ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and mechanism of transplantation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell （hUC-MSC） with overexpression of the Numb gene in the treatment of cholestatic liver fibrosis （CLF）. MethodsThe technique of lentiviral transfection was used to induce the overexpression of the Numb gene in hUC-MSC （hUC-MSC^Numb-OE）， and hUC-MSC transfected with empty vector （hUC-MSC^OE-EV） was used as negative control. Bile duct ligation （BDL） was performed to establish a rat model of CLF， and then the rats were randomly divided into BDL group， hUC-MSC group， hUC-MSC^OE-EV group， and hUC-MSC^Numb-OE group， while a sham-operation group was also established. The rats in the intervention groups were given a single splenic injection of the corresponding cells after BDL， and samples were collected at the end of week 4. Related indicators were measured， including serum biochemistry， liver histopathology， the content of hydroxyproline （Hyp） in the liver， hepatic stellate cell activation， ductular reaction， liver regeneration， and the expression levels of key molecules in the Numb-p53 signaling axis. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups. ResultsCompared with the BDL group， the hUC-MSC group and the hUC-MSC^OE-EV group had significant reductions in the levels of serum biochemical parameters （aspartate aminotransferase， gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase， total bile acid， total bilirubin， and direct bilirubin）， liver fibrosis markers （the content of Hyp and the expression levels of alpha-smooth muscle actin， tumor necrosis factor-α， and transforming growth factor-beta 1）， and ductular reaction markers （the expression levels of CK7 and CK19） （all P <0.05）， and compared with the hUC-MSC^OE-EV group， the hUC-MSC^Numb-OE group had significantly greater improvements in the above indicators （all P <0.05）. In addition， compared with the hUC-MSC^OE-EV group， the hUC-MSC^Numb-OE group had significant improvements in the expression levels of liver regeneration-related markers （albumin and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α） and the molecules associated with the Numb-p53 signaling axis （Numb， pNumb， Mdm2， and p53） （all P <0.05）. ConclusionOverexpression of the Numb gene can enhance the therapeutic effect of hUC-MSC on CLF， possibly by activating the Numb-PTB^L-p53-HNF4α axis， promoting the hepatic differentiation of hUC-MSCs and subsequently enhancing liver regeneration.

Mitochondrial biogenesis represents a promising therapeutic target in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) due to its essential role in cancer cell metabolism and survival. The natural compound γ-Elemene exhibits potent anti-tumor activity, but its effects on mitochondrial regulation in TNBC remain unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that γ-Elemene induces dose-dependent cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-468 and HCC1806 TNBC cells while significantly impairing mitochondrial function, as shown by reduced membrane potential, oxidative phosphorylation capacity, and ATP production. γ-Elemene treatment markedly suppressed mitochondrial biogenesis, decreasing mitochondrial DNA content and downregulating key mitochondrial genes and proteins. These effects were associated with reduced expression of the master regulators NRF1 and TFAM, but independent of PGC-1α expression levels.Mechanistically, γ-Elemene upregulated the acetyltransferase GCN5, leading to enhanced PGC-1α acetylation. This upregulation occurs primarily through increased GCN5 transcription. Genetic ablation of GCN5 completely reversed γ-Elemene-induced PGC-1α acetylation and restored mitochondrial biogenesis and cell viability, establishing a critical role for GCN5 in mediating these effects. Our findings reveal a novel mechanism whereby γ-Elemene disrupts mitochondrial function in TNBC through GCN5-mediated PGC-1α acetylation, providing new insights into its anti-cancer properties and potential therapeutic applications against TNBC.

Objective To compare the pathological diagnosis rate, number of punctures, and applicability to different lesion locations between a fork-tip biopsy needle and a conventional needle. Methods A retrospective collection of data was conducted on 137 patients who underwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine needle biopsy (novel needle group, n=12) or aspiration (conventional needle group, n=125) at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University from January to August 2023. After propensity score matching at a ratio of 1∶5, there were 12 patients in the novel needle group and 60 patients in the conventional needle group. The pathological diagnosis rate and number of punctures were compared between the two groups. The stratified analyses on the size and location of lesions were performed. Results After matching, the pathological diagnosis rate was 91.7% (11/12) in the novel needle group, with a median of 2 punctures; the rate was 61.7% (37/60) in the conventional needle group, with a median of 3 punctures. No statistically significant differences in pathological diagnosis rate and number of punctures were observed between the two groups. Subgroup analysis showed that for lesions ≥20 mm, there was no significant difference in the number of punctures between the novel and conventional needles. The novel needle achieved a significantly higher pathological diagnosis rate for subepithelial tumors compared with the conventional needle (100.0% vs 30.4%, P＝0.019), whereas no significant differences were found for pancreatic masses or lymph node lesions. Conclusions Compared with EUS-guided aspiration using the conventional needle, EUS-guided biopsy using the novel fork-tip needle shows a trend toward a higher pathological diagnosis rate, with particular advantages in subepithelial tumors.

Objective: To explore the expression of collagen type 1 alpha 2 (COL1A2) in cervical cancer and its correlation with immune infiltration. Methods: Bioinformatics techniques were used to analyze the expression of COL1A2 in cervical cancer. Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of COL1A2 in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. The correlation between the expression of COL1A2 and tumor immune cell infiltration was analyzed by tumor immune estimation resource (TIMER2. 0) . Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to analyze the possible mechanism of COL1A2 in cervical cancer. Jaspar database was used to predict the transcrip- tion factors of COL1A2. Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the expression of transcription factors in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines. Results: The expression of COL1A2 was down-regulated in cervical cancer (P < 0. 05) . The expression of COL1A2 was positively correlated with the levels of macrophages and myeloid den- dritic cells (P < 0. 01) . The proportions of 22 types of immune cells were different in different cervical cancer pa- tients. In addition , compared with the high expression group of COL1A2 , the proportion of M0 macrophages , M2 macrophages and resting memory CD4 + T cells increased in the low expression group of COL1A2 , while the propor- tion of CD8 + T cells , activated memory CD4 + T cells , follicular helper T cells , activated NK cells and activated myeloid dendritic cells decreased (P < 0. 05) . GSEA analysis showed that COL1A2 was related to immune-related signaling pathways , including Notch signaling pathway , interleukin-6/janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (IL6/JAK/STAT3) , Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway , etc. (P < 0. 01) . Jaspar database pre- dicted that the transcription factor of COL1A2 was paired box protein 5 (PAX5) , and the expression of PAX5 de- creased in cervical cancer (P < 0. 05) . Conclusion COL1A2 is expected to become a potential diagnostic biomar- ker and immunotherapy target for cervical cancer.

Objective:To investigate how gut microbiota changes during prostate cancer radiotherapy and decipher the relationship of gut microbiota with disease progression and chronic radiation enteritis.Methods:Thirty-one patients with prostate cancer were included in this study,admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from September 2022 to December 2023.The clinical data and stool samples of the patients were collected,and patients were followed up.The collected stool specimens were subjected to 16S rRNA se-quencing to detect gut microbiota and bioinformatics analysis.Results:The relative abundance of phyla such as Firmicutes and Actinobac-teria increased,and that of Bacteroidetes decreased(P<0.05)with an increasing radiotherapeutic dose,while beta diversity was significantly higher(P=0.001).The relative abundance of the phylum Actinobacteria was significantly higher in the prostate cancer progression group than in the non-progression group(P<0.05),the relative abundances of genera such as Sutterella and Haemophilus were significantly higher in the progression group(P<0.05).That of Verrucomicrobia and its offshoots in Akkermansia was higher in the chronic radiation enteritis than in the non-enteritis group(P<0.05),while the relative abundances of Coprococcus_1 and Catabacter in the non-enteritis group were higher than those in the enteritis group(P<0.05).Conclusions:Radiotherapy dose accumulation significantly remodeled the floral structure.Sutterella and Haemophilus of the phylum Proteobacteria might be key flora in prostate cancer recurring early after treatment.An augmen-ted abundance of Akkermansia might increase the risk of chronic radiation enteritis,whereas the flora under the Lachnospiraceae branch might exert aprotective effect against chronic radiation enteritis.

Objective To integrate patient clinical information with single-cell sequencing analysis to identify key genes involved in organic erectile dysfunction(ED)in diabetic patients,and to further validate these findings using genome-wide association study(GWAS)data to pinpoint the genes associated with diabetic organic ED.Methods Single-cell RNA sequen-cing data were downloaded from the GSE206528 dataset,comprising samples from five patients including three individuals with-out ED or diabetes,and two patients diagnosed with diabetic ED.Data preprocessing,cell clustering,and annotation were per-formed using R,followed by extraction of microvascular endothelial cells for differential expression analysis.Enrichment analysis of the identified differentially expressed genes(DEGs)was conducted using the Hiplot platform.Expression quantitative trait loci(eQTL)single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)corresponding to these DEGs were retrieved from the UK Biobank(UKB)da-tabase as exposures.ED(GWAS ID:ebi-a-GCST006956)was defined as the outcome variable.Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis was then performed to identify potential causal genes.Results Using the Seurat package,single-cell RNA se-quencing data from the five patients underwent quality control and integration.After cell type identification,a subset of microvas-cular endothelial cells was selected for differential expression analysis,resulting in the identification of 214 DEGs.Functional enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were significantly enriched in pathways related to diabetic complications,including the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway,TNF signaling pathway,and oxidative phosphorylation.Subsequently,MR analysis was per-formed on the 214 DEGs,using erectile dysfunction(ebi-a-GCST006956)as the outcome.Six genes were identified as potential causal genes including MYL9,NFIB,ENDOD1,DES,NRARP and HSPA1B.Conclusion These findings suggest that MYL9,NFIB,ENDOD1,DES,NRARP and HSPA1B may play a role in the progression of organic ED in diabetic patients.

Natural products (NPs) are an important source of new drugs for the treatment of stroke. Identifying cellular targets for bioactive molecules is a major challenge and critical issue in the development of new drugs for stroke. Small-molecule probes play a unique role in target discovery. However, drawbacks to these probes include non-specificity, unstable activity, and difficulty in synthesis. Small-molecule probes based on NPs at least partially compensate for these shortcomings. NPs feature rich chemical and structural diversity, biocompatibility, and unique biological activities. These features could be exploited to provide new ideas and tools for target discovery. Small-molecule probes based on NPs provide a precise and direct search for interacting protein targets of NPs-active small molecules. This review explores the properties of small-molecule probes based on NPs and their applications in mechanistic studies of stroke and other diseases. We hope that this review will bring new perspectives to the mechanistic study of NPs-active small molecules and accelerate the translation of these ingredients into drug candidates for the treatment of stroke.

Objective:To explore the efficacy and safety of instantly generated inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) for treating neonatal pulmonary hypertension (PH) complicated with severe hypoxic respiratory failure.Methods:This single-center, single-arm, prospective study included 32 neonates with PH complicated with hypoxic respiratory failure who were hospitalized in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Beijing Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from March 2023 to March 2025 and received immediate iNO generation therapy. The demographic data, maternal pregnancy, mechanical ventilation parameters, arterial blood gas indexes, other hospitalization data and safety indexes of iNO treatment were collected. The time point for starting iNO treatment was set as 0 h, and the observation time points were 1, 6, 12, 24, 48 h after treatment and when iNO treatment was stopped. The positive reaction of iNO treatment was defined as the decrease of oxygenation index (OI)>10% or the increase of arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO 2)>10% after treatment. The OI, mechanical ventilation parameters, arterial blood gas index changes and treatment positive reaction ratio were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of iNO treatment, and the nitrogen dioxide concentration, methemoglobin (MetHb) concentration and other indicators were analyzed to evaluate the safety of iNO treatment. Paired t test or Wilcoxon signed rank sum test was used to compare the observation indexes at different treatment times. Friedman test was used to compare the concentration of nitrogen dioxide and MetHb at multiple treatment times. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the best cut-off value of OI related indexes to distinguish the treatment outcome of iNO. Results:Among 32 neonates, 18 (56%) were males and 14 (44%) were females, the gestational age was 38 (35, 39) weeks, the birth weight was 3.1 (2.3, 3.4) kg, and the age of enrollment was 3 (2, 8) days. The OI and the mean airway pressure at 48 h after treatment were both lower than those at 0 h ((10.4±2.0 vs. 22.6±2.5, 13.0 (12.0, 14.0) vs. 14.0 (13.0, 16.0) cmH 2O, 1 cmH 2O=0.098 kPa, both P<0.05). The fraction of inspired oxygen at 24 and 48 h after treatment were both lower than those at 0 h (both P<0.05). The PaO 2 at 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after treatment were all higher than those at 0 h (all P<0.05). The proportion of positive reactions to iNO treatment was 20 neonates (63%), 22 neonates (69%), 23 neonates (72%), 23 neonates (72%) and 26 neonates (8%) at 1, 6, 12, 24, 48 h after treatment, respectively. No occurrence of methemoglobinemia, excessive nitrogen dioxide concentration, or device related adverse events were observed. Out of 32 neonates, a total of 24 neonates (75%) were cured or improved and discharged according to medical advice, while 8 neonates (25%) died in the hospital. The best cut-off value of OI at 0 h and the decline range of OI at 12 h to distinguish the outcome of hospitalization were 24.8 and 22.2%, respectively. Conclusion:It was effective and safe to use instantly generated iNO to treat neonatal PH with severe hypoxic respiratory failure.

Objective:To analyze the application effects of case-based learning (CBL) + Seminar teaching method based on Toulmin model in the education and teaching of clinical medicine innovation class.Methods:A total of 60 students from the clinical medicine innovation class at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from September 2021 to September 2023 were selected as research objects. These students were divided into control group ( n=30) and research group ( n=30) according to different teaching programs. The traditional teaching method was adopted in the control group, and the CBL + Seminar teaching method based on Toulmin model was adopted in the research group. The two groups were compared in terms of clinical knowledge, clinical skill, and clinical case analysis scores; changes in clinical thinking ability after teaching; and satisfaction with the teaching process. SPSS 22.0 was used for t-test and chi-square test. Results:The research group significantly outperformed the control group in clinical knowledge [(89.59±3.46) points vs. (83.23±3.02) points], clinical skill [(88.87±3.23) points vs. (83.62±3.13) points], and clinical case analysis [(89.73±3.51) points vs. (82.62±3.19) points] ( t=7.58, 6.39, 8.21, P<0.001). The clinical thinking ability after teaching was significantly higher in the research group compared to the control group [(258.49±13.36) points vs. (242.56±13.02) points] ( t=4.67, P<0.001). The overall satisfaction rate of teaching was significantly higher in the research group compared to the control group (100.00% vs. 80.00%, χ2=4.63, P=0.031). Conclusions:The CBL + Seminar teaching method based on Toulmin model can effectively improve student learning performance and clinical thinking ability, demonstrating a promising application value in the education and teaching of clinical medicine innovation class.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the mechanism by which Qingfei-Jiedu-Huatan Formula(QJHF)regulates autophagy in alveolar macrophages through mTOR in the treatment of severe pneumonia(SP)in rats.METHODS:Sixty SPF-grade male rats were randomly assigned to six groups:control,model,QJHF,moxifloxacin(MOX),rapamycin(RAPA),and QJHF+RAPA,with ten rats in each group.An SP rat model was established using Klebsiella pneumoniae.After seven days of treatment,changes in IL-33 and IFN-γ levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF)were measured using ELISA.Histopathological alterations in lung tissue were assessed via HE staining,and the autophagy of alveolar macrophages was detected using immunofluorescence co-localization methods.The expression levels of mTOR,beclin-1,and LC3 mRNA in lung tissue were analyzed using qPCR,while Western blot was employed to assess the protein levels of p-mTOR/mTOR,beclin-1,and LC3-II/LC3-I.RESULTS:Compared to the control group,the model group exhibited a deteriorated condition,characterized by alveolar wall rupture and thickening,significant inflammatory cell infiltration in the alveolar cavity,and extensive lung tissue damage(P<0.01).Elevated levels of IL-33 and IFN-γ in BALF were also observed(P<0.01),along with increased colocalization of CD68 and LC3 in immunofluorescence analy-sis.The mTOR mRNA expression in lung tissue decreased(P<0.01),while LC3 and beclin-1 mRNA expressions in-creased(P<0.01).Additionally,the protein expression ratio of p-mTOR/mTOR decreased(P<0.01),whereas LC3-II/LC3-I and beclin-1 protein levels increased(P<0.01).In comparison to the model group,significant improvements were noted after treatment with QJHF and MOX(P<0.01),while RAPA treatment led to a worsening of these indicators(P<0.05).A slight improvement was observed with the QJHF combined with RAPA intervention,though this was not statisti-cally significant.No significant differences were found between the MOX and QJHF groups.However,the QJHF+RAPA group displayed notable improvements in various indicators compared to the RAPA group(P<0.05).CONCLUSION:The QJHF can mitigate the inflammatory response associated with severe pneumonia,potentially by activating mTOR phos-phorylation activity,which in turn inhibits excessive autophagy in alveolar macrophages.