BACKGROUND:Parkinson's disease is a multifactorial neurological disorder characterized by progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons,and dimethyl fumarate(DMF)has potent neuroprotective and immunomodulatory effects in neurodegenerative diseases. OBJECTIVE:To explore the neuroprotective mechanism of DMF in a mouse model of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine(MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease. METHODS:Twenty-four C57BL/6 mice were selected and randomly divided into control group,model group,low-dose DMF,and high-dose DMF groups.An animal model of Parkinson's disease was established in the latter three groups by intraperitoneal injection of 30 mg/kg MPTP,once a day for 5 consecutive days.Intragastric administration was given 30 minutes after each injection of MPTP.Mice in the low-dose DMF group(30 mg/kg)and high-dose DMF group(50 mg/kg)were intragastrically administered once a day for 7 consecutive days.The control and model groups were initially administered the same dose of normal saline.Behavioral testing,western blot,oxidative stress marker detection,and immunohistochemical staining were used to analyze the regulatory effects of DMF on oxidative stress and Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway in MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease mice,as well as the protective mechanism of DMF on degeneration of dopamine neurons. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the model group,mice in the low-dose DMF group exhibited significant improvements in motor retardation and postural imbalance(P<0.01),with even more remarkable improvements observed in the high-dose DMF group(P<0.01).Compared with the control group,the model group showed a significant increase in the oxidative stress marker malondialdehyde and a decrease in superoxide dismutase expression(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the low-dose DMF group reduced malondialdehyde production and increased superoxide dismutase expression(P<0.01),and similar improvements were observed in the high-dose DMF group(P<0.01).Immunohistochemical and western blot assays demonstrated a significant decrease in the number of dopaminergic neurons and tyrosine hydroxylase protein expression in the substantia nigra of mice in the model group compared with the control group(P<0.01).However,in the low-dose DMF group,there was an increase in the number of dopaminergic neurons and tyrosine hydroxylase protein expression in the substantia nigra(P<0.01),with even more significant improvements in the high-dose DMF group(P<0.01).Western blot results revealed that the model group exhibited elevated Keap1 protein expression and decreased Nrf2 protein expression.In contrast,the DMF groups showed reduced Keap1 protein expression and increased Nrf2 protein expression compared to the model group(P<0.01).To conclude,DMF regulates the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway in the substantia nigra of mice with Parkinson's disease,and this regulatory effect is positively correlated with the dose of DMF(P<0.01).Therefore,we infer that DMF exerts neuroprotective effects through the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Palliative care is recognized as an effective measure to improve the quality of life for patients with end-stage diseases， and the significance and role of such patients participating in clinical trials to conquer major diseases has also become a broad consensus. However， due to the special physical， psychological， and social conditions of terminal trial participants， the ethical problems encountered in the trial process are more serious and complex. Drawing on ethical practice experience， these seemingly common phenomena and issues were deeply analyzed. Combined with the palliative care philosophy for end-stage patients， this paper proposed a series of improvement suggestions throughout the entire life cycle of clinical trials， hoping to promote the quality improvement of clinical research in which end-stage patients participate as subjects， while effectively protecting the safety and rights of the subjects and ensuring they receive appropriate palliative care during their participation in clinical trials or clinical-related scientific research.

The nasal swab samples of swine influenza(SI)suspected pigs were collected and tested for H3 subtype swine influenza virus(SIV)positive by RT-qPCR.The positive samples were inoc-ulated into SPF chicken embryos for virus isolation.The full genome sequencing and sequence anal-ysis of the isolated H3N2 subtype SIV were conducted,and its pathogenicity was studied.The re-sults showed that a strain of SIV was successfully isolated and identified as H3N2 subtype by RT-PCR,named A/Swine/Yunnan/KM/06/2023(H3N2).The BLSAT results showed that the eight segments of SIV H3N2 KM had the highest homology with eight different strains of swine influ-enza or human influenza viruses,reaching 95.41％-97.49％.The HA and NA segments were de-rived from H3N2 subtype SIV,the NP segment was derived from H1N1 subtype human influenza virus,the M segment was derived from H1N2 subtype SIV,and all other segments were derived from H1N1 subtype SIV.The key receptor sites(190D,223V,226I,228S)of HA protein remained unchanged.The pathogenicity experiment results showed that infected piglets exhibited symptoms such as fever,sneezing,runny nose,the virus could be detoxified to the outside through the nasal cavity,and the lungs had different degrees of lesion.Immunohistochemistry(IHC)showed that the virus could replicate in the lungs.In conclusion,a strain of H3N2 subtype SIV was successfully iso-lated,and the genetic evolution,molecular characteristics and pathogenicity of the virus were stud-ied.It revealed that H3N2 subtype SIV is constantly evolving and had pathogenicity to piglets,pro-viding a reference for monitoring and preventing SIV epidemics in China,and provided a candidate strain for SI vaccine development.

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the treatment status of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in newly diagnosed patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in China.Methods:Data of chronic phase (CP) and accelerated phase (AP) CML patients diagnosed from January 2006 to December 2022 from 77 centers, ≥18 years old, and receiving initial imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib or flumatinib-therapy within 6 months after diagnosis in China with complete data were retrospectively interrogated. The choice of initial TKI, current TKI medications, treatment switch and reasons, treatment responses and outcomes as well as the variables associated with them were analyzed.Results:6 893 patients in CP ( n=6 453, 93.6%) or AP ( n=440, 6.4%) receiving initial imatinib ( n=4 906, 71.2%), nilotinib ( n=1 157, 16.8%), dasatinib ( n=298, 4.3%) or flumatinib ( n=532, 7.2%) -therapy. With the median follow-up of 43 ( IQR 22-75) months, 1 581 (22.9%) patients switched TKI due to resistance ( n=1 055, 15.3%), intolerance ( n=248, 3.6%), pursuit of better efficacy ( n=168, 2.4%), economic or other reasons ( n=110, 1.6%). The frequency of switching TKI in AP patients was significantly-higher than that in CP patients (44.1% vs 21.5%, P<0.001), and more AP patients switched TKI due to resistance than CP patients (75.3% vs 66.1%, P=0.011). Multi-variable analyses showed that male, lower HGB concentration and ELTS intermediate/high-risk cohort were associated with lower cytogenetic and molecular responses rate and poor outcomes in CP patients; higher WBC count and initial the second-generation TKI treatment, the higher response rates; Ph + ACA at diagnosis, poor PFS. However, Sokal intermediate/high-risk cohort was only significantly-associated with lower CCyR and MMR rates and the poor PFS. Lower HGB concentration and larger spleen size were significantly-associated with the lower cytogenetic and molecular response rates in AP patients; initial the second-generation TKI treatment, the higher treatment response rates; lower PLT count, higher blasts and Ph + ACA, poorer TFS; Ph + ACA, poorer OS. Conclusion:At present, the vast majority of newly-diagnosed CML-CP or AP patients could benefit from TKI treatment in the long term with the good treatment responses and survival outcomes.

Objective:To analyze the differential expressions of proteins in aqueous humor in patients with exfoliation syndrome (XFS).Methods:A total of 20 patients were enrolled in the Department of Ophthalmology, People's Hospital of Hotan District from June 2020 to January 2021, including 10 patients with age-related cataract and 10 XFS patients combined with cataract, which were classified as cataract group and XFS group, respectively.A total of 50 to 100 μl aqueous humor was obtained in the middle of the anterior chamber through the intraoperative phacoemulsification channel.The proteins extracted from aqueous humor were analyzed by label-free quantitative proteomics technology.The cataract group was set as the control group, and the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in XFS group were screened according to P<0.05 and fold change >1.5.Gene ontology (GO) function analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) signaling pathway analysis were used to explore the function and regulatory signaling pathways of DEPs in the XFS group.This study adhered to the Declaration of Helsinki.The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital (No.2020KY[L]-21).Written informed consent was obtained from each subject. Results:In comparison with the cataract group, 25 DEPs were identified in the XFS group, primarily involved in cell adhesion, receptor, hydrolase, and molecular transport.Specifically, there were 14 down-regulated proteins including complement factor H-related protein 1 (CFHR1), endoplasmic reticulum chaperone BiP (HSPA5), biglycan (BGN), FRAS1-related extracellular matrix protein 2 (FREM2), hemoglobin subunit delta (HBD), hemoglobin subunit gamma-1 (HBG1), lysosomal thioesterase PPT2 (PPT2) etc., and 11 up-regulated proteins including latent-transforming growth factor beta-binding protein 2 (LTBP2), very low-density lipoprotein receptor (VLDLR), laminin subunit alpha-2 (LAMA2), coagulation factor Ⅸ (F9).Among them, FREM2 was the most significantly differentially expressed protein in XFS group with consistent expression levels across individual samples.GO analysis revealed that these DEPs mainly localized to the extracellular matrix of collagen, bound globin-hemoglobin complex, plasma lipoprotein particles and lysosomes.Molecular functions and biological processes showed that HBD and HBG1 were involved in cellular detoxification, PPT2 in hydrolase activity, and BGN and LTBP2 in glycosaminoglycan binding.KEGG signaling pathway analysis indicated that CFHR1 and F9 were associated with complement and coagulation cascade pathways, and FREM2 and LAMA2 were linked to the extracellular matrix interaction pathway.Conclusions:Disease progression of XFS may be associated with changes in extracellular matrix proteins, disruption of the blood-aqueous humor barrier, and potential inflammatory responses.The significant down-regulation of FREM2 protein may be a potential biomarker for XFS.

AIM:To investigate the effects of γ-synuclein on autophagy and apoptosis of colon cancer cells in-duced by endoplasmic reticulum stress,as well as the protective effect on the cells.METHODS:Gene expression profile chip analysis was performed to compare the cDNA expression profiles between human colon cancer HCT116 cells with γ-synu-clein knockdown and HCT116 cells with control siRNA,and to identify potential molecules related to autophagy and apop-tosis.In colon cancer cell lines,the functional effects of γ-synuclein on autophagy and apoptosis induced by thapsigargin(TG),an endoplasmic reticulum stress-inducing agent,were systematically explored by conducting immunofluorescence staining,Western blot,CCK-8 assay,flow cytometry,and transmission electron microscopy.Western blot was used to de-tect the expression of γ-synuclein protein,autophagy-related proteins[microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3),beclin-1,autophagy-related protein 5(ATG5)and ATG7],and apoptosis-related proteins[poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase(PARP),pro-caspase-3,and pro-caspase-9].To further analyze the mechanism of γ-synuclein in regulating autophagy and apoptosis,extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK)inhibitor PD98059,ERK inhibitor SP600125 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK)activator anisomycin were applied separately to test HCT116 cells transfected with γ-synu-clein siRNA.Subsequently,autophagy proteins,apoptosis proteins,and ERK and JNK pathway-related proteins were de-tected by Western blot.RESULTS:The TG-induced autophagy of colon cancer cells mainly occurred at the early stage(0～24 h),and apoptosis mainly occurred at the late stage(36～48 h).Endoplasmic reticulum stress up-regulated the ex-pression of γ-synuclein in colon cancer cells,which was associated with enhanced autophagy.γ-Synuclein promoted au-tophagy by activating ERK and JNK pathways at the early stage(0～24 h),and inhibited apoptosis by blocking JNK path-ways at the late stage(24～48 h)to protect HCT116 cells.In our model,γ-synuclein was observed to play a critical role in the transition from endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced autophagy to apoptosis.CONCLUSION:In the context of endo-plasmic reticulum stress,γ-synuclein promotes autophagy and inhibits apoptosis by regulating ERK and JNK signaling pathways,thus protecting colon cancer cells.This provides a potential idea for anti-tumor therapy.

Objective To establish a method for simultaneous determination of 14 components in Cinnamomi Cortex;To comprehensively evaluate its quality by multivariate statistical analysis technology.Methods HPLC method was used to establish the relative correction factors(RCF)between protocatechuic acid and 13 other components of coumalic acid,coumarin,cinnamyl alcohol,cinnamic acid,2-methoxycinnamic acid,cinnamaldehyde,o-methoxycinnamaldehyde,vanillic,syringic acid,4-hydroxybenzoic acid,procyanidin B2,epicatechin and procyanidin C1 to be measured,and the content of each component was calculated.The QAMS method was validated using external standard method(ESM),and the comprehensive quality of Cinnamomi Cortex was evaluated using PCA,OPLS-DA and EW-TOPSIS methods.Results The methodological verification results of ESM were in accordance with the requirements;the RCF established with protocatechuic acid as the reference had good durability under different experimental conditions,and the difference in content of each component between ESM and QAMS was not significant(P>0.05);the results of multivariate statistical analysis showed that accumulative contribution rate of former 2 principle components was 90.312%.Cinnamaldehyde,2-methoxycinnamic acid,procyanidin B2 and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid had a significant impact on the quality of Cinnamomi Cortex.The results of EW-TOPSIS showed that the Pi value of 16 batches of Cinnamomi Cortex ranged from 0.147 2 to 0.768 1.The quality of Cinnamomi Cortex from different producing areas varied greatly,and the overall quality of Cinnamomi Cortex from Guangxi Province was the best,followed by that from Guangdong Province and Yunnan Province,and the quality of Cinnamomi Cortex from Fujian Province was relatively poor.Conclusion The established QAMS multi-component quantitative method combined with multivariate statistical analysis technology can be used for comprehensive quality evaluation of Cinnamomi Cortex.

As a new type of immunosuppressant，iguratimod can mediate the anti-inflammatory signaling pathway by inhibiting the proliferation of inflammatory cells and reducing the release of inflammatory cytokines， and play the role of anti-inflammatory. It can affect the proliferation of immune cells and the expression of immune factors，reduce the production and deposition of immune complexes in the body，and play the role of immune regulation. It can regulate bone metabolism by mediating signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin，Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB and osteoprotegerin/nuclear factor-κB receptor activating factor ligand， and play a role in bone protection. It can inhibit pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting the expression of transforming growth factor β1/ Smad2/3 signaling pathway，tumor necrosis factor-α，interleukin-1，interleukin-6，matrix metalloproteinase-9 and other inflammatory cytokines in lung tissue，and inhibiting the expression of collagen and fibronectin. Its efficacy and safety have been confirmed in the clinical application of rheumatoid arthritis and primary Sjogren syndrome and included in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. It has also shown good efficacy in the clinical application of other connective tissue diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and ankylosing spondylitis，and no obvious safety risks have been found.

Objective:To explore the technical focus of robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of horseshoe kidney combined with renal tumor.Methods:The clinical data of a patient with horseshoe kidney combined with renal tumor treated by robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy in the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University in September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP databases were searched for all the literature on the use of robot-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy or partial nephrectomy for the treatment of horseshoe kidney combined with renal tumor from the time of establishment to December 2022.Results:A total of 11 patients from 10 articles were retrieved and 12 patients were enrolled. Among the 12 patients, 4 cases used the retroperitoneal approach and 8 cases used the transperitoneal approach. Two cases were operated by traditional laparoscope, and the arteries were searched for and controlled before the robotic arm was placed to perform the partial nephrectomy and suture; and 10 cases were operated with the robotic-assisted laparoscopic approach throughout the whole procedure. Five cases of nephrectomy were performed on one side, and 7 cases were performed in the partial nephrectomy. Postoperative pathological diagnosis was clear cell carcinoma in 8 cases, chromophobe cell carcinoma in 1 case, eosinophilic cell carcinoma in 1 case, renal cell carcinoma in 1 case, and renal abscess in 1 case. The patient in the Second Hospital of Dalian Medical University was 38 years old female who was admitted to the hospital with a fever. After CT arteriography and three-dimensional reconstruction, robotic-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy of right kidney and isthmus dissecting was performed. During the operation, tumor trophoblast vessels were ligated and dissected one by one by using single-use tissue closure clips, and the isthmus was dissected using endoscopic cutting anastomosis on the left side of the tumor, with the tumor edges sharply resected and completely dissected. The operation time was 240 min, without thermal ischemia time, and the bleeding volume was about 300 ml. The patient recovered well after the operation, and the postoperative pathological diagnosis was renal abscess.Conclusions:Robot-assisted laparoscopic treatment of horseshoe kidney combined with renal tumor is safe and effective, and has more advantages than traditional laparoscopic surgery. Preoperative CT arteriography or three-dimensional reconstruction examination should be applied to fully evaluate the variant vessels. The surgical access and plan should be decided according to the size and location of the tumor. The variant vessels should be properly handled during operation. The use of endoscopic cutting anastomosis to deal with the isthmus can be more conducive to the surgical operation.

Objective:To study the effects of fluoride on apoptosis and oxidative stress levels of spinal cord nerve cells in rats.Methods:A total of 54 6-week-old Sprague-Dawley female rats, weighing 150 - 200 g, were selected and fed for 1 week. They were divided into a control group [given deionized water containing 0 mg/L sodium fluoride (NaF)], a low fluoride group (given deionized water containing 50 mg/L NaF), and a high fluoride group (given deionized water containing 100 mg/L NaF) using a random number table method, with 18 rats in each group. All groups received standard feed. After 4, 8, and 12 weeks of fluoride exposure, six rats were selected from each group to observe the occurrence of dental fluorosis, and the motor function of hind limbs in rats was evaluated based on the Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) score. Then the rats were anesthetized with 5% chloral hydrate via intraperitoneal injection and euthanized by cardiac puncture. Spinal cord tissue of the rats was collected to detect the activities of oxidative stress factors such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), as well as the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and catalase (CAT). After 12 weeks of fluoride exposure, morphologic changes in rat spinal cord neurons were observed using Nissl staining, and apoptosis of spinal cord nerve cells was detected using the TdT mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) cell apoptosis detection kit. The Western blotting was used to detect the expression of B-lymphoblastoma-2 (Bcl-2) gene related X protein (Bax), Bcl-2 promoter (Bad), and Bcl-2 protein in rat spinal cord tissue; immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 protein in spinal cord neurons.Results:After 12 weeks of fluoride exposure, rats in both the low fluoride and high fluoride groups developed varying degrees of dental fluorosis; the differences of BBB scores of rats in the control, low fluoride, and high fluoride groups were statistically significant ( F = 14.09, P < 0.001). The differences of SOD [(124.04 ± 4.87), (96.66 ± 15.01), (91.12 ± 15.87) U/mg prot] and GSH-Px activitives [(561.92 ± 59.65), (456.83 ± 29.51), (385.07 ± 74.87) U/mg prot], MDA [(9.96 ± 1.50), (16.64 ± 2.05), (20.80 ± 3.37) nmol/mg prot] and CAT contents [(8.97 ± 1.05), (6.39 ± 0.97), (6.42 ± 0.83) nmol/mg prot] among the control, low fluoride, and high fluoride groups were statistically significant ( F = 11.17, 14.19, 30.12, 14.52, P < 0.05). Among them, the SOD, GSH-Px activities, and CAT content in the low fluoride and high fluoride groups were lower than those in the control group, while the MDA content was higher than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). The GSH-Px activity in the high fluoride group was lower than that in the low fluoride group, and MDA content was higher than that in the low fluoride group ( P < 0.05). The intact neuronal structures and clear visible nuclei were seen, and Nissl bodies were uniformly stained in the spinal cord neurons of the control group rats, with more numbers, and no apoptotic cells were observed; the staining of Nissl bodies in the spinal cord neurons of rats was uneven in the low fluoride and high fluoride groups, with fewer numbers, and more apoptotic cells. There were statistically significant differences in the apoptosis rate of spinal cord nerve cells and the expression levels of Bax, Bad, and Bcl-2 protein in the spinal cord tissues of rats in the control, low fluoride, and high fluoride groups ( F = 272.81, 35.53, 17.57, 92.50, P < 0.05). The results of immunofluorescence staining showed that there were statistically significant differences in the fluorescent intensity of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins in the spinal cord neurons of rats in the control, low fluoride, and high fluoride groups ( F = 12.67, 22.14, P < 0.05). Conclusion:Chronic fluorosis induces a decrease in antioxidant enzyme activity, an increase in lipid peroxidation levels, and an increase in neuronal apoptosis in the spinal cord of rats.