This study investigated the role of the nuclear factor of activated T cells c3 (NFATc3) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) during aortic aneurysm and dissection (AAD) progression and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Cytoplasmic and nuclear NFATc3 levels were elevated in human and mouse AAD. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced thoracic AAD (TAAD) and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression in mice, contrary to VSMC-NFATc3 overexpression. VSMC-NFATc3 deletion reduced extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation and maintained the VSMC contractile phenotype. Nuclear NFATc3 targeted and transcriptionally upregulated matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and MMP2, promoting ECM degradation and AAD development. NFATc3 promoted VSMC phenotypic switching by binding to eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) and inhibiting its phosphorylation in the VSMC cytoplasm. Restoring eEF2 reversed the beneficial effects in VSMC-specific NFATc3-knockout mice. Cabamiquine-targets eEF2 and inhibits protein synthesis-inhibited AAD development and progression in VSMC-NFATc3-overexpressing mice. VSMC-NFATc3 promoted VSMC switch and ECM degradation while exacerbating AAD development, making it a novel potential therapeutic target for preventing and treating AAD.

Complement C3 plays a critical role in periodontitis. However, its source, role and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In our study, by analyzing single-cell sequencing data from mouse model of periodontitis, we identified that C3 is primarily derived from periodontal fibroblasts. Subsequently, we demonstrated that C3a has a detrimental effect in ligature-induced periodontitis. C3ar^-/- mice exhibited significantly less destruction of periodontal support tissues compared to wild-type mice, characterized by mild gingival tissue damage and reduced alveolar bone loss. This reduction was associated with decreased production of pro-inflammatory mediators and reduced osteoclast infiltration in the periodontal tissues. Mechanistic studies suggested that C3a could promote macrophage polarization and osteoclast differentiation. Finally, by analyzing single-cell sequencing data from the periodontal tissues of patients with periodontitis, we found that the results observed in mice were consistent with human data. Therefore, our findings clearly demonstrate the destructive role of fibroblast-derived C3 in ligature-induced periodontitis, driven by macrophage M1 polarization and osteoclast differentiation. These data strongly support the feasibility of C3a-targeted interventions for the treatment of human periodontitis.
Animals ; Osteoclasts/cytology* ; Periodontitis/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Mice ; Fibroblasts/metabolism* ; Macrophages ; Disease Models, Animal ; Complement C3/metabolism* ; Humans ; Disease Progression ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Male ; Mice, Knockout

Objective: To investigate the value of lipid accumulation product (LAP) and visceral fat index (VAI) for prediction of metabolic syndrome (MS). Methods: Based on the 2018 Survey on Chronic Diseases and Risk Factors in Yantai City of Shandong Province, residents at ages of 45 years and older were sampled, and subjects' age, disease history, waist circumstance (WC), body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and blood lipid were collected to calculate LAP and VAI. MS was diagnosed with the a joint interim statement of the International Diabetes Federation Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; American Heart Association; World Heart Federation; International Atherosclerosis Society; and International Association for the Study of Obesity (JIS definition) and the recommended criteria proposed by the Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS) of Chinese Medical Association (CDS criteria), and the values of LAP and VAI for MS screening were evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: Totally 9 366 subjects were enrolled, including 4 340 men (46.34%) and 5 026 women (53.66%), and had a mean age of (54.49±9.73) years. According to the CDS criteria, the prevalence of MS was 24.58%, and LAP and VAI showed areas under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.837 (95%CI: 0.828-0.846) and 0.751 (95%CI: 0.739-0.762), sensitivities of 78.82% and 63.31% and optimal cut-off values of 44.64 and 1.86 for screening of MS. According to the JIS definition, the prevalence of MS was 35.26%, and LAP and VAI showed AUC values of 0.842 (95%CI: 0.834-0.850) and 0.790 (95%CI: 0.780-0.800), sensitivities of 75.73% and 68.42% and optimal cut-off values of 42.01 and 1.67 for screening of MS. Conclusions Both LAP and VAI are effective for screening MS among middle-aged and elderly residents, and LAP presents a higher accuracy than VAI.

Objective:To understand the infection status of key human parasites in Yantai City, Shandong Province, and to provide scientific basis for establishing strategy for prevention and control of the disease.Methods:According to the "National Investigation Plan of Human Parasitic Infection Status" and implementation rules, stratified cluster random sampling method was adopted to select 39 survey sites in 10 counties (cities, districts) of Yantai City from 2015 to 2019. The respondents were residents in each survey site, with no less than 200 people in each survey site. The modified garten thick smear method (one fecal two test) and the direct smear method were respectively used to detect the eggs of intestinal worms and the trophozoites or cysts of intestinal protozoa. Besides, the transparent adhesive paper anal swab was used to detect pinworms in children aged 3 - 9 years. SPSS 18.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Comparison between infection rates was analyzed by χ 2 test or Fisher's exact probability test with 0.05 of test level. Results:A total of 8 507 people were investigated from 2015 to 2019. The total infection rate of intestinal parasites was 1.75% (149/8 507), and no protozoa was detected. A total of 4 species of intestinal worms were detected, including 1.41% (120/8 507) of whipworm, 0.16% (14/8 507) of ascaris, 0.14% (12/8 507) of pinworm and 0.07% (6/8 507) of hookworm. Among 149 cases of worm infection, 3 cases were ascaris and whipworm mixed infection, accounting for 2.01%. The infection rate of pinworm was 1.90% (11/578) in 578 children aged 3 - 9 years detected by transparent adhesive paper anal swab. From 2015 to 2019, the incidence of intestinal parasites infection first increased and then decreased, the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 469.38, P < 0.05). The infection rates of male and female were 1.72% (70/4 071) and 1.78% (79/4 436), respectively, with no significant difference between them (χ 2 = 0.05, P > 0.05). There was a significant difference of intestinal parasites infection rate in different age groups (χ 2 = 23.34, P < 0.05). The infection rate of intestinal parasites in ≥80 years old group was the highest with 2.84% (8/282). There was a significant difference of intestinal parasites infection rate among different professionals (χ 2 = 41.71, P < 0.05). Intestinal parasites infection rate of farmers was the highest with 2.58% (113/4 388). There was a significant difference of intestinal parasites infection rate among people with different cultural degree(χ 2 = 51.91, P < 0.05). Infection rate of illiterate people was the highest with 4.98% (16/321). Parasitic infection was detected in 10 counties (cities, districts), except Laishan District. The highest infection rate was Haiyang City (10.18%, 102/1 002), and the results of other counties (cities, districts) were lower than 1.20%. There was significant difference in infection rate in different regions (χ 2 = 433.87, P < 0.05). The infection rate in urban area was 0.51% (22/4 281), and the infection rate in rural area was 3.01% (127/4 226). The difference between urban and rural areas was statistically significant (χ 2 = 76.70, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The infection rate of intestinal parasites has been reduced to a lower level in rural area of Yantai City, and farmers are the key prevention and control population of intestinal parasites infection, so attention should be paid to strengthen the publicity of parasitic disease prevention and control.

Objective:To study the relationship between zoledronic acid (ZOL) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) conformation so as to reveal the mechanism of bisphosphonates inhibiting angiogenesis.Methods:The binding structures of ZOL and VEGF were preprocessed and the molecular dockings were simulated through AutoDockTools, Discovery studio4 and AutoDockVina. The best binding conformation was accurately screened. The effects of various concentrations of ZOL (group A was 0 μmol/L, groups B, C and D were 25, 50 and 100 μmol/L, respectively) on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) proliferation, angiogenesis and angiogenic molecules were detected by using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) in vivo and in vitro angiogenesis, immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Results:There was a ZOL binding site on the target protein VEGF conformation. The affinity was -5.2 kcal/mol. This binding site consisted of the hydrophobic region composed of amino acids Cys26, 51, 57, etc. and the hydrogen bond binding region of the A chain (ASP34, SER50) and B chain (CYS61, 68, LEU66, GLY59). The results of CCK-8 showed that the levels of value A in groups B, C and D were significantly lower than that in group A at each time point from 3 to 6 days ( P<0.05). In vitro vascular experiments demonstrated that the numbers of budding in groups B, C and D [(208±28), (151±21) and (62±9), respectively] were significantly lower than that in group A (276±30) ( P<0.05). In vivo vascular experiments displayed that the ratio of Matrigel gel/plasma fluorescence in group A (0.003 1±0.000 3) was significantly higher than those in group B (0.002 1±0.000 2), group C (0.001 6±0.000 2) and group D (0.000 6±0.000 1) ( P<0.05). The results of Western blotting revealed that the expression of VEGF in groups B, C and D [(0.72±0.11), (0.41±0.07) and (0.24±0.04), respectively] were significantly lower than that in group A (1.01±0.02) ( P<0.05), and the expression levels of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) in groups B, C and D [(0.68±0.09), (0.55±0.06) and (0.43±0.08), respectively] were significantly lower than that in group A (0.96±0.04) ( P<0.05). Conclusions:ZOL could inhibit cell proliferation, in vivo and in vitro vascularization and expression of VEGF/HIF-1α. The binding site of ZOL with the conformation of VEGF was located in the hydrophobic region and hydrogen-bonding region of amino acids. Designing an antagonist targeting this site might potentially alleviate the effect of ZOL in inhibiting angiogenesis.

OBJECTIVE： To study the effects of ivermectin on the migration and invasion of human gastric cancer cell lines BGC-823 and MGC-803 and its mechanism. METHODS： After treated with 0， 2.5， 5， 10， 20， 40 μmol/L ivermectin for 24 h， inhibitory rate of human gastric cancer cell lines BGC-823 and MGC-803 were detected by MTT assay. Effects of 5 μmol/L ivermectin and phosphate buffercontaining 0.67‰ dimethyl sulfoxide （control group） for 24 h on the migration and invasion of` gastric cancer cells BGC-823 and MGC-803 were observed by Transwell chamber invasion assay.Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression of TGF-β1， TGF-βR， Smad2 and Smad3 in epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） markers E-cadherin， N-cadherin， Vimentin， Snail and EMT transduction pathway TGF-β/smad of BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells after treated with 5， 10 μmol/L ivermectin and phosphate buffercontaining 0.67‰ dimethyl sulfoxide （control group） for 24 h. RESULTS： Ivermectin could inhibit the growth of BGC-823 and MGC-803， inhibitory rate of it was positively correlated with its concentration. Compared with control group， the number of migration and invasion BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells were decreased significantly after treated with 5 μmol/L ivermectin （P＜0.01 or P＜0.001）； the expression of E-cadherin protein was enhanced significantly in BGC-823 and MGC-803 cells after treated with 5 and 10 μmol/L ivermectin （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01 or P＜0.001）； the protein expression of N-cadherin， Vimentin， Snail， TGF-βR， Smad2 and Smad3 were decreased significantly （P＜0.05， P＜0.01 or P＜0.001）； protein expression of TGF-β1 was decreased significantly after treated with 10 μmol/L ivermectin （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS： Ivermectin can significantly inhibit the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells BGC-823 and MGC-803， and inhibiting the biological activity of EMT by reducing the expression of TGF-β/smad pathway is one of the mechanisms that inhibit the migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells.

Objective To explore the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT)applied to the quadriceps muscle on the recovery of exhausting-cycling-exercise-induced fatigue.Methods According to a randomised,double-blind and crossover design,16 healthy male students were randomly assigned to an LLLT-1,LLLT-3,LLLT-5 and a placebo group,and received LLLT for 300 s at the dosage of 0.06 J· cm-2,0.18 J·cm-2,0.3 J·cm-2 and 0 to the bilateral rectus femoris after the exhausting-cycling-exercise-induced fatigue.The blood lactate(BL),heart rate(HR),rated perceived exertion(RPE)and visual analogue scale(VAS)were assessed before the exercise,immediately after exercise,10 and 20 min after exercise,as well as immediately after the first Wingate(WG)test,5 and 30 min after the WG test.Meanwhile,the second WG test was performed 40 min after the first WG test.Results The average HR value of LLLT-1 group was significantly lower than the placebo group at 10 min after exercise(P＜ 0.05)and immediately after the WG test(P＜0.01),while that of LLLT-3 and LLLT-5 groups was significantly lower than the placebo group immediately and 5 min after the WG test(P＜0.01).Compared to the placebo group,the average BL of LLLT-1,LLLT-3 and LLLT-5 groups was significantly lower 10 min after exercise(P＜0.05 for all)and that of LLLT-5 group was also significantly lower 30 min after the first WG test(P＜0.05).However,the average blood glucose of LLLT-5 group was significantly higher than the placebo group right after the first WG test(P＜0.05).Moreover,significant increase was observed in the mean(P=0.002)and peak power(P=0.006)at the second WG test and the mean(P=0.048) power at the first WG test of LLLT-3 group,compared to the placebo group.Conclusion LLLT applied to quadriceps muscles after exhausting exercise may enhance recovery,and LLLT at the dose of 0.18 J·cm-2 is of the best effect.

Objective To investigate the potential protective effects of valproic acid (VPA) on gut barrier function after major burn injury in rats and its mechanism.Methods Forty male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were divided into sham + normal saline (NS),sham + VPA,scald + NS,and scald + VPA groups,with 10 rats in each group.Rat with 55％ total body surface area (TBSA) third-degree severe-bums model was reproduced by immersing into 80 ℃ water,and the rats in sham groups were given sham-bums by immersing into 37 ℃ water.The rats after severebums were immediately treated with 0.25 mL of 300 mg/kg VPA or NS by subcutaneous injection.Rats were sacrificed at 2 hours and 6 hours after injury,and abdominal aortic blood and ileal tissue were harvested.The levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The intestinal permeability was evaluated by fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-dextran) determination.The histomorphological changes in gut barrier were evaluated by Chiu grading system.Levels of acetylated lysine at the ninth position of histone 3 protein (Ac-H3K9),hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α),zona occludens 1 (ZO-1) and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) were determined by immunofluorescence staining and Western Blot.Results Compared with sham + NS group,rats in scald + NS group showed intestinal mucosal damage 2 hours after bum injury,as well as increased mucosal permeability,protein expression levels of HIF-1 α,VEGF,MLCK,and lowered levels of AC-H3K9 and ZO-1.These changes were much more prominent at 6 hours after injury.VPA treatment significantly attenuated the bum-induced intestinal damage.Compared with scald + NS group,the protective effects in scald + VPA group was not evident at 2 hours after injury;however,intestinal damage was much less severe at 6 hours after injury (Chiu score:2.03 ± 0.27 vs.3.12 ± 0.15),intestinal permeability was significantly decreased [FITC-dextran (μg/L):709 ± 76 vs.1138 ± 75],histone acetylation was enhanced [Ac-H3K9 (gray value):1.55 ± 0.12 vs.0.48±0.12],ZO-1 degradation was significantly inhibited (gray value:0.69 ± 0.12 vs.0.43 ± 0.16),the protein expression levels of VEGF and MLCK were significantly down-regulated [VEGF (ng/mg):51.7±3.7 vs.71.2±4.3,MLCK (gray value):1.98±0.20 vs.2.80±0.24],while the HIF-1 α protein expression levels were significantly reduced at both 2 hours and 6 hours after injury (gray value:2.50±0.39 vs.3.88±0.42 at 2 hours,1.83±0.42 vs.4.42±0.41 at 6 hours,all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Severe bum injury can induce histone deacetylation,ZO-1 degradation and intestinal barrier dysfunction.VPA can improve the levels of histone acetylation and ZO-1,and protect intestinal epithelial barrier function.These may probably be mediated through inhibiting HIF-1α and its downstream gene VEGF and MLCK.

Objective To retrospectively analyze the surgical methods and efficacy in 70 cases of type A aortic dissection patients over 65 years old.Methods From January 2005 to May 2012,70 type A aortic dissection patients over 65 years old received surgical treatment.Among them,there were 47 males aged 65 to 78 years old with mean 71,23 females,aged 65 to 72 years old with mean 68.55 cases were acute onset,while 15 cases were chronically onset.Different surgical methods were selected depend on patients' situations.We followed up all patients after discharged from hospital to continue to observe their health situation and evaluate the therapeutic effects.Results After surgery,eight patients died in the hospital,62 patients were recovered and discharged from the hospital.The mortality rate is 11.4％.During the follow up period from 3 to 72 months,there were no dead,aneurysm rupture and others severe complications.9 cases received endovascular graft exclusion within 6 months after discharged from hospital.The survival patients were satisfactory healed with their daily living activity resumed.Conclusion For over 65 years old patients with aortic dissection,the accurate and rapid selection of surgical method could improve the survival rate and the quality of life with a lower occurrence rate of complications.