OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of removing microglia from spinal cord on nerve repair and functional recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) in mice. METHODS: Thirty-nine 6-week-old female C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into control group ( n=12), SCI group ( n=12), and PLX3397+SCI group ( n=15). The PLX3397+SCI group received continuous feeding of PLX3397, a colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibitor, while the other two groups were fed a standard diet. After 14 days, both the SCI group and the PLX3397+SCI group were tested for ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba1) to confirm that the PLX3397+SCI group had completely depleted the spinal cord microglia. The SCI model was then prepared by clamping the spinal cord in both the SCI group and the PLX3397+SCI group, while the control group underwent laminectomy. Preoperatively and at 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days postoperatively, the Basso Mouse Scale (BMS) was used to assess the hind limb function of mice in each group. At 28 days, a footprint test was conducted to observe the gait of the mice. After SCI, spinal cord tissue from the injury site was taken, and Iba1 immunofluorescence staining was performed at 7 days to observe the aggregation and proliferation of microglia in the spinal cord. HE staining was used to observe the formation of glial scars at the injury site at 28 days; glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunofluorescence staining was applied to astrocytes to assess the extent of the injured area; neuronal nuclei antigen (NeuN) immunofluorescence staining was used to evaluate neuronal survival. And 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) immunofluorescence staining was performed to assess axonal survival at 60 days. RESULTS: All mice survived until the end of the experiment. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the microglia in the spinal cord of the PLX3397+SCI group decreased by more than 95% compared to the control group after 14 days of continuous feeding with PLX3397 ( P<0.05). Compared to the control group, the BMS scores in the PLX3397+SCI group and the SCI group significantly decreased at different time points after SCI ( P<0.05). Moreover, the PLX3397+SCI group showed a further decrease in BMS scores compared to the SCI group, and exhibited a dragging gait. The differences between the two groups were significant at 14, 21, and 28 days ( P<0.05). HE staining at 28 days revealed that the SCI group had formed a well-defined and dense gliotic scar, while the PLX3397+SCI group also developed a gliotic scar, but with a more blurred and loose boundary. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the number of microglia near the injury center at 7 days increased in the SCI group than in the control group, but the difference between groups was not significant ( P>0.05). In contrast, the PLX3397+SCI group showed a significant reduction in microglia compared to both the control and SCI groups ( P<0.05). At 28 days after SCI, the area of spinal cord injury in the PLX3397+SCI group was significantly larger than that in SCI group ( P<0.05); the surviving neurons significantly reduced compared with the control group and SCI group ( P<0.05). The axonal necrosis and retraction at 60 days after SCI were more obvious. CONCLUSION The removal of microglia in the spinal cord aggravate the tissue damage after SCI and affecte the recovery of motor function in mice, suggesting that microglia played a neuroprotective role in SCI.
Animals ; Spinal Cord Injuries/surgery* ; Microglia/pathology* ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Nerve Regeneration/drug effects* ; Spinal Cord/pathology* ; Pyrroles/administration & dosage* ; Aminopyridines/administration & dosage* ; Recovery of Function ; Disease Models, Animal ; Calcium-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Receptors, Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Microfilament Proteins/metabolism* ; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein/metabolism*

Objective: To elucidate the biological basis of the heart qi deficiency (HQD) pattern, an in-depth understanding of which is essential for improving clinical herbal therapy. Methods: We predicted and characterized HQD pattern genes using the new strategy, TCM-HIN2Vec, which involves heterogeneous network embedding and transcriptomic experiments. First, a heterogeneous network of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) patterns was constructed using public databases. Next, we predicted HQD pattern genes using a heterogeneous network-embedding algorithm. We then analyzed the functional characteristics of HQD pattern genes using gene enrichment analysis and examined gene expression levels using RNA-seq. Finally, we identified TCM herbs that demonstrated enriched interactions with HQD pattern genes via herbal enrichment analysis. Results: Our TCM-HIN2Vec strategy revealed that candidate genes associated with HQD pattern were significantly enriched in energy metabolism, signal transduction pathways, and immune processes. Moreover, we found that these candidate genes were significantly differentially expressed in the transcriptional profile of mice model with heart failure with a qi deficiency pattern. Furthermore, herbal enrichment analysis identified TCM herbs that demonstrated enriched interactions with the top 10 candidate genes and could potentially serve as drug candidates for treating HQD. Conclusion Our results suggested that TCM-HIN2Vec is capable of not only accurately identifying HQD pattern genes, but also deciphering the basis of HQD pattern. Furthermore our finding indicated that TCM-HIN2Vec may be further expanded to develop other patterns, leading to a new approach aimed at elucidating general TCM patterns and developing precision medicine.

Despite exciting achievements with some malignancies, immunotherapy for hypoimmunogenic cancers, especially glioblastoma (GBM), remains a formidable clinical challenge. Poor immunogenicity and deficient immune infiltrates are two major limitations to an effective cancer-specific immune response. Herein, we propose that an injectable signal-amplifying nanocomposite/hydrogel system consisting of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and imiquimod-loaded antigen-capturing nanoparticles can simultaneously amplify the chemotactic signal of antigen-presenting cells and the "danger" signal of GBM. We demonstrated the feasibility of this strategy in two scenarios of GBM. In the first scenario, we showed that this simultaneous amplification system, in conjunction with local chemotherapy, enhanced both the immunogenicity and immune infiltrates in a recurrent GBM model; thus, ultimately making a cold GBM hot and suppressing postoperative relapse. Encouraged by excellent efficacy, we further exploited this signal-amplifying system to improve the efficiency of vaccine lysate in the treatment of refractory multiple GBM, a disease with limited clinical treatment options. In general, this biomaterial-based immune signal amplification system represents a unique approach to restore GBM-specific immunity and may provide a beneficial preliminary treatment for other clinically refractory malignancies.

Blended teaching can promote the learning engagement of students and enhance their experience by combining online independent learning and offline class learning. We applied blended teaching in the course of Histology and Embryology in the large class of 147 nursing undergraduates in Chongqing Medical University. First, the teaching method was designed by a pre-course survey, and online resources were constructed. Second, students' online learning activities and group discussions were guided by a learning map. Then, flipped classes were carried out in offline class hours. Finally, an end-of-course survey and final exam scores were used evaluate the effectiveness of blended teaching. A total of 142 valid questionnaires were returned; 123 students (86.6%) approved of the effectiveness of blended teaching, 133 students (93.7%) showed improved abilities in various aspects, and 79 students (55.6%) were able to complete their online learning tasks in fewer hours than required for face-to-face lectures. The final exam results showed that the average score of blended teaching class increased by 3.5 points compared with that of the traditional face-to-face lecture class. In conclusion, blended teaching in Histology and Embryology in the large class can achieve good learning and teaching effects and thus holds promise for application.

The incidence rate of liver cancer has been rising in recent years. Traditional cell line culture and human patient-derived tumor xenograft models, which are commonly used tools to simulate the occurrence of human liver cancer, have deepened the understanding of tumor occurrence, development, and drug resistance mechanisms. However, they cannot reflect the accurate state of cancer cells, the tumor microenvironment, or spatial structural characteristics. Recently, more in vitro-produced physiological liver organoids have been applied in the study of liver cancer. Liver organoid models have made breakthroughs in the occurrence and development mechanisms of liver cancer, personalized drug screening and biomarker identification, immunotherapy, and regenerative medicine applications. This paper mainly summarizes the progress and application of liver organoids processed in the study of liver cancer.

Chronic stress impairs radial neural stem cell (rNSC) differentiation and adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN), whereas promoting AHN can increase stress resilience against depression. Therefore, investigating the mechanism of neural differentiation and AHN is of great importance for developing antidepressant drugs. The nonpsychoactive phytocannabinoid cannabidiol (CBD) has been shown to be effective against depression. However, whether CBD can modulate rNSC differentiation and hippocampal neurogenesis is unknown. Here, by using the chronic restraint stress (CRS) mouse model, we showed that hippocampal rNSCs mostly differentiated into astrocytes under stress conditions. Moreover, transcriptome analysis revealed that the FoxO signaling pathway was involved in the regulation of this process. The administration of CBD rescued depressive-like symptoms in CRS mice and prevented rNSCs overactivation and differentiation into astrocyte, which was partly mediated by the modulation of the FoxO signaling pathway. These results revealed a previously unknown neural mechanism for neural differentiation and AHN in depression and provided mechanistic insights into the antidepressive effects of CBD.
Animals ; Cannabidiol/pharmacology* ; Cell Differentiation ; Depression/prevention & control* ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Humans ; Mice ; Neural Stem Cells ; Neurogenesis/physiology*

Objective:To explore the value of high resolution vascular wall MRI (VW-MRI) in drug balloon therapy of intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis.Methods:A total of 21 patients with intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University from September 2019 to July 2021 were retrospectively analyzed, aged 22-73 (49±15) years, including 15 males and 6 females. All patients were treated with SeQuent Please drug coated balloon recanalization, and performed digital subtraction angiography (DSA), routine MRI and VW-MRI examinations within one week before operation and 2 to 3 months after treatment. The changes of atherosclerotic plaque area, length, enhancement index and stenosis degree before and after recanalization were evaluated. Paired t-test or Wilcoxon test was separately used to compare the difference before and after operation. The value of plaque characteristics in evaluating postoperative efficacy was analyzed by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Pearson correlation analysis and Bland-Altman images method were used to test the correlation and consistency of VW-MRI and DSA in measuring the lumen stenosis degree. Results:After endovascular treatment with drug-coated balloon, the plaque area [(1.86±1.28)mm 2], length [3(2, 4)mm],enhancement index [(60±20)%] and lumen stenosis degree [(28±16)%] were significantly lower than those before endovascular treatment [(5.97±1.15)mm 2, t=10.93, P<0.001; 7(6, 9)mm, Z=-3.94, P<0.001; (107±46)%, t=4.26, P<0.001; (89±5)%, t=17.27, P<0.001]. The plaque area, length and enhancement index showed diagnostic value for evaluating the endovascular treatment efficacy (area under the ROC curve=0.89, 0.86, 0.74, respectively). Stenosis degree measured by VW-MRI had a positive correlation ( rpreoperative=0.66, P<0.001; rpostoperative=0.96, P<0.001) and consistency with DSA before and after recanalization. Conclusion:VW-MRI can be used to comprehensively and effectively evaluate treatment effect after endovascular treatment from the changes of plaque basic characteristics and stenosis degree, which is a good imaging follow-up tool.

By silica gel column chromatography, solvent extraction and preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), four new related substance were isolated and purified from the mass production and preparation process of alogliptin benzoate. Then it was analyzed and confirmed by various spectrum identification methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) according to its physical and chemical properties. The chemical structures of the four related substances produced in each step of the synthesis process of alogliptin benzoate were determined, and they were named as impurities L, M, T, and V. These four related substances were new impurities which were found for the first time. The isolation and identification of these impurities are of great importance to the quality control of alogliptin benzoate, and the optimization of manufacturing process.

Nowadays, more attentions have been paid on brown adipose tissue (BAT) because BAT plays a great role in individuals with obesity and metabolic diseases. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT is noninvasive and sensitive to detect the location, volume, and metabolic activity of BAT. 18F-FDG PET/CT for BAT provides new insight for the prevention and clinical management of obesity and diabetes. The review summarizes the methods to activate BAT, the preparation of patients, 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging techniques and clinical application.

Histology teaching requires a combination of theory and experiment for a better understanding of microstructure and related functions of body.On the basis of the comparison and summary of the advantages and limitations of traditional light microscopy tissue slices and the emerging digital slicing,we combined them in the teaching of micromorphology experiments to achieve a better teaching results.Each experimental course (about 3 to 4 hours) was divided into four parts:teaching videos,observation of light microscopy tissue slices and digital slicing,discussion on course content and random quizzes.This teaching method contributed to the improvement of the students' interest and motivation in learning,the teachers' teaching efficiency and the overall teaching quality.