OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of Scleromitrion diffusum on gastric mucosal epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in rats with gastric precancerous lesion. METHODS: Fifty SD rats were randomly divided into blank control group (n=11), model control group (n=13), Scleromitrion diffusum (SD) group (n=13) and vitase group (n=13). Gastric precancerous lesion animal model was prepared by 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine complex polyfactor method, and the drugs were administrated by gavage once a day for 6 weeks. The pathological changes of gastric mucosa were observed with hematoxylin and eosin staining, the expression of EMT marker proteins were detected with immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting. RESULTS: Compared with the model control group, the gastric mucosal injury was significantly attenuated in the Scleromitrion diffusum group, the mucosal tissue structure gradually recovered, the saccular expansion area was reduced, and the inflammatory infiltration was ameliorated. The expression of epithelial cadherin was higher, and the expression of neural cadherin and vimentin in the Scleromitrion diffusum group were lower than those of model control group (all P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Scleromitrion diffusum can ameliorate gastric mucosal injury in rats with gastric precancerous lesion by reversing the EMT.
Animals ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/drug effects* ; Precancerous Conditions/metabolism* ; Gastric Mucosa/metabolism* ; Stomach Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Male ; Cadherins/metabolism*

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.05.019.].

Objective To study the application effect of quality control circle(QCC)in reducing the dissatisfaction rate of physical examination clients in health management center.Methods To establish QCC,selected the health check-up popula-tion in our hospital in September-2019 and March-2020,through the questionnaire investigation and analysis,compare the dis-satisfaction of the clients before and after the quality control circle.Results After carrying out QCC activities,the dissatisfaction of physical examination clients was significantly lower than that before QCC,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion The activities of QCC in the health management center can effectively improve the quality of the physical examination work and reduce the dissatisfaction of the customers in the physical examination.It is of great significance to the health management.

The immune system is the defender of human health,whose dysregulation is the source of various diseases.Re-duced immune defense and immune surveillance capabilities lead to difficulties in removing pathogens and malignant cells,thus increasing morbidity and mortality risk.Stress is a major factor in the decline of the immune system.In past studies,it has been demon-strated both in animal and humans that stress increases the levels of neuroendocrine hormones in the body,particularly glucocorticoids and catecholamines.Through the action of these stress hormones,stress has a number of detrimental effects on immune function,and this review combs through the progress of research on the regulation of immune cells by glucocorticoids.

This study was designed to investigate the role of ring finger protein 20(RNF20)in host innate immunity against RNA viruses.Dual luciferase reporter assay was employed to examine the effects of RNF20 overexpression on Sendai virus(SeV)infection-induced activation of interferon a4(Ifna4)gene promoter in 293T human embryonic kidney epithelial cells.Rnf20 myeloid conditional knockout mouse model was constructed(Rnf2OF/F;Lyz2-Cre),and the frequency of myeloid subsets in the bone marrow,spleen,blood of Rnf20F/F;Lyz2-Cre mice and littermate Rnf20F/F mice were detected by flow cytometry.After bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMDMs)were cultured and subjected to the infection of SeV and vesicular stomatitis virus(VSV),Western blot was used to detect the phosphorylation of transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 3(IRF3)and nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB).ELISA was used to detect the production of IFN-β,TNF-α and IL-6,and Bulk RNA-sequencing was employed to explore transcriptional changes.Furthermore,M1 and M2 macrophage polarization was induced by LPS and IL-4,respectively,to confirm the changes revealed by transcriptome analysis.Data showed that RNF20 overexpression showed no significant effect on SeV infection-induced activation of Ifna4 gene promoter in 293T cells.There is almost no difference in the development of myeloid subsets between Rnf20F/F;Lyz2-Cre and Rnf2OF/F mice.After RNA viral infection of BMDMs from Rnf20F/F;Lyz2-Creand Rnf201 mice,the phosphorylation of IRF3 and NF-κB p65 and the expression of IFN-[3,TNF-α and IL-6 were comparable between the two groups,while the expression levels of several genes related to macrophage polarization were significantly different.The loss of RNF20 showed the tendency of hindering M1 macrophage polarization while promoting M2 macrophage polarization.In conclusion,RNF20 does not affect RNA viral infection-induced activation of IRF3 or NF-κB pathways,but it might get involved in the resolution of inflammation afterwards.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Huangqin Decoction(HQD)on ulcerative colitis(UC)in mice and explore its mechanism.Methods Male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into normal control group,model group,mesalazine group(5-ASA,200 mg/kg),and low-,medium-and high-dose HQD groups(2.275,4.55 and 9.1 g/kg,respectively).With the exception of those in the normal control group,all the mice were exposed to 3%DSS solution in drinking water for 7 days to establish UC models.After treatment with the indicated drugs,the mice were assessed for colon injury and apoptosis using HE,AB-PAS and TUNEL staining,and the expression levels of inflammatory factors were detected with ELISA.Western blotting,immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR were used to detect the changes in protein expressions associated with the intestinal chemical barrier,mechanical barrier and endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS).Results HQD treatment significantly reduced DAI score and macro score of UC mice,decreased colonic epithelial cell apoptosis,lowered expressions of IL-6,TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-8,and enhanced the expressions of MUC2 and TFF3.HQD treatment also upregulated the protein expressions of claudin-1,occludin and E-cadherin,reduced the expressions of GRP78,CHOP,caspase-12 and caspase-3,decreased the phosphorylation levels of PERK,eIF2α and IRE1α,and increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in the colon tissues of UC mice.Conclusion HQD inhibits colonic epithelial cell apoptosis and improves intestinal barrier function in UC mice possibly by reducing ERS mediated by the PERK and IRE1α signaling pathways.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of kidney sparing treatment based on Thulium laser ablation and systematic therapy in localized high-risk upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).Methods:The data of 10 patients with UTUC who received combined treatment based on Thulium laser and systematic treatment from January 2020 to December 2021 in West China Hospital were retrospectively analysed. There were 5 males and 5 females with a median age of 76 (range 52 to 87)years old. Three cases were renal pelvis tumor and 7 cases were ureter tumor including 5 cases in lower ureter and 2 cases in upper and middle ureter. Five cases were with positive urine cytology and 6 cases were with hydronephrosis. One case was muscular invasion UTUC confirmed by biopsy(cT 2+), 7 cases were high-grade invasive urothelial carcinoma (cT 1+), and 2 cases were high-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma (cT a). Among 10 cases, 5 patients refused radical nephroureterectomy(RUN), among whom 3 patients were too old or in poor general condition to tolerate RNU. One case had a solitary kidney and 1 case had bilateral tumours. Patients were treated with Thulium laser tumor ablation under ureteroscopy combined with systemic therapy. The perioperative systemic treatment included platinum-based chemotherapy±immunotherapy, RC48+ immunotherapy, and immunotherapy alone. The postoperative treatment was immunotherapy maintenance±local radiotherapy. Strict follow-up was conducted after the completion of treatment. Results:Nine patients received systemic therapy before ablation. Four cycles of platinum-based chemotherapy (cisplatin in 2 cases, carboplatin in 1 case) were used in 3 cases, and platinum-based chemotherapy + immunotherapy (6 cycles of cisplatin + toripalimab in 1 case, 4 cycles of cisplatin + toripalimab in 1 case, 4 cycles of carboplatin+ trelizumab in 1 case) was used in 3 cases, four cycle of RC48 + immunotherapy (toripalimab or trelizumab) were used in 2 cases, and four cycles of immunotherapy (toripalimab) were used in 1 case. The operations of 10 cases were successfully completed without serious complications during the perioperative period and the laser working time (42.4 ± 15.2) min. Of the 10 cases, 4 achieved complete ablation at the first ablation, and 6 patients had incomplete ablation. Among them, 2 patients achieved clinical complete remission after 1-2 cycles of systemic therapy, and 4 patients achieved complete ablation after Thulium laser ablation again.All the 10 patients were treated with immunotherapy for 1 year, and 2 of them received additional adjuvant radiotherapy. The patients were followed-up for median 40 months(range 26 to 53 months). Recurrence occurred in 5 cases, of which 3 cases underwent salvage nephroureterectomy and 2 cases underwent Thulium laser ablation under ureteroscopy again. Five patients had no tumor recurrence. None of the 10 patients had distant metastasis. At the last follow-up, 1 patient died of complications and 6 patients kept the affected kidney alive. Perioperative complications including macroscopic hematuria (8 cases), fever (3 cases), the long-term complications of ureter stenosis (4 cases).Conclusions:For localized high-risk UTUC, local Thulium laser ablation combined with systemic therapy can achieve good tumor control while preserving the affected kidney in selected patients, and its potential application value should be further evaluated.

Obiective:To compare characteristics of alveolar macrophages(AMs)or AM-like cells in vitro cultured from different progenitors in mice of different ages in presence of GM-CSF,TGF-β and PPAR-γ agonist rosiglitazone(in brief,GTR),according to a previously reported optimized culture procedure.Methods:After bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)and bone marrow were isolated from mice of different ages and fetal livers were isolated from embryonic-day-15～17 mice,mononuclear cells were seeded into 12-well plates and cultured in presence of GTR.Generated cells were subjected to flow cytometry analysis to analyze expressions of AM markers F4/80,CD11b,CD170 and CD11c.Results:After culture,almost all BALF-derived cells were round-shaped under light microscope,about half bone marrow-derived cells appeared round-shaped,and about 85% fetal liver-derived cells showed round-shaped morphology.Frequency of BALF-AMs from 4-week-old mice was nearly 90%.Frequency and number of BALF-AMs increased with age of mice.Number of BALF-AMs from 12-week-old mice was nearly 1×106.Frequency of bone marrow-derived AM-like cells from 4-week-old mice was lower than 20% and increased to about 40%～45% for 8-week-old and 12-week-old mice.Number of bone marrow-derived AM-like cells increased with age of mice,and about 0.8×106 cells/well bone marrow-derived AM-like cells were produced from 12-week-old mice.Frequency of fetal liver-derived AM-like cells was around 84% and their number could reach 4×106 cells/well.Conclusion:Purity and number of AMs or AM-like cells in vitro cultured from different progenitors in mice of different ages vary dramatically.Detailed condition should be chosen according to specific study requirements.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Huangqin Decoction(HQD)on ulcerative colitis(UC)in mice and explore its mechanism.Methods Male Balb/c mice were randomly divided into normal control group,model group,mesalazine group(5-ASA,200 mg/kg),and low-,medium-and high-dose HQD groups(2.275,4.55 and 9.1 g/kg,respectively).With the exception of those in the normal control group,all the mice were exposed to 3%DSS solution in drinking water for 7 days to establish UC models.After treatment with the indicated drugs,the mice were assessed for colon injury and apoptosis using HE,AB-PAS and TUNEL staining,and the expression levels of inflammatory factors were detected with ELISA.Western blotting,immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR were used to detect the changes in protein expressions associated with the intestinal chemical barrier,mechanical barrier and endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS).Results HQD treatment significantly reduced DAI score and macro score of UC mice,decreased colonic epithelial cell apoptosis,lowered expressions of IL-6,TNF-α,IL-1β and IL-8,and enhanced the expressions of MUC2 and TFF3.HQD treatment also upregulated the protein expressions of claudin-1,occludin and E-cadherin,reduced the expressions of GRP78,CHOP,caspase-12 and caspase-3,decreased the phosphorylation levels of PERK,eIF2α and IRE1α,and increased the Bcl-2/Bax ratio in the colon tissues of UC mice.Conclusion HQD inhibits colonic epithelial cell apoptosis and improves intestinal barrier function in UC mice possibly by reducing ERS mediated by the PERK and IRE1α signaling pathways.

Lysinuric protein intolerance (LPI) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder involving digestive, renal, respiratory, and nervous systems caused by SLC7A7 gene mutation.It was first reported in Finland and now has been found worldwide.A total of 8 cases have been reported in China.The abnormal function of the y + amino acid transporter caused by SLC7A7 gene mutation can explain some clinical features, but the pathophysiological mechanism underlying the associated lung, kidney and blood system disorders is not clear.The varying clinical manifestations of LPI often lead to misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis.This article reviews the pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of LPI, to enhance clinicians′ understanding of this disease.