BACKGROUND:Dexamethasone and hindlimb suspension are commonly used methods for modeling sarcopenia in animal experiments due to their short modeling time,ease of operation,and low cost.OBJECTIVE:To compare the differences in muscle mass,strength and functional phenotypes and molecular mechanisms between two mouse sarcopenia models induced by dexamethasone and hindlimb suspension.METHODS:Thirty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups(n=10 per group).The normal control group received no intervention.The dexamethasone group received daily intraperitoneal injections of 1 mg/kg/d dexamethasone sodium phosphate solution for 6 continuous days to establish sarcopenia models in mice,while mice in the hindlimb suspension group were suspended by tail harness for 16 hours,once per day,to establish sarcopenia models.Within 6 weeks after modeling,changes in body mass were monitored.After 6 weeks of modeling,mice were tested for limb grip strength,mobility(swimming test),skeletal muscle wet mass,and skeletal muscle pathological morphology.Expressions of skeletal muscle protein synthesis and catabolism indexes as well as the AMPK/FoXO3α signaling pathway were detected by RT-PCR and western blot.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Two weeks after modeling,both dexamethasone and hindlimb suspension groups showed a significant decrease in body mass compared with the normal control group(P<0.001).After 6 weeks of modeling,grip strength of mice in both dexamethasone and hindlimb suspension groups was lower than that in the normal control group(P<0.001).The wet mass of gastrocnemius and extensor digitorum longus muscles and the cross-sectional area of gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in the dexamethasone group were lower than those in the normal control group(P<0.05).Compared with the hindlimb suspension group,the cross-sectional area of gastrocnemius muscle was significantly smaller in the dexamethasone group(P<0.05),while the cross-sectional area of soleus muscle was larger in the dexamethasone group(P<0.05).Mice in the dexamethasone group had reduced mobility when compared with those in the normal control group and the hindlimb suspension group(P<0.05).(3)Compared with the normal control group,PI3K,mTOR,AMPK,and PGC-1α mRNA expression and P-AMPK/AMPK protein were decreased in the two modeling groups(P<0.05),and FoXO3α mRNA expression and PGC-1α and FoXO3 protein expression were elevated(P<0.05);in the dexamethasone group,Akt1 mRNA expression was decreased(P<0.05),while Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 mRNA expression was elevated(P<0.05);in the hindlimb suspension group,Akt1 mRNA expression was elevated(P<0.05).(4)Compared with the dexamethasone group,mTOR,Akt1,and FoXO3α mRNA expression was elevated in the hindlimb suspension group(P<0.05),while Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 mRNA expression was decreased(P<0.05).To conclude,both modeling methods could decrease the levels of mitochondrial energy metabolism in skeletal muscle,with the dexamethasone group mediating atrophy of skeletal muscle through the dual action of ubiquitin proteasome and energy metabolism pathways,and the hindlimb suspension group inducing atrophy of skeletal muscle by mediating the energy metabolism pathway through the AMPK/FoXO3α signaling pathway,subsequently causing a reduction in mass,strength,and function of skeletal muscle.

Objective:To propose suggestions for the revision of quality standard of steviol glycosides through research on its major manufacturer's products.Methods:The inspection items in the current quality standards were inspected,with domestic and international quality standard of steviol glycosides.Results:Specific rotation was from-33.39° to-39.50°,pH was from 5.3 to 6.7,impurity absorbency was lower than 0.096 0,while the contents of weight loss on drying were lower than 5.0％,residue on ignition were lower than 0.043％,methanol residual were lower than 0.01％,ethanol residual were lower than 0.06％,residue on arsenic were lower than 0.000 054％,lead wasn't detected.The content of rebaudioside A and 13 kinds of steviol glycosides were 8.23％-68.48％and 85.78％-96.13％.Conclusion:The main components of the commercial steviol glycosides products were rebaudioside A and stevioside,with low safety risk of elemental impurities and solvent residues.It provided suggestions for the revision of quality standard of steviol glycosides in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

Objective:To propose suggestions for the revision of quality standard of steviol glycosides through research on its major manufacturer's products.Methods:The inspection items in the current quality standards were inspected,with domestic and international quality standard of steviol glycosides.Results:Specific rotation was from-33.39° to-39.50°,pH was from 5.3 to 6.7,impurity absorbency was lower than 0.096 0,while the contents of weight loss on drying were lower than 5.0％,residue on ignition were lower than 0.043％,methanol residual were lower than 0.01％,ethanol residual were lower than 0.06％,residue on arsenic were lower than 0.000 054％,lead wasn't detected.The content of rebaudioside A and 13 kinds of steviol glycosides were 8.23％-68.48％and 85.78％-96.13％.Conclusion:The main components of the commercial steviol glycosides products were rebaudioside A and stevioside,with low safety risk of elemental impurities and solvent residues.It provided suggestions for the revision of quality standard of steviol glycosides in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

BACKGROUND:Dexamethasone and hindlimb suspension are commonly used methods for modeling sarcopenia in animal experiments due to their short modeling time,ease of operation,and low cost.OBJECTIVE:To compare the differences in muscle mass,strength and functional phenotypes and molecular mechanisms between two mouse sarcopenia models induced by dexamethasone and hindlimb suspension.METHODS:Thirty male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups(n=10 per group).The normal control group received no intervention.The dexamethasone group received daily intraperitoneal injections of 1 mg/kg/d dexamethasone sodium phosphate solution for 6 continuous days to establish sarcopenia models in mice,while mice in the hindlimb suspension group were suspended by tail harness for 16 hours,once per day,to establish sarcopenia models.Within 6 weeks after modeling,changes in body mass were monitored.After 6 weeks of modeling,mice were tested for limb grip strength,mobility(swimming test),skeletal muscle wet mass,and skeletal muscle pathological morphology.Expressions of skeletal muscle protein synthesis and catabolism indexes as well as the AMPK/FoXO3α signaling pathway were detected by RT-PCR and western blot.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Two weeks after modeling,both dexamethasone and hindlimb suspension groups showed a significant decrease in body mass compared with the normal control group(P<0.001).After 6 weeks of modeling,grip strength of mice in both dexamethasone and hindlimb suspension groups was lower than that in the normal control group(P<0.001).The wet mass of gastrocnemius and extensor digitorum longus muscles and the cross-sectional area of gastrocnemius and soleus muscles in the dexamethasone group were lower than those in the normal control group(P<0.05).Compared with the hindlimb suspension group,the cross-sectional area of gastrocnemius muscle was significantly smaller in the dexamethasone group(P<0.05),while the cross-sectional area of soleus muscle was larger in the dexamethasone group(P<0.05).Mice in the dexamethasone group had reduced mobility when compared with those in the normal control group and the hindlimb suspension group(P<0.05).(3)Compared with the normal control group,PI3K,mTOR,AMPK,and PGC-1α mRNA expression and P-AMPK/AMPK protein were decreased in the two modeling groups(P<0.05),and FoXO3α mRNA expression and PGC-1α and FoXO3 protein expression were elevated(P<0.05);in the dexamethasone group,Akt1 mRNA expression was decreased(P<0.05),while Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 mRNA expression was elevated(P<0.05);in the hindlimb suspension group,Akt1 mRNA expression was elevated(P<0.05).(4)Compared with the dexamethasone group,mTOR,Akt1,and FoXO3α mRNA expression was elevated in the hindlimb suspension group(P<0.05),while Atrogin-1 and MuRF-1 mRNA expression was decreased(P<0.05).To conclude,both modeling methods could decrease the levels of mitochondrial energy metabolism in skeletal muscle,with the dexamethasone group mediating atrophy of skeletal muscle through the dual action of ubiquitin proteasome and energy metabolism pathways,and the hindlimb suspension group inducing atrophy of skeletal muscle by mediating the energy metabolism pathway through the AMPK/FoXO3α signaling pathway,subsequently causing a reduction in mass,strength,and function of skeletal muscle.

AIM:This study investigated the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of rosuvastatin(RST)in mitigating high glucose(HG)-induced damage in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs),comple-mented by bioinformatics analysis.METHODS:Network pharmacology was employed to identify the potential targets and signaling pathways of RST in treating HG-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction.Molecular docking techniques were used to evaluate the binding affinity of RST to these core targets.The HUVECs were cultured in vitro and assigned into control,HG,and HG+RST(0.01,0.1,1,2,5 and 10 μmol/L)groups.Cell viability was determined using the MTS as-say.Levels of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)and nitric oxide(NO)were quantified using chemical colorimetric assays.The mRNA levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS),claudin-1(CLDN-1),occludin(OCLN),zonula oc-cludens-1(ZO-1),aldose reductase(AR),Janus kinase 2(JAK2),mitogen-activated protein kinase 1(MAPK1),Ras homologous gene family member A(RHOA)and heat shock proteins 90AB1(HSP90AB1)were assessed by RT-qPCR.Western blot analysis was used to evaluate protein levels of eNOS,OCLN and ZO-1.RESULTS:Network pharmacology analysis suggested that RST may improve HG-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction by influencing the chemokine sig-naling pathway,tyrosine metabolism,MAPK signaling pathway,and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha signaling pathway.The MTS assay indicated that RST significantly enhanced cell viability in an HG environment(P＜0.01)and reduced HG-induced damage in HUVECs.Compared with the control group,the HG group showed a significant increase in LDH levels(P＜0.01)and decreases in NO,eNOS,CLDN-1,OCLN and ZO-1 levels(P＜0.05).Additionally,the mRNA levels of AR,JAK2,MAPK1 and RHOA were elevated(P＜0.01),and HSP90AB1 was reduced in the HG group(P＜0.05).Rel-ative to the HG group,RST treatment significantly decreased LDH levels(P＜0.01)and increased the levels of NO,eNOS,CLDN-1,OCLN and ZO-1(P＜0.01).Moreover,the mRNA levels of AR,JAK2,MAPK1 and RHOA were re-duced(P＜0.01),and HSP90AB1 expression was increased in the HG+RST group(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION:RST ef-fectively attenuates HG-induced endothelial injury.This protective effect is potentially mediated by downregulating AR,JAK2,MAPK1,and RHOA expression and upregulating HSP90AB1 expression.

Objective To explore the prognostic value of serum gap connexin 43(Cx43)and galectin-9(Gal-9)levels in elderly patients with acute cerebral infarction(ACI)after ultra-early intravenous thrombo-lytic therapy.Methods A total of 106 elderly patients with ACI who received ultra-early intravenous throm-bolytic therapy in the hospital from September 2020 to September 2022 were selected as the study group,and 100 healthy subjects who came to the hospital for physical examination during the same period were selected as the health group.The levels of Cx43 and Gal-9 in serum of all subjects were detected by enzyme-linked im-munosorbent assay(ELISA).After 2 weeks of treatment,106 elderly ACI patients were divided into good prognosis group(81 cases)and poor prognosis group(25 cases)according to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the evaluation value of serum Cx43 and Gal-9 in the prognosis of ultra-early intravenous thrombolytic therapy in elderly ACI patients.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of poor prognosis of ultra-early intravenous thrombolytic therapy in elderly ACI patients.Results The levels of Cx43 and Gal-9 in the study group were higher than those in the health group(P＜0.05).The levels of Cx43 and Gal-9 in the poor prognosis group were higher than those in the good prognosis group(P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of serum Cx43 and Gal-9 for predicting the poor prognosis in elderly ACI patients was 0.721(95％CI:0.673-0.758)and 0.837(95％CI:0.787-0.886),respectively,and the AUC of combined detection of CX43 and GAL-9 was 0.901(95％CI:0.857-0.946).The proportion of hypertension in the poor progno-sis group was higher than that in the good prognosis group(P＜0.05).Hypertension(OR=3.487,95％CI:1.564-7.773),serum Cx43≥106.53 pg/mL(OR=4.586,95％CI:1.982-10.611),serum Gal-9≥11.84 ng/mL(OR=4.345,95％CI:1.957-9.648)were risk factors for poor prognosis in elderly patients with ACI after ultra-early intravenous thrombolysis(P＜0.05).Conclusion Serum Cx43 and Gal-9 are highly expressed in elderly ACI patients,which could be used to evaluate the prognosis of elderly ACI patients after ultra-early intravenous thrombolysis therapy,and their combined detection has higher evaluation value.

Objective:Hepatic fibrosis is a common pathological basis for many chronic liver diseases and can progress to cirrhosis,a leading cause of mortality in liver diseases.Early identification and reversal of hepatic fibrosis are key in the treatment of chronic liver disease.This study aims to compare the expression levels of serum core fucosylated low molecular weight kininogen(LMWK-Fc)and alpha-galactosylated(α-Gal)antibodies in patients with hepatic fibrosis at different stages,and to evaluate their diagnostic efficacy for hepatic fibrosis. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 275 patients with chronic liver disease who visited the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between June 2022 and March 2023.Among these,115 patients underwent liver biopsy.Based on the extent of collagen deposition and its impact on liver structure and microcirculation,patients were staged from 0 to 4:S0(no significant collagen deposition in liver tissues;liver structure and microcirculation are normal),S1(mild collagen deposition in liver tissues,with partial disruption of lobule structure,but microcirculation remains largely normal),S2(moderate collagen deposition in liver tissues,with partial disruption of lobule structure and microcirculation),S3(extensive collagen deposition in liver tissues,with substantial disruption of lobule structure and microcirculation),and S4(development of cirrhosis,with heavy collagen deposition,complete disruption of lobule structure,and severe impairment of microcirculation).Patients were grouped as no fibrosis(S0),fibrosis(S1-S2),and significant fibrosis(S3-S4).For the 160 patients without liver biopsy,they were categorized based on liver stiffness measurement(LSM)value:no fibrosis(F0:LSM＜7.3 kPa),fibrosis(F1-F2:LSM 7.3-12.4 kPa),and significant fibrosis(F3-F4:LSM＞12.4 kPa).Demographic data(age,gender)and laboratory indicators(alanine transaminase,aspartate transaminase,gamma-glutamyl transferase,alkaline phosphatase,alpha-fetoprotein,platelet count)were collected to calculate the fibrosis-4 index(FIB-4)and aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index(APRI).Serum LMWK-Fc and α-Gal antibodies were measured and compared across the groups,and their correlation with fibrosis severity was analyzed.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to assess the predictive value of serum LMWK-Fc and α-Gal antibody levels for hepatic fibrosis. Results:Among the 160 patients without complete liver biopsy,serum α-Gal antibody and LMWK-Fc levels increased progressively from the no fibrosis group to the significant fibrosis group,with statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).Among the 115 patients with liver biopsy,serum LMWK-Fc levels were significantly higher in the fibrosis group and the significant fibrosis groups compared with the no fibrosis group,and α-Gal antibody levels were significantly higher in the significant fibrosis group compared with the no fibrosis group and the fibrosis group(P＜0.001,P=0.032,respectively).Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses showed that hepatic fibrosis was correlated with gender and LMWK-Fc levels(both P＜0.05),but not with age,α-Gal antibody levels,FIB-4,or APRI(all P＞0.05). Conclusion:The expression levels of serum LMWK-Fc and α-Gal antibodies vary across different stages of hepatic fibrosis,suggesting a potential association with fibrosis progression.LMWK-Fc levels have a certain predictive value for the diagnosis of hepatic fibrosis.

AIM:This study investigated the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of rosuvastatin(RST)in mitigating high glucose(HG)-induced damage in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs),comple-mented by bioinformatics analysis.METHODS:Network pharmacology was employed to identify the potential targets and signaling pathways of RST in treating HG-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction.Molecular docking techniques were used to evaluate the binding affinity of RST to these core targets.The HUVECs were cultured in vitro and assigned into control,HG,and HG+RST(0.01,0.1,1,2,5 and 10 μmol/L)groups.Cell viability was determined using the MTS as-say.Levels of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)and nitric oxide(NO)were quantified using chemical colorimetric assays.The mRNA levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS),claudin-1(CLDN-1),occludin(OCLN),zonula oc-cludens-1(ZO-1),aldose reductase(AR),Janus kinase 2(JAK2),mitogen-activated protein kinase 1(MAPK1),Ras homologous gene family member A(RHOA)and heat shock proteins 90AB1(HSP90AB1)were assessed by RT-qPCR.Western blot analysis was used to evaluate protein levels of eNOS,OCLN and ZO-1.RESULTS:Network pharmacology analysis suggested that RST may improve HG-induced vascular endothelial dysfunction by influencing the chemokine sig-naling pathway,tyrosine metabolism,MAPK signaling pathway,and hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha signaling pathway.The MTS assay indicated that RST significantly enhanced cell viability in an HG environment(P＜0.01)and reduced HG-induced damage in HUVECs.Compared with the control group,the HG group showed a significant increase in LDH levels(P＜0.01)and decreases in NO,eNOS,CLDN-1,OCLN and ZO-1 levels(P＜0.05).Additionally,the mRNA levels of AR,JAK2,MAPK1 and RHOA were elevated(P＜0.01),and HSP90AB1 was reduced in the HG group(P＜0.05).Rel-ative to the HG group,RST treatment significantly decreased LDH levels(P＜0.01)and increased the levels of NO,eNOS,CLDN-1,OCLN and ZO-1(P＜0.01).Moreover,the mRNA levels of AR,JAK2,MAPK1 and RHOA were re-duced(P＜0.01),and HSP90AB1 expression was increased in the HG+RST group(P＜0.01).CONCLUSION:RST ef-fectively attenuates HG-induced endothelial injury.This protective effect is potentially mediated by downregulating AR,JAK2,MAPK1,and RHOA expression and upregulating HSP90AB1 expression.

Central nervous system (CNS) injuries, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, and spinal cord injury, are essential causes of death and long-term disability and are difficult to cure, mainly due to the limited neuron regeneration and the glial scar formation. Herein, we apply extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by M2 microglia to improve the differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) at the injured site, and simultaneously modify them with the injured vascular targeting peptide (DA7R) and the stem cell recruiting factor (SDF-1) on their surface via copper-free click chemistry to recruit NSCs, inducing their neuronal differentiation, and serving as the nanocarriers at the injured site (Dual-EV). Results prove that the Dual-EV could target human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs), recruit NSCs, and promote the neuronal differentiation of NSCs in vitro. Furthermore, 10 miRNAs are found to be upregulated in Dual-M2-EVs compared to Dual-M0-EVs via bioinformatic analysis, and further NSC differentiation experiment by flow cytometry reveals that among these miRNAs, miR30b-3p, miR-222-3p, miR-129-5p, and miR-155-5p may exert effect of inducing NSC to differentiate into neurons. In vivo experiments show that Dual-EV nanocarriers achieve improved accumulation in the ischemic area of stroke model mice, potentiate NSCs recruitment, and increase neurogenesis. This work provides new insights for the treatment of neuronal regeneration after CNS injuries as well as endogenous stem cells, and the click chemistry EV/peptide/chemokine and related nanocarriers for improving human health.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection among patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in some regions of China. Methods Serum samples were collected from 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection in 10 provinces, cities, and autonomous regions of China from March 2021 to June 2022, and anti-HDV IgG ELISA was used for the detection of all serum samples. Nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nRT-PCR) was used to detect HDV RNA in anti-HDV IgG-positive samples, and the nRT-PCR amplification products of HDV RNA-positive samples were sequenced and analyzed to determine HDV genotype. The clinical features of anti-HDV IgG-positive patients were analyzed. The Mann-Whitney U rank sum test was used for comparison of continuous data between two groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. Results The positive rate of anti-HDV IgG in the 3 131 patients with chronic HBV infection was 0.70% (22/3 131), and that in the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Beijing, and Hunan Province was 1.81% (16/886), 0.88% (2/226), 0.28% (2/708), and 1.00% (2/200), respectively; the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region had a significantly higher positive rate of anti-HDV IgG than those in Beijing ( P =0.004), and there was no significant difference between the other regions ( P > 0.05). Clinical features of the patients with chronic HBV infection in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region showed that compared with the anti-HDV IgG-negative group, the anti-HDV IgG-positive group had a significantly higher proportion of patients with Mongol nationality ( P =0.001), abnormal alanine aminotransferase ( P =0.007), or antiviral treatment ( P =0.029), as well as a significantly lower median HBV DNA level ( P =0.030). A total of 19 HDV RNA-positive samples were identified, all of which had HDV genotype 1. Conclusion The prevalence rate of HDV varies greatly across different regions of China, with a higher prevalence rate of HDV in patients with chronic HBV infection from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. HDV genotype 1 is the predominant genotype in some provinces and cities of northern China.