OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of quercetin on cuproptosis and L-type calcium currents in the myocardium of diabetic rats. METHODS: Forty SD rats were randomized into control group and diabetic model groups. The rat models of diabetes mellitus (DM) induced by high-fat and high-sugar diet combined with streptozotocin (STZ) injection were further divided into DM model group, quercetin treatment group, and empagliflozin treatment group (n=10). Blood glucose and body weight were measured every other week, and cardiac function of the rats was evaluated using echocardiography. HE staining, Sirius red staining, and wheat germ agglutinin (WGA) analysis were used to observe the changes in myocardial histomorphology, and serum copper levels and myocardial FDX1 expression were detected. In cultured rat cardiomyocyte H9c2 cells with high-glucose exposure, the effects of quercetin and elesclomol, alone or in combination, on intracellular CK-MB and LDH levels and FDX1 expression were assessed, and the changes in L-type calcium currents were analyzed using patch-clamp technique. RESULTS: The diabetic rats exhibited elevated blood glucose, reduced body weight, impaired left ventricular function, increased serum copper levels and myocardial FDX1 expression, decreased L-type calcium currents, and prolonged action potential duration. Quercetin and empagliflozin treatment significantly lowered blood glucose, improved body weight, and restored cardiac function of the diabetic rats, and compared with empagliflozin, quercetin more effectively reduced serum copper levels, downregulated FDX1 expression, and enhanced myocardial L-type calcium currents in diabetic rats. In H9c2 cells, high glucose exposure significantly increased myocardial expressions of FDX1, CK-MB and LDH, which were effectively lowered by quercetin treatment; Elesclomol further elevated FDX1, CK-MB and LDH levels in the exposed cells, and these changes were not significantly affected by the application of quercetin. CONCLUSIONS Quercetin ameliorates myocardial injury in diabetic rats possibly by suppressing myocardial cuproptosis signaling and restoring L-type calcium channel activity.
Animals ; Quercetin/pharmacology* ; Calcium Channels, L-Type/metabolism* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Myocytes, Cardiac/drug effects* ; Myocardium/pathology* ; Male

Objective To explore the cost effectiveness of osimertinib and gefitinib in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer （NSCLC） with epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR） mutation. Methods A total of 52 advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation treated by osimertinib were selected as group A from June 2021 to August 2022 at the Chengde Central Hospital, and 52 patients treated by gefitinib were selected as group B according to the propensity score matching method in 1∶1 ratio. The treatment cost and effect of the two groups of patients were compared, and the cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated, and sensitivity analysis was conducted. Results The total effective rate of group A was higher than that of group B （90.38% vs 71.15%, χ²=6.190, P=0.013）. The drug cost and total treatment cost of group A were higher than those of group B（P<0.05）, and other direct costs were lower than those of group B （P<0.05）. The incremental cost effectiveness ratio of group A was 374.71. After the cost-effectiveness sensitivity analysis on adjusting drug costs to decrease by 10% and the total effective rate to decrease by 10% of the two groups, the sensitivity analysis results were basically consistent with the original results. Conclusion Based on the latest prices and actual case data of osimertinib and gefitinib, osimertinib was better than gefitinib in the treatment of advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutation. Although gefitinib had lower treatment costs, osimertinib had more cost effectiveness advantages. These findings could provide important reference for the clinical development of treatment plans for advanced NSCLC patients with EGFR mutations.

Objective To investigate whether activation of mitochondrial acetal dehydrogenase 2(ALDH2)alleviates hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by regulating the SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway.Methods Thirty 8-week-old C57 BL/6 mice were randomized into control,hypoxia,and hypoxia+Alda-1(an ALDH2 activator)group(n=10),and the mice in the latter two groups,along with 10 ALDH2 knockout(ALDH2-/-)mice,were exposed to hypoxia(10%O2,90%N2)with or without daily intraperitoneal injection of Alda-1 for 4 weeks.The changes in right ventricular function and pressure(RVSP)of the mice were evaluated by echocardiography and right ventricular catheter test,and pulmonary artery pressure was estimated based on RVSP.Pulmonary vascular remodeling,right ventricular injury,myocardial α-SMA expression,distal pulmonary arteriole muscle normalization,right ventricular cross-sectional area,myocardial cell hypertrophy,and right cardiac hypertrophy index were assessed with HE staining,immunofluorescence staining and WGA staining,and the expressions of ALDH2,SIRT1,PGC-1α,P16INK4A and P21CIP1 were detected.In pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells with hypoxic exposure,the effect of Alda-1 and EX527 on cell senescence and protein expressions was evaluated using β-galactose staining and Western blotting.Results The wild-type mice with hypoxic exposure showed significantly increased RVSP,right ventricular free wall thickness and myocardial expressions of P16INK4A and P21CIP1,which were effectively lowered by treatment with Alda-1 but further increased in ALDH2-/-mice.In cultured pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells,hypoxic exposure significantly increased senescent cell percentage and cellular expressions of P16INK4A and P21CIP1,which were all lowered by treatment with Alda-1,but its effect was obviously attenuated by EX527 treatment.Conclusion ALDH2 alleviates hypoxia-induced senescence of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells by upregulating the SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway to alleviate pulmonary hypertension in mice.

Objective:To explore the application of an automatic slide-dropping instrument in bone marrow chromosomal karyotyping.Methods:The effects of manual and automatic dropping methods under different environmental humidity were retrospectively analyzed, and the repeatability of the automatic dropping method was analyzed.Results:No statistical difference was found between the results of automatic and manual dropping methods under the optimum ambient humidity and high humidity ( P>0.05). At low humidity, there was a statistical difference between the two methods ( P<0.05). With regard to the repeatability, the coefficient of variations of the automatic dropping method for the number of split phases, the rate of good dispersion and the rate of overlap were all lower than those of the manual dropping method. A statistical difference was also found in the number of split phases ( P<0.05) but not in the discrete excellent rate and overlapping rate between the two methods ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Better effect can be obtained by the automatic dropping instrument. It is suggested to gradually replace manual work with machine.

Objective To investigate whether activation of mitochondrial acetal dehydrogenase 2(ALDH2)alleviates hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by regulating the SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway.Methods Thirty 8-week-old C57 BL/6 mice were randomized into control,hypoxia,and hypoxia+Alda-1(an ALDH2 activator)group(n=10),and the mice in the latter two groups,along with 10 ALDH2 knockout(ALDH2-/-)mice,were exposed to hypoxia(10%O2,90%N2)with or without daily intraperitoneal injection of Alda-1 for 4 weeks.The changes in right ventricular function and pressure(RVSP)of the mice were evaluated by echocardiography and right ventricular catheter test,and pulmonary artery pressure was estimated based on RVSP.Pulmonary vascular remodeling,right ventricular injury,myocardial α-SMA expression,distal pulmonary arteriole muscle normalization,right ventricular cross-sectional area,myocardial cell hypertrophy,and right cardiac hypertrophy index were assessed with HE staining,immunofluorescence staining and WGA staining,and the expressions of ALDH2,SIRT1,PGC-1α,P16INK4A and P21CIP1 were detected.In pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells with hypoxic exposure,the effect of Alda-1 and EX527 on cell senescence and protein expressions was evaluated using β-galactose staining and Western blotting.Results The wild-type mice with hypoxic exposure showed significantly increased RVSP,right ventricular free wall thickness and myocardial expressions of P16INK4A and P21CIP1,which were effectively lowered by treatment with Alda-1 but further increased in ALDH2-/-mice.In cultured pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells,hypoxic exposure significantly increased senescent cell percentage and cellular expressions of P16INK4A and P21CIP1,which were all lowered by treatment with Alda-1,but its effect was obviously attenuated by EX527 treatment.Conclusion ALDH2 alleviates hypoxia-induced senescence of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells by upregulating the SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway to alleviate pulmonary hypertension in mice.

Objective:To explore the standardized performance of a FISH probe before clinical detection.Methods:The probe sensitivity and specificity of ETV6/RUNX1 were analyzed via interphase and metaphase FISH in 20 discarded healthy bone marrow samples. The threshold system of the probe was established using an inverse beta distribution, and an interpretation standard was established. Finally, a parallel-controlled polymerase chain reaction detection study was conducted on 286 bone marrow samples from patients at our hospital. The clinical sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic coincidence rate of ETV6/RUNX1 FISH detection were analyzed, and the diagnostic consistency of the two methods was analyzed by the kappa test.Results:The probe sensitivity and specificity of the ETV6/RUNX1 probe were 98.47% and 100%, respectively. When 50, 100, and 200 cells were counted, the typical positive signal pattern cutoffs were 5.81%, 2.95%, and 1.49%, respectively, and the atypical positive signal pattern cutoffs were 13.98%, 9.75%, and 6.26%, respectively. The clinical sensitivity of FISH was 96.1%, clinical specificity was 99.6%, diagnostic coincidence rate was 99.00%, diagnostic consistency test kappa value was 0.964, and P value was <0.001.Conclusion:For FISH probes without a national medical device registration certificate, standardized performance verification and methodology performance verification can be performed using laboratory developed test verification standards to ensure a reliable and accurate reference basis for clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) with a bone marrow nucleated erythroid cell proportion of greater than or equal to 50% (MDS-E) .Methods:The clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with MDS-E were retrospectively analyzed by collecting the case data of 1 436 newly treated patients with MDS diagnosed in the Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from May 2014 to June 2023.Results:A total of 1 436 newly diagnosed patients with complete data were included in the study, of which 337 (23.5%) patients with MDS-E had a younger age of onset and lower neutrophil and platelet counts compared with those in patients with an erythroid cell proportion of less than 50% (MDS-NE) (all P<0.05). The proportion of MDS cases with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS) was higher in the MDS-E group than in the MDS-NE group, and multi-hit TP53 mutations were more enriched in the MDS-E group than in the MDS-NE group (all P<0.05). Among patients with MDS-RS, the frequency of complex karyotypes and the TP53 mutation rate were significantly lower in the MDS-E group than in the MDS-NE group (0 vs 11.9%, P=0.048 and 2.4% vs 15.1%, P=0.053, respectively). Among patients with TP53 mutations, the frequencies of complex karyotypes and multi-hit TP53 mutations were significantly higher in the MDS-E group than in the MDS-NE group (87.5% vs 64.6%, P=0.003 and 84.0% vs 54.2%, P<0.001, respectively). Survival analysis of patients with MDS-RS found that the overall survival (OS) in the MDS-E group was better than that in the MDS-NE group [not reached vs 63 (95% CI 53.3-72.7) months, P=0.029]. Among patients with TP53 mutations and excess blasts, the OS in the MDS-E group was worse than that in the MDS-NE group [6 (95% CI 2.2-9.8) months vs 12 (95% CI 8.9-15.1) months, P=0.022]. Multivariate analysis showed that age of ≥65 years ( HR=2.47, 95% CI 1.43-4.26, P=0.001), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of ≤100 fl ( HR=2.62, 95% CI 1.54-4.47, P<0.001), and TP53 mutation ( HR=2.31, 95% CI 1.29-4.12, P=0.005) were poor prognostic factors independent of the Revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R) prognosis stratification in patients with MDS-E. Conclusion:Among patients with MDS-RS, MDS-E was strongly associated with a lower proportion of complex karyotypes and TP53 mutations, and the OS in the MDS-E group was longer than that in the MDS-NE group. Among patients with TP53 mutations, MDS-E was strongly associated with complex karyotypes and multi-hit TP53 mutations, and among TP53-mutated patients with excess blasts, the OS in the MDS-E group was shorter than that in the MDS-NE group. Age of ≥65 years, MCV of ≤100 fl, and TP53 mutation were independent adverse prognostic factors affecting OS in patients with MDS-E.

Objective: To observe the effect of angiotensin ( 1-7) ［Ang( 1-7) ］on the apoptosis and angiogenesis of fibroblasts in the oral submucosal fibrosis ( OSF) ，and to explore the effect preliminarily mechanism． Methods: Fibroblasts were isolated and cultured from human buccal mucosal tissue，the cell morphology was observed by inverted microscope，and the expression of vimentin was detected by immunofluorescence staining ; areca nut extract (ANE) was used to induce human fibroblasts to simulate the in vitro model of fibroblasts in OSF，the experimental groups included control group ( normally cultured cells) ，ANE group ( 100 μg/ ml ANE cultured cells for 48 hours) ，ANE + low-dose Ang( 1-7) group ( 100 μg/ ml ANE + 10－7 mol /L Ang ( 1-7) cultured cells for 48 h) ， ANE + high-dose Ang( 1-7) group ( 100 μg/ ml ANE + 10－5 mol /L Ang( 1-7) cultured cells for 48 h) ，immunofluorescence staining detected the expression of α-smooth muscle actin ( α-SMA) ，ELISA method detected the content of Collagen I and Collagen Ⅲ in the cell culture supernatant，MTT method detected cell proliferation activity， flow cytometry detected cell apoptosis ，the tubule formation experiment detected the vascularization of human umbilical vein endothelial cell(HUVEC) ; After the mRFP-GFP-LC3 virus was transferred to the cells，the level of autophagy was detected by immunofluorescence staining，Western blot detected the expression of autophagy-related protein Beclin-1 and the ratio of LC3-Ⅱ/ LC3-Ⅰ . Results: The isolated and cultured cells were in a long spindle shape，and Vimentin was positively expressed，indicating that fibroblasts were successfully isolated ; Compared with the ANE group，the fluorescence expression of α-SMA protein in ANE low dose Ang( 1-7) group and ANE + high dose Ang( 1-7) group significantly decreased，the contents of Collagen I and Collagen Ⅲ in the culture supernatant were reduced (P＜0．05) ，cell proliferation activity decreased (P＜0．05) ，and cell apoptosis rate increased (P < 0．05) ，the cell culture supernatants of the two groups inhibited the angiogenesis of HUVEC (P＜0．05) ，endophagosomes were reduced (P＜0．05) ，Beclin-1 protein expression was reduced (P ＜0．05) ，and the ratio of LC3- Ⅱ / LC3-Ⅰ was down-regulated (P ＜0．05 ) ; in addition ，the effect of ANE + high-dose Ang ( 1-7 ) group was stronger than that of ANE + low-dose Ang( 1-7) group (P＜0．05) ． Conclusion Ang( 1-7) can inhibit the activation of fibroblasts induced by ANE，promote cell apoptosis，and reduce the angiogenesis of HUVEC，this mechanism may be related to the regulation of cell autophagy.

Objective:To investigate the effect of ligand of numb-protein X1(LNX1)on the proliferation,invasion and migration of renal clear cell carcinoma cells and its underlying molecular mechanism. Methods:Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis(GEPIA)database was used to analyze the mRNA expression level of LNX1 in renal clear cell carcinoma tissues and its relationship with the prognosis of patients with renal clear cell carcinoma.LNX1 gene specific shRNA(shLNX1)was delivered into renal clear cell carcinoma cell lines 786-O and ACHN by lentiviral infection,and flag-LNX1 plasmid was delivered into 786-O and ACHN cells by transient transfection.CCK-8 assay and colony formation assay were used to assess the effects of LNX1 silencing or overexpression on the proliferation of 786-O and ACHN cells.Transwell assay was used to evaluate the effects of LNX1 silencing or overexpression on the invasion and migration of 786-O and ACHN cells.Bioinformatics analysis was used to screen the downstream target genes of LNX1.Western blotting was used to examine the effects of LNX1 silencing or overexpression on the expression level of T-lymphoma invasion and metastasis-inducing protein 1(TIAM1)as well as the expression levels of total and phosphorylated ERK(phospho-ERK,p-ERK)in the ERK signaling pathway downstream of TIAM1 in 786-O and ACHN cells.786-O and ACHN cells overexpressing LNX1 were treated with proteasome inhibitor MG132,and the protein expression level of TIAM1 was analyzed by Western blotting.Finally,myc-TIAM1 recombinant plasmid was transfected into LNX1-overexpressing cells.Then,the expression levels of proteins in the ERK signaling pathway and the abilities of proliferation,invasion and migration of 786-O and ACHN cells were examined by Western blotting,colony formation assay and Transwell assay,respectively. Results:The mRNA expression level of LNX1 in renal clear cell carcinoma tissue was decreased(P＜0.05)and was positively correlated with the survival time of patients with renal clear cell carcinoma(P＜0.001).LNX1-silencing 786-O and ACHN cells and LNX1-overexpressing 786-O and ACHN cells were constructed successfully.After LNX1 silencing,the proliferation,invasion and migration of 786-O and ACHN cells were significantly enhanced(all P＜0.05).After LNX1 overexpression,the abilities of proliferation,invasion and migration of 786-O and ACHN cells were significantly decreased(all P＜0.05).Bioinformatics analysis identified TIAM1 as a potential target of LNX1.After silencing LNX1,the protein expression levels of TIAM1 and p-ERK were significantly increased(all P＜0.05),while the expression level of ERK remained unchanged.After LNX1 overexpression,the protein expression levels of TIAM1 and p-ERKwere significantly decreased(all P＜0.01),while the expression level of ERK was unchanged.Treatment with proteasome inhibitor MG132 increased the protein expression level of TIAM1 in LNX1-overexpressing 786-O and ACHN cells(P＜0.01 and P＜0.001).After LNX1-overexpressing cells were transfected with myc-TIAM1 plasmid,the protein expression level of p-ERK was increased,the abilities of cell proliferation,invasion and migration were enhanced(all P＜0.05),and the expression level of ERK protein remained unchanged. Conclusion:LNX1 inhibits the proliferation,invasion and migration of renal clear cell carcinoma cells by degrading TIAM1 which further regulates the phosphorylation of ERK.

The radial migration of cortical pyramidal neurons (PNs) during corticogenesis is necessary for establishing a multilayered cerebral cortex. Neuronal migration defects are considered a critical etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), schizophrenia, epilepsy, and intellectual disability (ID). TRIO is a high-risk candidate gene for ASDs and ID. However, its role in embryonic radial migration and the etiology of ASDs and ID are not fully understood. In this study, we found that the in vivo conditional knockout or in utero knockout of Trio in excitatory precursors in the neocortex caused aberrant polarity and halted the migration of late-born PNs. Further investigation of the underlying mechanism revealed that the interaction of the Trio N-terminal SH3 domain with Myosin X mediated the adherence of migrating neurons to radial glial fibers through regulating the membrane location of neuronal cadherin (N-cadherin). Also, independent or synergistic overexpression of RAC1 and RHOA showed different phenotypic recoveries of the abnormal neuronal migration by affecting the morphological transition and/or the glial fiber-dependent locomotion. Taken together, our findings clarify a novel mechanism of Trio in regulating N-cadherin cell surface expression via the interaction of Myosin X with its N-terminal SH3 domain. These results suggest the vital roles of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 (GEF1) and GEF2 domains in regulating radial migration by activating their Rho GTPase effectors in both distinct and cooperative manners, which might be associated with the abnormal phenotypes in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Autism Spectrum Disorder/metabolism* ; Cell Movement/genetics* ; Humans ; Interneurons/metabolism* ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders/genetics* ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Rho Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors/genetics*