OBJECTIVE To compare the antihypertensive efficacy of sacubitril/valsartan versus benazepril in patients with perimenopausal hypertension， as well as their impacts on ventricular remodeling and inflammatory fibrosis. METHODS A total of 206 perimenopausal hypertensive patients in our hospital from January 1， 2023 to December 30， 2024 were retrospectively included.These patients were enrolled and divided into benazepril group （105 cases） and sacubitril/valsartan group （101 cases）. Benazepril group received Benazepril hydrochloride tablet， and sacubitril/valsartan group received Sacubitril valsartan sodium tablet. All patients were treated for 6 months. The blood pressure（systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure） and blood pressure control status before and after treatment， echocardiographic indicators （left ventricular ejection fraction， left ventricular mass index， relative wall thickness， and early-diastolic peak transmitral flow velocity/early-diastolic peak velocity of the mitral annulus）， inflammatory fibrosis related indicators（high-sensitivity C-reactive protein，ratio of monocytes to lymphocytes，and ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes）， as well as the occurrence of adverse reactions（hypotension，hyperkalemia，and angioedema） were observed in both groups before and after treatment. RESULTS The blood pressure control rate was significantly higher in the sacubitril/valsartan group than in benazepril group （ P ＜0.05）. After treatment， the blood pressure， echocardiographic indicators（except for left ventricular ejection fraction） ，and inflammatory fibrosis related indicators were significantly lower than those before treatment within the same group， and the sacubitril/valsartan group were significantly lower than the benazepril group （ P ＜0.05）. There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of hypotension， hyperkalemia， angioedema， and overall adverse drug reactions between the two groups （ P ＞0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Compared with benazepril， sacubitril/valsartan provides superior blood-pressure control， reverses ventricular remodeling， attenuates inflammatory fibrosis in perimenopausal hypertensive patients， while maintaining a similar safety profile.

ObjectiveThis study aims to enhance of the farnesyl pyrophosphate（FPP） pool in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by heterologously expressing different farnesyl diphosphate synthases（FPSs） from various plants， thereby increasing the production of terpenoid compounds by the engineered yeast. MethodsRNA from mixed samples of roots， stems， and leaves of seven plants including Arabidopsis thaliana， Rosa rugosa， Artemisia annua， Centella asiatica， Humulus lupulus， Medicago sativa， and Panax ginseng was extracted by column chromatography and reverse transcribed into the first strand of complementary DNA（cDNA）， and based on the transcriptome data of the seven species of plants， sequence-specific primers were designed for CaFPS， RrFPS， MsFPS， HiFPS， PgFPS， AtFPS， and AaFPS， the full-length of the genes was cloned， and the genes were analyzed for bioinformatics in order to construct a pESC yeast shuttle vector. These seven plant-derived FPSs were further heterologously expressed in the previous constructed β-elemene-producing yeast， and the yield of β-elemene was indicated for their catalytic acivities. ResultsThe coding sequences of CaFPS， RrFPS， MsFPS， HiFPS， PgFPS， AtFPS， and AaFPS were all of 1 021 bp in length and encoding 301 amino acids， all of which were similarly related to the endogenous FPS-encoding gene（ERG20） in S. cerevisiae. After heterologous expression， RrFPS was identified as the most effective in catalyzing the synthesis of FPP from isopentenyl pyrophosphate（IPP） and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate（DMAPP）. Compared to the control strains， the RrFPS overexpressed yeast strains YB-1-Rr and YB-3-Rr increased the production of β-elemene by 231.25% and 189.3%， respectively. ConclusionBy comparing the functions of FPS-encoding genes from seven different plant sources， it is determined that the protein encoded by the RrFPS from R. rugosa has the best catalytic ability， which can provide key genetic elements for the construction of engineered yeast strain constructs with high terpenoid production.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Huazhuo Jiedu prescription in treating ulcerative colitis （UC） by regulating mitophagy. MethodsThe genes related to mitophagy and UC were retrieved from GeneCards， and then the common genes of mitophagy and UC were analyzed by metascape to identify the genes related to mitophagy in UC. Animal experiments were carried out to decipher the mechanism by which Huazhuo Jiedu prescription treated UC by regulating mitophagy. Sixty C57BL/6 male mice were randomized into normal， model， high-， medium-， and low-dose （50， 25， 12.5 g·kg^-1， respectively） Huazhuo Jiedu prescription， and mesalazine （0.52 g·kg^-1·d^-1） groups， with 10 mice in each group. After successful modeling by the dextran sulfate sodium-free drinking method， the colonic mucosal damage was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining， and the ultracellular structure of colon mucosa was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The expression levels of mitophagy-related proteins PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 （PINK1） and Parkin protein were determined by Western blot. The expression of prohibitin 2 （PHB2）， ubiquitin-specific protease 15 （USP15）， ubiquitin-specific protease 30 （USP30） in the colon tissue was detected by immunofluorescence （IF）. ResultsAll the drug intervention groups showed ameliorated pathological manifestations of the colonic mucosa and improved mitochondrial structures in UC mice. Compared with the normal group， the model group demonstrated up-regulated protein levels of PINK1 and Parkin （P<0.05）， enhanced average fluorescence intensity of PHB2 （P<0.05）， and weakened average fluorescence intensity of USP15 and USP30 （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the mesalazine group and the high- and medium-dose Huazhuo Jiedu prescription groups showcased down-regulated protein levels of PINK1 and Parkin （P<0.05）， decreased average fluorescence intensity of PHB2 （P<0.05）， and enhanced average fluorescence intensity of USP15 and USP30 （P<0.05）. The low-dose Huazhuo Jiedu prescription group showed down-regulated protein levels of PINK1 and Parkin （P<0.05）， weakened average fluorescence intensity of PHB2 （P<0.05）， and enhanced average fluorescence intensity of USP15 and USP30 （P<0.05）. ConclusionHuazhuo Jiedu prescription can attenuate the intestinal mucosal injury and improve the mitochondrial cell ultrastructure in UC mice by regulating the expression of PINK1-Parkin pathway and inhibiting excessive mitophagy.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Huazhuo Jiedu prescription in treating ulcerative colitis （UC） by regulating mitophagy. MethodsThe genes related to mitophagy and UC were retrieved from GeneCards， and then the common genes of mitophagy and UC were analyzed by metascape to identify the genes related to mitophagy in UC. Animal experiments were carried out to decipher the mechanism by which Huazhuo Jiedu prescription treated UC by regulating mitophagy. Sixty C57BL/6 male mice were randomized into normal， model， high-， medium-， and low-dose （50， 25， 12.5 g·kg^-1， respectively） Huazhuo Jiedu prescription， and mesalazine （0.52 g·kg^-1·d^-1） groups， with 10 mice in each group. After successful modeling by the dextran sulfate sodium-free drinking method， the colonic mucosal damage was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining， and the ultracellular structure of colon mucosa was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The expression levels of mitophagy-related proteins PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 （PINK1） and Parkin protein were determined by Western blot. The expression of prohibitin 2 （PHB2）， ubiquitin-specific protease 15 （USP15）， ubiquitin-specific protease 30 （USP30） in the colon tissue was detected by immunofluorescence （IF）. ResultsAll the drug intervention groups showed ameliorated pathological manifestations of the colonic mucosa and improved mitochondrial structures in UC mice. Compared with the normal group， the model group demonstrated up-regulated protein levels of PINK1 and Parkin （P<0.05）， enhanced average fluorescence intensity of PHB2 （P<0.05）， and weakened average fluorescence intensity of USP15 and USP30 （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the mesalazine group and the high- and medium-dose Huazhuo Jiedu prescription groups showcased down-regulated protein levels of PINK1 and Parkin （P<0.05）， decreased average fluorescence intensity of PHB2 （P<0.05）， and enhanced average fluorescence intensity of USP15 and USP30 （P<0.05）. The low-dose Huazhuo Jiedu prescription group showed down-regulated protein levels of PINK1 and Parkin （P<0.05）， weakened average fluorescence intensity of PHB2 （P<0.05）， and enhanced average fluorescence intensity of USP15 and USP30 （P<0.05）. ConclusionHuazhuo Jiedu prescription can attenuate the intestinal mucosal injury and improve the mitochondrial cell ultrastructure in UC mice by regulating the expression of PINK1-Parkin pathway and inhibiting excessive mitophagy.

Objective : To investigate the brain microvascular tissue block culture method for extracting primary rat brain microvascular endothelial cells and identify its effect. Methods : Brain tissue from 4-week-old Sprague Dawley rats was screened, pre-digested and solidified to obtain brain microvascular segments. These segments were subsequently placed in a CO2incubator for primary culture. The target cells were identified by cell morphology and immunocytochemical staining for factor Ⅷ-related antigen. Results : After a 48-hour culture periodin vitro, the short spindle cells crawled out from around the brain microvascular segments. After 72 hours, island-like cell culsters formed. After 96 hours the clusters fused and the cells formed a typical monolayer, cobble stone-like, and mosaic arrangement. Factor Ⅷ-related antigen immunocytochemical staining showed that the cytoplasm of the cells appeared brown-red, indicating positive expression; DAB stained the nucleus, showing blue-dark. Conclusion The brain microvascular tissue block culture method can isolate and culture primary rat brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Autoimmune hepatitis （AIH） is an inflammatory disease caused by immune dysfunction， and its pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. In recent years， a large number of studies have shown that iron homeostasis imbalance and ferroptosis are closely associated with the pathogenesis and progression of AIH. This article reviews the pathological mechanism and impact of iron overload and ferroptosis in AIH， in order to provide new insights and theoretical bases for research on the mechanism and clinical treatment of AIH.

Objective: To investigate the current status of refractive errors and insufficient hyperopia reserve in preschool children aged 3-6 years in Hefei and to analyze influencing factors, so as to provide a scientific basis for formulating targeted myopia prevention policies and comprehensive interventions. Methods: In May 2022, a stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select 897 preschool children from 8 kindergartens across four districts (Baohe, Yaohai, Shushan, and Economic and Technological Development Zone) in Hefei, and Children’s Visual Health related Behavior Assessment Scale was used to collect personal information and environmental factors. Pre and post cycloplegic refraction tests were conducted to assess insufficient hyperopic reserve and refractive development levels. Group comparisons were conducted using 2 test, t-test or analysis of variance. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to identify key factors influencing hyperopic reserve, axial length and spherical equivalent in preschool children. Results: The detection rates of refractive errors among preschool children were 6.8% for hyperopia, 1.6% for myopia, and 11.1% for astigmatism. Notably, the prevalence of myopia was significantly higher in boys (2.3%) than in girls (0.7%) ( χ 2=3.88, P <0.05). Additionally, 8.8% of the children exhibited insufficient hyperopic reserve. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that preschool children with high myopia in the father, high myopia in the mother, longer daily duration of near work, and longer daily electronic product use time had increased risks of axial growth ( β =0.12, 0.09, 0.15, 0.11), SE reduction ( β =-0.10, -0.07, -0.18, -0.13), and insufficient hyperopic reserve ( OR=1.87, 2.22, 1.40, 1.28) (P <0.05). While, preschool children with longer sleep time and daily outdoor activity duration had lower risks of axial growth ( β =-0.11, -0.10 ), SE reduction ( β =0.39, 0.51), and insufficient hyperopia reserve ( OR =0.54, 0.51) in preschool children ( P <0.05). Conclusions The rates of refractive errors and insufficient hyperopia reserve in preschool children in Hefei are relatively low, which are influenced by many factors. Parents, kindergartens and relevant departments should implement early vision monitoring and intervention for preschool children, and cultivate their scientific eye use habits.

ObjectiveTo explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Xianglian Huazhuo prescription on chronic atrophic gastritis （CAG） in rats based on the Hedgehog signaling pathway. MethodsThe CAG rat model was established by sodium salicylate， N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitroguanidine （MNNG）， and irregular feeding. The successfully modeled rats were randomly divided into a model group （180 mg·L^-1）， a moradan group （1.4 g·kg^-1）， and Xianglian Huazhuo Prescription groups with high， medium， and low doses （36， 9， 18 g·kg^-1）， followed by drug intervention. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe morphological changes in the gastric mucosa. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the ultrastructure of gastric mucosa cells. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression of Sonic Hedgehog （Shh）， Patched 1 （Ptch1）， and Glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1 （Gli1）. Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of Shh， Ptch1， and Gli1 in the gastric mucosa. Immunohistochemistry was used to observe the protein expression of the epithelial marker E-cadherin. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the CAG model group showed a reduction in gastric mucosal intrinsic glands and infiltration of inflammatory cells. The ultrastructure of gastric mucosal cells showed nuclear pyknosis， fewer mitochondria， and abnormal mitochondrial structure. The mRNA and protein expression of Shh， Ptch1， and Gli1 in the gastric mucosa were significantly decreased （P<0.05）， and E-cadherin protein expression was decreased. Compared with the model group， the intervention groups showed varying degrees of improvement in histopathological morphology and cellular ultrastructure. The mRNA and protein expression of Shh， Ptch1， Gli1， and E-cadherin increased to varying degrees. Xianglian Huazhuo Prescription upregulated the expression of key Hedgehog pathway factors and E-cadherin at both the mRNA and protein levels （P<0.05）. ConclusionXianglian Huazhuo prescription has a therapeutic effect on CAG in rats， and its mechanism may be related to activation of the Hedgehog signaling pathway and inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT）.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of subsequent radiotherapy (RT) following first-line treatment with durvalumab plus chemotherapy in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (ES-SCLC). METHODS: A total of 122 patients with ES-SCLC from three hospitals during July 2019 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) analysis was performed to address potential confounding factors. The primary focus of our evaluation was to assess the impact of RT on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: After IPTW analysis, 49 patients received durvalumab plus platinum-etoposide (EP) chemotherapy followed by RT (Durva + EP + RT) and 72 patients received immunochemotherapy (Durva + EP). The median OS was 17.2 months vs . 12.3 months (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.38, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.17-0.85, P = 0.020), and the median PFS was 8.9 months vs . 5.9 months (HR: 0.56, 95% CI: 0.32-0.97, P = 0.030) in Durva + EP + RT and Durva + EP groups, respectively. Thoracic radiation therapy (TRT) resulted in longer OS (17.2 months vs . 14.7 months) and PFS (9.1 months vs . 7.2 months) compared to RT directed to other metastatic sites. Among patients with oligo-metastasis, RT also showed significant benefits, with a median OS of 17.4 months vs . 13.7 months and median PFS of 9.8 months vs . 5.9 months compared to no RT. Continuous durvalumab treatment beyond progression (TBP) prolonged OS compared to patients without TBP, in both the Durva + EP + RT (NA vs . 15.8 months, HR: 0.48, 95% CI: 0.14-1.63, P = 0.238) and Durva + EP groups (12.3 months vs . 4.3 months, HR: 0.29, 95% CI: 0.10-0.81, P = 0.018). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events occurred in 13 (26.5%) and 13 (18.1%) patients, respectively, in the two groups; pneumonitis was mostly low-grade. CONCLUSION Addition of RT after first-line immunochemotherapy significantly improved survival outcomes with manageable toxicity in ES-SCLC.
Humans ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Lung Neoplasms/therapy* ; Aged ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use* ; Adult ; Immunotherapy/methods* ; Aged, 80 and over

In hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD), the programmed cell death known as ferroptosis is significantly activated. Microglial cells demonstrate a high level of sensitivity to iron accumulation. Understanding how to regulate the dual role of microglia and transforming the microglial ferroptosis to a moderate and controllable process has considerable implications for the targeted treatment in HIBD. This paper serves as an overview of microglia-mediated ferroptosis in HIBD as a disease model. We discuss various aspects centered around microglia, including pathophysiological mechanisms, polarization and functions of microglia, molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis, signaling pathways, and therapeutic strategies. The review aims to provide a reference for studies of ferroptosis in microglia.
Microglia/physiology* ; Ferroptosis/physiology* ; Humans ; Animals ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain/pathology* ; Signal Transduction