OBJECTIVES: To investigate the causal associations between autoimmune diseases and aplastic anemia (AA) using Mendelian randomization analysis. METHODS: Publicly available genome-wide association study (GWAS) data were utilized to obtain single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with autoimmune diseases and AA for analysis. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was employed as the primary analytical approach, with MR Egger, Weighted Mode, Weighted Median, and Simple Mode methods serving as complementary analyses. Heterogeneity and pleiotropy analyses were conducted using designated functions, and the robustness of Mendelian randomization results was assessed using leave-one-out analysis. RESULTS: The two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis using the IVW method revealed significant positive causal associations of rheumatoid arthritis (OR=1.094, 95% CI: 1.023-1.170, P=0.009, adjusted P=0.042), systemic lupus erythematosus (OR=1.111, 95% CI: 1.021-1.208, P=0.015, adjusted P=0.036), Hashimoto thyroiditis (OR=1.206, 95% CI: 1.049-1.387, P=0.009, adjusted P=0.029), and Sicca syndrome (OR=1.173, 95% CI: 1.054-1.306, P=0.004, adjusted P=0.035) with AA, which was supported by the results from the Weighted Median method. Sensitivity analyses indicated no evidence of pleiotropy or heterogeneity, and leave-one-out analysis confirmed the robustness of the causal relationships. No direct evidence was found linking Graves' disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, or primary sclerosing cholangitis with AA (P>0.05, adjusted P>0.05), indicating a lack of causal association. Reverse Mendelian randomization results and multiple corrections indicated that AA was not an influencing factor for autoimmune diseases (adjusted P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Our findings support at the genetic level that rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, Hashimoto thyroiditis, and Sicca syndrome are risk factors for AA, and confirm a causal association of the these 4 autoimmune diseases with an increased risk of AA.
Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Anemia, Aplastic/genetics* ; Autoimmune Diseases/complications* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/genetics* ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic/genetics* ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease

Objective:To investigate the effects of intra-articular injection of exosomes derived from dental pulp stem cells from hu-man exfoliated deciduous teeth(SHED-EXO)on subchondral bone homeostasis in rat temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis(TMJ OA)process.Methods:36 male SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups(n=12):control(CON),sodium iodoacetate(MIA)-induced TMJ OA(MIA),and SHED-EXO injection into TMJ OA(SHED-EXO)groups.At 2 and 6 weeks post-treatment,Micro-CT,Double labeling,TRAP staining,and immunohistochemical staining were employed to detect osteoclasts and osteoblasts in the subchondral bone.Additionally,the mRNA expression levels of ADAMTs5,IL-1β,OCN and OPG/RANKL were analyzed by qRT-PCR.Results:The MIA group exhibited significant bone loss and an enlarged bone marrow cavity.In comparison with the CON group,BV/TV and Tb.Th were lower(P＜0.001),while BS/BV,Tb.Sp,and Tb.N were higher(P＜0.01).Additionally,the bone formation rate within 5 days was low-er than that of the control group(P＜0.001).When compared to the MIA group,the SHED-EXO group showed a significant increase in bone morphology and bone mass.BV/TV and Tb.Th were increased(P＜0.01),while BS/BV,Tb.Sp and Tb.N were decreased(P＜0.05).The bone formation rate was higher(P＜0.01).Compared with both the control and treatment groups,the MIA group exhibited a significant increase in the number of osteoclasts in the subchondral bone(P＜0.01),along with a notable decrease in H-type blood vessels and OCN-positive areas(P＜0.01).Conclusion:Intra-articular injection of SHED-EXO can reg-ulate condylar subchondral bone homeostasis in TMJ OA of rats by promoting osteogenesis and inhibiting osteoclasts.

Some Chinese herbs have been used to prevent and treat diseases, and are also used as common food ingredients. These Chinese herbs are potential resource for research and development of new drugs. Leek roots is a typical medicine of food and medicine continuum. It has a long history of medicinal applications and edible food in China. In this paper, the origin, biological active components, pharmacological action and clinical application of leek roots were introduced. We hope that this review will contribute to the development of leek roots for pharmaceutical research and clinical applications, as well as related health products.

OBJECTIVE To establish a method for simultaneous determination of atorvastatin （ATV） and its active metabolites 2-hydroxy atorvastatin acid （2-HAT）， 4-hydroxy atorvastatin acid （4-HAT） and toxic metabolite atorvastatin lactone （ALT） in rat plasma and apply it for pharmacokinetic study. METHODS LC-MS/MS method was adopted for analysis. The one-step precipitation method was used for processing plasma samples （plasma samples were pretreated by acidification to adjust pH value so as to prevent inversion of configuration）， gradient elution was used to analyze the samples， and the analysis time was 5 min. Electrospray positive ionization was adopted， and positive ion scanning was performed in multi-reaction monitoring. The m/z of quantified ion pairs of ATV and its metabolites such as 2-HAT， 4-HAT and ATL， and internal standard pitavastatin were 559.3→ 440.2， 575.2→440.3， 575.0→440.2， 540.9→448.2 and 422.2→290.0， respectively. After conducting a comprehensive methodological investigation of the analytical method， the concentrations of ATV and its metabolites 2-HAT， 4-HAT，and ATL were determined， and the pharmacokinetic parameters of ATV and its metabolites were calculated using the non- compartment model of WinNonlin 6.1. RESULTS The results of methodological validation showed that endogenous substances in blank plasma did not interfere with the determination of the components to be tested， and the standard curve had a good linear relationship； the lower limits of quantification for ATV， 2-HAT， 4-HAT and ATL were 0.5， 0.5， 0.25 and 0.063 nmol/L， respectively. The precision， accuracy， recovery， matrix effect and stability investigation were all in line with the requirements of biological analysis. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed that after intragastric administration in rats， ATV calcium metabolized rapidly， and was mainly exposed to blood circulation in the form of ATV and 2-HAT， with the lowest concentration of lactone-type metabolites. CONCLUSIONS The established method is precise， rapid and accurate for plasma concentration analysis of ATV and its active/toxic metabolites. The application of the method could help to fully elucidate the pharmacokinetic characteristics of atorvastatin calcium in rats.

Based on the latest results of international researches, combining with the experiences of our team in the simulation of acute dyspnea, Xiangya Hospital Central South University has summarized 7 characteristics, procedures and methods of debriefing, including that immediate feedback happens after simulation; feedback is provided by a trained instructor with clinical experience; feedback time is at least longer than the simulation time; various international methods of feedback can be used; the content of feedback is the learning objective; oral feedback is preferred; video can be used to review the details. The study aims to provide a theoretical basis for debriefing in domestic scenario stimulation teaching, and finally improve the effectiveness of the scenario stimulation teaching.

Metformin is currently a strong candidate anti-tumor agent in multiple cancers. However, its anti-tumor effectiveness varies among different cancers or subpopulations, potentially due to tumor heterogeneity. It thus remains unclear which hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patient subpopulation(s) can benefit from metformin treatment. Here, through a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9-based knockout screen, we find that DOCK1 levels determine the anti-tumor effects of metformin and that DOCK1 is a synthetic lethal target of metformin in HCC. Mechanistically, metformin promotes DOCK1 phosphorylation, which activates RAC1 to facilitate cell survival, leading to metformin resistance. The DOCK1-selective inhibitor, TBOPP, potentiates anti-tumor activity by metformin in vitro in liver cancer cell lines and patient-derived HCC organoids, and in vivo in xenografted liver cancer cells and immunocompetent mouse liver cancer models. Notably, metformin improves overall survival of HCC patients with low DOCK1 levels but not among patients with high DOCK1 expression. This study shows that metformin effectiveness depends on DOCK1 levels and that combining metformin with DOCK1 inhibition may provide a promising personalized therapeutic strategy for metformin-resistant HCC patients.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats ; Genome ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Metformin/therapeutic use* ; Mice ; Phosphorylation ; Synthetic Lethal Mutations ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; rac GTP-Binding Proteins/metabolism*

Alveolar echinococcosis is a kind of parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus multilocularis infecting the human body. It is characterized by tumor-like, invasive growth, serious disease and high fatality rate. Even though the number of patients is limited, they require life-long treatment because of the serious condition, many complications, and treatment difficulties. At present, there are three clinical treatment options for alveolar echinococcosis, including surgical treatment(radical hepatectomy, palliative resection, liver transplantation), intervention treatment(ultrasound or CT-guided intervention, endoscopic intervention), and anti-infective drug treatment. This article analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the above-mentioned schemes, and provides a basis for correct selection of treatment methods for alveolar echinococcosis.

Objective:To evaluate the long-term health-related quality of life (QOL) in pediatric patients with acute leukemia after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and to analyze potential influence factors.Methods:Patients with acute leukemia aging 8-18 years who received HSCT in the Hematology Oncology Center of Beijing Children′s Hospital from June 2009 to June 2012 with more than 80 months survival postoperatively were recruited.All of them were subjected to a short-term QOL survey in 2013.PedsQL? Transplantation Module 3.0 in Chinese mandarin version was completed.QOL data and influence factors were analyzed.Results:Forty-one patients completed the questionnaires, involving 32 males and 9 females with the mean age of(14.29±2.72) years.The mean scores of overall long-term QOL after HSCT were above 75 (total scores: 100), which was above the average.The age, disease status before transplantation, donor sources, post-transplant complications and the parental education level were the influential factors for the long-term QOL in pediatric patients with acute leukemia at post-HSCT, which could affect a certain dimension in QOL.Conclusions:The overall long-term QOL of pediatric patients with acute leukemia who survived for more than 80 months at post-HSCT is acceptable, which is significantly better than the short-term QOL after 4 months of HSCT.The age, disease status before transplantation, donor sources, post-transplant complications and the education level of parents could affect a certain dimension of QOL.

Objective:To investigate the effect of Suhuang Zhike Capsule on airway inflammation in patients with acute episode of allergic rhinitis and asthma syndrome.Methods:Eighty patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma syndrome were admitted to North China University of Science and Technology Affiliated Hospital from June 2016 to September 2017.A prospective cohort study was carried out and randomly divided into treatment group and control group with 40 patients in each group.The control group was treated with conventional anti-inflammatory, expectorant and antiasthmatic therapy, while the treatment group was treated with Suhuang Zhike Capsule.The changes of nasal symptoms and asthma clinical symptoms in the two groups were compared before and after treatment, and the changes of nitric oxide in exhaled air, eosinophils in blood and induced sputum were measured.Results:Compared with the control group, there was no significant difference in the number of eosinophils in the exhaled nitric oxide, eosinophil count in blood and induced sputum before treatment in the treatment group ((161.45±4.67)×10 -9 vs.(163.12±4.56)×10 -9, (1.59±0.53)×10 9/L vs.(1.60±0.51)×10 9/L, (1.11±0.06)×10 9/L vs.(1.18±0.09)×10 9/L; t values were 0.10, 0.44, 1.75, respectively, all P>0.05). After treatment, the exhaled nitric oxide, eosinophil count in blood and induced sputum in the treatment group were significantly lower than those before treatment((30.86±5.54)×10 -9 vs. (161.45±4.67)×10 -9; (0.32±0.05)×10 9/L vs. (1.59±0.53)×10 9/L; (0.06±0.02)×10 9/L vs. (1.11±0.06)×10 9/L, t values were 91.32, 41.63, 51.77, respectively, all P<0.01). In the treatment group, the effective rate of nasal symptom control was 85.0% (34/40) significantly higher than 62.5% (25/40) in the control group (χ 2=5.23, P<0.05), and the effective rate of asthma clinical symptom control was significantly higher than that in the control group(90.0%(36/40), 72.5%(29/40), χ 2=4.02, P<0.05). Conclusion:Suhuang Zhike capsule can obviously improve the airway inflammatory response of patients with allergic rhinitis asthma syndrome in the acute attack stage, and the combination of conventional treatment plan is helpful to improve the curative effect.

Alkali-salinity exerts severe osmotic, ionic, and high-pH stresses to plants. To under-stand the alkali-salinity responsive mechanisms underlying photosynthetic modulation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis, physiological and diverse quantitative proteomics analyses of alkaligrass (Puccinellia tenuiflora) under Na2CO3 stress were conducted. In addition, Western blot,real-time PCR, and transgenic techniques were applied to validate the proteomic results and test the functions of the Na2CO3-responsive proteins. A total of 104 and 102 Na2CO3-responsive proteins were identified in leaves and chloroplasts, respectively. In addition, 84 Na2CO3-responsive phospho-proteins were identified, including 56 new phosphorylation sites in 56 phosphoproteins from chloro-plasts, which are crucial for the regulation of photosynthesis, ion transport, signal transduction, and energy homeostasis. A full-length PtFBA encoding an alkaligrass chloroplastic fructose-bisphosphate aldolase (FBA) was overexpressed in wild-type cells of cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803, leading to enhanced Na2CO3 tolerance. All these results indicate that thermal dissipation, state transition, cyclic electron transport, photorespiration, repair of pho-tosystem (PS) Ⅱ, PSI activity, and ROS homeostasis were altered in response to Na2CO3 stress, which help to improve our understanding of the Na2CO3-responsive mechanisms in halophytes.