment Outcome ; Combined Modality Therapy

Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) with radiolabeled SSTR2 agonists is a treatment option that is highly effective in controlling metastatic and progressive neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Previous studies have shown that an SSTR2 agonist combined with albumin binding moiety Evans blue (denoted as ¹⁷⁷Lu-EB-TATE) is characterized by a higher tumor uptake and residence time in preclinical models and in patients with metastatic NETs. This study aimed to enhance the in vivo stability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of ¹⁷⁷Lu-EB-TATE by replacing the maleimide-thiol group with a polyethylene glycol chain, resulting in a novel EB conjugated SSTR2-targeting radiopharmaceutical, ¹⁷⁷Lu-LNC1010, for PRRT. In preclinical studies, ¹⁷⁷Lu-LNC1010 exhibited good stability and SSTR2-binding affinity in AR42J tumor cells and enhanced uptake and prolonged retention in AR42J tumor xenografts. Thereafter, we presented the first-in-human dose escalation study of ¹⁷⁷Lu-LNC1010 in patients with advanced/metastatic NETs. ¹⁷⁷Lu-LNC1010 was well-tolerated by all patients, with minor adverse effects, and exhibited significant uptake and prolonged retention in tumor lesions, with higher tumor radiation doses than those of ¹⁷⁷Lu-EB-TATE. Preliminary PRRT efficacy results showed an 83% disease control rate and a 42% overall response rate after two ¹⁷⁷Lu-LNC1010 treatment cycles. These encouraging findings warrant further investigations through multicenter, prospective, and randomized controlled trials.

HDAC7, a member of class IIa HDACs, plays a pivotal regulatory role in tumor, immune, fibrosis, and angiogenesis, rendering it a potential therapeutic target. Nevertheless, due to the high similarity in the enzyme active sites of class IIa HDACs, inhibitors encounter challenges in discerning differences among them. Furthermore, the substitution of key residue in the active pocket of class IIa HDACs renders them pseudo-enzymes, leading to a limited impact of enzymatic inhibitors on their function. In this study, proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) technology was employed to develop HDAC7 drugs. We developed an exceedingly selective HDAC7 PROTAC degrader B14 which showcased superior inhibitory effects on cell proliferation compared to TMP269 in various diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Subsequent investigations unveiled that B14 disrupts BCL6 forming a transcriptional inhibition complex by degrading HDAC7, thereby exerting proliferative inhibition in DLBCL. Our study broadened the understanding of the non-enzymatic functions of HDAC7 and underscored the importance of HDAC7 in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, particularly in DLBCL and AML.

In protein engineering, while computational models are increasingly used to predict mutation effects, their evaluations primarily rely on high-throughput deep mutational scanning (DMS) experiments that use surrogate readouts, which may not adequately capture the complex biochemical properties of interest. Many proteins and their functions cannot be assessed through high-throughput methods due to technical limitations or the nature of the desired properties, and this is particularly true for the real industrial application scenario. Therefore, the desired testing datasets, will be small-size (∼10-100) experimental data for each protein, and involve as many proteins as possible and as many properties as possible, which is, however, lacking. Here, we present VenusMutHub, a comprehensive benchmark study using 905 small-scale experimental datasets curated from published literature and public databases, spanning 527 proteins across diverse functional properties including stability, activity, binding affinity, and selectivity. These datasets feature direct biochemical measurements rather than surrogate readouts, providing a more rigorous assessment of model performance in predicting mutations that affect specific molecular functions. We evaluate 23 computational models across various methodological paradigms, such as sequence-based, structure-informed and evolutionary approaches. This benchmark provides practical guidance for selecting appropriate prediction methods in protein engineering applications where accurate prediction of specific functional properties is crucial.

Objective:To investigate anti-inflammatory effects of celastrol as pulp capping agent on experimental pulpitis in rats and to explore its mechanism.Methods:Rat model of experimental pulpitis was established by lipopolysaccharide(LPS).A total of 28 rats were randomly divided into 4 groups(model group,calcium hydroxide group,celastrol group,drug mixture group).After 5 days,the rats were sacrificed and the maxillary and molar specimens were obtained.Pathological changes of pulp tissue were observed by HE staining,as well as the inflammation level was evaluated by a modified histological scoring system.Relative mRNA expression levels of TNF-α and IL-β in dental pulp were detected by qRT-PCR.Western blot was used to assess phosphorylation level of NF-κB p65 in dental pulp.Results:Histological scores of celastrol group and drug mixture group were significantly lower than those of model group and calcium hydroxide group(P<0.01),while there was no significant statistical differences between celastrol group and drug mixture group(P>0.05).Compared with model group,levels of TNF-α and IL-1β mRNA in pulp tissue of calcium hydroxide group,celastrol group and drug mixture group were decreased(P<0.05).Western blot showed that treatment of celastrol and mixed drugs could considerably reduce phosphorylation level of NF-κB p65 in rat pulp tissue.Conclusion:Celastrol can relieve experimental pulpitis in rats,and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NF-κB p65 activation and reduce the expressions of TNF-α and IL-1β.