Stem cells play a crucial role in maintaining tissue regenerative capacity and homeostasis. However, mechanisms associated with stem cell senescence require further investigation. In this study, we conducted a proteomic analysis of human dental pulp stem cells (HDPSCs) obtained from individuals of various ages. Our findings showed that the expression of NUP62 was decreased in aged HDPSCs. We discovered that NUP62 alleviated senescence-associated phenotypes and enhanced differentiation potential both in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, the knocking down of NUP62 expression aggravated the senescence-associated phenotypes and impaired the proliferation and migration capacity of HDPSCs. Through RNA-sequence and decoding the epigenomic landscapes remodeled induced by NUP62 overexpression, we found that NUP62 helps alleviate senescence in HDPSCs by enhancing the nuclear transport of the transcription factor E2F1. This, in turn, stimulates the transcription of the epigenetic enzyme NSD2. Finally, the overexpression of NUP62 influences the H3K36me2 and H3K36me3 modifications of anti-aging genes (HMGA1, HMGA2, and SIRT6). Our results demonstrated that NUP62 regulates the fate of HDPSCs via NSD2-dependent epigenetic reprogramming.
Humans ; Dental Pulp/cytology* ; Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins/genetics* ; Cellular Senescence/genetics* ; Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Differentiation ; Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/metabolism* ; Cells, Cultured ; Cellular Reprogramming ; Cell Movement ; Proteomics

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis in severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)and the in-terventional effect of the Qingjie Huagong decoction(QJHGD).Methods:A rat model of SAP was established by injecting sodium tau-rocholate into the retrograde pancreatic duct.The blank group,model group,different doses of QJHGD administration groups and posi-tive group were set up respectively.HE staining was used to observe the pathology of pancreatic tissue.ELISA was used to detect serum lipase,α-amylase and inflammatory markers.By combining RT-qPCR,IHC,Western blot,and IF techniques,we elucidated the mechanism of QJHGD in protecting pancreatic tissue in SAP rats.Results:The levels of amylase,lipase,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-17,IL-23,TNF-α and TGF-β in the serum of SAP model rats in all dose groups of QJHGD were significantly reduced,and the effect was the best in medium dose group(P<0.05).The results of IHC and RT-qPCR revealed that the medium-and high-dose groups of QJHGD sig-nificantly reduced the expression of IL-23,STAT3,IL-17 protein and mRNA in the pancreatic tissue of this model(P<0.05).More-over,the Western blot results demonstrated that the expression of IL-23,STAT3,p-STAT3,and IL-17 proteins in SAP rats were sig-nificantly decreased in the medium-dose group of QJHGD(P<0.05);the IF assay indicated that Th17 cell differentiation in SAP rats was inhibited by all dose groups of QJHGD,with the most significant inhibition effect in the middle dose(P<0.05).Conclusion:QJH-GD regulates the activation of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis,thereby inhibiting Th17 cell differentiation and exerting a protective effect on pancreatic tissue.

Healthy female rabbits aged 3.5 to 4.0 months were randomly divided into four groups:the white light group(control group A),the green light group(treatment group B),the red light group(treatment group C)and the blue light group(treatment group D)with 3 replicates in each group,and 12 rabbits in each replicate.The light intensity was set to 80 lx,and the light was 16 h per day for 6 days before artificial insemination.Three reproductive cycles were carried out to de-termine the reproductive performance of female rabbits under different light colors,such as the number of fetuses,total litter size,weaning litter weight and serum reproductive hormone content.The results showed that,according to the comprehensive statistics of three breeding cycles:(1)the melatonin levels in the green group and red group were significantly lower than those in white group(P＜0.01),and the green group was significantly lower than the blue group(P＜0.05);the levels of luteinizing hormone in green group and red group were significantly higher than those in white group(P＜0.01);the follicle stimulating hormone in the green group was significantly high-er than in white group(P＜0.05);the estradiol content in the green group was significantly higher than that in the white group and blue group(P＜0.01),and significantly higher than that in the red group(P＜0.05).(2)the conception rate of the group was significantly higher than that of the white group(P＜0.01),and significantly higher than that of the red group and blue group(P＜0.05).(3)the number of rabbits in the green group at 30 days of age was significantly higher than that in the red group and the blue group(P＜0.05),and the litter weight at 30 days of age was significantly higher than that in the red group and the blue group(P＜0.01),and significantly higher than that in the white group(P＜0.05).In conclusion,the LED light belt is controlled by a dynamic light control system,the light intensity is set to 80 lx,and the light is 16 h a day for 6 d before artificial insemination.Green light can reduce the serum melatonin of Fujian white rabbits,which has the best comprehensive effect on the same period of conception rate and reproductive performance of Fujian white rabbits.

Purpose Based on a variety of combinations of cranial MR Dixon images,the deep learning method is used to generate CT images,and the reconstruction efficiency is evaluated by comparing with the corresponding CT images.Materials and Methods A total of 77 cranial CT and MR images were collected retrospectively in Ruijin Hospital,Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from June to December 2021.The U-Net neural network was used for network training,with 62 cases in the training set and 15 cases in the test set.CT image reconstruction was performed using four kinds of Dixon images and a total of seven models among the various combinations.Mean absolute error,mean squared error,Pearson correlation coefficient and skull area Dice similarity coefficient were used to evaluate the image reconstruction efficiency.Results The generated CT images of the various Dixon image combination models showed strong correlation with the corresponding CT images(R>0.75,P<0.05),and the CT images reconstructed by the four-channel model had the closest value to the actual CT images[mean absolute error=147.516±30.802,mean squared error=(8.648±3.403)×104],the highest correlation coefficient(R=0.796±0.055),and the highest similarity coefficient in the cranial region(Dice similarity coefficient=0.800±0.036).Conclusion Deep learning training through Dixon images can be used to generate CT images,and the combination of four kinds of Dixon contrast images can improve the CT image reconstruction efficiency.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of the newly developed phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor,CPD1,on pathological myocardial hypertrophy induced by abdominal aortic constriction(AAC)in rats,and its impact on activation of the autophagy signaling pathway in myocardial tissue.Methods Male Sprague Dawley rats weighing 180～200 g were divided randomly into five groups:Control,Sham,model(AAC),CPD1 treatment(AAC-CPD1,5 mg/kg),and sildenafil treatment(AAC-Sif,20 mg/kg)groups.Rats in all groups except the Control group underwent blunt dissection of the abdominal aorta at the branch point of the left renal artery.Rats in the AAC and treatment groups also underwent constriction and ligation surgery,while rats in the Sham group underwent dissection without ligation.After 3 days of modeling,rats in the treatment groups received either CPD1 or sildenafil via gavage,while rats in the Control,Sham,and AAC groups received an equal volume of physiological saline by gavage,once daily for 8 weeks.Small-animal ultra-high-resolution echocardiography and left ventricular catheterization were employed to assess left heart function and the heart mass index,and expression levels of the hypertrophy indicator,atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP),the key autophagy pathway factor,p62,and LC3A/B in rat left heart tissue were evaluated by Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.Results Abdominal aortic stenosis affected left heart function in rats,characterized by an increased cardiac mass index and significant enlargement of myocardial cell cross-sectional area.ANP expression levels in left heart tissue were significantly elevated(P＜0.05),while autophagy signaling activity was reduced,with notable accumulation of LC3Ⅰprotein and reduced conversion to LC3Ⅱ.Expression levels of p62 protein were significantly increased.CPD1 and sildenafil significantly improved left ventricular function in AAC rats,reduced cardiac hypertrophy,inhibited expression levels of ANP and p62 proteins(P＜0.05),activated autophagy signaling,and promoted the conversion of LC3Ⅰ to LC3Ⅱ.Notably,low-dose CPD1 treatment was equivalent to high-dose sildenafil.Conclusions CPD1 promotes the activation of the autophagy signaling pathway in left heart tissue,inhibits the expression of p62 and ANP,reduces the cross-sectional area of myocardial cells,and improves pathological myocardial hypertrophy and left heart function impairment caused by AAC.CPD1 also has the advantage of a lower effective dose compared with sildenafil,offering a new treatment option for pathological myocardial hypertrophy.

Healthy female rabbits aged 3.5 to 4.0 months were randomly divided into four groups:the white light group(control group A),the green light group(treatment group B),the red light group(treatment group C)and the blue light group(treatment group D)with 3 replicates in each group,and 12 rabbits in each replicate.The light intensity was set to 80 lx,and the light was 16 h per day for 6 days before artificial insemination.Three reproductive cycles were carried out to de-termine the reproductive performance of female rabbits under different light colors,such as the number of fetuses,total litter size,weaning litter weight and serum reproductive hormone content.The results showed that,according to the comprehensive statistics of three breeding cycles:(1)the melatonin levels in the green group and red group were significantly lower than those in white group(P＜0.01),and the green group was significantly lower than the blue group(P＜0.05);the levels of luteinizing hormone in green group and red group were significantly higher than those in white group(P＜0.01);the follicle stimulating hormone in the green group was significantly high-er than in white group(P＜0.05);the estradiol content in the green group was significantly higher than that in the white group and blue group(P＜0.01),and significantly higher than that in the red group(P＜0.05).(2)the conception rate of the group was significantly higher than that of the white group(P＜0.01),and significantly higher than that of the red group and blue group(P＜0.05).(3)the number of rabbits in the green group at 30 days of age was significantly higher than that in the red group and the blue group(P＜0.05),and the litter weight at 30 days of age was significantly higher than that in the red group and the blue group(P＜0.01),and significantly higher than that in the white group(P＜0.05).In conclusion,the LED light belt is controlled by a dynamic light control system,the light intensity is set to 80 lx,and the light is 16 h a day for 6 d before artificial insemination.Green light can reduce the serum melatonin of Fujian white rabbits,which has the best comprehensive effect on the same period of conception rate and reproductive performance of Fujian white rabbits.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of the newly developed phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor,CPD1,on pathological myocardial hypertrophy induced by abdominal aortic constriction(AAC)in rats,and its impact on activation of the autophagy signaling pathway in myocardial tissue.Methods Male Sprague Dawley rats weighing 180～200 g were divided randomly into five groups:Control,Sham,model(AAC),CPD1 treatment(AAC-CPD1,5 mg/kg),and sildenafil treatment(AAC-Sif,20 mg/kg)groups.Rats in all groups except the Control group underwent blunt dissection of the abdominal aorta at the branch point of the left renal artery.Rats in the AAC and treatment groups also underwent constriction and ligation surgery,while rats in the Sham group underwent dissection without ligation.After 3 days of modeling,rats in the treatment groups received either CPD1 or sildenafil via gavage,while rats in the Control,Sham,and AAC groups received an equal volume of physiological saline by gavage,once daily for 8 weeks.Small-animal ultra-high-resolution echocardiography and left ventricular catheterization were employed to assess left heart function and the heart mass index,and expression levels of the hypertrophy indicator,atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP),the key autophagy pathway factor,p62,and LC3A/B in rat left heart tissue were evaluated by Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.Results Abdominal aortic stenosis affected left heart function in rats,characterized by an increased cardiac mass index and significant enlargement of myocardial cell cross-sectional area.ANP expression levels in left heart tissue were significantly elevated(P＜0.05),while autophagy signaling activity was reduced,with notable accumulation of LC3Ⅰprotein and reduced conversion to LC3Ⅱ.Expression levels of p62 protein were significantly increased.CPD1 and sildenafil significantly improved left ventricular function in AAC rats,reduced cardiac hypertrophy,inhibited expression levels of ANP and p62 proteins(P＜0.05),activated autophagy signaling,and promoted the conversion of LC3Ⅰ to LC3Ⅱ.Notably,low-dose CPD1 treatment was equivalent to high-dose sildenafil.Conclusions CPD1 promotes the activation of the autophagy signaling pathway in left heart tissue,inhibits the expression of p62 and ANP,reduces the cross-sectional area of myocardial cells,and improves pathological myocardial hypertrophy and left heart function impairment caused by AAC.CPD1 also has the advantage of a lower effective dose compared with sildenafil,offering a new treatment option for pathological myocardial hypertrophy.

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis in severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)and the in-terventional effect of the Qingjie Huagong decoction(QJHGD).Methods:A rat model of SAP was established by injecting sodium tau-rocholate into the retrograde pancreatic duct.The blank group,model group,different doses of QJHGD administration groups and posi-tive group were set up respectively.HE staining was used to observe the pathology of pancreatic tissue.ELISA was used to detect serum lipase,α-amylase and inflammatory markers.By combining RT-qPCR,IHC,Western blot,and IF techniques,we elucidated the mechanism of QJHGD in protecting pancreatic tissue in SAP rats.Results:The levels of amylase,lipase,IL-1β,IL-6,IL-17,IL-23,TNF-α and TGF-β in the serum of SAP model rats in all dose groups of QJHGD were significantly reduced,and the effect was the best in medium dose group(P<0.05).The results of IHC and RT-qPCR revealed that the medium-and high-dose groups of QJHGD sig-nificantly reduced the expression of IL-23,STAT3,IL-17 protein and mRNA in the pancreatic tissue of this model(P<0.05).More-over,the Western blot results demonstrated that the expression of IL-23,STAT3,p-STAT3,and IL-17 proteins in SAP rats were sig-nificantly decreased in the medium-dose group of QJHGD(P<0.05);the IF assay indicated that Th17 cell differentiation in SAP rats was inhibited by all dose groups of QJHGD,with the most significant inhibition effect in the middle dose(P<0.05).Conclusion:QJH-GD regulates the activation of IL-23/STAT3/Th17 axis,thereby inhibiting Th17 cell differentiation and exerting a protective effect on pancreatic tissue.

Purpose Based on a variety of combinations of cranial MR Dixon images,the deep learning method is used to generate CT images,and the reconstruction efficiency is evaluated by comparing with the corresponding CT images.Materials and Methods A total of 77 cranial CT and MR images were collected retrospectively in Ruijin Hospital,Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine from June to December 2021.The U-Net neural network was used for network training,with 62 cases in the training set and 15 cases in the test set.CT image reconstruction was performed using four kinds of Dixon images and a total of seven models among the various combinations.Mean absolute error,mean squared error,Pearson correlation coefficient and skull area Dice similarity coefficient were used to evaluate the image reconstruction efficiency.Results The generated CT images of the various Dixon image combination models showed strong correlation with the corresponding CT images(R>0.75,P<0.05),and the CT images reconstructed by the four-channel model had the closest value to the actual CT images[mean absolute error=147.516±30.802,mean squared error=(8.648±3.403)×104],the highest correlation coefficient(R=0.796±0.055),and the highest similarity coefficient in the cranial region(Dice similarity coefficient=0.800±0.036).Conclusion Deep learning training through Dixon images can be used to generate CT images,and the combination of four kinds of Dixon contrast images can improve the CT image reconstruction efficiency.

Objective To investigate the effects of Yishen Jiangu Pills on the expressions of AMPK/Cyclin Y/CDK16 pathway and autophagy and apoptosis-related proteins in cartilage tissue of rats with knee osteoarthritis(KOA);To discuss its mechanism for the treatment of KOA.Methods Totally 60 2-month-old SD rats were selected and randomly divided into sham-operation group,model group,agonist group,and TCM low-,medium-and high-dosage groups,with 10 rats in each group.Except for the sham-operation group,each group underwent medial meniscectomy and cruciate ligamentotomy to establish the KOA rat model,and the corresponding interventions were given for 14 d.Lequesne MG score was used to evaluate rat behavior,morphology of cartilage tissue was observed by HE and Safranin O-fixed green staining,and Mankin score was performed,Western blot was performed to detect expression of AMPK/Cyclin Y/CDK16 pathway proteins and autophagy proteins such as ULK-1,Beclin-1,LC3B,p62 and apoptotic proteins such as Bcl-2,Bax,Caspase-3,Caspase-9 in cartilage tissue,and autophagosome were observed using transmission electron microscopy.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,Lequesne MG score significantly increased in the model group(P<0.01),there was a significant defect in the surface layer of cartilage,thinning of the cartilage layer,disordered arrangement and irregular morphology of chondrocytes,and a significant increase in Mankin score(P<0.01),the expressions of AMPK,Cyclin Y,CDK16,ULK1,Beclin-1,LC3BⅡ/Ⅰ and Bcl-2 protein in cartilage tissue decreased,while the expressions of p62,Bax,Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 protein increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the Lequesne MG scores of rats in the agonist group and TCM high-dosage group were significantly decreased(P<0.01),the TCM high-dosage group showed smoother cartilage surface,more regular arrangement of chondrocytes,basic integrity of cartilage layer structure,weakened cartilage tissue proliferation,and significantly decreased Mankin score(P<0.01),the expressions of AMPK,Cyclin Y,CDK16,ULK1,Beclin-1,LC3BⅡ/Ⅰ and Bcl-2 protein in cartilage tissue of rats in the agonist group and TCM medium-and high-dosage groups significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),while the expressions of p62,Bax,Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 protein significantly decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Yishen Jiangu Pills may promote chondrocyte autophagy and inhibit cell apoptosis by activating the AMPK/Cyclin Y/CDK16 pathway in cartilage tissue of KOA model rats,thus reduce cartilage damage.