Background Silicosis, caused by inhalation of silica (SiO₂) dust, remains the most prevalent occupational pneumoconiosis in China. While galectin-3 (Gal-3) is known to play pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic roles in various diseases, its specific mechanism in the pathogenesis of silicosis has not been fully clarified. Objective To investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of Gal-3 in silicosis using clinical samples of silicosis and a silicosis mouse model. Methods Lung nodule biopsy samples were collected from patients with stage III pneumoconiosis. Concurrently a silicosis mouse model was constructed via non-exposed tracheal intubation with instillation of a SiO₂ suspension. The expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein in the lung tissues of the silicosis model mice were then detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Single-cell transcriptomic sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on both human and murine lung samples to analyze the expression of the Gal-3-encoding gene Lgals3 across different cell types. In vitro, RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with varying concentrations of SiO₂ suspension for 24 h and 48 h; the expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein were measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The Gal-3 inhibitor TD139 was used to intervene in the SiO₂-induced in vitro macrophage model, and Western blot was used to detect the intracellular expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Finally, mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908 were treated with varying concentrations of recombinant mouse Gal-3 protein (rmGal-3) for 48 h, and Western blot was used to detect the expression of fibrosis markers [(Collagen I, Collagen III, Fibronectin, and α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)] and proteins associated with the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. Results RT-qPCR and IHC staining showed that both the gene and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly elevated at all consecutive time points in the silicosis mouse model (P < 0.05). scRNA-seq revealed that Lgals3 was aberrantly highly expressed in lung tissues from pneumoconiosis patients and silicosis mouse models, with the highest expression observed in macrophages. After treatment of macrophages with different concentrations of SiO₂ for 24 h and 48 h, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly upregulated compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Following TD139 intervention, the protein expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 in dust-exposed macrophages were markedly downregulated (P < 0.0001). After 48 h of stimulation with rmGal-3, the protein expression levels of Collagen I, Fibronectin, and α-SMA in mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts (NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908) were significantly increased in all treatment groups compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Moreover, Gal-3 treatment markedly upregulated TGF-β1 protein expression in Mlg2908 cells and enhanced the phosphorylation levels of Smad2 and Smad3 (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Gal-3 is abnormally expressed in silicotic lung tissues, which primarily originates from macrophages, and inhibition of Gal-3 suppresses SiO₂-induced inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses. In addition, Gal-3 promotes fibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix production by activating the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway.

Background Silicosis, caused by inhalation of silica (SiO₂) dust, remains the most prevalent occupational pneumoconiosis in China. While galectin-3 (Gal-3) is known to play pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic roles in various diseases, its specific mechanism in the pathogenesis of silicosis has not been fully clarified. Objective To investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of Gal-3 in silicosis using clinical samples of silicosis and a silicosis mouse model. Methods Lung nodule biopsy samples were collected from patients with stage III pneumoconiosis. Concurrently a silicosis mouse model was constructed via non-exposed tracheal intubation with instillation of a SiO₂ suspension. The expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein in the lung tissues of the silicosis model mice were then detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining. Single-cell transcriptomic sequencing (scRNA-seq) was performed on both human and murine lung samples to analyze the expression of the Gal-3-encoding gene Lgals3 across different cell types. In vitro, RAW264.7 macrophages were treated with varying concentrations of SiO₂ suspension for 24 h and 48 h; the expression levels of Gal-3 mRNA and protein were measured by RT-qPCR and Western blot. The Gal-3 inhibitor TD139 was used to intervene in the SiO₂-induced in vitro macrophage model, and Western blot was used to detect the intracellular expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1). Finally, mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908 were treated with varying concentrations of recombinant mouse Gal-3 protein (rmGal-3) for 48 h, and Western blot was used to detect the expression of fibrosis markers [(Collagen I, Collagen III, Fibronectin, and α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)] and proteins associated with the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. Results RT-qPCR and IHC staining showed that both the gene and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly elevated at all consecutive time points in the silicosis mouse model (P < 0.05). scRNA-seq revealed that Lgals3 was aberrantly highly expressed in lung tissues from pneumoconiosis patients and silicosis mouse models, with the highest expression observed in macrophages. After treatment of macrophages with different concentrations of SiO₂ for 24 h and 48 h, the mRNA and protein expression levels of Gal-3 were significantly upregulated compared with the control group (P < 0.05). Following TD139 intervention, the protein expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF-β1 in dust-exposed macrophages were markedly downregulated (P < 0.0001). After 48 h of stimulation with rmGal-3, the protein expression levels of Collagen I, Fibronectin, and α-SMA in mouse embryonic lung fibroblasts (NIH/3T3 and Mlg2908) were significantly increased in all treatment groups compared with the control group (P < 0.01). Moreover, Gal-3 treatment markedly upregulated TGF-β1 protein expression in Mlg2908 cells and enhanced the phosphorylation levels of Smad2 and Smad3 (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Gal-3 is abnormally expressed in silicotic lung tissues, which primarily originates from macrophages, and inhibition of Gal-3 suppresses SiO₂-induced inflammatory and pro-fibrotic responses. In addition, Gal-3 promotes fibroblast differentiation and extracellular matrix production by activating the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway.

Cornelia de Lange syndrome （CdLS） is a rare genetic disorder characterized by multisystem developmental abnormalities， with its core pathogenic mechanism closely linked to dysfunction of the cohesin complex. Integrated multi‑omics evidence revealed that cohesin dysfunction disrupted three‑dimensional chromatin architecture and epigenetic homeostasis， triggered genome‑wide transcriptional dysregulation， and perturbed the regulatory networks of signaling pathways such as Wnt/β‑catenin， TGF‑β/BMP， and Sonic Hedgehog （SHH）. These disturbances collectively drove multisystem phenotypes involving the neurological， cardiovascular and skeletal systems， and laid a theoretical foundation for further understanding of the pathological mechanisms of CdLS and optimizing molecular diagnosis. This review summarized the genetic basis （including epigenetic dysregulation mechanisms） and disruption of key developmental signaling pathways in CdLS，and discussed strategies for optimizing molecular diagnosis.

Objective To establish a DNA quantitation method based on dithiothreitol(DTT)-crystal vio-let.Methods DTT was used to decolorize crystal violet,mixed with different concentrations of λ-DNA and salmon sperm DNA standard samples or concentration standard samples,and the absorbance was read at 595 nm wavelength by microplate reader,and compared with the results of ultraviolet absorbance method.DTT-crystal violet method and ultraviolet absorbance method were used to compare the concentration of plasmid samples and the concentration of genomic DNA samples of cervical exfoliated cells.The protein tolerance of the two methods was assessed by simulating protein contaminants with bovine serum albumin(BSA).Results In the quantification of λ-DNA and salmon sperm DNA,the DTT-crystal violet method had a robust linear correlation between the absorbance at 595 nm and DNA concentration(r2＞0.95),and the measured concentrations of the standard samples were not significantly different from the theoretical concentrations of the prepared standard samples(P＞0.05).There was no significant difference in the concentration of plasmid samples measured by DTT-crystal violet method and ultraviolet absorption method(P＞0.05).The concen-tration of DNA samples from cervical exfoliated cells measured by ultraviolet absorption method was positive-ly correlated with that by DTT-crystal violet method(r=0.94,P＜0.01).The concentration of the standard sample containing BSA 1 μg/μL measured by ultraviolet absorption method was higher than that of the con-trol sample,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.01),whereas the DTT-crystal violet method was not significantly affected(P＞0.05).Conclusion DTT-crystal violet method has obvious advantages over the existing DNA quantitation method,and is suitable for DNA quantitative analysis in scientific research and clinic.

Ischemic stroke is the leading cause of disability and mortality worldwide. The blood‒brain barrier (BBB) is the first line of defense after ischemic stroke. Disruption of the BBB induced by brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) dysfunction is a key event that triggers secondary damage to the central nervous system, where blood-borne fluids and immune cells penetrate the brain parenchyma, causing cerebral edema and inflammatory response and further aggravating brain damage. Here, we develop a novel artificial mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) extracellular vesicles by integrating MSC membrane proteins into liposomal bilayers, which encapsulated miR-132-3p with protective effects on BMECs. The artificial extracellular vesicles (MSCo/miR-132-3p) had low immunogenicity to reduce non-specific clearance by the mononuclear phagocytosis system (MPS) and could target ischemia-injured BMECs. After internalization into the damaged BMECs, MSCo/miR-132-3p escaped the lysosomes via the H_II phase transition of 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) and decreased cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptosis levels by regulating the RASA1/RAS/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) models, MSCo/miR-132-3p targeted impaired brain regions (approximately 9 times the accumulation of plain liposomes at 12 h), reduced cerebral vascular disruption, protected BBB integrity, and decreased infarct volume (from 44.95% to 6.99%).

Objective To explore the effect of adeno-associated virus sense transfection up-regulating the expression level of the growth and differential factor 11 (GDF11) in vivo on aortic injury in type 2 diabetic mellitus rats (T2DM).Methods Nine-week-old male SD rats were randomly selected to establish a T2DM model by using high-sugar and high-fat chow plus small-dose streptozotocin (STZ) combined induction.Both normal rats and dia-betic model rats were randomly divided into five groups:blank control group (Control group) , negative virus con-trol group (NC group), GDF11 adeno-associated virus group (GDF11 group), diabetic group (DM group), and diabetic + GDF11 adeno-associated virus group (DM+GDF11 group) .After 8 weeks of feeding, the serum con-centrations of insulin (INS) , advanced glycosylation end products (AGES) , recombinant growth transforming fac-tor 11 (GDF11), total cholesterol (T-CHO), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoproteins (LDL-C), high-densi-ty lipoproteins (HDL-C) , asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) , and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assayed in the rats;periodic acid-schiff stain(PAS stain) was used to observe the sites of glycogen deposition, and hematoxy-lin-eosin staining (HE) was used to observe vascular damage.Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the damage of vascular endothelial cells and vascular elastic fibers, and protein blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression levels of vascular injury-related proteins.Protein blotting and immunohistochem-istry were used to detect the expression levels of vascular injury-related proteins.Results The biochemical inde-xes showed that the serum concentrations of AGES, T-CHO, TG, LDL-C and MDA were higher in the DM group than those in the Control group (P<0.05), the concentrations of INS, GDF11, HDL-C and ADMA were signifi-cantly lower than those in the Control group (P<0.05) , and the concentrations of AGES and HDL-C were not sig-nificantly lower in the DM+GDF11 group compared with the DM group (P<0.05) .HDL-C was not significantly different from the DM group, and several other data were improved (P<0.05) .Pathological staining suggested that PAS staining in the DM group suggested that glycogen particles deposited in the endothelium and subendotheli-um of the aorta, HE staining observed thickening of the aortic mesentery, endothelial cells and elastic fibers broke off in an irregular alignment, and electron microscopy observed endothelial damage in the vasculature and elastic fi-bers broke off in the DM group, and these changes attenuated in the DM+GDF11 group.Protein blotting and im-munohistochemistry indicated that the expression of endothelial cell-associated proteins decreased in the DM group (P<0.05) , and mesenchymal markers elevated in the DM group (P<0.05) , these proteins were regressed in the DM+GDF11 group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05).Conclusion Increasing the expression level of GDF11 in vivo can improve aortic vascular injury caused by diabetes mellitus, which is inferred that it may be related to the inhibition of endothelial mesenchymal transition to protect the function of vascular endo-thelial cells and thus improve vascular injury.

Objective:To examine the relationship between fasting blood glucose(FBG)levels and H. pylori infection, as well as their impact on eradication and recurrence rates.Methods:A total of 1 584 patients with type 2 diabetes, ranging in age from 44 to 91 years old(mean age of 66.6±7.6 years), were included in this study conducted at the Physical Examination Center of the First Hospital of Lanzhou University between March 2010 and December 2019.Of the total participants, 1 063(67.1%)were male and 521(32.9%)were female.Logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the impact of age, gender, fasting blood glucose, and H. pylori infection on the patients.In the study, 263 patients in the euglycemic control group(HbA1c<7%), 271 patients in the poor glycemic control group(HbA1c≥7%), and 269 patients in the control group underwent H. pylori eradication using bismuth-containing quadruple therapy, and the eradication efficacy, adverse reactions, and recurrence rates were compared after 1 year.Results:In patients with type 2 diabetes, the infection rate of H. pylori was found to be 48.2%.Further regression analysis revealed that poor glycemic control increased the risk of H. pylori infection( OR=1.611, 95% CI: 1.269~2.045, P<0.01). However, the constituent ratio and infection rate of different hypoglycemic drug groups did not show any significant statistical difference.The eradication rate of H. pylori was 90.9%, and there was no significant difference in the eradication rate among different blood glucose groups and control groups.However, after 1 year, the recurrence rate was 3.8%, with a higher rate observed in the poor glycemic control group compared to the euglycemic control group and the control group( P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in constipation as the main side effect of eradication therapy between the diabetic group and the control group[25.1%(134/253) vs.16.4%(44/269), P<0.01]. Conclusions:Diabetic patients with fasting hyperglycemia or poor glycemic control are at an increased risk of H. pylori infection.Additionally, these patients have a higher risk of recurrence after eradication.Therefore, it is important for clinicians to closely monitor and manage glycemic control in diabetic patients to reduce the risk of H. pylori infection and improve treatment outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the genetic basis for a case of Lamb-Shaffer syndrome. METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and subjected to whole exome sequencing(WES). Suspected variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: The patients was found to harbor a heterozygous c.1495delA(p.Thr499Glnfs*5) frameshift variant of the SOX5 gene by WES. Sanger sequencing confirmed that the same variant was a de novo variant. Based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines, c.1495delA(p.Thr499Glnfs*5) variant of the SOX5 gene was predicted to be pathogenic (PVS1+PS2+PM2). CONCLUSION The c.1495delA(p.Thr499Glnfs*5) variant of the SOX5 gene probably underlies the Lamb-Shaffer syndrome in this patient.
Animals ; Genomics ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Mutation ; SOXD Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Sheep ; Whole Exome Sequencing

Malaysia is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural constitutional monarchy and federal system located in Southeast Asia. The top three diseases that cause deaths are ischemic heart disease, lower respiratory tract infections and stroke. Lower respiratory tract infections, colorectal cancer and Alzheimer’s disease have been the fastest growing diseases in recent years. The health insurance system complements public and private health care system. Traditional medicine in Malaysia includes Malaysian Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Indian Medicine, Islamic Medicine and homeopathy. Although TCM, such as acupuncture, has not been covered by health insurance, it is widely used under the impetus of the local Chinese people. At present, in Malaysia, the TCM public acceptance and education need promotion, and scientific researches need to be improved. It is hoped that in the future, the development of TCM in Malaysia will be better developed and disseminated by promoting TCM relevant legislation, increasing public awareness, focusing on education and training, and carrying out international scientific research cooperation.

Uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery (UniVATS) is a significant approach of mini-invasive surgery for lung cancer. UniVATS was first used for treatment of lung cancer in 2010. The European consensus and the Chinese consensus were published in 2019 and 2020 respectively. The latest Chinese consensus included the definition of UniVATS, indications for lung cancer treatment, safety and feasibility, surgical skills, learning curve, short-term and long-term results, providing suggestions for the standardization of uniportal video-assisted thoracic surgery, which are essential to improve the quality of surgery and reduce the incidence of related complications. The Chinese consensus also summarized the current status of subxiphoid UniVATS and non-intubated UniVATS for lung cancer. Considering the technical difficulties and challenges, the application of both technologies in clinical treatment has certain limitation. This article aims to give an interpretation of the results of the Chinese consensus and the similarities and to compare the differences with the European consensus, and to provide a reference for the majority of thoracic surgery colleagues.