Ginsenoside Rg_2(GRg2) is a triterpenoid compound found in Panax notoginseng. This study explored its effects and mechanisms on diabetic retinopathy and angiogenesis. The study employed endothelial cell models induced by glucose or vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF), the chorioallantoic membrane(CAM) model, the oxygen-induced retinopathy(OIR) mouse model, and the db/db mouse model to evaluate the therapeutic effects of GRg2 on diabetic retinopathy and angiogenesis. Transwell assays and endothelial tube formation experiments were conducted to assess cell migration and tube formation, while vascular area measurements were applied to detect angiogenesis. The impact of GRg2 on the retinal structure and function of db/db mice was evaluated through retinal thickness and electroretinogram(ERG) analyses. The study investigated the mechanisms of GRg2 by analyzing the activation of Yes-associated protein(YAP) and Toll-like receptors(TLRs) pathways. The results indicated that GRg2 significantly reduced cell migration numbers and tube formation lengths in vitro. In the CAM model, GRg2 exhibited a dose-dependent decrease in the vascular area ratio. In the OIR model, GRg2 notably decreased the avascular and neovascular areas, ameliorating retinal structural disarray. In the db/db mouse model, GRg2 increased the total retinal thickness and enhanced the amplitudes of the a-wave, b-wave, and oscillatory potentials(OPs) in the ERG, improving retinal structural disarray. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the TLR signaling pathway was significantly down-regulated following YAP knockdown, with PCR results consistent with the transcriptome sequencing findings. Concurrently, GRg2 downregulated the expression of Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4), TNF receptor-associated factor 6(TRAF6), and nuclear factor-kappaB(NF-κB) proteins in high-glucose-induced endothelial cells. Collectively, GRg2 inhibits cell migration and tube formation and significantly reduces angiogenesis in CAM and OIR models, improving retinal structure and function in db/db mice, with its pharmacological mechanism likely involving the down-regulation of YAP expression.
Animals ; Ginsenosides/pharmacology* ; Diabetic Retinopathy/physiopathology* ; Mice ; YAP-Signaling Proteins ; Humans ; Male ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Cell Movement/drug effects* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Panax notoginseng/chemistry* ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Angiogenesis

OBJECTIVE: Cigarette smoking exacerbates the progression of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The role of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in chronic lung diseases has gained attention; however, it remains unclear whether smoking-exacerbated lung damage in TB is associated with TLS. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of pulmonary TLS in smokers with TB and to explore the possible role of TLS in smoking-related lung injury in TB. METHODS: Lung tissues from 36 male patients (18 smokers and 18 non-smokers) who underwent surgical resection for pulmonary TB were included in this study. Pathological and immunohistological analyses were conducted to evaluate the quantity of TLS, and chest computed tomography (CT) was used to assess the severity of lung lesions. The correlation between the TLS quantity and TB lesion severity scores was analyzed. The immune cells and chemokines involved in TLS formation were also evaluated and compared between smokers and non-smokers. RESULTS: Smoker patients with TB had significantly higher TLS than non-smokers ( P < 0.001). The TLS quantity in both the lung parenchyma and peribronchial regions correlated with TB lesion severity on chest CT (parenchyma: r = 0.5767; peribronchial: r = 0.7373; both P < 0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis showed increased B cells, T cells, and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) expression in smoker patients with TB ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Smoker TB patients exhibited increased pulmonary TLS, which was associated with exacerbated lung lesions on chest CT, suggesting that cigarette smoking may exacerbate lung damage by promoting TLS formation.
Humans ; Male ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/immunology* ; Middle Aged ; Tertiary Lymphoid Structures/pathology* ; Adult ; Lung/pathology* ; Smoking/adverse effects* ; Smokers ; Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Objective To investigate the expression levels of class Ⅰ histone deacetylases(HDAC)in the serum of patients with newly diagnosed psoriatic arthritis(PsA)and screen out serological indicators that are of significance for early diagnosis and assessment of disease activity.Methods A total of 49 PsA patients newly diagnosed in Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital from August 2022 to February 2024 and 30 healthy individuals(control group)were enrolled in this study.Demographic data were collected,and disease severity was assessed.Serum samples were collected,and the expression levels of class Ⅰ HDAC(HDAC1,HDAC2,HDAC3,and HDAC8)in the serum of each group were determined by ELISA.The correlations between the expression levels of class Ⅰ HDAC and clinical assessment indicators in each group were evaluated.Multivariate Logistic regression was adopted to analyze the risk factors affecting the disease activity of PsA patients.The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of the risk factors affecting the disease activity of PsA patients.Results Compared with the control group,PsA patients showed up-regulated expression levels of HDAC1(P=0.003),HDAC2(P=0.010),HDAC3(P=0.003),and HDAC8(P=0.018)in the serum.The serum HDAC1 level of PsA patients was positively correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate(r=0.344,P=0.028).The serum HDAC2 level was positively correlated with the overall assessment of disease activity(r=0.468,P=0.001),the disease activity index of arthritis(r=0.401,P=0.007),the number of swollen joints(r=0.308,P=0.042),hospital anxiety and depression scale(HADS)score of anxiety(r=0.360,P=0.018),and HADS score of depression(r=0.302,P=0.047).The serum HDAC3 level was correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate(r=0.542,P<0.001),C-reactive protein(CRP)level(r=0.440,P<0.001),HADS score of anxiety(r=0.420,P=0.005),interleukin-6 level(r=0.397,P=0.004),the overall assessment of disease activity(r=0.318,P=0.036),and the course of psoriatic arthritis(r=0.330,P=0.028).The serum HDAC8 level was positively correlated with HADS score of anxiety(r=0.477,P=0.008)and erythrocyte sedimentation rate(r=0.385,P=0.039).Compared with the patients with low disease activity,those with moderate to high disease activity presented up-regulated expression of HDAC3(P=0.041).HDAC2(P=0.028)and CRP(P=0.034)were risk factors for moderate to high disease activity in PsA patients.HDAC2(area under the curve=0.802,P=0.003)and CRP(area under the curve=0.718,P=0.033)had diagnostic value for the progression of PsA.Conclusions The expression levels of class Ⅰ HDAC in the serum of patients with newly diagnosed PsA were significantly different.The serum levels of HDAC2 and CRP are expected to become serological indicators for the early diagnosis and disease activity assessment of PsA.
Humans ; Histone Deacetylases/blood* ; Arthritis, Psoriatic/diagnosis* ; Male ; Female ; Histone Deacetylase 1/blood* ; Histone Deacetylase 2/blood* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Clinical Relevance ; Repressor Proteins

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic potential of pseudolaric acid B (PAB) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its underlying molecular mechanism in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice (n=32) were fed either a normal chow diet (NCD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks. The HFD mice were divided into 3 groups according to a simple random method, including HFD, PAB low-dose [10 mg/(kg·d), PAB-L], and PAB high-dose [20 mg/(kg·d), PAB-H] groups. After 8 weeks of treatment, glucose metabolism and insulin resistance were assessed by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT). Biochemical assays were used to measure the serum and cellular levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). White adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT) and liver tissue were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining or Oil Red O staining to observe the alterations in adipose tissue and liver injury. PharmMapper and DisGeNet were used to predict the NAFLD-related PAB targets. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) pathway involvement was suggested by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and search tool Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) analyses. Luciferase reporter assay, cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and drug affinity responsive target stability assay (DARTS) were conducted to confirm direct binding of PAB with PPARα. Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to further validate target engagement. RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to assess the downstream genes and proteins expression, and validated by PPARα inhibitor MK886. RESULTS: PAB significantly reduced serum TC, TG, LDL-C, AST, and ALT levels, and increased HDL-C level in HFD mice (P<0.01). Target prediction analysis indicated a significant correlation between PAB and PPARα pathway. PAB direct target binding with PPARα was confirmed through luciferase reporter assay, CETSA, and DARTS (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The target engagement between PAB and PPARα protein was further confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations and the top 3 amino acid residues, LEU321, MET355, and PHE273 showed the most significant changes in mutational energy. Subsequently, PAB upregulated the genes expressions involved in lipid metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis downstream of PPARα (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Significantly, the PPARα inhibitor MK886 effectively reversed the lipid-lowering and PPARα activation properties of PAB (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION PAB mitigates lipid accumulation, ameliorates liver damage, and improves mitochondrial biogenesis by binding with PPARα, thus presenting a potential candidate for pharmaceutical development in the treatment of NAFLD.
Animals ; PPAR alpha/metabolism* ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/pathology* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Lipid Metabolism/drug effects* ; Diterpenes/therapeutic use* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Diet, High-Fat ; Humans ; Mice ; Liver/metabolism* ; Insulin Resistance ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Molecular Docking Simulation

Objective To propose an in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation method for novel iron-based biodegradable mateirals focusing on their degrading characteristics.Methods Half-finished scaffolds of nitrided iron tubes with a higher iron content of over 99％and a nitrogen content of 0.03％to 0.20％were selected as test samples,and based on the treatment mode were divided into an anaerobic treatment group,a non-anaerobic treatment group,a non-anaerobic treatment with removed iron particle group and a non-anaerobic treatment with plate-washing group.The anaerobic treatment group was processed in an anaerobic workstation;the conventional treatment group underwent standard handling in a biosafety cabinet;the conventional treatment with removed iron particle group was subjected to iron particle elimination using a Midimacs Starting Kit manual sorter after conventional treatment;and the conventional treatment with plate-washing group was rinsed with 0.9％sodium chloride injection before tetrazolium salt reagent treatment.Different extraction media(simulated body fluid,cell culture medium,phosphate buffer and 0.9％sodium chloride injection)were used for the immersion treatment of the test samples in each group to compare the effects of the degradation products on the survival rate of L929 cells.Results The anaerobic treatment group and the conventional treatment with removed iron particle group exhibited no detectable cytotoxicity.Trypan blue staining revealed significant cytotoxicity in the conventional treatment group,while false-negative results emerged due to interactions between the tetrazolium salt reagent and degradation products.In the non-anaerobic treatment with washing plate group,the false negative from iron particles was eliminated while potential cytotoxicity was showen,and the result accuracy was affected because some cells were washed out.Conclusion The proposed method can be used for the in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation,and facilitates the safety evaluation of the application of such materials.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2025,46(3):35-41]

Objective:To determine if preoperative 68Ga-fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI)-04 PET/MR could contribute to predicting pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant immunotherapy. Methods:In this retrospective study, 35 patients (23 males, 12 females, age (59.1±7.9) years) with gastrointestinal cancer who underwent 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR after receiving neoadjuvant immunotherapy between February 2021 and January 2024 were enrolled. Clinical data, PET imaging parameters including SUV, peak of SUV normalized by lean body mass (SUL peak), FAPI-positive tumor volume (FTV), and total FAPI-positive lesion burden (TLF), and pathological data were collected and analyzed. Patients were divided into pCR group and non-pCR group, and the independent-sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test was performed to compare those parameters between the 2 groups. ROC curve analysis (Delong test) was performed to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of each parameter to predict pCR. Results:The overall pCR rate of the neoadjuvant therapy was 40.0%(14/35). In the visual evaluation, 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET was limited in predicting pCR, showing false positivity in 12 patients and false negative in 1 patent. While SUV max( t=2.50, P=0.018), SUL peak( t=3.11, P=0.004), FTV( U=3.00, P=0.030) and TLF( U=2.96, P=0.042) in non-pCR group were all higher than those in pCR group. The predictive efficiency of FTV <1.925cm 3 for pCR was better than the efficiency of PET visual evaluation ( Z=3.61, P<0.001), with the prediction accuracy of 82.86%(29/35). Conclusions:68Ga-FAPI-04 PET/MR may provide an effective clinical tool for guiding further treatment of patients with gastrointestinal cancer undergoing neoadjuvant immunotherapy. The quantitative features derived from 68Ga-FAPI-04 PET appear promising in predicting pCR, which are expected to provide a reference for avoiding surgery.

Objective:To understand the status of bone health literacy in middle-aged and older female breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and analyze its influencing factors using structural equation modeling.Methods:A convenience sampling method was used to select 250 middle-aged and older breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy in two tertiary hospitals in Xi'an from May to October 2024. Patients were surveyed using a general information questionnaire, the Bone Health Literacy Scale for Middle-Aged and Older Women, the Perceived Social Support Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the correlations among bone health literacy, perceived social support, and self-efficacy.Results:A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed, and 239 valid questionnaires were recovered, yielding an effective response rate of 95.6% (239/250). The mean score of the Bone Health Literacy Scale among the 239 patients was (39.71±8.16). Bone health literacy was positively correlated with perceived social support and self-efficacy ( P<0.01). Perceived social support directly affected bone health literacy and could also indirectly influence it through general self-efficacy, with an indirect effect value of 0.367, accounting for 45.2% of the total effect (0.367/0.812) . Conclusions:Healthcare professionals should implement effective interventions to enhance patients' perceived social support and strengthen their self-efficacy, thereby improving bone health literacy.

Aim To mine the competing ceRNA net-works associated with programmed cell death in the pathophysiological mechanisms of atherosclerosis(AS)based on bioinformatics,in order to identify new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of AS.Methods Firstly,the GSE97210 and GSE28858 datasets were screened from the GEO database.Differentially ex-pressed lncRNA,mRNA and miRNA were identified,following which a IncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was constructed in Cytoscape 3.7.2 software based on ceRNA theory.Second,GO and KEGG en-richment analysis of mRNA in the ceRNA network was performed.Finally,the mRNAS within the ceRNA net-work were compared with genes related to autophagy,pyroptosis and ferroptosis to establish a ceRNA network related to programmed cell death.Results A total of 1208 DElncRNAS,4723 DEmRNAS and 139 DEmiR-NAS were identified.A ceRNA network was estab-lished,comprising 64 lncRNAS,8 miRNAS and 167 mRNAS.The mRNAS within the CeRNA network were mainly enriched in biological processes such as positive regulation of transcription and migration,protein bind-ing,and signaling pathways including PI3K-Akt signa-ling pathway,and mTOR signaling pathway.Finally,this study established 7 lncRNA-mediated ceRNA regu-latory pathways associated with pyroptosis and 23 ln-cRNA-mediated regulatory pathways for ferroptosis and autophagy.Conclusion This study has successfully constructed a ceRNA network related to programmed cell death,which helps us understand the mechanism by which programmed cell death leads to AS.

Pancreatic cancer is highly malignant and difficult to treat. The implantation of radioactive seed has opened up a new treatment option for pancreatic cancer. Although the implantation of radioactive seed in the treatment of pancreatic cancer has achieved good results, due to the special anatomical location of pancreatic cancer and the dense distribution of important tissues and organs around the tumor, the operation of seed implantation for pancreatic cancer has become a clinical treatment challenge. We applied the method of 3D printing template navigation and constraining the direction of the puncture needle. The puncture needle followed the safe puncture path designed in the preoperative treatment planning system, effectively avoiding important tissues and organs, and implanted radioactive seeds in the tumor. The operation of seed implantation was simplified, homogenized and made safe. In this group of cases, the proportion of successful particle implantation using 3D printing template navigation was 89.5%. All cases met the preoperative treatment plan in postoperative dose verification and achieved the purpose of radioactive seed implantation treatment.

We took the surface spike S protein of transmissible gastroenteritis virus(TGEV)as the research object.Based on the Gram-positive enhancer matrix(GEM)-anchor protein(PA)display platform,two kinds of bacteria-like particles(BLPs)with surface-displayed TGEV DA and S1 were prepared using the insect cell-baculovirus expression system.The results showed that the lev-els of IL-4,IFN-γ,IgG,IgA,and sIgA induced by 50 μg BLP-DA were higher than those of the 25μg group.The levels of IL-4,IFN-γ,and sIgA induced by 50 μg BLP-S1 were higher than those of the 25 μg group,while the levels of IgG and IgA were lower than those of the 25 μg group.Under the same dose,when the dose was 25 μg,the levels of IFN-γ,IgG,IgA,and sIgA induced by BLP-S1 were higher than those of BLP-DA,while the level of IL-4 was lower than that of BLP-DA.When the dose was 50 μg,the level of IgG induced by BLP-DA was higher than that of BLP-S1,while the other indicators were lower than those of BLP-S1.Under different immunization routes,the levels of IgA and sIgA in the gavage group were higher than those in the intramuscular injec-tion group,and the levels of some cytokines were significantly higher in the gavage group than in the intramuscular injection group at specific time points,but there was no significant difference in the levels of IgG antibodies.In conclusion,the two types of TGEV BLPs constructed in this study both have good immunogenicity and can induce cellular and humoral immunity in mice.When the immunization doses are the same,the immunogenicity of BLP-S1 is better than that of BLP-DA.