Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by persistent inflammation and joint damage, accompanied by the accumulation of plasma cells, which contributes to its pathogenesis. Understanding the genetic alterations occurring during plasma cell differentiation in RA can deepen our comprehension of its pathogenesis and guide the development of targeted therapeutic interventions. Here, our study elucidates the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying plasma cell differentiation by demonstrating that PRDX1 interacts with DOK3 and modulates its degradation by the autophagy-lysosome pathway. This interaction results in the inhibition of plasma cell differentiation, thereby alleviating the progression of collagen-induced arthritis. Additionally, our investigation identifies Salvianolic acid B (SAB) as a potent small molecular glue-like compound that enhances the interaction between PRDX1 and DOK3, consequently impeding the progression of collagen-induced arthritis by inhibiting plasma cell differentiation. Collectively, these findings underscore the therapeutic potential of developing chemical stabilizers for the PRDX1-DOK3 complex in suppressing plasma cell differentiation for RA treatment and establish a theoretical basis for targeting PRDX1-protein interactions as specific therapeutic targets in various diseases.

AIM:To investigate the expression profile and biological significance of long noncoding RNA(lncRNA)zinc finger antisense 1(ZFAS1)in the brains of mice with diabetic encephalopathy(DE).METHODS:Ten db/m mice served as the normal control group,while twenty 22-week-old db/db mice were used to establish the DE model and randomly divided into two subgroups:ten as the db/db model control and the remaining ten receiving ZFAS1 gene knockdown(db/db+sh-ZFAS1)via lentiviral transfection.Weekly measurements of body weight and blood glucose levels were performed.Brain tissues were collected for Nissl staining to evaluate neuronal damage,TUNEL assay to detect apop-tosis,and immunofluorescence staining to examine neural biomarker expression.Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and oxidative stress markers,including reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT)and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),were determined.Western blot was conducted to quantify the protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax),p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphorylated p38(p-p38)in brain tissues.The expression levels of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA were determined by RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Knockdown of ZFAS1 in db/db mice significantly improved cognitive function,alleviated hippocampal neuronal damage,and reduced body weight and blood glucose levels(P<0.01).More-over,oxidative stress was mitigated,as evidenced by decreased MDA and ROS levels(P<0.01)and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes,GSH-Px,SOD and CAT(P<0.01 or P<0.05).Meanwhile,ZFAS1 silencing down-regulated Bax and p-p38/p38 protein expression(P<0.01 or P<0.05)while up-regulating Bcl-2(P<0.01).Consistently,RT-qPCR confirmed significant down-regulation of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA levels(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:lncRNA ZFAS1 is highly expressed in the hippocampus of DE mice.Down-regulation of ZFAS1 expression enhances cognitive func-tion,suppresses oxidative stress,and inhibits neuronal apoptosis,thereby attenuating neural damage in DE.

Objectives:To investigate the clinical value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging(CMR)feature-tracking strain analysis in risk stratification of diabetic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction(HFpEF).Methods:In this retrospective study,a total of 215 patients with diabetic HFpEF who underwent CMR at Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Fuwai Hospital from January 2012 to December 2018 were included.Myocardial strain parameters were calculated using CMR feature-tracking technology.Patients were followed up by medical records or telephone calls.Composite endpoint event,all-cause death or heart failure hospitalization during follow-up were recorded.Patients were divided into event group and event-free group.Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed to determine the risk factors for the outcomes in diabetic HFpEF.The effects of hypertension and obesity on the prognosis of diabetic HFpEF patients and whether they affect the prognostic value of CMR feature-tracking strain analysis were also analyzed.Results:During a follow-up of(7.1±1.8)years,93(43.3%)patients had endpoint events(event group),including 28 all-cause deaths and 65 heart failure hospitalization.Compared with the event-free group(n=122),patients in the event group had significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction,higher prevalence and extent of late gadolinium enhancement,and significantly reduced global longitudinal strain(GLS),global circumferential strain,global radial strain,and global systolic longitudinal strain rate(all P<0.05).The absolute GLS value was significantly lower in event group than in event-free group,regardless of the presence of hypertension and obesity.Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that estimated glomerular filtration rate(HR=0.983,95%CI:0.972-0.993,P=0.001),left atrial volume index(HR=1.015,95%CI:1.005-1.026,P=0.004),and GLS(HR=1.142,95%CI:1.060-1.231,P<0.001)were independent risk factors for adverse cardiovascular events in diabetic HFpEF patients.However,adjusted N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide was not an independent prognostic factor.The cut-offvalue of GLS to predict outcome was-14.09%from ROC curve analysis.The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that in patients with and without hypertension and obesity,patients with the GLS>-14.09%had lower event-free survival compared to patients with GLS≤-14.09%(all P<0.05),and the ability of GLS to predict adverse outcomes was not affected by hypertension and obesity.Conclusions:GLS obtained by CMR feature-tracking strain analysis is an independent predictor of adverse outcomes in diabetic HFpEF,and its ability to predict adverse outcomes is independent of hypertension and obesity.

Objective To investigate the regulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of PUS3 on GBM cell malignant behaviors(proliferation,apoptosis,invasion)in vitro,providing potential therapeutic targets for GBM.Methods The expression of PUS3 in GBM was analyzed using the GEPIA2 database.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis evaluated the survival difference between PUS3 high-and low-expression patients.qRT-PCR and Western blot were performed to detect PUS3 expression in normal glial cells(HEB)and GBM cell lines(U87,LN229,U251,T98G).PUS3-stably overexpressing GBM cell lines were constructed.Colony formation,CCK-8 assay,and flow cytometry were used to assess proliferation and apoptosis.Transwell assay evaluated cell invasion.Immunohis-tochemistry(IHC)detected PUS3 expression in GBM patient tissues.Western blot analyzed tumor-related pathway proteins after PUS3 overexpression.Results The expression level of PUS3 is elevated in GBM patient tissues,and the mRNA and protein expression levels in GBM cells are significantly higher than those in HEB cells(P<0.01).After overexpression of PUS3,the proliferation ability of GBM cells was enhanced(P<0.05),the apoptosis rate decreased(P<0.01),and the number of invasive cells increased(P<0.001).Mechanistically,overexpression of PUS3 significantly activates the AKT pathway,and the use of AKT inhibitors in PUS3 overexpressing cells can reverse the pro cancer effect.Conclusion PUS3 is highly expressed in glioblastoma(GBM)and promotes tumor cell proliferation,invasion,and apoptosis inhibition by activating the AKT pathway,suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for GBM treatment.

Objective To evaluate the effect of two different acid etching agents on the bonding strength between deciduous enamel and composite resin at different etching times.Methods Seventy primary incisors were made into test specimens and randomly divided into 7 groups(n=10),6 experimental groups,and 1 blank control group.The specimens were divided into groups and etchedwith two different acid etching agents(35％H3PO4,15％HCl)for different durations(15,30,60 s).After bonding with the composite resin,shear force testing was performed.Additionally,two deciduous molar dental crowns were cut vertically along the gingival axis,with each tooth divided into seven sections and randomly assigned to seven groups.Enamel acid etched specimens were produced and the surface morphology was observed using scanning electron microscopy.Finally,24 deciduous molars were randomly divided into 3 groups(n=8)according to the etching time(15,30,60 s),and each tooth was vertically cut into 2 pieces along the buccal lingual direction,namely the phosphoric acid group and the hydrochloric acid group,and etched for the same time(n=8),for a total of 6 groups.They were bonded with resin and made into specimens.The specimen was cut vertically to the bonding surface into 2 parts.One measurement point was selected for each part,and each group had a total of 16 measurement values.Resin protrusion length was measured under scanning electron microscopy and was statistically analyzed.Results When comparing acid etching for 15,30,and 60 s,the bonding strength of the phosphate group was higher than that of the hydrochloric acid group.Under scanning electron microscopy,there was no significant difference in the acid etching mode between the two groups,both of which were type 2 acid etching modes dissolved along the glaze column direction.At 15 seconds of acid etching,the enamel surface was uneven,and continuous and uniform dissolution ap-peared at 30 seconds.The length of resin protrusion increased with the increase of acid etching time,and the phosphoric acid group was greater than the hydrochloric acid group at 15,30,and 60 s compared between groups.Conclusion The etching time is positively correlated with the shear bonding strength.The best bonding effect is achieved when deciduous teeth are etched with 35％ H3PO4 for 60 seconds,and the effect of 35％phosphoric acid etching on deciduous tooth enamel is better than that of 15％hydrochloric acid.

Objective To compare the dosimetric disparities among static intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT),volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT),and tomotherapy(TOMO)techniques in cervical cancer radiotherapy for providing data support for clinical decision-making scheme of radiotherapy.Methods The clinical data of 19 cervical cancer patients,treated at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital and Institute of Guangzhou Medical University from February to May in 2024,were analyzed.Three plans were devised for each case using IMRT,VMAT,and TOMO techniques,followed by dosimetric evaluation in terms of various metrics such as dose volume parameters of the target areas as well as organs-at-risk(OAR),conformity index(CI),homogeneity index(HI),and delivery time.Results All 3 plans met the clinical prescription requirements for the target areas.Compared with static IMRT and VMAT,TOMO had significantly lower Dmean and Dmaxof PCTV and PGTVnd.For OAR,TOMO demonstrated significant advantages over IMRT and VMAT in the Dmean of the bladder,the Dmean,Dmax,V30,V40of the rectum,the Dmean,Dmax,V20,V30of left and right femoral heads,and the Dmean,V20,V50of the pelvis(P<0.05).In addition,the TOMO group showed significantly higher CI for both PCTV and PGTVnd as compared with IMRT and VMAT groups,and lower PGTVnd HI than IMRT group(all P<0.05).Although there was trivial difference among 3 groups in term of PCTV HI,TOMO group performed slightly better than the other two groups.Notably,VMAT technique had the shortest treatment time.Conclusion In various treatment modalities for cervical cancer,TOMO is superior to IMRT and VMAT in terms of target dose coverage,OAR dose distribution,CI,and HI.However,VMAT has the highest efficiency.

AIM:To investigate the expression profile and biological significance of long noncoding RNA(lncRNA)zinc finger antisense 1(ZFAS1)in the brains of mice with diabetic encephalopathy(DE).METHODS:Ten db/m mice served as the normal control group,while twenty 22-week-old db/db mice were used to establish the DE model and randomly divided into two subgroups:ten as the db/db model control and the remaining ten receiving ZFAS1 gene knockdown(db/db+sh-ZFAS1)via lentiviral transfection.Weekly measurements of body weight and blood glucose levels were performed.Brain tissues were collected for Nissl staining to evaluate neuronal damage,TUNEL assay to detect apop-tosis,and immunofluorescence staining to examine neural biomarker expression.Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and oxidative stress markers,including reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT)and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),were determined.Western blot was conducted to quantify the protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax),p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphorylated p38(p-p38)in brain tissues.The expression levels of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA were determined by RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Knockdown of ZFAS1 in db/db mice significantly improved cognitive function,alleviated hippocampal neuronal damage,and reduced body weight and blood glucose levels(P<0.01).More-over,oxidative stress was mitigated,as evidenced by decreased MDA and ROS levels(P<0.01)and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes,GSH-Px,SOD and CAT(P<0.01 or P<0.05).Meanwhile,ZFAS1 silencing down-regulated Bax and p-p38/p38 protein expression(P<0.01 or P<0.05)while up-regulating Bcl-2(P<0.01).Consistently,RT-qPCR confirmed significant down-regulation of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA levels(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:lncRNA ZFAS1 is highly expressed in the hippocampus of DE mice.Down-regulation of ZFAS1 expression enhances cognitive func-tion,suppresses oxidative stress,and inhibits neuronal apoptosis,thereby attenuating neural damage in DE.

Objectives:To investigate the clinical value of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging(CMR)feature-tracking strain analysis in risk stratification of diabetic heart failure with preserved ejection fraction(HFpEF).Methods:In this retrospective study,a total of 215 patients with diabetic HFpEF who underwent CMR at Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Fuwai Hospital from January 2012 to December 2018 were included.Myocardial strain parameters were calculated using CMR feature-tracking technology.Patients were followed up by medical records or telephone calls.Composite endpoint event,all-cause death or heart failure hospitalization during follow-up were recorded.Patients were divided into event group and event-free group.Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression analyses were performed to determine the risk factors for the outcomes in diabetic HFpEF.The effects of hypertension and obesity on the prognosis of diabetic HFpEF patients and whether they affect the prognostic value of CMR feature-tracking strain analysis were also analyzed.Results:During a follow-up of(7.1±1.8)years,93(43.3%)patients had endpoint events(event group),including 28 all-cause deaths and 65 heart failure hospitalization.Compared with the event-free group(n=122),patients in the event group had significantly lower left ventricular ejection fraction,higher prevalence and extent of late gadolinium enhancement,and significantly reduced global longitudinal strain(GLS),global circumferential strain,global radial strain,and global systolic longitudinal strain rate(all P<0.05).The absolute GLS value was significantly lower in event group than in event-free group,regardless of the presence of hypertension and obesity.Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that estimated glomerular filtration rate(HR=0.983,95%CI:0.972-0.993,P=0.001),left atrial volume index(HR=1.015,95%CI:1.005-1.026,P=0.004),and GLS(HR=1.142,95%CI:1.060-1.231,P<0.001)were independent risk factors for adverse cardiovascular events in diabetic HFpEF patients.However,adjusted N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide was not an independent prognostic factor.The cut-offvalue of GLS to predict outcome was-14.09%from ROC curve analysis.The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that in patients with and without hypertension and obesity,patients with the GLS>-14.09%had lower event-free survival compared to patients with GLS≤-14.09%(all P<0.05),and the ability of GLS to predict adverse outcomes was not affected by hypertension and obesity.Conclusions:GLS obtained by CMR feature-tracking strain analysis is an independent predictor of adverse outcomes in diabetic HFpEF,and its ability to predict adverse outcomes is independent of hypertension and obesity.

Objective To evaluate the effect of two different acid etching agents on the bonding strength between deciduous enamel and composite resin at different etching times.Methods Seventy primary incisors were made into test specimens and randomly divided into 7 groups(n=10),6 experimental groups,and 1 blank control group.The specimens were divided into groups and etchedwith two different acid etching agents(35％H3PO4,15％HCl)for different durations(15,30,60 s).After bonding with the composite resin,shear force testing was performed.Additionally,two deciduous molar dental crowns were cut vertically along the gingival axis,with each tooth divided into seven sections and randomly assigned to seven groups.Enamel acid etched specimens were produced and the surface morphology was observed using scanning electron microscopy.Finally,24 deciduous molars were randomly divided into 3 groups(n=8)according to the etching time(15,30,60 s),and each tooth was vertically cut into 2 pieces along the buccal lingual direction,namely the phosphoric acid group and the hydrochloric acid group,and etched for the same time(n=8),for a total of 6 groups.They were bonded with resin and made into specimens.The specimen was cut vertically to the bonding surface into 2 parts.One measurement point was selected for each part,and each group had a total of 16 measurement values.Resin protrusion length was measured under scanning electron microscopy and was statistically analyzed.Results When comparing acid etching for 15,30,and 60 s,the bonding strength of the phosphate group was higher than that of the hydrochloric acid group.Under scanning electron microscopy,there was no significant difference in the acid etching mode between the two groups,both of which were type 2 acid etching modes dissolved along the glaze column direction.At 15 seconds of acid etching,the enamel surface was uneven,and continuous and uniform dissolution ap-peared at 30 seconds.The length of resin protrusion increased with the increase of acid etching time,and the phosphoric acid group was greater than the hydrochloric acid group at 15,30,and 60 s compared between groups.Conclusion The etching time is positively correlated with the shear bonding strength.The best bonding effect is achieved when deciduous teeth are etched with 35％ H3PO4 for 60 seconds,and the effect of 35％phosphoric acid etching on deciduous tooth enamel is better than that of 15％hydrochloric acid.

Objective To investigate the regulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of PUS3 on GBM cell malignant behaviors(proliferation,apoptosis,invasion)in vitro,providing potential therapeutic targets for GBM.Methods The expression of PUS3 in GBM was analyzed using the GEPIA2 database.Kaplan-Meier survival analysis evaluated the survival difference between PUS3 high-and low-expression patients.qRT-PCR and Western blot were performed to detect PUS3 expression in normal glial cells(HEB)and GBM cell lines(U87,LN229,U251,T98G).PUS3-stably overexpressing GBM cell lines were constructed.Colony formation,CCK-8 assay,and flow cytometry were used to assess proliferation and apoptosis.Transwell assay evaluated cell invasion.Immunohis-tochemistry(IHC)detected PUS3 expression in GBM patient tissues.Western blot analyzed tumor-related pathway proteins after PUS3 overexpression.Results The expression level of PUS3 is elevated in GBM patient tissues,and the mRNA and protein expression levels in GBM cells are significantly higher than those in HEB cells(P<0.01).After overexpression of PUS3,the proliferation ability of GBM cells was enhanced(P<0.05),the apoptosis rate decreased(P<0.01),and the number of invasive cells increased(P<0.001).Mechanistically,overexpression of PUS3 significantly activates the AKT pathway,and the use of AKT inhibitors in PUS3 overexpressing cells can reverse the pro cancer effect.Conclusion PUS3 is highly expressed in glioblastoma(GBM)and promotes tumor cell proliferation,invasion,and apoptosis inhibition by activating the AKT pathway,suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for GBM treatment.