Precancerous lesions of gastric cancer （PLGC） are a group of pathological changes caused by abnormalities in the structure， morphology， and differentiation of gastric mucosal epithelial cells. Since the early symptoms are hidden and non-specific， PLGC is not easy to be diagnosed and it has often developed into intermediate or advanced gastric cancer once being diagnosed and missed the best time for treatment. Accordingly， the incidence of this disease is increasing year by year， which lifts a heavy burden on the patients. The pathogenesis of PLGC is complex， involving inflammatory microenvironment， bile reflux， glycolysis， autophagy， and apoptosis. Currently， PLGC is mainly treated with anti-inflammatory and endoscopic therapies， which are difficult to curb the development of PLGC. Therefore， seeking a safe and effective therapy is an important topic of modern research. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， characterized by treatment based on syndrome differentiation and a holistic view， exerts effects via multiple pathways， mechanisms， and targets. Recent studies have confirmed that TCM can regulate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin （PI3K/Akt/mTOR）， Wnt/β-catenin， Sonic Hedgehog， nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB）， Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription （JAK/STAT）， hypoxia-inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）， neurogenic locus notch homolog protein （Notch）， nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2） and other signaling pathways. By targeting these pathways， TCM can inhibit aerobic glycolysis， reduce oxidative stress， repair the inflammatory microenvironment， regulate cellular autophagy， and promote vascular normalization， thereby delaying or reversing PLGC. However， few researchers have systematically summarized the TCM regulation of PLGC-associated pathways. By reviewing the relevant articles at home and abroad， this paper summarized the roles of the above signaling pathways in the development of PLGC and the research progress in the regulation of signaling pathways by TCM in the treatment of PLGC， with a view to providing a new theoretical basis for the clinical research on PLGC and the drug development for this disease.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of Guanxinning tablets(GXN) on early heart failure model rats, and to explore the protective mechanism of GXN on heart failure rats from the perspective of intestinal flora. METHODS Six rats who underwent sham operation were set as sham operation group. Took 80 SD rats to undergo aortic arch stenosis and established a heart failure rat model. The surviving rats were divided into 4 groups, namely the model control group, the positive control group(captopril tablets 12.5 mg·kg–1), high-dose and low-dose of GXN group(600, 1 200 mg·kg–1). The 4 groups were administered continuously for 8 weeks. Cardiac ultrasonography was performed every 4 week. Serum NT-proBNP, hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, SOD and MDA levels were measured. The effects of GXN on the structure and function of intestinal flora were observed based on the high-throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatics analysis of 16S gut microbiome. RESULTS Compared to the model control group, after giving different doses of GXN, the survival rate of rats increased, and the thickness of the ventricular wall decreased to varying degrees. The weight of the heart and coefficient of the heart were all reduced. GXN could also reduce the level of inflammatory factors, inhibit the level increase of NT-proBNP in rats, and increase the activity of serum SOD. In addition, GXN intervention could significantly improve the intestinal flora diversity of rats with heart failure, the possible target genera of GXN were Akkermansia genera, Phascolarctobacterium genera and Oxalobacter genera. The effect of GXN on intestinal function in rats with heart failure might be concentrated in non-homologous end-joining, influenza A, carotenoid synthesis, indole alkaloids biosynthesis, betalain biosynthesis, renin-angiotensin system and other biological pathways. CONCLUSION The protective effect of GXN on early heart failure rats may be related to the regulation of intestinal flora pathway.

Objective To explore the correlations between serum Mas-related G protein-coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2), interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, IL-23 and IL-33 levels and chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). Methods The clinical characteristics and laboratory data from 55 patients with CSU and 21 healthy controls at Huashan Hospital, Fudan University from February 2021 to September 2023 were collected. The disease activity and severity of CSU patients were assessed. Serum level of MRGPRX2 was tested using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, IL-23, and IL-33 were measured using Luminex multiplex assay in all subjects. Spearman correlation analysis was used to evaluate the correlations between biomarkers and other parameters in CSU patients, and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors influencing CSU. Results CSU patients exhibited significantly higher serum levels of MRGPRX2 (2.41[0, 11.51] ng/mL vs 0[0, 2.86] ng/mL, P＝0.015) and IL-23 (0.09[0.04, 0.56] pg/mL vs 0.05[0.03, 0.08] pg/mL, P＝0.033) than healthy controls. There was no difference in levels of other cytokines between the two groups. There was no difference in levels of MRGPRX2 and cytokines between severe and non-severe CSU patients. Correlation analysis showed that serum MRGPRX2 levels in CSU patients were positively correlated with IL-4 (r＝0.345, P＝0.010) and IL-6 (r＝0.395, P＝0.003) levels. Logistic regression analysis indicated that MRGPRX2≥0.055 ng/mL and IL-23≥0.135 pg/mL were independent risk factors for CSU (P＜0.05). Conclusions Serum levels of MRGPRX2 and IL-23 in CSU patients are elevated, which may be involved in the pathogenesis of CSU.

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the quality of care of diabetes in Shanghai, China. A total of 173 235 patients with type 2 diabetes in 2017 were included in the analysis. Profiles of risk factors and intermediate outcomes were determined. The patients had a mean age of 66.43 ± 8.12 (standard deviation (SD)) years and a mean diabetes duration of 7.95 ± 5.53 (SD) years. The percentage of patients who achieved the target level for HbA_1c (< 7.0%) was 48.6%. Patients who achieved the target levels for blood pressure (BP) < 130/80 mmHg and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-c) < 2.6 mmol/L reached 17.5% and 34.0%, respectively. A total of 3.8% achieved all three target levels, and the value increased to 6.8% with an adaptation of the BP target level (< 140/90 mmHg) for those over 65 years. Multivariable analysis identified the factors associated with a great likelihood of achieving all three target levels: male, young age, short diabetes duration, low body mass index, macrovascular complications, no microvascular complications, prescribed with lipid-lowering medication, and no prescription of antihypertensive medication. In conclusion, nearly 50% and one-third of the patients with diabetes met the target levels for HbA_1c and LDL-c, respectively, with a low percentage achieving the BP target level. The percentage of patients who achieved all three target levels needs significant improvement.
Aged ; Blood Pressure ; China/epidemiology* ; Cholesterol, LDL/therapeutic use* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/drug therapy* ; Glycated Hemoglobin A/analysis* ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

The pathological hallmarks of psoriasis involve alterations in T cell genes associated with transcriptional levels, which are determined by chromatin accessibility. However, to what extent these alterations in T cell transcriptional levels recapitulate the epigenetic features of psoriasis remains unknown. Here, we systematically profiled chromatin accessibility on Th1, Th2, Th1-17, Th17, and Treg cells and found that chromatin remodeling contributes significantly to the pathogenesis of the disease. The chromatin remodeling tendency of different subtypes of Th cells were relatively consistent. Next, we profiled chromatin accessibility and transcriptional dynamics on memory Th/Treg cells. In the memory Th cells, 803 increased and 545 decreased chromatin-accessible regions were identified. In the memory Treg cells, 713 increased and 1206 decreased chromatin-accessible regions were identified. A total of 54 and 53 genes were differentially expressed in the peaks associated with the memory Th and Treg cells. FOSL1, SPI1, ATF3, NFKB1, RUNX, ETV4, ERG, FLI1, and ETC1 were identified as regulators in the development of psoriasis. The transcriptional regulatory network showed that NFKB1 and RELA were highly connected and central to the network. NFKB1 regulated the genes of CCL3, CXCL2, and IL1RN. Our results provided candidate transcription factors and a foundational framework of the regulomes of the disease.
Chromatin/genetics* ; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Humans ; Psoriasis/genetics* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory

Objective To explore the in vitro culture methods for oriented differentiation of peritoneal cells and bone marrow cells into high-purity mast cells,and to identify the function of these mast cells.Methods Peritoneal cells and bone marrow cells were isolated from the peritoneal cavity lavages and femur of C57BL/6 mice,and cultured with both interleukin-3 (IL-3) and stem cell factor for 2 and 4 weeks respectively.Light microscopy was performed to observe the morphology of these cells,toluidine blue staining to identify the degree of maturity of these mast cells,and flow cytometry to measure the expression of cell surface markers C D 117 and FceR Ⅰ α.After the stimulation with compound 48/80 at different concentrations,the degranulation rate of mast cells was counted under the microscope,and β-hexosaminidase release rate was measured by spectrophotometry.Results After 2-or 4-week culture,the mouse peritoneal and bone marrow cells all manifested as refractive suspension cells of uniform size.Toluidine blue staining showed violaceous metachromatic granules in the cytoplasm of the two kinds of cells.The proportions of CD117 or FcεR Ⅰ α single-positive peritoneal and bone marrow-derived mast cells were all more than 95％,and the proportions of CD117/FcεR Ⅰ α double-positive peritoneal and bone marrow-derived mast cells were 97.68％ ± 0.80％ and 96.12％ ± 0.76％ respectively.The degranulation rates of mast cells in the 100-and 1 000-mg/L compound 48/80 groups significantly differed from those in the blank control group (all P ＜ 0.01).Compared with the blank control group,the β-hexosaminidase release rates significantly increased in bone marrow-derived mast cells in the 100-mg/L compound 48/80 group and peritoneal mast cells in the 10-and 100-mg/L compound 48/80 groups (P ＜ 0.01 or 0.05).Conclusion IL-3 and stem cell factor can co-induce the directed differentiation and proliferation of mouse bone marrow stem cells and peritoneal cells,so as to harvest highnuritv mature degranulated mast cells,and lay a foundation for subsequent cell biology research.

Objective To explore the effect of nicotinaide nucleotide transhydrogenase(NNT) mutation on glucose homeostasis in C57BL/6 mice with mix background. Methods We generated wild type NNT homozygous, mutant NNT homozygous and heterozygous by mating the C57BL/6J (with NNT mutation) and 6N (without NNT mutation). At the age of 4 weeks, those mice were randomly assigned to normal control diet(NCD) or high-fat diet(HFD) for 4 weeks. The body weight was measured every week. At the age of 8 weeks, an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test(IPGTT) and an intraperitoneal insulin tolerance test (ITT) were performed. Results The body weight growth was not affected by NNT mutation during an HFD fed. NNT mutant mice showed significant glucose intolerance. After 4 weeks of high fat diet, the NNT mutant mice showed a decreased insulin sensitivity, while the glucose excursion curve was not elevated in the heterozygous mice. Conclusion NNT mutation had a significant influence on the phenotype of glucose metabolism and insulin resistance of mice, in particular under a metabolic stress. The phenotypes of heterozygous and homozygous mutant ones differed from each other. When using mice with C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N mixed background in research, NNT mutation should be carefully screened in all metabolic studies.

Objective To measure the levels of plasma D-dimer,activated coagulation factor Ⅶ (FⅦa) and activated clotting factor Ⅻ (FⅫa) in patients with chronic urticaria (CU),and to investigate their relationship with the occurrence of CU.Methods Venous blood samples were collected from 50 patients with CU and 50 healthy human controls.Dry-column immune scattering chromatography was performed to detect the plasma level of D-dimer,and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure the levels of FⅦa and FⅫa.In addition,autologous plasma skin test (APST) was conducted in 43 patients with CU,and autologous serum skin test (ASST) in 41 patients with CU.A correlation analysis was carried out between the above three parameters and disease severity as well as between the results of APST and ASST and plasma level of D-dimer.Results The levels of plasma D-dimer and F Ⅶa were significantly higher in patients with CU than in healthy human controls (both P ＜ 0.05),while no significant difference was found in FⅫa level between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).Moreover,the degree of increase in D-dimer plasma level was positively correlated with disease severity in the patients with CU.The plasma level of D-dimer was significantly higher in APST-positive patients than in APST-negative patients (P ＜ 0.05),but not significantly different between ASST-positive and-negative patients (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Coagulation mechanism,especially the extrinsic coagulation pathway,is related to the occurrence of CU.Studies on coagulation mechanism are beneficial to the evaluation of severity,and clinical treatment,of CU.

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on serum interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and IL-10 in rat models of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion, and to discover the mechanism of EA in preventing and treating cerebral ischemia.
Methods:Male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were randomized into a sham-operation (SO) group, a model control (MC) group, and an EA group, which were sub-grouped into a 6-hour group and a 24-hour group. In the SO group, rats only received vessel separation with filament placed inside without any treatment. In the MC and EA groups, the focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model was induced by using modified Longa method with intraluminal filament. The MC group didn’t receive any treatment;the EA group received EA at Baihui (GV 20) and Dazhui (GV 14) with sparse-dense wave for 30 min. The levels of serum IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 were detected by using Elisa test.
Results: Six hours after ischemia-reperfusion injury, the levels of serum IL-6, IL-8 and IL-10 in the MC group were significantly higher than those in the SO group (P<0.01, P<0.05, P<0.05);the level of serum IL-8 in the EA group was significantly lower than that in the MC group (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences in comparing IL-6 and IL-10 between the EA group and the MC group. Twenty-four hours after ischemia-reperfusion injury, the levels of serum IL-6 and IL-8 in the EA group were significantly lower than those in the MC group (both P<0.05), while there were no significant differences in comparing the level of IL-10 among the three groups.
Conclusion:Early intervention by EA can regulate the levels of serum IL-6 and IL-8 in cerebral ischemic injury.

Objective To amplify four fragments of circumsporozoite ( CSP) protein gene from Plasmodium falciparum FCC1/HN strain and express recombinant CSP proteins in prokaryotic vector pET28 a/EGFP for further evaluation of their binding activities to hepatic cells .Methods Four pairs of primers were designed according to the cDNA sequence of CSP protein from Plasmodium falciparum FCC1/HN strain and used to amplify the gene fragments by PCR .The cloned gene fragments were inserted into pET28a/EGFP to construct the recombinant expression plasmids .The transformed E.coli BL21 strains carry-ing expression plasmids were induced by IPTG to express CPS proteins .The recombinant CSP proteins were purified with Ni2+chelating HiTrap HP column and detected by SDS-PAGE.The binding activities of the ex-pressed proteins to different tissues were also detected .Results Four gene fragments encoding CSP protein were successfully amplified and expressed in E.coil BL21 strain as fusion protein CSR1a-EGFP, CSR1b-EGFP, CSR2a-EGFP and CSR2b-EGFP with a relative molecular mass of about 39×103, 31×103, 33×103 and 30 ×10 3 , respectively .The purified fusion proteins reacted specifically with Plasmodium falciparum-posi-tive serum samples.Moreover, the recombinant protein CSR2a-EGFP could bind to the hepatic cells specif-ically rather than other cells.Conclusion The purified recombinant CSR2a-EGFP protein has a strong binding activity to hepatocytes , indicating its potential value as a targeting molecule for hepatic gene therapy .