ObjectiveTo investigate the anti-Alzheimer's disease （AD） effect of Dipsacus asper（DA） in the Caenorhabditis elegans model， and decipher the underlying mechanism via the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α （PPARα）/transcription factor EB （TFEB） pathway. MethodsFirst， transgenic AD C. elegans individuals were assigned into the blank control， model， positive control （WY14643， 20 µmol·L^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （100， 200， and 400 mg·L^-1， respectively） DA groups. The amyloid β-42 （Aβ₄₂） formation in the muscle cells， the paralysis time， and the deposition of amyloid β-protein （Aβ） in the head were detected. The lysosomal autophagy in the BV2 cell model was examined by Rluc-LC3wt/G120A. The expression levels of lysosomal autophagy-related proteins LC3Ⅱ， LC3I， LAMP2， and TFEB were detected by Western blot. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was employed to determine the mRNA levels of autophagy-related genes beclin1 and Atg5 and lysosome-related genes LAMP2 and CLN2 downstream of PPARα/TFEB. A reporter gene assay was used to detect the transcriptional activities of PPARα and TFEB. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the fluorescence intensity of PPARα， and the active components of the ethanol extract of DA were identified by UPLC-MS. RCSB PDB， Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform （TCMSP）， and Autodock were used to analyze the binding between the active components and PPARα-ligand-binding domain （LBD）. ResultsCompared with the model group， the positive control group and 200 and 400 mg·L^-1 DA groups showed prolonged paralysis time （P<0.05）， and all the treatment groups showed decreased Aβ deposition in the head （P<0.01）. DA within the concentration range of 50-500 mg·L^-1 did not affect the viability of BV2 cells. In addition， DA enhanced the autophagy flux （P<0.05）， up-regulated the mRNA levels of beclin1， Atg5， LAMP2， and CLN2 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， promoted the nuclear translocation of TFEB （P<0.05）， increased LAMP2 expression and autophagy flux （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and enhanced the transcriptional activities of PPARα and TFEB （P<0.01）. The positive control group and 200 and 400 mg·L^-1 DA groups showed enhanced fluorescence intensity of PPARα in the BV2 nucleus （P<0.01）. UPLC-MS detected nine known compounds of DA， from which 8 active components of DA were screened out. The docking results suggested that a variety of components in DA could bind to PPARα-LBD and form stable hydrogen bonds. ConclusionDA may reduce the pathological changes in AD by regulating the PPARα-TFEB pathway.

BACKGROUND: There is little literature describing the artificial intelligence (AI)-aided diagnosis of severe pneumonia (SP) subphenotypes and the association of the subphenotypes with the ventilatory treatment efficacy. The aim of our study is to illustrate whether clinical and biological heterogeneity, such as ventilation and gas-exchange, exists among patients with SP using chest computed tomography (CT)-based AI-aided latent class analysis (LCA). METHODS: This retrospective study included 413 patients hospitalized at Xinhua Hospital diagnosed with SP from June 1, 2015 to May 30, 2020. AI quantification results of chest CT and their combination with additional clinical variables were used to develop LCA models in an SP population. The optimal subphenotypes were determined though evaluating statistical indicators of all the LCA models, and clinical implications of them such as guiding ventilation strategies were further explored by statistical methods. RESULTS: The two-class LCA model based on AI quantification results of chest CT can describe the biological characteristics of the SP population well and hence yielded the two clinical subphenotypes. Patients with subphenotype-1 had milder infections ( P <0.001) than patients with subphenotype-2 and had lower 30-day ( P <0.001) and 90-day ( P <0.001) mortality, and lower in-hospital ( P = 0.001) and 2-year ( P <0.001) mortality. Patients with subphenotype-1 showed a better match between the percentage of non-infected lung volume (used to quantify ventilation) and oxygen saturation (used to reflect gas exchange), compared with patients with subphenotype-2. There were significant differences in the matching degree of lung ventilation and gas exchange between the two subphenotypes ( P <0.001). Compared with patients with subphenotype-2, those with subphenotype-1 showed a relatively better match between CT-based AI metrics of the non-infected region and oxygenation, and their clinical outcomes were effectively improved after receiving invasive ventilation treatment. CONCLUSIONS A two-class LCA model based on AI quantification results of chest CT in the SP population particularly revealed clinical heterogeneity of lung function. Identifying the degree of match between ventilation and gas-exchange may help guide decisions about assisted ventilation.
Humans ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Artificial Intelligence ; Aged ; Pneumonia/diagnosis* ; Latent Class Analysis ; Adult

AIM:To investigate the improvement effect of blood flow-limited resistance training on renal fibro-sis in type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)rats and its potential mechanism to attenuate renal fibrosis by inhibiting the trans-forming growth factor β1(TGF-β1)/Smad3 signaling pathway.METHODS:The T2DM model was prepared by combining a high-fat diet and streptozotocin(STZ),and after successful modeling,the rats were randomly divided into a T2DM con-trol group,a low-load resistance training group,a high-load resistance training group,a blood flow restriction group and a blood flow restriction combined with resistance training group for 8 weeks of exercise.The renal index,fasting blood glu-cose(FBG),serum creatinine(SCr),and blood urea nitrogen(BNU)were recorded in each group.The morphological changes of the kidneys were observed by hematoxylin and eosin(HE)and Masson's trichrome staining,and the collagen volume fraction was calculated.The mRNA expression levels of renal Klotho,TGF-β1,and α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)were detected by RT-qPCR.The protein expression levels of renal Klotho,TGF-β1,Smad3,phosphorylated Smad3(p-Smad3),α-SMA and connective tissue growth factor(CTGF)were detected using Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with the other groups,FBG,SCr,BNU,and renal collagen volume fraction were significantly decreased in the blood flow restriction combined with resistance training group of rats(P<0.05),Klotho expression was significantly in-creased(P<0.05),and the expression of TGF-β1,p-Smad3,CTGF and α-SMA was significantly decreased(P<0.05),and there was no significant change in the expression level of Smad3(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:Blood flow restriction combined with resistance training attenuates renal fibrosis in T2DM rats,the mechanism of which may be related to the up-regulation of Klotho expression,disruption of the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway,and inhibition of the deposition of epi-thelial-mesenchymal transformation.

Objective:To explore the application value of qualitative characteristics and quantitative parameters of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and non-PDAC presenting as pancreatic solid focal lesions.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 64 cases of PDAC(the PDAC group) and 52 cases of non-PDAC(the non-PDAC group) who underwent CEUS examination at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital from July 2022 to June 2023. Clinical characteristics, two-dimensional ultrasound features, CEUS qualitative characteristic, and quantitative parameters were compared between the two groups. ROC curves were plotted, and the Delong test was used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of qualitative and quantitative analyses in distinguishing PDAC from non-PDAC. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the independent predictors of PDAC.Results:①There were significant differences in serum CA19-9, lesion size, boundary, the main pancreatic duct (MPD) diameter, degree of enhancement and enhancement pattern between the PDAC group and the non-PDAC group (all P<0.05). ②The relative peak intensity (rPE), and relative wash-in and wash-out area under the curve (rWiWoAUC) were lower in the PDAC group than the non-PDAC group, with statistically significant differences(all P<0.001). ③The areas under the curve (AUC) for diagnosing PDAC using enhancement pattern, venous phase(VP) enhancement degree, rPE, and rWiWoAUC were 0.698, 0.707, 0.863, and 0.867, respectively. The AUCs of quantitative parameters were superior to those of qualitative characteristics, with statistically significant differences ( P<0.05). Using CEUS mode B, low VP enhancement, rPE<72.44, and rWiWoAUC<86.59 as cut-off values, the accuracies for diagnosing PDAC were 0.698, 0.741, 0.828, and 0.802, respectively. ④Serum CA19-9, lesion size, MPD diameter, rPE, and rWiWoAUC were independent predictors of PDAC (all P<0.05). Conclusions:CEUS qualitative and quantitative analyses are helpful in the differential diagnosis of PDAC and non-PDAC, with rPE and rWiWoAUC being useful indicators for diagnosing PDAC.

Objective To explore the role of zinc finger protein 36 (ZFP36) in regulating osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and preosteoblasts. Methods ZFP36 expression was observed in primary mouse BMSCs and mouse preosteoblasts (MC3T3-E1 cells) during induced osteogenic differentiation. Zfp36-deficient cell models were constructed in the two cells using RNA interference technique and the changes in differentiation capacities of the transfected cells into osteoblasts were observed. Transcriptome sequencing was used to investigate the potential mechanisms of ZFP36 for regulating osteoblast differentiation of the two cells. U0126, a ERK/MAPK signal suppressor, was used to verify the regulatory mechanism of Zfp36 in osteogenic differentiation of Zfp36-deficient cells. Results During the 14-day induction of osteogenic differentiation, both mouse BMSCs and MC3T3-E1 cells exhibited increased expression of ZFP36, and its mRNA expression reached the peak level on Day 7 (P<0.0001). The Zfp36-deficient cell models showed reduced intensity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and alizarin red staining with significantly lowered expressions of the osteogenic marker genes including Alpl, Sp7, Bglap and Ibsp (P<0.01). Transcriptome sequencing verified the reduction of bone mineralization-related gene expressions in Zfp36-deficient cells and indicated the involvement of ERK signaling in the potential regulatory mechanism of Zfp36. Immunoblotting showed that pERK protein expression increased significantly in Zfp36-deficient cells compared with the control cells. In Zfp36-deficient MC3T3-E1 cells, inhibition of activated ERK/MAPK signaling with U0126 resulted in obviously enhanced ALP staining and significantly increased expressions of osteoblast differentiation markers Runx2 and Bglap (P<0.05). Conclusions ZFP36 is involved in the regulation of osteoblast differentiation of mouse BMSCs and preosteoblasts, and ZFP36 deficiency causes inhibition of osteoblast differentiation of the cells by activating the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway.

Objective To explore the effect of pristimerin combined with cisplatin on proliferation and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.Methods CCK-8 assay was used to examine the survival rate of HNE-1 and CNE-2Z cells following treatment for 24 h with different concentrations of pristimerin,cisplatin or their combination.The changes in colony formation ability,apoptosis,and intracellular reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels of the treated cells were analyzed using colony formation assay and flow cytometry.Western blotting was performed to detect the changes in protein expressions in the cells.The effects of pre-treatment with NAC on proliferation,apoptosis,and PI3K/AKT signaling pathway were observed in pristimerin-and/or cisplatin-treated cells.Results Both pristimerin and cisplatin significantly lowered the survival rate of HNE-1 and CNE-2Z cells(P<0.05).Compared with pristimerin or cisplatin alone,their combination more strongly inhibited survival and colony formation ability of the cells,increased cell apoptosis rate and intracellular ROS levels,upregulated the protein expressions of Bax,cleaved caspase-3,and cleaved PARP,and downregulated the protein expressions of Bcl-2,Mcl-1,PARP and p-PI3K and p-AKT(P<0.05).NAC pretreatment significantly attenuated proliferation inhibition and apoptosis-promoting effects of pristimerin combined with cisplatin,and partially restored the downregulated protein expressions of p-PI3K and p-AKT in HNE-1 and CNE-2Z cells with the combined treatment(P<0.05).Conclusion Pristimerin can enhance cisplatin-induced proliferation inhibition and apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells,the mechanism of which may involve ROS-mediated deactivation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To observe the clinical efficacy and effect on serum thymic stromal lymphopoietin(TSLP)levels of pa-tients with advanced liver cancer of qi deficiency and toxic stasis type by Jiawei Yupingfeng San.METHODS Using random double blind method,120 patients with advanced liver cancer of qi deficiency and toxic stasis type were randomly divided into 3 groups:Jiawei Yupingfeng San group,Yupingfeng San group,and placebo group,each consisting of 40 cases.All patients in the 3 groups were given conventional treatment such as radiotherapy,chemotherapy,interventional or targeted therapy;Jiawei Yupingfeng San group was given Jiawei Yupingfeng San granules,Yupingfeng San group was given Yupingfeng San granules,and placebo group was given placebo.The course of treatment was 2 months.The changes of Karnofsky functional status score(KPS score),TCM syndrome score,tumor size and serum TSLP level in the 3 groups were observed before and after treatment,and the correlation between the changes of tumor size and TSLP was analyzed.RESULTS After treatment,the KPS scores of Yupingfeng San group and Jiawei Yupingfeng San group were sig-nificantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),TCM syndrome score were decreased(P<0.01),tumor growth(P<0.05,P<0.01)was de-layed,and serum TSLP levels(P<0.05,P<0.01)were decreased.Furthermore,there was a slight positive correlation between chan-ges in tumor size and changes in TSLP(P<0.05).In terms of improving tumor size,the curative effect of Jiawei Yupingfeng San group was better than that of Yupingfeng San group(P<0.05).During the treatment period,no obvious adverse reactions were observed in the 3 groups of patients.CONCLUSION Combined with conventional treatment,Jiawei Yupingfeng San can significantly delay tumor growth in patients with advanced liver cancer of qi deficiency and toxic stasis type and improve patients'TCM syndromes and their qual-ity of survival.The therapeutic mechanism is related to reducing the expression of serum TSLP and improving the immune status of pa-tients,thereby delaying the growth of tumors.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Buzhong Yiqitang in ameliorating ferroptosis in autoimmune thyroiditis （AIT） mice based on the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 （Nrf2）/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ （PPARγ）/glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） pathway. Method120 SPF-grade 7-8-week-old NOD.H-2^h4 mice were randomly divided into control group， model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose Buzhong Yiqitang groups， and western medicine group， with 20 mice in each group. Except for the control group， all mice were fed with classic high-iodine water （0.05% NaI） to induce AIT models after 8 weeks. The low-， medium-， and high-dose Buzhong Yiqitang groups were administered 4.78， 9.56， 19.12 g·kg^-1 of Buzhong Yiqitang， respectively， via gavage. The western medicine group was given 3.033×10^-5 g·kg^-1 selenium yeast tablet suspension via gavage， while the control and model groups were given an equal volume of distilled water via gavage. After 8 weeks of continuous treatment， samples were collected. The pathological morphology of mouse thyroid tissue was observed through hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining，the content of serumantithyroid peroxidase autoantibody（TPOAb）and anti-thyroglobulin antibodies（TGAb）was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA），the kit was used to detect the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD）， and malondialdehyde （MDA） in mouse serum. Immunofluorescence was used to detect the localized expression of GPX4 in thyroid tissue. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the expression of Nrf2， PPARγ， solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11）， solute carrier family 3 member 2 （SLC3A2）， lysolipid lecithin acyltransferase 3 （LPCAT3）， and GPX4 mRNA in thyroid tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression of Nrf2， PPARγ， SLC7A11， SLC3A2， LPCAT3， and GPX4 proteins in thyroid tissue. ResultCompared with control group， model group under light microscopy showed significant lymphocyte infiltration in the thyroid tissue， significantly increased levels of TGAb and TPOAb in serum （P<0.01）， significantly increased MDA levels and decreased SOD levels in serum （P<0.01）， significantly decreased expression of Nrf2， PPARγ， SLC7A11， SLC3A2， and GPX4 （P<0.01） in thyroid tissue， while the expression of LPCAT3 was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， the Buzhong Yiqitang groups and the western medication group under light microscopy showed lymphocyte infiltration in the thyroid tissue of was decreased， significantly decreased levels of TPOAb and TGAb in serum （P<0.05，P<0.01）， decreased MDA levels and increased SOD levels in serum（P<0.05，P<0.01），significantly increased expression of Nrf2， PPARγ， SLC7A11， SLC3A2， and GPX4， while the expression of LPCAT3 was significantly decreased （P<0.05，P<0.01） in the thyroid tissue. Compared with western medication group， Buzhong Yiqitang groups showed significant overall trends in the expression of Nrf2， PPARγ， SLC7A11， SLC3A2， GPX4， and LPCAT3 （P<0.05，P<0.01）. ConclusionBuzhong Yiqitang can effectively improve the inflammatory injury of AIT， and its mechanism of action may be related to the regulation of Nrf2/PPARγ/GPX4 to inhibit ferroptosis.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Buzhong Yiqitang in improving autoimmune thyroiditis （AIT） by regulating helper T cell 17（Th17） cells through microRNA-155 （miR-155）/Nedd4 family interaction protein 1 （Ndfip1）/phosphatase and tensin homology （Pten） axis. MethodThe 100 SPF grade 8 week-old NOD.H-2^h4 mice were fed with high iodine water （0.05% NaI） for 8 weeks， and AIT model was made. They were divided into model group， Buzhong Yiqitang low-，medium-，and high-dose groups （4.78，9.56，19.12 g·kg^-1·d^-1） and selenium yeast tablet group （3.033×10^-5 g·kg^-1） according to random number table method. There were 20 mice in each group and 20 mice in the control group. The control group and the model group were given the same amount of distilled water. After 8 weeks of continuous administration， Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the expression of miR-155-5p， Ndfip1， Pten， protein tyrosine kinase 1 （Jak1）， signaling and transcriptional activator 3 （Stat3） retinoic acid-associated orphan receptor γt （RORγt）， and interleukin-17 （IL-17） mRNA in mouse thyroid tissue. Western blot was used to detect the expression of Ndfip1， Pten， Jak1， Stat3， RORγt， and IL-17 proteins in mouse thyroid tissue， immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of Ndfip1 and Pten proteins in mouse thyroid tissue； flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of Th17 cells in mouse spleen. ResultCompared with the control group， the proportion of Th17 cells was increased （P<0.01）. The expressions of miR-155-5p， Jak1， Stat3， RORγt and IL-17 were increased （P<0.01）， while the expressions of Ndfip1 and Pten were decreased （P<0.01）. Compared with model group， the proportion of Th17 cells was decreased （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The expressions of miR-155-5p， Jak1， Stat3， RORγt and IL-17 were decreased （P<0.05，P<0.01）， while the expressions of Ndfip1 and Pten were increased （P<0.05，P<0.01）. ConclusionThe application of Buzhong Yiqitang can improve the autoimmune disorder of AIT mice， the mechanism of which may be related to the regulation of Ndfip1/Pten axis by miR-155 and then the regulation of Th17 cell differentiation.