To analyze the disease burden of hypertension in the elderly population from 1990 to 2021 and to predict future trends in China and globally, thereby providing insights for public health decision-making regarding older adults with hypertension in China.

Objective To investigate the role and underlying mechanism of C1q-like protein 4 (C1ql4) in regulating the characteristics of breast cancer stem cells. Methods qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of C1ql4 in breast cancer and normal breast epithelial cell lines, as well as to verify the transfection efficiency of C1ql4. Western blot analysis was employed to examine the phosphorylation levels of AKT, IKK, and IκB in different groups. An AKT activator was added to MDA-MB-231 cells with C1ql4 knockdown, whereas inhibitors targeting AKT, IKK, IκB, and NF-κB nuclear translocation were separately introduced to C1ql4-overexpressing MCF-7 cells. The nuclear translocation of NF-κB, expression levels of the target genes TNF-α and IL-1β, formation ability of tumorspheres, and proportion of CD44⁺/CD24^−/low stem-like subgroups were analyzed. Results C1ql4 expression in breast cancer cell lines was significantly upregulated compared with that in normal breast epithelial cells. Western blot analysis showed that p-AKT/AKT, p-IKK/IKK, and p-IκB/IκB ratios markedly reduced in C1ql4-knockdown MDA-MB-231 cells (all P<0.05) but significantly increased in C1ql4-overexpressing MCF-7 cells (all P<0.05). Rescue experiments demonstrated that the addition of an AKT activator to C1ql4-knockdown MDA-MB-231 cells resulted in the enhanced nuclear translocation of NF-κB, the increased nuclear/cytoplasmic NF-κB ratios, the elevated TNF-α and IL-1β expression levels, and significant recovery of tumorsphere formation ability and the proportion of CD44⁺/CD24^−/low stem-like subpopulations (all P<0.05). Conversely, in C1ql4-overexpressing MCF-7 cells, treatment with AKT, IKK, IκB, or NF-κB nuclear translocation inhibitors led to a reduction in NF-κB nuclear translocation, decreased nuclear/cytoplasmic NF-κB ratios, and declines in TNF-α and IL-1β expression levels, tumorsphere formation ability, and the CD44⁺/CD24^−/low subpopulation (all P<0.05). Conclusion C1ql4 promotes the translocation of NF-κB from the cytoplasm to the nucleus through the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway and enhances the expression of stemness in breast cancer cells.

Objective To explore the effect of melatonin ( MLT) on the initiation of puberty in female mice and on the expression level of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinases ( PI3K)/protein kinase B ( Akt)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in the frypothalamus. Methods Seventy-eight 20-day-old female KM mice were randomly divided into melatonin (MLT) group and normal saline (NS) group, with 39 mice in each group. Starting at 22 days of age, the MLT group was given a subcutaneous injection of 1 mg/kg melatonin and the NS group was given an equal volume of saline. Thirty-two days of age were selected as the sampling point before puberty initiation and 13 mice were executed in each of the two groups, while 37 and 42 days of age were selected as the sampling point after puberty initiation and 13 mice were executed in each of the two groups. Observation of vaginal opening time in mice, weighing of ovaries and uterus to calculate organ indices. HE staining to observe the number of ovarian corpora lutea. The levels of serum luteinizing hormone (LH)were determined by ELISA. The mRNA and protein expression levels of PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in frypothalamus were detected by Real-time PCR and Western blotting. Results Compared with the normal saline group, mice in the melatonin group had significantly delayed vaginal opening time ( P < 0. 05 ) , decreased significantly ovarian and uterine volume and index (P<0. 05) , decreased significantly serum LH levels (P<0. 05) , and decreased significantly mRNA and protein expression levels of the frypothalamic PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway (P<0. 05). Conclusion Melatonin delays puberty initiation in mice by a mechanism that ma)' be related to inhibition of the hypothalamic PI3K/Akt/mTOR signalling pathway.

AIM: To investigate the effect of Nd:YAG laser peripheral iridotomy(LPI)on macular retinal thickness in patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma(PACG).METHODS: Prospective study. A total of 30 patients(30 eyes)with PACG in our hospital from October 2019 to October 2021 were selected as the PACG group, and 20 healthy people(20 eyes)were selected as the control group(randomly selected one eye)during the same period. The PACG group received LPI treatment and was followed up for 1mo after surgery. Best corrected visual acuity(BCVA), intraocular pressure, corneal endothelial cells, anterior chamber depth(ACD)and axial length(AL)measured by IOL Master 500 optical measuring instrument and macular retinal thickness measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography(SD-OCT)in both groups were collected. The ACD, intraocular pressure, AL and macular retinal thickness were compared between the two groups and the PACG group before and after LPI, and the correlation was analyzed.RESULTS: The ACD in the PACG group at 1wk and 1mo after surgery was deeper than that before surgery(all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in intraocular pressure and AL in the PACG group before and after surgery(all P>0.05). The retinal thickness at central fovea of macula, the superior side, temporal side, inferior side, and nasal side of the inner and outer central macular rings were 243.50±13.24, 324.50±13.46, 308.83±15.94, 310.00±14.24, 314.50±16.29, 300.67±19.95, 290.17±12.58, 302.40±16.37 and 307.33±14.84μm in the PACG group, respectively, and were 266.14±16.16, 342.67±15.86, 327.95±16.41, 337.85±13.03, 341.24±15.58, 313.76±17.59, 290.24±16.29, 303.81±13.91, 323.01±14.80μm in the control group, respectively. The differences at central fovea of macula, the superior side, temporal side, inferior side, and nasal side of the inner central macular rings were statistically significant between the two groups(all P<0.05). In the PACG group, the retinal thickness at 9 areas of macular in 1wk after operation were higher than those before operation, and they were close to the preoperative level at 1mo after operation, but the differences of each area in the overall comparison were not statistically significant(all P>0.05).CONCLUSIONS: The macular retinal thickness of patients with PACG is thinner than that of normal people, and it can become thicker in the early stage after LPI.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic systemic autoimmune disease, is characterized by synovitis and progressive damage to the bone and cartilage of the joints, leading to disability and reduced quality of life. This study was a randomized clinical trial comparing the outcomes between withdrawal and dose reduction of tofacitinib in patients with RA who achieved sustained disease control. METHODS: The study was designed as a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial. Eligible patients who were taking tofacitinib (5 mg twice daily) and had achieved sustained RA remission or low disease activity (disease activity score in 28 joints [DAS28] ≤3.2) for at least 3 months were enrolled at six centers in Shanghai, China. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to one of three treatment groups: continuation of tofacitinib (5 mg twice daily); reduction in tofacitinib dose (5 mg daily); and withdrawal of tofacitinib. Efficacy and safety were assessed up to 6 months. RESULTS: Overall, 122 eligible patients were enrolled, with 41 in the continuation group, 42 in the dose-reduction group, and 39 in the withdrawal group. After 6 months, the percentage of patients with a DAS28-erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of <3.2 was significantly lower in the withdrawal group than that in the reduction and continuation groups (20.5%, 64.3%, and 95.1%, respectively; P  < 0.0001 for both comparisons). The average flare-free time was 5.8 months for the continuation group, 4.7 months for the dose reduction group, and 2.4 months for the withdrawal group. CONCLUSION: Withdrawal of tofacitinib in patients with RA with stable disease control resulted in a rapid and significant loss of efficacy, while standard or reduced doses of tofacitinib maintained a favorable state. TRIAL REGISTRATION Chictr.org, ChiCTR2000039799.
Humans ; Quality of Life ; China ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Piperidines/therapeutic use* ; Treatment Outcome ; Antirheumatic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Pyrroles/therapeutic use*

Objective To look for a tissue paraffin embedding method that can replace xylene transparent agent. Methods The mixture of N-butanol and turpentine was used to replace the role of anhydrous ethanol and xylene in the process of conventional paraffin embedding. The brain, kidney, stomach, liver and duodenum of multiple cerebral infarction model rats were embedded in paraffin. Finally, the new dehydration procedure was evaluated according to the effect of paraffin section, HE staining and immunohistochemical result . Results The mixture of N-butanol and turpentine could replace not only the dehydration effect of anhydrous ethanol but also the transparency effect of xylene in the conventional paraffin embedding process. The tissue sections treated with the mixture of N-butanol and turpentine were smooth, and the tissue did not become brittle or hard; After HE staining, the nucleus and cytoplasm of the new dehydrated tissue were distinct, and the chromaticity, color and transparency of the tissue were not different from those of the conventional dehydration procedure; Immunohistochemical staining was performed on different tissues of rats, and the comparison result were no different from conventional embedded tissue immunohistochemical staining. Conclusion N-butanol combined with turpentine for tissue dehydration can not only avoid the toxic effect of xylene on human, but also reduce the tissue damage caused by excessive dehydration of anhydrous alcohol.

To investigate the correlation between the trigiuceride-glucose index and early neurological deterioration（END） in patients with mild ischemic stroke（MIS）. Methods This study was retrospective. Patients with acute MIS who were admitted to the Department of Neurology of the First Central Hospital of Baoding from January 2019 to December 2020 for the first time and within 72 h of onset were consecutively included. The National Institute of Health Stroke Scale（NIHSS） scores were recorded at the time of admission，and fasting venous blood was drawn in the early morning of the following day to determine routine blood，liver function，renal function，lipids and other relevant blood indices，and the trigiuceride-glucose index was calculated ln［TG（mg/dl）×FBG（mg/dl）］/2.The patients were divided into END and non-END groups according to their neurological deterioration. Multi-factor logistic regression was used to analyze the factors associated with the occurrence of END in acute MIS patients，and the subject operating characteristic curve（ROC） was used to evaluate the predictive effect of the trigiuceride-glucose index on END in acute MIS patients. Results A final total of 149 patients with acute MIS were included，39 in the END group and 110 in the non-END group. Multi-factor logistic regression analysis showed that neutrophil ratio（OR 1.054，95%CI 1.009～1.101，P=0.017）、TBIL（OR 0.718，95%CI 0.611～0.845，P<0.001）and trigiuceride-glucose index（OR 5.072，95%CI 1.645～15.640，P=0.005） were independent risk factors for the development of END in patients with acute MIS. The ROC curve analysis showed that the diagnostic cut-off value of trigiuceride-glucose index for END was 1.74 with a sensitivity of 53.8% and specificity of 81.8%. Conclusion Elevated trigiuceride-glucose index is one of the risk factors for the development of END in patients with acute MIS and has a predictive role for the development of END in patients with acute MIS.

China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Environmental Exposure/adverse effects* ; Mental Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Organophosphates/adverse effects* ; Rural Population

OBJECTIVES: Sufentanil has a good protective effect on myocardial and liver injury caused by ischemia reperfusion (IR), but its protective effect on kidney is still unclear. This study aims to investigate whether sufentanil can prevent IR-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) and to determine whether its efficacy is related to miR-145-mediated autophagy. METHODS: A total of 40 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups (n=8 in each group): A sham group, an IR group, a sufentanil group, a sufentanil+miR-145 inhibitor control group (an anti-NC group) and a sufentanil+miR-145 inhibitor group (an anti-miR-145 group). Except for the sham group, the other groups established a rat AKI model induced by IR. The sufentanil group, the sufentanil+anti-NC group, and the sufentanil+anti-miR-145 were injected with sufentanil (1 μg/kg) through femoral vein 30 min before ischemia. The sufentanil+anti-NC group and the sufentanil+anti-miR-145 group were injected with miR-145 inhibitor control or anti-miR-145 (80 mg/kg) through the tail vein before sufentanil pretreatment. The structure and function of kidneys harvested from the rats were evaluated, and the protein levels of autophagy-related proteins, oxidative stress levels, and apoptosis levels were measured. RESULTS: Compared with the IR group, the renal structure and function were improved in the sufentanil group. The levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr), urinary kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), neutrophil gelatinase related lipid transporter (NGAL), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and ROS were significantly decreased (all P<0.05). In addition, compared with the IR group, the levels of Beclin-1 and LC3 in renal tissues in the sufentanil group were significantly increased (both P<0.05), and the apoptosis in renal tissues was significantly reduced (P<0.05). Compared with the sufentanil+anti-NC group, the levels of BUN, Cr, KIM-1, NGAL, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and ROS in the sufentanil+anti-miR-145 group were significantly increased (all P<0.05), the levels of Beclin-1 and LC3 in renal tissues were significantly decreased (both P<0.05), and the apoptosis in renal tissues was significantly increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Sufentanil can prevent the AKI induced by IR, which is related to the up-regulation of miR-145-mediated autophagy.
Animals ; Rats ; Acute Kidney Injury/pathology* ; Antagomirs ; Autophagy ; Beclin-1/metabolism* ; Creatinine ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Ischemia ; Kidney/pathology* ; Lipocalin-2 ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Reperfusion ; Reperfusion Injury/metabolism* ; Sufentanil/therapeutic use* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Up-Regulation

Objective: Huidouba (HDB) is a Chinese folk medicine used to treat diabetes in Sichuan Province, China. Therefore, we investigated the anti-diabetic effects of HDB and its underlying mechanisms. We hypothesized that HDB treatment could enhance glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and thus prevent a hyperglycemia state. Methods: To test the hypothesis, streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice and db/db mice, widely used models of hyperglycemia and insulin-resistant diabetes, were either treated with HDB, metformin, or acarbose. Blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test, insulin tolerance test, pancreatic histopathology and serum biochemistry were detected to assess the hypoglycemic effect of HDB. Results: HDB treatments were found to show the effect in reducing glucose levels. HDB also resulted in a significant reduction in body weight and food intake in the STZ-induced diabetic mouse model. Furthermore, it significantly improved glucose and insulin tolerance in the two diabetic mouse models. Importantly, insulin, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide, and somatostatin immunohistochemistry revealed that HDB treatment improved the function and the location of the cells in the islets compared with the other two treatments. HDB treatment resulted in significant restoration of islet function. Our results illustrated the underlying mechanism of HDB in the progression of diabetes, and HDB can be an effective agent for the treatment of diabetes. Conclusion: The results of this study suggested that HDB can reduce blood glucose levels in STZ-induced hyperglycemic mice and db/db mice.