OBJECTIVE To investigate the inhibitory effect and mechanism of Modified qifang weitong granules on gastric cancer based on in vitro and in vivo experiments. METHODS Human gastric cancer HGC-27 cells were divided into the following groups: control group （treated with fetal bovine serum）， 10% drug-containing serum group， 15% drug-containing serum group， 20% drug-containing serum group， and 5-fluorouracil （5-Fu） group （positive control， 3.90 μg/mL）. After culturing the cells in each group with the corresponding serum/drug solution， their proliferation， migratory and invasive abilities， as well as the cell cycle， were assessed. Additionally， the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT）-related proteins [E-cadherin， N-cadherin， and vimentin] in the cells were measured. Logarithmic-phase HGC-27 cells were harvested and subcutaneously injected into the right axillary region of nude mice to establish a subcutaneous xenograft tumor model in nude mice. The successfully modeled tumor-bearing nude mice were randomly divided into model group， low-， medium- and high-dose groups of Modified qifang weitong granules （17.65， 35.29 and 70.58 g/kg， respectively）， and 5-Fu group （25 mg/kg）， with 5 mice in each group. After 14 days of treatment with the corresponding drugs in each group， the histopathological morphology of the tumor tissues in the nude mice was observed. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot assay were employed to detect the expression levels of EMT- related proteins in the tumor tissues of the nude mice. RESULTS In the cell experiment， compared with the control group， the cell proliferation rate， migration rate， number of invasive cells， as well as the expression levels of N-cadherin and vimentin proteins， and the percentage of cells in the G2/M phase were all significantly decreased/reduced in the 15% drug-containing serum group， 20% drug-containing serum group （P＜0.05）. Conversely， the percentage of cells in the G0/G1 phase and the expression level of E- cadherin protein were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. In animal experiment， compared with the model group， the high-dose group of Modified qifang weitong granules exhibited significantly reduced tumor mass and expression levels of N-cadherin and vimentin proteins in the tumor tissues of nude mice （P＜0.05）， while the expression level of E-cadherinprotein in the tumor tissues was significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Additionally， the tumor cells varied in size and showed extensive necrosis. CONCLUSIONS Modified qifang weitong granules effectively inhibit gastric cancer in both in vitro and in vivo models， and the mechanism of action is related to the suppression of EMT.

Objective:To explore the expression changes of N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-related proteins in the hippocampus of mice with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like behavior and the therapeutic effects of sertraline hydrochloride.Methods:Male C57BL/6J mice aged 4-6 weeks were selected to establish a PTSD model using a single prolonged stress and foot shock stimulation. A total of 24 mice were randomly divided into the control group, model group, and sertraline group using a random number table, with 8 mice in each group. Mice in the sertraline group were intraperitoneally injected with sertraline hydrochloride (15 mg/kg, once daily) 24 h after PTSD modelling, continuing for 14 days. Mice in the control group and model group were injected with an equal volume of 0.9% NaCl solution (once daily, for 14 days). The anxiety, despair, and learning and memory functions of the mice were assessed using the open field test, Y-maze test, and forced swimming test. Western blot was performed to measure the protein expression levels of methyltransferase-like protein 3 (METTL3), fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO), ALKB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), Wilms tumour 1 associating protein (WTAP), and methyltransferase-like protein 14 (METTL14) in the hippocampus. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression levels of METTL3, FTO, and ALKBH5 in the hippocampus. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 and GraphPad Prism 9.0.Comparisons between two groups were conducted using independent samples t-test, while comparisons among three groups were performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) or Kruskal-Wallis H test, followed by pairwise comparisons using LSD test. Results:(1) Behavioral results showed that the total distance travelled in the central area ( F=9.231, P<0.05) and the time spent in the central area ( H=8.045, P<0.05) showed statistically significant differences among the control, model, and sertraline groups. Mice in the control and sertraline groups travelled a greater distance((332.68±121.17)cm, (248.56±40.21)cm) and spent more time(24.98(23.08, 26.71)s, 22.52(18.86, 26.20)s) in the central area than those in the model group((131.66±84.90)cm, 9.14(6.56, 18.53)s) (all P<0.05). In the forced swimming test, the number of resting episodes ( F=16.882, P<0.05) and the duration of rest ( H=12.285, P<0.05) differed significantly among the three groups. Mice in the control group ((19.14±8.30) counts, 30.21 (18.98, 52.62) s) and the sertraline group ((17.63±8.14) counts, 25.90 (16.78, 37.56) s) had fewer resting episodes and shorter resting durations compared to those in the model group ((37.75±6.47) counts, 83.37 (64.62, 124.42) s) (all P<0.05). The percentage of alternations in the Y-maze experiment showed significant statistical differences among the three groups( F=6.844, P<0.05). Mice in the control group ((51.33±11.49)%) and the sertraline group ((48.24±3.10)%) exhibited a higher percentage of alternations than that in the model group ((36.70±8.15)%) ( P<0.05). (2) Western blot results showed that the protein expression levels of METTL3, FTO, and ALKBH5 in the hippocampal tissue of the three groups showed significant differences ( F=10.263, 9.010, 6.950, all P<0.05). The METTL3 and FTO protein expression levels in the hippocampus in the control group (0.85±0.07, 0.86±0.04) and the sertraline group (0.93±0.06, 0.95±0.13) were higher than those in the model group (0.74±0.02, 0.68±0.04) (all P<0.05). However, the ALKBH5 protein expression levels in the control group (0.93±0.08) and the sertraline group (0.87±0.13) were lower than that in the model group (1.13±0.04) (both P<0.05). (3) Immunofluorescence results showed that the expression levels of METTL3, FTO, and ALKBH5 proteins in the hippocampal tissue of the three groups showed significant statistical differences ( F=37.912, 62.659, 54.417, all P<0.05). The expression levels of METTL3 and FTO in the hippocampus in the control group (14.03±0.32, 13.85±0.28) and the sertraline group (17.94±0.29, 10.52±0.66) were higher than those in the model group (11.67±1.48, 8.70±0.68) (all P<0.05). The expression levels of ALKBH5 in the control group (12.94±0.38) and the sertraline group (13.30±0.93) were lower than that in the model group (19.24±1.03) (both P<0.05). Conclusion:The expression of m6A-related proteins in the hippocampus of PTSD-like mice is altered. Sertraline treatment can significantly regulate the expression of these proteins and improve anxiety, despair, and learning and memory impairments in the PTSD-like mice.

Objective To discuss the short-term efficacy of endovascular recanalization for symptomatic non-acute internal carotid artery occlusion.Methods A total of 90 patients with symptomatic non-acute internal carotid artery occlusion,who were admitted to the Department of Neurology of Tianjin Municipal Teda Hospital of China from August 2017 to December 2021,were selected as the research objects.The patients were divided into study group(n=45)and control group(n=45).Percutaneous endovascular recanalization of internal carotid artery occlusion was performed for the patients of the study group,and standardized antiplatelet aggregation and anti-lipid therapy(including oral aspirin,clopidogrel bisulphate and atorvastatin)was adopted for the patients of the control group.The symptom recurrence rate at one year after treatment in both groups was analyzed.Results Of the 45 patients in the control group,4 were lost in touch,and 41 completed the one-year follow-up.Of the 45 patients in the study group,2 patients had failure of surgery,one patient had lost contact visit,and 42 completed the one-year follow-up.Postoperative intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 2 patients.After one year of follow-up,in the control group 26 patients(63.41％)developed recurrence of symptoms,presenting as transient ischemic attack(TIA,n=13,31.7％)and cerebral infarction(n=13,31.7％),and in the study group 8 patients(4.76％)developed recurrence of symptoms,presenting as TIA(n=6,14.3％)and cerebral infarction(n=2,4.8％);the incidence of cerebral infarction in the study group was strikingly lower than that in the control group,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P＜0.05).In the patients with grade Ⅲ compensation,the recurrence rate of symptoms was remarkably decreased after endovascular recanalization of internal carotid artery occlusion,and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant(P＜0.05).However,in the patients with grade Ⅰ or grade Ⅱ compensation,although the recurrence rate of symptoms was decreased after endovascular recanalization of internal carotid artery occlusion,the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion For the treatment of patients with symptomatic non-acute internal carotid artery occlusion,percutaneous endovascular recanalization of internal carotid artery occlusion is clinically safe,it can significantly decrease the recurrence rate of symptoms.

The early diagnosis of prostate cancer(PCa)heavily relies on advances of biopsy techniques.Traditional transrectal ultrasound(TRUS)-guided biopsy is associated with high infection risks and significant miss rates.Transperineal prostate biopsy,with the advantage of spatial sampling,can reduce infection and has the potential for image fusion.With the development of image-guided technology,multimodal image fusion technology has achieved a paradigm shift from"probabilistic sampling"to"precise localization"through the visualization of lesion structure and function.Among them,ultrasound-guided techniques,including transrectal real-time elastography(TRTE),transrectal contrast-enhanced ultrasound(TRCEUS),micro-ultrasound(Micro-US),and multiparametric ultrasound(mpUS),have significantly improved the accuracy of prostate biopsy.MRI-guided techniques,including multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging(mpMRI),MRI-fusion targeted biopsy(MRI-fusion-TB),and the integration of MRI-guided targeted biopsy and systematic biopsy can enhance the specificity of detection and reduce the misdiagnosis rate of clinically significant prostate cancer(csPCa).PET-guided technology can integrate metabolic function information of lesions with high-resolution structural features,demonstrating significant advantages in PCa diagnosis.AI-assisted technology also shows great potential in prostate targeted biopsy.Future research should focus on the integration of targeted biopsy with emerging imaging technologies or AI tools to improve the early diagnosis rate of PCa and optimize clinical decision-making.

Objective:To explore the expression changes of N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-related proteins in the hippocampus of mice with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like behavior and the therapeutic effects of sertraline hydrochloride.Methods:Male C57BL/6J mice aged 4-6 weeks were selected to establish a PTSD model using a single prolonged stress and foot shock stimulation. A total of 24 mice were randomly divided into the control group, model group, and sertraline group using a random number table, with 8 mice in each group. Mice in the sertraline group were intraperitoneally injected with sertraline hydrochloride (15 mg/kg, once daily) 24 h after PTSD modelling, continuing for 14 days. Mice in the control group and model group were injected with an equal volume of 0.9% NaCl solution (once daily, for 14 days). The anxiety, despair, and learning and memory functions of the mice were assessed using the open field test, Y-maze test, and forced swimming test. Western blot was performed to measure the protein expression levels of methyltransferase-like protein 3 (METTL3), fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO), ALKB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), Wilms tumour 1 associating protein (WTAP), and methyltransferase-like protein 14 (METTL14) in the hippocampus. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the expression levels of METTL3, FTO, and ALKBH5 in the hippocampus. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 26.0 and GraphPad Prism 9.0.Comparisons between two groups were conducted using independent samples t-test, while comparisons among three groups were performed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) or Kruskal-Wallis H test, followed by pairwise comparisons using LSD test. Results:(1) Behavioral results showed that the total distance travelled in the central area ( F=9.231, P<0.05) and the time spent in the central area ( H=8.045, P<0.05) showed statistically significant differences among the control, model, and sertraline groups. Mice in the control and sertraline groups travelled a greater distance((332.68±121.17)cm, (248.56±40.21)cm) and spent more time(24.98(23.08, 26.71)s, 22.52(18.86, 26.20)s) in the central area than those in the model group((131.66±84.90)cm, 9.14(6.56, 18.53)s) (all P<0.05). In the forced swimming test, the number of resting episodes ( F=16.882, P<0.05) and the duration of rest ( H=12.285, P<0.05) differed significantly among the three groups. Mice in the control group ((19.14±8.30) counts, 30.21 (18.98, 52.62) s) and the sertraline group ((17.63±8.14) counts, 25.90 (16.78, 37.56) s) had fewer resting episodes and shorter resting durations compared to those in the model group ((37.75±6.47) counts, 83.37 (64.62, 124.42) s) (all P<0.05). The percentage of alternations in the Y-maze experiment showed significant statistical differences among the three groups( F=6.844, P<0.05). Mice in the control group ((51.33±11.49)%) and the sertraline group ((48.24±3.10)%) exhibited a higher percentage of alternations than that in the model group ((36.70±8.15)%) ( P<0.05). (2) Western blot results showed that the protein expression levels of METTL3, FTO, and ALKBH5 in the hippocampal tissue of the three groups showed significant differences ( F=10.263, 9.010, 6.950, all P<0.05). The METTL3 and FTO protein expression levels in the hippocampus in the control group (0.85±0.07, 0.86±0.04) and the sertraline group (0.93±0.06, 0.95±0.13) were higher than those in the model group (0.74±0.02, 0.68±0.04) (all P<0.05). However, the ALKBH5 protein expression levels in the control group (0.93±0.08) and the sertraline group (0.87±0.13) were lower than that in the model group (1.13±0.04) (both P<0.05). (3) Immunofluorescence results showed that the expression levels of METTL3, FTO, and ALKBH5 proteins in the hippocampal tissue of the three groups showed significant statistical differences ( F=37.912, 62.659, 54.417, all P<0.05). The expression levels of METTL3 and FTO in the hippocampus in the control group (14.03±0.32, 13.85±0.28) and the sertraline group (17.94±0.29, 10.52±0.66) were higher than those in the model group (11.67±1.48, 8.70±0.68) (all P<0.05). The expression levels of ALKBH5 in the control group (12.94±0.38) and the sertraline group (13.30±0.93) were lower than that in the model group (19.24±1.03) (both P<0.05). Conclusion:The expression of m6A-related proteins in the hippocampus of PTSD-like mice is altered. Sertraline treatment can significantly regulate the expression of these proteins and improve anxiety, despair, and learning and memory impairments in the PTSD-like mice.

The early diagnosis of prostate cancer(PCa)heavily relies on advances of biopsy techniques.Traditional transrectal ultrasound(TRUS)-guided biopsy is associated with high infection risks and significant miss rates.Transperineal prostate biopsy,with the advantage of spatial sampling,can reduce infection and has the potential for image fusion.With the development of image-guided technology,multimodal image fusion technology has achieved a paradigm shift from"probabilistic sampling"to"precise localization"through the visualization of lesion structure and function.Among them,ultrasound-guided techniques,including transrectal real-time elastography(TRTE),transrectal contrast-enhanced ultrasound(TRCEUS),micro-ultrasound(Micro-US),and multiparametric ultrasound(mpUS),have significantly improved the accuracy of prostate biopsy.MRI-guided techniques,including multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging(mpMRI),MRI-fusion targeted biopsy(MRI-fusion-TB),and the integration of MRI-guided targeted biopsy and systematic biopsy can enhance the specificity of detection and reduce the misdiagnosis rate of clinically significant prostate cancer(csPCa).PET-guided technology can integrate metabolic function information of lesions with high-resolution structural features,demonstrating significant advantages in PCa diagnosis.AI-assisted technology also shows great potential in prostate targeted biopsy.Future research should focus on the integration of targeted biopsy with emerging imaging technologies or AI tools to improve the early diagnosis rate of PCa and optimize clinical decision-making.

As a potential vectored vaccine,Newcastle disease virus(NDV)has been subject to various studies for vaccine development,while relatively little research has outlined the immunomodulatory effect of the virus in antigen presentation.To elucidate the key inhibitory factor in regulating the interaction of infected dendritic cells(DCs)and T cells,DCs were pretreated with the NDV vaccine strain LaSota as an inhibitor and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide(LPS)for further detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),flow cytometry,immunoblotting,and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).The results revealed that NDV infection resulted in the inhibition of interleukin(IL)-12p40 in DCs through a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)-dependent manner,thus inhibiting the synthesis of IL-12p70,leading to the reduction in T cell proliferation and the secretion of interferon-γ(IFN-γ),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and IL-6 induced by DCs.Consequently,downregulated cytokines accelerated the infection and viral transmission from DCs to T cells.Furthermore,several other strains of NDV also exhibited inhibitory activity.The current study reveals that NDV can modulate the intensity of the innate?adaptive immune cell crosstalk critically toward viral invasion improvement,highlighting a novel mechanism of virus-induced immunosuppression and providing new perspectives on the improvement of NDV-vectored vaccine.

Objective:To study the role of special microbial communities in the development of periodontitis in type 2 diabetes melli-tus(T2DM)patients.Methods:40 subjects aged 20-70 years were included and divided into 3 groups:moderate to severe periodon-titis with T2DM(SP.T2DM,n=15),moderate to severe periodontitis group(SP,n=15)and normal healthy group(N,n=10).The basic information,periodontal clinical indicators and blood sugar of the subjects were recorded.Subgingival plaque samples were col-lected,DNA samples of the plaque were extracted,and sequenced by Illumina NovaSeq6000 platform.The microbial diversity,eco-logical characteristics and functions of the plaque were analyzed by Uparse,SPSS and other softwares.Results:481 species in 22 phyla,30 classes,73 orders,129 families and 265 genera were obtained from the samples.Beta polymorphism analysis showed that the species composition of CP.T2DM group and CP group was similar.Alpha polymorphism analysis showed that the species richness and evenness in CP.T2DM group and CP group were higher than those in N group(P＜0.01).Venn diagram analysis showed that the species richness of the plaque in CP.T2DM group was the highest,followed by CP group and the lowest in N group.At the genus lev-el,Klebsiella and Bifidobacterium in CP.T2DM group were larger than those in CP group and N group(P＜0.05),and between group CP and N,P＞0.05.At the species level,the Capnocytophaga leadbetteri in CP.T2DM group was higher than that in CP group and N group(P＜0.05),between group CP and N,P＞0.05;There were some differences in the microbial community structure of subgingival plaque among the 3 groups.The species richness of subgingival flora in patients with CP and T2DM was higher than that in patients with CP and healthy people.Conclusion:The increase of Klebsiella,Bifidobacterium and Capnocytophaga leadbetter in subgingival flora of patients with moderate and severe periodontitis may be related to the development of T2DM.

Platycodon grandiflorum (Jacq.) A. DC. is a famous medicinal plant commonly used in East Asia. Triterpene saponins isolated from P. grandiflorum are the main biologically active compounds, among which polygalacin D (PGD) has been reported to be an anti-tumor agent. However, its anti-tumor mechanism against hepatocellular carcinoma is unknown. This study aimed to explore the inhibitory effect of PGD in hepatocellular carcinoma cells and related mechanisms of action. We found that PGD exerted significant inhibitory effect on hepatocellular carcinoma cells through apoptosis and autophagy. Analysis of the expression of apoptosis-related proteins and autophagy-related proteins revealed that this phenomenon was attributed to the mitochondrial apoptosis and mitophagy pathways. Subsequently, using specific inhibitors, we found that apoptosis and autophagy had mutually reinforcing effects. In addition, further analysis of autophagy showed that PGD induced mitophagy by increasing BCL2 interacting protein 3 like (BNIP3L) levels.In vivo experiments demonstrated that PGD significantly inhibited tumor growth and increased the levels of apoptosis and autophagy in tumors. Overall, our findings showed that PGD induced cell death of hepatocellular carcinoma cells primarily through mitochondrial apoptosis and mitophagy pathways. Therefore, PGD can be used as an apoptosis and autophagy agonist in the research and development of antitumor agents.
Humans ; Mitophagy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology* ; Liver Neoplasms/pathology* ; Cell Line ; Autophagy ; Apoptosis ; Membrane Proteins ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/genetics* ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins/pharmacology*