Chronic, unresolved inflammation correlates with persistent hepatic injury and fibrosis, ultimately progressing to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC) demonstrates therapeutic potential against HCC, yet its mechanism in preventing hepatic "inflammation-carcinoma transformation" remains incompletely understood. In the current research, clinical HCC specimens underwent analysis using hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC) to evaluate the expression of fibrosis markers, M2 macrophage markers, and CXCL12. In vitro, transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced LX-2 cells and a co-culture system of LX-2, THP-1, and HCC cells were established. Cell functions underwent assessment through 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), flow cytometry, and Transwell assays. Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), Western blotting and immunofluorescence evaluated the differential expression of molecules. The interaction between β-catenin/TCF4 and CXCL12 was examined using co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), dual luciferase, and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays. A DEN-induced rat model was developed to investigate BDMC's role in liver fibrosis-associated HCC (LFAHCC) development in vivo. Our results showed that clinical HCC tissues exhibited elevated fibrosis and enriched M2 macrophages. BDMC delayed liver fibrosis progression to HCC in vivo. BDMC inhibited the inflammatory microenvironment induced by activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Furthermore, BDMC suppressed M2 macrophage-induced fibrosis and HCC cell proliferation and metastasis. Mechanistically, BDMC repressed TCF4/β-catenin complex formation, thereby reducing CXCL12 transcription in LX-2 cells. Moreover, CXCL12 overexpression reversed BDMC's inhibitory effect on macrophage M2 polarization and its mediation of fibrosis, as well as HCC proliferation and metastasis. BDMC significantly suppressed LFAHCC development through CXCL12 in rats. In conclusion, BDMC inhibited LFAHCC progression by reducing M2 macrophage polarization through suppressing β-catenin/TCF4-mediated CXCL12 transcription.
Animals ; Liver Neoplasms/etiology* ; Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/immunology* ; Liver Cirrhosis/complications* ; Macrophages/drug effects* ; Male ; Rats ; Chemokine CXCL12/genetics* ; Diarylheptanoids/pharmacology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; beta Catenin/genetics*

Objective:To observe any effect of dynamic instability training on the balance and posture control of persons with chronic ankle instability (CAI).Methods:Thirty persons with CAI were divided at random into a control group and an observation group, each of 15. Both groups received routine rehabilitation interventions (including ankle strength training, kinesio taping, and vibration training), while the observation group additionally underwent 20 minutes of dynamic instability training daily, 5 days a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Before and after the treatment, everyone′s balance was evaluated using the Berg balance scale (BBS) and the star moving balance test (SEBT). Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to collect electromyograms of the affected peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris and medialis femoris muscles of both groups within 100ms before and after landing in the jump-landing test. The intensity of muscle activation was thus analyzed.Results:After the treatment there was significant improvement in the average BBS scores, anterior medial SEBT, medial SEBT and posterior medial SEBT results of both groups. On average, all three SEBT results [(80.27±4.06)cm, (90.27±4.06)cm and (97.73±3.47)cm respectively] were significantly better in the observation group than in the control group. The standardized integrated electromyographs of the peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris and medialis femoris muscles on the affected sides showed significant improvement compared with before the treatment, but there too the observation group′s results were significantly better than those of the control group.Conclusions:Combining dynamic instability training with conventional rehabilitation can further improve the balance and postural control of persons with chronic ankle instability.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)is an immunosuppressive tumor with high morbidity and mortal-ity,and easy to develop treatment tolerance.In recent years,it has been found that the tumor microenvironment,especially the chemo-kine-chemokine receptor network,plays an important role in the occurrence,development,prognosis and treatment tolerance of HN-SCC.In this review,the research progress on the relationship between chemokine-chemokine receptor network and HNSCC is summa-rized,focusing on the regulatory role and mechanism of HNSCC progression,so as to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of HNSCC.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)is the sixth most common malignant tumor in the world.Due to its high incidence,poor prognosis,relapse-prone characteristics,and the existence of treatment resist-ance,HNSCC has a serious impact on patients'daily lives.As a bridge between innate immunity and adaptive immu-nity,dendritic cell(DC)plays a crucial role in tumor progression.In recent years,numerous studies have found that DC has complex and diverse functions in the tumor microenvironment(TME),and has a significant impact on the oc-currence and development of HNSCC.In this article,we provide a review of the mechanism of DC in HNSCC TME.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)is the sixth most common malignant tumor in the world.Due to its high incidence,poor prognosis,relapse-prone characteristics,and the existence of treatment resist-ance,HNSCC has a serious impact on patients'daily lives.As a bridge between innate immunity and adaptive immu-nity,dendritic cell(DC)plays a crucial role in tumor progression.In recent years,numerous studies have found that DC has complex and diverse functions in the tumor microenvironment(TME),and has a significant impact on the oc-currence and development of HNSCC.In this article,we provide a review of the mechanism of DC in HNSCC TME.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma(HNSCC)is an immunosuppressive tumor with high morbidity and mortal-ity,and easy to develop treatment tolerance.In recent years,it has been found that the tumor microenvironment,especially the chemo-kine-chemokine receptor network,plays an important role in the occurrence,development,prognosis and treatment tolerance of HN-SCC.In this review,the research progress on the relationship between chemokine-chemokine receptor network and HNSCC is summa-rized,focusing on the regulatory role and mechanism of HNSCC progression,so as to provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of HNSCC.

Objective:To observe any effect of dynamic instability training on the balance and posture control of persons with chronic ankle instability (CAI).Methods:Thirty persons with CAI were divided at random into a control group and an observation group, each of 15. Both groups received routine rehabilitation interventions (including ankle strength training, kinesio taping, and vibration training), while the observation group additionally underwent 20 minutes of dynamic instability training daily, 5 days a week for 4 consecutive weeks. Before and after the treatment, everyone′s balance was evaluated using the Berg balance scale (BBS) and the star moving balance test (SEBT). Surface electromyography (sEMG) was used to collect electromyograms of the affected peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris and medialis femoris muscles of both groups within 100ms before and after landing in the jump-landing test. The intensity of muscle activation was thus analyzed.Results:After the treatment there was significant improvement in the average BBS scores, anterior medial SEBT, medial SEBT and posterior medial SEBT results of both groups. On average, all three SEBT results [(80.27±4.06)cm, (90.27±4.06)cm and (97.73±3.47)cm respectively] were significantly better in the observation group than in the control group. The standardized integrated electromyographs of the peroneus longus, tibialis anterior, rectus femoris and medialis femoris muscles on the affected sides showed significant improvement compared with before the treatment, but there too the observation group′s results were significantly better than those of the control group.Conclusions:Combining dynamic instability training with conventional rehabilitation can further improve the balance and postural control of persons with chronic ankle instability.

Objective To analyze the morphological alterations of corpus callosum in children with spastic cerebral palsy(SCP)using three-dimensional magnetization prepared rapid acquisition gradient echo(3D-MPRAGE)technology and to investigate the correlation between morphological indexes and gross motor function.Methods Sagittal T1WI 3D-MPRAGE data was collected from 136 children with SCP(SCP group)and 132 age-and gender-matched healthy controls(HC)(HC group),and the gross motor function measure-88(GMFM-88)was applied to assess the gross motor function.Independent sample t-test was used to compare the corpus callosum surface area,volume,maximum anterior-posterior diameter,median sagittal area(total area and area of Ⅰ-Ⅴ zone)between the two groups.Partial correlation analysis was performed to calculate the correlation between morphological indexes of the corpus callosum and GMFM-88 with age as a covariate.Results Children under 3 years old,the corpus callosum surface area of the SCP group(3 914.51 mm2±1 207.97 mm2)was lower than that of the HC group(5 725.51 mm2±1 412.66 mm2).The volume of the corpus callosum(6 108.46 mm3±2 803.97 mm3)in the SCP group was lower than that of the HC group(11 297.96 mm3±4 109.02 mm3).Also,the maximum anterior-posterior diameter of the corpus callosum in the SCP group(53.40 mm±6.31 mm)was lower than that of the HC group(57.74 mm±6.04 mm)(all P<0.05).Children over 3 years old,the corpus callosum surface area of the SCP group(4 970.06 mm2±1 191.31 mm2)was lower than that of the HC group(6 372.55 mm2±1 445.59 mm2).The volume of the corpus callosum(8 330.20 mm3±2 888.20 mm3)in the SCP group was lower than that of the HC group(13 599.82 mm3±3 429.81 mm3)(all P<0.05).Partial correlation analysis showed significant correlation between corpus callosum volume,median sagittal area and gross motor score(P<0.01)with age as a covari-ate.Conclusion The 3D-MPRAGE technology can be useful for the comprehensive assessment of morphological alterations of the corpus callosum in SCP.The corpus callosum volume,and median sagittal area may become neuroimaging references for the assess-ment of motor development in cerebral palsy(CP).

Objective To observe the effect of Baduanjin exercise on depression,sleep quality and life quality of patients with breast cancer in the rehabilitation period.Methods A total of 76 breast can-cer patients in postoperative rehabilitation were randomly divided into an intervention group of 38 with 2 dropping out,and a control group of 38 with 3 dropouts.Both groups received routine nursing and rehabilitation after breast cancer surgery,while the intervention group additionally practised Baduanjin for 6 weeks.The Beck Depression Inventory-Ⅱ(BDI-Ⅱ-C),Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)and Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30(EORTC QLQ-C30)were used to evaluate both groups be-fore,as well as 3 and 6 weeks after intervention.Results After 3-week intervention,the average BDI-Ⅱ-C score,the total PSQI score and the scores of all dimensions except for the hypnotic drug dimen-sion of the intervention group was significantly lower than before treatment(P<0.05),and the control group at the same time point(P<0.05),while the scores of physical,emotional,cognitive,social and role function in EORTC QLQ-C30 were significantly higher than the latter(P<0.05).Three weeks lat-er,the average BDI-Ⅱ-C score,the total PSQI score and the scores of all dimensions except for the hypnotic drug dimension of the intervention group was significantly lower than before treatment(P<0.05),and the control group at the same time point(P<0.05),while the various scores of EORTC QLQ-C30 were significantly higher than the latter(P<0.05).Compared with after 3-week intervention,after 6-week intervention,the average BDI-Ⅱ-C score,the total PSQI score and the scores of its all dimensions except for the sleep disorder dimension of the intervention group decreased significantly,while all dimension scores of EORTC QLQ-C30 except the cognitive function dimension increased sig-nificantly(P<0.05 for all).Conclusion Baduanjin is feasible in improving the sleep and life quality of patients in the rehabilitation period after breast cancer surgery,and relieving their depression.

Objective:To explore influencing factors of the self-reported brief life quality satisfaction score(Brief-QoL) in patients with acromegaly and understand the persistent low Brief-QoL scores in cases achieving biochemical remission.Methods:This study included 836 acromegaly patients who were hospitalized at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2012 and December 2020. We retrospectively examined how clinical characteristics, biochemical parameters, comorbidities, and symptoms influenced Brief-QoL. Among patients who achieved biochemical remission, differences in clinical symptoms and comorbidities were analyzed between the high and low quality of life groups.Results:Patients with well-controlled biochemical indicators at the last follow-up had generally high Brief-QoL. However, patients with symptoms such as headaches (47.8% in the low-score group vs 14.9% in the high-score group, P<0.001) and joint pain (69.6% in the low-score group vs 19.0% in the high-score group, P<0.001) had low Brief-QoL despite biochemical remission. Receiving combined treatment(52.4% in the low-score group vs 27.5% in the high-score group, P=0.030) and having comorbid diabetes or hyperlipidemia were significant factors leading to decreased quality of life. Conclusion:Brief-QoL is suitable for follow-up of outpatient patients. Early identification of factors affecting quality of life and timely intervention can facilitate the realization of standardized management.