The study investigated the specific mechanism by which oxocrebanine, the anti-hepatic cancer active ingredient in Stephania hainanensis, inhibits the proliferation of hepatic cancer cells. Firstly, methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT) assay, 5-bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU) labeling, and colony formation assay were employed to investigate whether oxocrebanine inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 and Hep3B2.1-7 cells. Propidium iodide(PI) staining was used to observe the oxocrebanine-induced apoptosis of HepG2 and Hep3B2.1-7 cells. Western blot was employed to verify whether apoptotic effector proteins, such as cleaved cysteinyl aspartate-specific protease 3(c-caspase-3), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1(PARP1), B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax), Bcl-2 homologous killer(Bak), and myeloid cell leukemia-1(Mcl-1) were involved in apoptosis. Secondly, HepG2 cells were simultaneously treated with oxocrebanine and the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine(3-MA), and the changes in the autophagy marker LC3 and autophagy-related proteins [eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1(4EBP1), phosphorylated 4EBP1(p-4EBP1), 70-kDa ribosomal protein S6 kinase(P70S6K), and phosphorylated P70S6K(p-P70S6K)] were determined. The results of MTT assay, BrdU labeling, and colony formation assay showed that oxocrebanine inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 and Hep3B2.1-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The results of flow cytometry suggested that the apoptosis rate of HepG2 and Hep3B2.1-7 cells increased after treatment with oxocrebanine. Western blot results showed that the protein levels of c-caspase-3, Bax, and Bak were up-regulated and those of PARP1, Bcl-2, and Mcl-1 were down-regulated in the HepG2 cells treated with oxocrebanine. The results indicated that oxocrebanine induced apoptosis, thereby inhibiting the proliferation of hepatic cancer cells. The inhibition of HepG2 cell proliferation by oxocrebanine may be related to the induction of protective autophagy in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Oxocrebanine still promoted the conversion of LC3-Ⅰ to LC3-Ⅱ, reduced the phosphorylation levels of 4EBP1 and P70S6K, which can be reversed by the autophagy inhibitor 3-MA. It is prompted that oxocrebanine can inhibit the proliferation of hepatic cancer cells by inducing autophagy. In conclusion, oxocrebanine inhibits the proliferation of hepatic cancer cells by inducing apoptosis and autophagy.
Humans ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Autophagy/drug effects* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Hep G2 Cells ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; Caspase 3/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the current research status and hotspots in the field of biomechanics of diabetic foot by bibliometric analysis methods. METHODS: Literatures related to biomechanics of diabetic foot published in the Web of Scienc Core Collection (WoSCC) from 1981 to 2024 were searched. CiteSpace software and R language bibliometrics plugin were used to conduct a visual analysis of annual publication volume of the literature, including publication volume of each country and region, the publication situation of authors and institutions, the citation situation of individual literature, and the co-occurrence network of keywords. RESULTS: Totally 996 literatures were included, and the number of published papers increased steadily. The United States (261 papers) and China (89 papers) were the top two countries in terms of the number of published papers. The mediating centrality of the United States was 0.94, and that of China was 0.01. Scholars such as Cavanagh and institutions like the Cleveland Clinic were at the core of research in this field. High-frequency keywords include plantar pressure (plantar pressure), diabetic foot (diabetic foot), ulceration (ulcer), etc. The research focuses on plantar pressure, ulcer formation and prevention, etc. CONCLUSION Biomechanical research on diabetic foot mainly focuses on the pressure distribution on the sole of the foot, callus formation, mechanical analysis of soft tissues on the sole of the foot, and the study of plantar decompression caused by Achilles tendon elongation. The research trend has gradually shifted from focusing on joint range of motion to gait and the design of braces and assistive devices, and has begun to pay attention to muscle strength, gait imbalance and proprioception abnormalities.
Humans ; Diabetic Foot/physiopathology* ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; Bibliometrics

Objective:To compare the effectiveness of cylindrical-shaped and conical-shaped cuff catheters for airway closure using different pressure measurement methods at the lowest safe pressure and to guide the clinical application.Methods:Twenty-four patients with endotracheal intubation admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital from December 2021 to January 2022 were enrolled. Leakage test in vitro was performed on the secretion on the patients' cuff. The needle and plunger from 20 mL syringe was separated, the syringe was sealed with adhesive, and the syringe nozzle was filled thoroughly to create a tracheal model. Consecutively, both cylindrical-shaped and conical-shaped cuff catheters were inserted into the simulated trachea, and the cuff pressure was calibrated to 20 cmH 2O (1 cmH 2O≈0.098 kPa) before commencing the experiment. The viscosity of the secretion on the patients' cuff was classified (grade Ⅰ was watery subglottic secretion, grade Ⅱ was thick subglottic secretion, grade Ⅲ was gel-like subglottic secretion), and the same viscosity secretion was injected into the catheter cuff. Utilizing a self-control approach, intermittent pressure measurement was initially conducted on both the cylindrical-shaped and conical-shaped cuff by improved pressure measurement method (intermittent pressure measurement group), followed by continuous pressure measurement experiment (continuous pressure measurement group). The leakage volume of the three viscosity subglottic secretions and the values of cuff pressure measurement of different shaped cuff catheters at 4, 6, 8 hours of inflation were recorded. Results:A total of 180 retention samples were extracted from 24 patients with tracheal intubation during ventilation, with 90 samples in each of the two groups using different pressure measurement methods, and 30 samples of retention materials with different viscosities in each group. In the intermittent pressure measurement group, at 4 hours of inflation, all samples of secretion with grade Ⅰ and grade Ⅱ on cylindrical-shaped cuff leaked, while 3 samples of secretion with grade Ⅲ also leaked. For conical-shaped cuff, 28 samples of secretion with grade Ⅰ leaked, only 2 samples of secretion with grade Ⅱ leaked, and there was no leak for secretion with grade Ⅲ. At 6 hours of inflation, all samples of the three viscosity secretions on different shaped cuffs leaked. The leakage was gradually increased with the prolongation of inflation time. In the continuous pressure measurement group, at 4 hours of inflation, all samples of secretion with grade Ⅰ on cylindrical-shaped cuff leaked, while 29 samples of secretion with grade Ⅱ leaked, and there was no leak for secretion with grade Ⅲ. For the conical-shaped cuff, 26 samples of secretion with grade Ⅰ leaked, and there was no leak for secretion with grade Ⅱ and grade Ⅲ. At 6 hours of inflation, the conical-shaped cuff still had no leak for secretion with grade Ⅲ. As the inflation time prolonged, the leakage of subglottic secretion on different shaped cuffs in both groups was gradually increased. At 8 hours of inflation, all samples experienced leakage, but the leakage of subglottic secretion on different shaped cuffs in the continuous pressure measurement group was significantly reduced as compared with the intermittent pressure measurement group [leakage for secretion with grade Ⅲ (mL): 1.00 (0.00, 1.25) vs. 2.00 (1.00, 2.00) on the cylindrical-shaped cuff, 1.00 (0.00, 1.00) vs. 2.00 (2.00, 2.00) on the conical-shaped cuff, both P < 0.01]. The values of pressure measurement of cuffs with different shapes at different time points of inflation in the continuous pressure measurement group were within the set range (20-21 cmH 2O). The cuff pressure at 4 hours of inflation in the intermittent pressure measurement group was significantly lower than the initial value (cmH 2O: 18.3±0.6 vs. 20.0±0.0 in the cylindrical-shaped cuff, 18.4±0.6 vs. 20.0±0.0 in the conical-shaped cuff, both P < 0.01), and the cuff pressure in both shaped cuffs showed a significant decrease tendency as inflation time prolonged. However, there was no statistically significant difference in values of pressure measurement between the different shaped cuff catheters. Conclusions:Continuous pressure monitoring devices can maintain the effective sealing of conical-shaped cuff catheters at the lowest safe pressure. When using an improved pressure measurement method for intermittent pressure measurement and/or using a cylindrical cuff catheter, the target pressure should be set at 25-30 cmH 2O, and the cuff pressure should be adjusted regularly.

Anti-tumor traditional Chinese medicine has a long history of clinic application, in which the star molecules have always been the hotspot of modern drug research, but they are limited by the solubility, stability, targeting, bioactivity or toxicity of the monomer components of traditional Chinese medicine anti-tumor star molecules and other pharmacokinetic problems, which hinders the traditional Chinese medicine anti-tumor star molecules for further clinical translation and application. Currently, the nanosystems prepared by supramolecular technologies such as molecular self-assembly and nanomaterial encapsulation have broader application prospects in improving the anti-tumor effect of active components of traditional Chinese medicine, which has attracted extensive attention from scholars at home and abroad. In this paper, we systematically review the research progress in preparation of supramolecular nano-systems from anti-tumor star molecule of traditional Chinese medicine, and summarize the two major categories and ten small classes of carrier-free and carrier-based supramolecular nanosystems and their research cases, and the future development direction is put forward. The purpose of this paper is to provide reference for the research and clinical transformation of using supramolecular technology to improve the clinical application of anti-tumor star molecule of traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

Objective To analyze the effect of fisetin against venous thrombosis in rats.Methods Seventy SD rats were randomly divided into the following groups:sham-operation group,model group,fisetin 45 mg/kg,15 mg/kg,5 mg/kg groups,and aspirin group(47 mg/kg).The corresponding medication was administered by gavage once a day consecutively(the sham-operation group and the model group were given 0.5％carboxymethyl cellulose sodium solution with 10 mL/kg,respectively)for 7 consecutive days.One hour after the last administration,the rats were anesthetized,the lower part of the intersection of inferior vena cava and left renal vein was ligated with silk thread(no ligation in the sham-operation group),and the abdominal wall was sutured.Two hours later,the abdominal cavity was reopened,the other venous branches 1.5 cm away from the ligation site were closed with the artery clamp,and blood was collected from the abdominal aorta.The anticoagulant ratio of 3.8％sodium citrate∶whole blood was 1∶9.The venous thrombus 1 cm down from the ligation point of the intersection of inferior vena cava and left renal vein was cut and the thrombus was separated.The residual blood was dried with filter paper,weighed and recorded.Plasma was taken after anticoagulant blood centrifugation.The levels of plasma antithrombin-Ⅲ(AT-Ⅲ),protease C(PC),plasminogen(PLG),and plasminogen activator inhibitor(PAI-1)were detected by ELISA kits.Results Compared with the model group,the weight of thrombus in fisetin 45 mg/kg group and aspirin 47 mg/kg group decreased(P＜0.01).The content of AT-Ⅲ in three fisetin groups increased(all P＜0.05).The content of PC in fisetin 45 mg/kg increased(P＜0.05).The content of PLG and PAI-1 in fisetin 45 mg/kg group decreased(both P＜0.05).Conclusion Fisetin has the effect against venous thrombosis in vivo,and the effect is related to the upregulation of AT-Ⅲ and PC and the downregulation of PLG and PAI-1.

Background/Aims: Despite the high efficacy of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), approximately 1–3% of hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients fail to achieve a sustained virological response. We conducted a nationwide study to investigate risk factors associated with DAA treatment failure. Machine-learning algorithms have been applied to discriminate subjects who may fail to respond to DAA therapy. Methods: We analyzed the Taiwan HCV Registry Program database to explore predictors of DAA failure in HCV patients. Fifty-five host and virological features were assessed using multivariate logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), and artificial neural network. The primary outcome was undetectable HCV RNA at 12 weeks after the end of treatment. Results: The training (n=23,955) and validation (n=10,346) datasets had similar baseline demographics, with an overall DAA failure rate of 1.6% (n=538). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, poor DAA adherence, and higher hemoglobin A1c were significantly associated with virological failure. XGBoost outperformed the other algorithms and logistic regression models, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 1.000 in the training dataset and 0.803 in the validation dataset. The top five predictors of treatment failure were HCV RNA, body mass index, α-fetoprotein, platelets, and FIB-4 index. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the XGBoost model (cutoff value=0.5) were 99.5%, 69.7%, 99.9%, 97.4%, and 99.5%, respectively, for the entire dataset. Conclusions Machine learning algorithms effectively provide risk stratification for DAA failure and additional information on the factors associated with DAA failure.

Background/Aims: Oral EDP-514 is a potent core protein inhibitor of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication, which produced a >4-log viral load reduction in HBV-infected chimeric mice with human liver cells. This study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and antiviral activity of three doses of EDP-514 in treatment-naive viremic patients with HBeAgpositive or -negative chronic HBV infection. Methods: Patients with HBsAg detectable at screening and at least 6 months previously were eligible. HBeAg-positive and -negative patients had a serum/plasma HBV DNA level ≥20,000 and ≥2,000 IU/mL, respectively. Twenty-five patients were randomized to EDP-514 200 (n=6), 400 (n=6) or 800 mg (n=7) or placebo (n=6) once daily for 28 days. Results: A dose-related increase in EDP-514 exposure (AUClast and Cmax) was observed across doses. At Day 28, mean reductions in HBV DNA were –2.9, –3.3, –3.5 and –0.2 log10 IU/mL with EDP-514 200 mg, 400 mg, 800 mg, and placebo groups, respectively. The corresponding mean change from baseline for HBV RNA levels was –2.9, –2.4, –2.0, and –0.02 log10 U/mL. No virologic failures were observed. No clinically meaningful changes from baseline were observed for HBsAg, HBeAg or HBcrAg. Nine patients reported treatment emergent adverse events of mild or moderate severity with no discontinuations, serious AEs or deaths. Conclusions In treatment-naïve viremic patients, oral EDP-514 was generally safe and well-tolerated, displayed PK profile supportive of once-daily dosing, and markedly reduced HBV DNA and HBV RNA.

OBJECTIVE: To explore weight-bearing stability of Pilon fracture fixed by external fixator. METHODS: Six ankle bone models (right side) and 4 pairs (8 ankle cadaver specimens) were selected. Pilon fracture model was prepared by using the preset osteotomy line based on Ruedi Allgower Pilon fracture type. Pilon fracture model was built by using a minimally invasive osteotomy. After ankle bone model and cadaver specimen model were fixed with external fixator, axial load was carried out on mechanical loading machine. After ankle bone model and cadaver specimen model were fixed with external fixator, axial load was carried out on mechanical loading machine. Axial loads of 150, 300 and 450 N were applied to ankle bone model, and displacements of fibula fracture blocks, lateral tibia fracture blocks and medial tibia fracture blocks in three-dimensional space (X, Y and Z axes) were recorded by dynamic capture instrument. Axial loads of 300, 600 and 900 N were applied to ankle cadaver model fixed by external fixator. X-ray films of Pilon fracture cadaver model fixed by external fixator under different loading conditions were taken. The anterior tibial angle, tibial malleolar point angle, talus shift value, talus tilt angle, lateral malleolar shift value, lateral malleolar shift value, medial malleolar separation shift value and articular surface step displacement value were measured under different loads by digimizer software. RESULTS: After 150, 300 and 450 N axial loads were applied to Pilon fracture models fixed by external fixator, no loosening or fracture of external fixator was observed, and no loosening, fracture or irreversible plastic deformation of Kirschner needle were observed. The displacement values of fibular fracture pieces on X-axis(around) were 0.032 (-0.022, 0.269), 0.061 (-0.002, 0.427), 0.212(-0.016, 1.223) mm, and the displacement values on Y-axis(above and below) were 0.002(-0.031, 0.103), 0.051(-1.133, 0.376), 0.128 (-1.394, 0.516) mm, and displacement values on Z-axis (front and rear) were -0.003 (-0.130, 0.171), 0.137 (-0.076, 0.433), 0.030(-0.487, 0.478) mm;the displacement values of lateral tibial fractures on X-axis were 0.000(-0.108, 0.027), 0.083(-0.364, 0.050), -0.121(-0.289, 0.165) mm, and displacement values on Y-axis were -0.009(-0.200, 0.025), -0.179(-0.710, 0.084), -0.257(-0.799, 0.027) mm, and displacement values on Z-axis were 0.112(-0.024, 0.256), 0.157(-0.068, 0.293), -0.210(-0.035, 0.430) mm;the displacement values of medial tibial fracture block on X-axis were -0.010(-0.060, 0.013), -0.165(-0.289, 0.056), -0.181(-0.395, 0.013) mm, and the displacement values on Y-axis were -0.036(-0.156, 0.007), -0.104(-0.269, 0.178), -0.245(-0.380, -0.011) mm, and displacement values on Z-axis were -0.005(-0.372, 0.189), -0.012 (-1.774, 0.380), 0.200 (-1.963, -0.540) mm. After 300, 600 and 900 N axial loads were applied to Pilon fracture cadaverous models fixed with external fixators, there were no significant difference in anterior tibial angles, angles of malleolar points of tibia, oblique angles of talus, fracture steps, shift values of talus, lateral shift values of lateral malleolus, lateral shift values of medial malleolus, lateral shift values of medial malleolus between under different loading conditions and those without loading (P>0.05). No loosening or fracture of external fixator as a whole, loosening, fracture or irreversible deformation of Kirschner needle at the local fixed fracture end occurred. CONCLUSION The early weight-bearing external fixator could maintain stability of fracture end and ankle joint, and the maximum weight is not more than 300 N. In clinical practical application, material characteristics of the implant and type of fracture should be selected.
Humans ; Weight-Bearing ; Biomechanical Phenomena ; External Fixators ; Tibial Fractures/physiopathology* ; Fracture Fixation/instrumentation* ; Male