Approximately 10% of the global adult population has diabetes, with accumulating evidence linking suboptimal vitamin D levels to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications. Current clinical studies suggest that vitamin D supplementation may enhance insulin sensitivity and improve glycemic control, prompting significant interest in its potential as a therapeutic intervention. However, further high-quality, large-scale randomized controlled trials are required to validate its efficacy in glucose metabolism regulation and clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms. These investigations will provide critical evidence to inform precision medicine approaches for diabetes prevention and management.

ObjectiveTo investigate the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index and the level of serum homocysteine (Hcy) in association with the incidence of stroke in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. MethodsBased on the chronic disease risk factor surveillance cohort in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, excluding those with stroke in baseline survey, T2DM patients who joined the cohort from January 2016 to October 2020 were selected as the research subjects. During the follow-up period, a total of 318 new-onset ischemic stroke patients were selected as the case group, and a total of 318 individuals matched by gender without stroke were selected as the control group. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to adjust for confounding factors and explore the serum TyG index and the Hcy biochemical indicator in association with the risk of stroke. ResultsThe Cox proportional hazards regression results showed that after adjusting for confounding factors, the risk of stroke in T2DM patients with 10 μmol·L⁻¹-¹ and Hcy>15 μmol·L⁻¹ was 1.532 times (95%CI: 1.017‒2.309 times, P=0.041) and 1.738 times (95%CI: 1.119‒2.699 times, P=0.014) higher respectively, compared to T2DM patients with Hcy≤10 μmol·L⁻¹. T2DM patients with TyG>9.074 had 1.396 times higher risk of stroke (95%CI: 1.091‒1.787, P=0.008) compared to those with TyG≤9.074. The study found that urea and α1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) were independent risk factors for the incidence of stroke in T2DM patients. For every unit increase in urea andα1-AT, the risk of stroke in T2DM patients increased by 233.6% (HR=3.336, 95%CI: 1.588‒7.009, P=0.001) and 11.3% (HR=1.113, 95%CI: 1.028‒1.205, P=0.008), respectively. Cumulative risk curves showed that Hcy>10 μmol·L⁻¹ and TyG>9.074 accelerated the time to stroke occurrence in T2DM patients. ConclusionElevated levels of Hcy>10 μmol·L⁻¹ and a higher TyG index are risk factors for stroke in T2DM patients. Effective interventions for Hcy and TyG should be conducted for diabetic patients to reduce the incidence of stroke.

Diabetic retinopathy(DR)is one of the most common and severe microvascular complications in diabetic patients and has become one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide. With the continuous rise in the prevalence of diabetes, in-depth exploration of the pathogenesis of DR and effective intervention measures is of great clinical significance. The mechanistic target of rapamycin(mTOR), as a protein kinase, is widely involved in cellular processes such as growth, metabolism, and autophagy. Research indicates that the mTOR signaling pathway plays a crucial regulatory role in the pathological progression of DR, and its abnormal activity can disrupt retinal cell autophagy function, thereby accelerating cellular damage and disease progression. Autophagy, as an important regulatory mechanism for cellular homeostasis, maintains cellular functional balance by clearing damaged organelles and protein aggregates. This article provides a systematic review of the structural and functional aspects of the mTOR signaling pathway, the molecular regulatory mechanisms of autophagy, and their roles in retinal pathological changes. By summarizing current research findings, the article aims to clarify the key regulatory role of the mTOR-autophagy axis in DR, providing theoretical support for elucidating the molecular pathogenesis of DR and offering potential targets and research directions for developing novel targeted therapeutic strategies, thereby holding significant scientific and clinical value.

A novel fumigation moxibustion device has been designed to enable adjustable and controllable moxa smoke temperature, maintaining a relatively stable fumigation temperature while improving the utilization efficiency of moxa smoke. The device consists of five main components: a temperature control chamber, fumigation outlet, temperature measurement module, moxa smoke filtration chamber, and elastic band. It is compact, refined, and easy to operate. The device allows users to set the desired fumigation temperature according to therapeutic needs and simultaneously filters and eliminates residual moxa smoke after treatment. This design addresses the challenges of traditional fumigation moxibustion therapy, including unstable moxa smoke temperature, difficulty in regulation, low utilization efficiency, and high dependence on manual operation. It contributes to the promotion and application of fumigation moxibustion therapy and supports the establishment of a standardized moxibustion system.
Moxibustion/methods* ; Humans ; Equipment Design ; Fumigation ; Temperature

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a deadly condition of the aorta, carrying a significant risk of death upon rupture. Currently, there is a dearth of efficacious pharmaceutical interventions to impede the advancement of AAA and avert it from rupturing. Here, we investigated dihydromyricetin (DHM), one of the predominant bioactive flavonoids in Ampelopsis grossedentata (A. grossedentata), as a potential agent for inhibiting AAA. DHM effectively blocked the formation of AAA in angiotensin II-infused apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE^-/-) mice. A combination of network pharmacology and whole transcriptome sequencing analysis revealed that DHM's anti-AAA action is linked to heme oxygenase (HO)-1 (Hmox-1 for the rodent gene) and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Remarkably, DHM caused a robust rise (∼10-fold) of HO-1 protein expression in VSMCs, thereby suppressing VSMC inflammation and oxidative stress and preserving the VSMC contractile phenotype. Intriguingly, the therapeutic effect of DHM on AAA was largely abrogated by VSMC-specific Hmox1 knockdown in mice. Mechanistically, on one hand, DHM increased the transcription of Hmox-1 by triggering the nuclear translocation and activation of HIF-1α, but not nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2). On the other hand, molecular docking, combined with cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS), co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), and site mutant experiments revealed that DHM bonded to HO-1 at Lys243 and prevented its degradation, thereby resulting in considerable HO-1 buildup. In summary, our findings suggest that naturally derived DHM has the capacity to markedly enhance HO-1 expression in VSMCs, which may hold promise as a therapeutic strategy for AAA.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the subcellular localization and biological functions of transmembrane protein 240 (TMEM240). METHODS: NCBI BLAST and TMHMM bioinformatics software were used for protein sequence analysis and prediction of transmembrane domain of TMEM240. Brain tissues from male C57BL/6 mice (18-20 days old) were examined for distribution of TMEM240 using in situ hybridization, and qPCR and Western blotting were used to detect TMEM240 expression in different mouse tissues and in cortical neurons at different time points (n=3). In the in vitro experiment, HepG2 and Neuro-2a cells were transfected with plasmids for overexpression of TMEM240, and subcellular localization of TMEM240 was analyzed using cell imaging. In primary cultures of cortical neurons isolated from C57BL/6 mice, TMEM240 expression and its biological functions were investigated using qPCR, Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS: Human and mouse TMEM240 proteins share a 97.69% similarity in the protein sequences, and both are transmembrane proteins with two transmembrane domains. TMEM240 mRNA and protein were highly expressed in mouse brain tissues and cortical neurons. In isolated mouse cortical neurons, TMEM240 expression reached the peak level after primary culture for 9 days and distributed in scattered spots within the cells. In HepG2 cells, TMEM240 was characterized as intracellular membrane structures and showed 80% colocalization with peroxisomes. In Neuro-2a cells, TMEM240 overexpression caused significant enhancement of the expressions of Rho GDP dissociation inhibitor β (ARHGDIB) at both the mRNA and protein levels. CONCLUSIONS TMEM240 is a novel intracellular subcellular structure specifically expressed in neurons with significant potential for targeted cellular function regulation.
Animals ; Humans ; Mice ; Peroxisomes/metabolism* ; Membrane Proteins/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Male ; rho-Specific Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors ; Hep G2 Cells ; Brain/metabolism*

OBJECTIVES: To clarify the role of hippocampal glutamate system in regulating HPA axis in mediating the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at the heart meridian for improving myocardial injury in rats with acute myocardial ischemia (AMI). METHODS: Male SD rats were randomized into sham-operated group, AMI group, EA group, and L-glutamic acid+EA group (n=9). Rat models of AMI were established by left descending coronary artery ligation, and EA was applied at the "Shenmen-Tongli" segment; the rats in L-glutamic acid+EA group were subjected to microinjection of L-glutamic acid into the bilateral hippocampus prior to AMI modeling and EA treatment. Cardiac functions of the rats were evaluated using echocardiography, and ECG and heart rate variation (HRV) were analyzed using PowerLab and LabChart. Pathological changes in the myocardial tissue was examined using HE staining, and serum levels of myocardial enzymes were detected with ELISA. Myocardial expressions of TH and GAP43 were detected with immunohistochemistry, and colocalization of VGLUT1, VGLUT2 and c-fos were observed using immunofluorescence staining; the expressions of VGLUT1, VGLUT2, NMDAR1 and NMDAR2B were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: The rat models of AMI showed significantly decreased LVEF and LVFS and increased serum levels of myocardial enzymes in positive correlation with the HPA axis. Numerous TH- and GAP43-positive cells were observed in the hippocampus, where the expressions of NE and E, neurons colabeled with VGLUT1, VGLUT2 and c-fos, and expressions of VGLUT1, VGLUT2, NMDAR1, NMDAR2B and Glu increased significantly. All these changes were significantly improved by interventions with EA as compared with those in AMI and L-Glutamate+EA groups. CONCLUSIONS In rats with AMI, EA at the heart meridian can regulate excessive glutamate release in the hippocampus, thereby inhibiting HPA axis hyperactivity and reducing sympathetic nerve activity to protect the myocardial tissue.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Male ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Rats ; Glutamic Acid/metabolism* ; Myocardial Ischemia/physiopathology* ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System/physiopathology* ; Pituitary-Adrenal System/physiopathology* ; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate/metabolism*

Microplastics and nanoplastics (MPs/NPs) are ubiquitous environmental pollutants that act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), raising significant concerns about their impact on human health. Research highlights the hazardous effects of MPs/NPs on both male and female reproductive systems, influencing germ cells, embryo development, and progeny. Additionally, studies show that MPs/NPs affect the gene expression of anabolic steroid hormones in vitro and in vivo, inducing reproductive toxicity through mechanisms such as oxidative stress and inflammation. Considering these adverse effects, identifying natural compounds that can mitigate the toxicity of MPs/NPs is increasingly important. Plants offer a wealth of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that can counteract these harmful effects. Among these, anthocyanins, natural colorants responsible for the vibrant hues of fruits and flowers, exhibit a wide range of biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-neoplastic properties. Moreover, anthocyanins can modulate sex hormone levels and alleviate reproductive toxicity. Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), one of the most extensively studied anthocyanins, shows promise in reducing reproductive toxicity, particularly in females, and in protecting male reproductive organs, including the testis and epididymis. This protective effect is believed to result from its interaction with steroid receptors, specifically the androgen and estrogen receptors (ERs). These findings highlight the need to explore the mechanisms by which anthocyanins mitigate the reproductive toxicity caused by MPs/NPs. This review provides novel insights into how natural compounds can be leveraged to lessen the impact of environmental contaminants on human health, especially concerning reproductive health.

Negative logarithm of the acid dissociation constant (pK _a) significantly influences the absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties of molecules and is a crucial indicator in drug research. Given the rapid and accurate characteristics of computational methods, their role in predicting drug properties is increasingly important. Although many pK _a prediction models currently exist, they often focus on enhancing model precision while neglecting interpretability. In this study, we present GraFpK _a, a pK _a prediction model using graph neural networks (GNNs) and molecular fingerprints. The results show that our acidic and basic models achieved mean absolute errors (MAEs) of 0.621 and 0.402, respectively, on the test set, demonstrating good predictive performance. Notably, to improve interpretability, GraFpK _a also incorporates Integrated Gradients (IGs), providing a clearer visual description of the atoms significantly affecting the pK _a values. The high reliability and interpretability of GraFpK _a ensure accurate pK _a predictions while also facilitating a deeper understanding of the relationship between molecular structure and pK _a values, making it a valuable tool in the field of pK _a prediction.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative joint disease whose main characteristic is the destruction of articular cartilage, causing pain and disability in patients and seriously affecting their quality of life. OA can be induced by a variety of causes, and pathological changes in articular cartilage are considered to be one of the key driving factors for the occurrence of OA. High mobility group box-1 protein (HMGB1), as a non-histone protein in eukaryotic cells, can participate in regulating the inflammation and apoptosis process of OA chondrocytes, thus leading to the occurrence of OA. This article reviews the research on the mechanism of HMGB1 in OA chondrocytes, with a view to providing new ideas for the clinical prevention and treatment of OA.