Objective : To investigate the mechanism of action of benvitimod (BVM) in the treatment of atopic der- matitis (AD) . Methods : HaCaT cells were stimulated by TNF-α and IFN-γ , and the cells were grouped into NC group , TNF-α/IFN-γ group , TNF-α/IFN-γ BVM group , and TNF-α/IFN-γ BVM ML385 group. The AD model of DNCB-induced Balb/c mice was divided into CON group , DNCB group , DNCB + BVM group , and DNCB + TAC group. The efficacy of BVM and its roles in antioxidant and pyroptosis regulation were evaluated. Results: Compared with the control group , BVM inhibited the inflammatory response of HaCaT cells stimulated by TNF-α and IFN-γ , and ameliorated the skin lesions and inflammation in the DNCB-induced AD mouse model ; at the same time , it significantly increased the expression of nuclearfactorerythroid-2-relatedfactor2 (NRF2)-related anti-oxida- tive stress proteins , and significantly reduced the expression of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and pyroptosis proteins. At the same time , the levels of NRF2-related antioxidative stress proteins significantly in- creased , and the levels of ROS and pyroptosis proteins significantly decreased. Conclusion BVM activates the NRF2/ROS/NLRP3 pathway to inhibit pyroptosis , thereby reducing the inflammatory response in AD.

Obstructive sleep apnea(OSA)is a common sleep disorder characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway collapse and obstruction during sleep.Polysomnography is the gold standard for diagnosing OSA,but it is expensive,time-consuming,and can cause discomfort for patients.In recent years,acoustic-based approaches for detecting OSA have emerged as a research focus.This review summarizes recent advances in OSA automatic detection techniques based on snoring and speech signals,and systematically examines their applications in diagnosis,severity assessment,and localization of obstruction sites.Findings indicate that the acoustic features of snoring and speech signals hold significant value for OSA screening,and when combined with machine learning and deep learning models,it can achieve high diagnostic accuracy.Future research should focus on elucidating the relationship between acoustic features and the pathophysiological mechanisms of OSA,integrating multimodal information,and advancing the clinical application of wearable devices,with the aim of promoting intelligent,non-invasive,and cost-effective screening technologies for OSA.

Obstructive sleep apnea(OSA)is a common sleep disorder characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway collapse and obstruction during sleep.Polysomnography is the gold standard for diagnosing OSA,but it is expensive,time-consuming,and can cause discomfort for patients.In recent years,acoustic-based approaches for detecting OSA have emerged as a research focus.This review summarizes recent advances in OSA automatic detection techniques based on snoring and speech signals,and systematically examines their applications in diagnosis,severity assessment,and localization of obstruction sites.Findings indicate that the acoustic features of snoring and speech signals hold significant value for OSA screening,and when combined with machine learning and deep learning models,it can achieve high diagnostic accuracy.Future research should focus on elucidating the relationship between acoustic features and the pathophysiological mechanisms of OSA,integrating multimodal information,and advancing the clinical application of wearable devices,with the aim of promoting intelligent,non-invasive,and cost-effective screening technologies for OSA.

Objective: To analyze the use of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among male students who had sex with men (MSM) with different sexual behavior patterns using potential categories, so as to provide evidence for determining the use patterns of PrEP consistent with MSM. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted by proportional sampling method on MSM in 31 provincial administrative regions in mainland China from 20 October to 30 December 2021, a total of 1 040 students were selected for the study. Latent variable analyses were conducted on a total of seven sexual behavioral characteristics, including knowledge of sexual partner HIV infection, frequency of condom use, number of sexual partners, engaging in group sex, provision of commercial sex, use of sex aids, and history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the past year. And demographic characteristics were analyzed by Logistic regression analysis. The rates of PrEP awareness, willingness to use and usage rate in different sexual behavior risk groups were investigated. Results: Student MSM could be divided into two potential category groups:a lowrisk behavior group (82.4%) and a highrisk behavior group (17.6%). The PrEP usage rate (15.8%) was higher in the highrisk behavior group, and the difference was statistically significant compared to the lowrisk behavior group (7.2%) (χ2=13.43, P<0.05). Student MSM residing in the northeast, south, and northwest of China, in the pilot city, and with a sex role of "0.5" (possible acceptance and insertion of sexual behavior) were more likely to be in the highrisk behavior group (OR=3.13, 3.07, 3.87, 2.22, 1.66, P<0.05). Conclusion Student MSM in highrisk and lowrisk sexual differs in the behavior of PrEP, and targeted interventions should be implemented to promote the use of PrEP and reduce HIV infection in this population.

Objective: To investigate the current situation and related factors of antiretroviral therapy (ART) among HIV infected male students engaging in men who have sex with men (MSM), so as to provide the reference data for HIV prevention and treatment. Methods: In November 2021, 137 MSM students from 31 provincial administrative regions in China were recruited. An online survey was conducted to collect data on demographic characteristics, ART status, CD4 count, and HIV viral load before treatment. Logistic regression was used to analyze the factors related the effectiveness of ART in MSM. Results: Among the included research subjects, 14.6% had late detection of HIV,97.1% of participants were currently undergoing ART. Among those whose ART duration was less than 6 months, while 76.9% were undergoing ART. Logistic regression indicated that HIV infected students who received ART for more than 24 months ( OR =5.28, 95% CI =1.38-20.22) had a higher rate of successful HIV suppression. HIV infected students who reported physical sensory side effects ( OR =0.08, 95% CI =0.01-0.71) and cognitive side effects ( OR =0.28, 95% CI =0.09-0.90) were more likely to experience failure of ARI inhibition ( P <0.05). Conclusions There is still room for improvement in the efficacy of ART among MSM students. Strategies to improve treatment adherence must consider individual variances among HIV infected patients and the side effects of medications when designing treatment plans.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Dihuang Yinzi in improving astrocyte injury and glycolysis in Alzheimer's disease （AD） mice via regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway， thereby improving the cognitive function of AD mice. MethodForty male APP/PS1 transgenic mice aged four months were randomly divided into a model group and a model + Dihuang Yinzi （0.25 g·kg^-1） group， with 20 mice in each group. Forty C57BL/6J mice with the same background and same age were randomly divided into a control group and a control + Dihuang Yinzi （0.25 g·kg^-1） group， with 20 mice in each group. The mice in the control + Dihuang Yinzi group and the model + Dihuang Yinzi group were administered with Dihuang Yinzi by gavage， and those in the control group and the model group received an equal volume of sterilized normal saline， once a day for 150 days. Morris water maze test was performed to test the ability of navigation and space exploration of mice. The protein expression of p-PI3K， PI3K， p-Akt， Akt， phosphofructokinase-1 （PFK-1）， and aldehyde dehydrogenase 3 family member B2 （ALDH3B2） in mouse brain tissues was measured by Western blot. An immunofluorescence assay was performed to detect astrocyte morphology and the expression level of ALDH3B2. ResultAs compared with the control group， the model group showed prolonged escape latency during the 2^nd to 5^th days of the location-based navigation （P<0.05， P<0.01）， reduced number of times crossing the target area of the platform， shortened residence time in the target quadrant （P<0.05， P<0.01）， prolonged residence time in the opposite quadrant （P<0.05）， increased surface area of the cell body and total length of cell protrusions of astrocytes （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and down-regulated protein expression of p-PI3K， p-Akt， ALDH3B2， and PFK-1 （P<0.01）， while the above experimental indexes were not significantly different in the control + Dihuang Yinzi group. Compared with the model group， the model + Dihuang Yinzi group showed shortened escape latency of APP/PS1 mice during the 2^nd to 5^th days of the location-based navigation （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased number of times crossing the platform， prolonged target quadrant residence time （P<0.05， P<0.01）， shortened residence time in the opposite quadrant （P<0.05）， reduced surface area of the cell body and total length of cell protrusions of astrocytes （P<0.05）， and up-regulated protein expression of p-PI3K， p-Akt， ALDH3B2， and PFK-1 （P<0.01）. ConclusionDihuang Yinzi can improve the learning and memory ability of AD mice by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and up-regulating the protein expression of PFK-1 and ALDH3B2 to protect against astrocyte injury in brain tissues and improve glycolysis.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Dihuang Yinzi （DHYZ）in improving astrocyte injury in the brain and regulating energy metabolism and autophagy disorder in Alzheimer's disease （AD） model mice. MethodForty male APP/PS1 transgenic mice aged four months were randomly divided into a model group and a model + DHYZ group （2.5 g·kg^-1）， with 20 mice in each group. Forty C57BL/6J mice with the same background and same age were randomly divided into a control group and a control + DHYZ group （2.5 g·kg^-1）， with 20 mice in each group. The mice in the control group and the model group were administered with an equal volume of sterilized normal saline by gavage， once a day for 150 days. Novel object recognition test and step-down test were performed to evaluate the learning and memory ability of mice. The expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP） in astrocytes was detected by immunofluorescence and Western blot. High-performance liquid chromatography （HPLC） was used to detect adenosine triphosphate （ATP）， adenosine diphosphate （ADP）， and adenosine monophosphate （AMP） in brain tissues of mice， and the data obtained were used to calculate energy charge （EC） levels. The phosphorylation levels of liver kinase B1 （LKB1）， adenosine 5′-monophosphate （AMP）-activated protein kinase （AMPK）， UNC-51-like kinase 1 （ULK1）， and mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） and the expression levels of autophagy-related proteins Beclin-1， microtuble-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3）-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ， and p62 in mouse brain were measured by Western blot. ResultCompared with the control group， the model group showed decreased novel object recognition index， shortened retention latency， increased error times in the step-down test， up-regulated protein expression of GFAP， decreased content of ATP， ADP， and EC in brain tissues， elevated AMP ， increased levels of p-AMPK， p-LKB1， and p-mTOR， and protein expression of p62 ， and down-regulated p-ULK1 level and protein expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ（P<0.01）， while the above experimental indexes were not significantly different in the control + DHYZ group. Compared with the model group， the model + DHYZ group showed increased novel object recognition index（P<0.05）， prolonged retention latency（P<0.01）， decreased error times（P<0.01） in the step-down test， reduced protein expression of GFAP（P<0.05）， increased content of ATP， ADP， and EC in brain tissues （P<0.05， P<0.01）， decreased AMP content（P<0.05）， reduced p-AMPK， p-LKB1， and p-mTOR levels and protein expression of p62， and up-regulated p-ULK1 level and protein expression of Beclin-1 and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-Ⅰ（P<0.01）. ConclusionBy protecting astrocytes， DHYZ can improve energy metabolism and autophagy disorder in AD mice to improve the learning and memory ability of model mice.

ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism of Dihuang Yinzi in improving astrocyte injury and protecting synaptic structure and function in the brain of Alzheimer's disease （AD） mice. MethodForty male APP/PS1 transgenic mice aged four months were randomly divided into a model group and a model + Dihuang Yinzi （0.25 g·kg^-1） group， with 20 mice in each group. Forty C57BL/6J mice with the same background and same age were randomly divided into a control group and a control + Dihuang Yinzi （0.25 g·kg^-1） group， with 20 mice in each group. The mice in the control + Dihuang Yinzi group and the model + Dihuang Yinzi group were administered with Dihuang Yinzi by gavage， and those in the control group and the model group received an equal volume of sterilized normal saline， once a day for 150 days. The learning and memory ability of mice was tested by the light-dark box test and Y-maze spontaneous alternation test. The content of glutamate （Glu） and glutamine （Gln） was measured by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （LC-MS）. Long-term potentiation （LTP） assay was used to detect synaptic plasticity in brain tissues. The protein expression levels of excitatory amino acid transporter 2 （EAAT2）， postsynaptic density protein95 （PSD95）， and synaptophysin （SYN） in brain tissues were measured by Western blot. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the localization and expression of EAAT2. Colorimetry was performed to detect Na⁺-K⁺ ATPase activity in mouse brain tissues. ResultAs compared with the control group， the model group showed shortened residence latency （P<0.01）， increased number of errors （P<0.01） in the light-dark box test， reduced spontaneous alternation behaviors （P<0.01）， no significant difference in the total number of arm entries in the Y-maze spontaneous alternation test， down-regulated expression of EAAT2， PSD95， and SYN （P<0.01）， blunted activity of Na⁺-K⁺ ATPase （P<0.01）， up-regulated Glu level （P<0.01）， down-regulated Gln level （P<0.01）， and reduced relative population spike （PS） amplitude and the slope of excitatory postsynaptic potential （EPSP） （P<0.05， P<0.01）， while the above experimental indexes were not significantly different in the control + Dihuang Yinzi group. Compared with the model group， the model + Dihuang Yinzi group displayed prolonged residence latency （P<0.05）， decreased number of errors （P<0.01） in the light-dark box test， increased spontaneous alternation behaviors （P<0.01）， no significant difference in the total number of arm entries in the Y-maze spontaneous alternation test， up-regulated expression of EAAT2， PSD95， and SYN （P<0.01）， potentiated activity of Na⁺-K⁺ ATPase （P<0.01）， reduced Glu level （P<0.01）， up-regulated Gln level （P<0.01）， and increased PS amplitude and EPSP slope （P<0.01）. ConclusionDihuang Yinzi can improve cognitive dysfunction in AD mice by protecting astrocytes， increasing Glu uptake to reduce its abnormal accumulation， and protecting synaptic structure and function.

Inflammation-associated proteinase functions are key determinants of inflammatory stromal tissues deconstruction. As a specialized inflammatory pathological process, dental internal resorption (IR) includes both soft and hard tissues deconstruction within the dentin-pulp complex, which has been one of the main reasons for inflammatory tooth loss. Mechanisms of inflammatory matrix degradation and tissue resorption in IR are largely unclear. In this study, we used a combination of Cre-loxP reporter, flow cytometry, cell transplantation, and enzyme activities assay to mechanistically investigate the role of regenerative cells, odontoblasts (ODs), in inflammatory mineral resorption and matrices degradation. We report that inflamed ODs have strong capabilities of matrix degradation and tissue resorption. Traditionally, ODs are regarded as hard-tissue regenerative cells; however, our data unexpectedly present ODs as a crucial population that participates in IR-associated tissue deconstruction. Specifically, we uncovered that nuclear factor-kappa b (NF-κB) signaling orchestrated Tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)-induced matrix metalloproteinases (Mmps) and Cathepsin K (Ctsk) functions in ODs to enhance matrix degradation and tissue resorption. Furthermore, TNF-α increases Rankl/Opg ratio in ODs via NF-κB signaling by impairing Opg expression but increasing Rankl level, which utterly makes ODs cell line 17IIA11 (A11) become Trap⁺ and Ctsk⁺ multinucleated cells to perform resorptive actions. Blocking of NF-κB signaling significantly rescues matrix degradation and resorptive functions of inflamed ODs via repressing vital inflammatory proteinases Mmps and Ctsk. Utterly, via utilizing NF-κB specific small molecule inhibitors we satisfactorily attenuated inflammatory ODs-associated human dental IR in vivo. Our data reveal the underlying mechanisms of inflammatory matrix degradation and resorption via proteinase activities in IR-related pathological conditions.
Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinases/metabolism* ; Minerals/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Odontoblasts/metabolism* ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism*

SARS-CoV-2 infection causes complicated clinical manifestations with variable multi-organ injuries, however, the underlying mechanism, in particular immune responses in different organs, remains elusive. In this study, comprehensive transcriptomic alterations of 14 tissues from rhesus macaque infected with SARS-CoV-2 were analyzed. Compared to normal controls, SARS-CoV-2 infection resulted in dysregulation of genes involving diverse functions in various examined tissues/organs, with drastic transcriptomic changes in cerebral cortex and right ventricle. Intriguingly, cerebral cortex exhibited a hyperinflammatory state evidenced by significant upregulation of inflammation response-related genes. Meanwhile, expressions of coagulation, angiogenesis and fibrosis factors were also up-regulated in cerebral cortex. Based on our findings, neuropilin 1 (NRP1), a receptor of SARS-CoV-2, was significantly elevated in cerebral cortex post infection, accompanied by active immune response releasing inflammatory factors and signal transmission among tissues, which enhanced infection of the central nervous system (CNS) in a positive feedback way, leading to viral encephalitis. Overall, our study depicts a multi-tissue/organ transcriptomic landscapes of rhesus macaque with early infection of SARS-CoV-2, and provides important insights into the mechanistic basis for COVID-19-associated clinical complications.
Animals ; COVID-19/genetics* ; Macaca mulatta ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics* ; Transcriptome