OBJECTIVE: Aloin, the main active component in Aloe vera (L.) Burm. f., has shown promising anti-tumor effects. This study investigated the impact of aloin in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) and explored its functional mechanism. METHODS: We analyzed the viability, migration, invasion, proliferation, and apoptosis of two LUSC cell lines after treatment with aloin. Target molecules of aloin and downstream target transcripts of nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 2 (NR3C2) were predicted by bioinformatics. The biological functions of NR3C2 and metallothionein 1 M (MT1M) in the malignant properties of LUSC cells were determined. A co-culture system of LUSC cells with monocyte-derived macrophages was constructed. Mouse xenograft tumor models were generated to analyze the functions of aloin and NR3C2 in the tumorigenic activity of LUSC cells and macrophage polarization in vivo. RESULTS: Aloin suppressed malignant properties of LUSC cells in vitro. However, these effects were negated by the silencing of NR3C2. NR3C2 was found to activate MT1M transcription by binding to its promoter. Additional upregulation of MT1M suppressed the malignant behavior of LUSC cells augmented by NR3C2 silencing. Analysis of the M1 and M2 markers/cytokines in the macrophages or the culture supernatant revealed that aloin treatment or MT1M overexpression in LUSC cells enhanced M1 polarization while suppressing M2 polarization of macrophages, whereas NR3C2 silencing led to reverse trends. Consistent findings were reproduced in vivo. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that aloin activates the NR3C2/MT1M axis to suppress the malignant behavior of LUSC cells and M2 macrophage polarization. Please cite this article as: Chen YN, Lu JY, Gao CF, Fang ZR, Zhou Y. Aloin blocks the malignant behavior of lung squamous cell carcinoma cells and M2 macrophage polarization by modulating the NR3C2/MT1M axis. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(2): 195-208.
Lung Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Humans ; Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism* ; Mice ; Macrophages/drug effects* ; Emodin/analogs & derivatives* ; Metallothionein/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects* ; Cell Movement/drug effects* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Receptors, Glucocorticoid/genetics*

Aim To explore the effect of the classical famous prescription Dahuang Zhechong pill(DHZCP)on relieving liver cirrhosis by regulating the stress fiber remodeling mediated by mechanistic signaling pathway and to explore the underlying mechanism.Methods Mice were randomly divided into the control group,model group,DHZCP low-dose group,DHZCP high-dose group,and Colchicine-positive control group.The liver cirrhosis mouse model was constructed by intrap-eritoneal injection of olive oil-solubilized CCl4.HE staining and serologic markers were used to reflect liver injury.Masson staining was used to evaluate collagen deposition in liver tissue.ELISA was applied to detect vasoactive molecules and cancer indicators.Atomic force microscopy was employed to detect liver tissue stiffness.Color Doppler diagnostic instrument was used to assess portal blood flow velocity.Western blot was utilized to detect ROCK2 expression and phosphoryla-tion of YAP,Cofilin,and MLC.Results The liver tis-sues in the model group had obvious inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen deposition,accompanied by significant elevation of serum transaminases and fibrosis indexes.Similarly,vasoactive molecules and cancer in-dicators were elevated,and the mechanoregulatory pro-tein ROCK2 expression and phosphorylation of Cofilin and MLC were elevated,with YAP being strongly de-phosphorylated.Both low and high doses of DHZCP re-versed the pathological changes,serological indices,and inhibited the activation of the stress fiber(SF)re-modeling mechanistic signaling pathway.Conclusion DHZCP effectively ameliorates liver tissue lesions in mice with liver cirrhosis,and its mechanism may be re-lated to the inhibition of SF remodeling mechanistic signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between physical activity and genetic risk and their combined effects on the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 318,085 biobank participants from the UK. Physical activity was assessed using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The participants were stratified into low-, intermediate-, and high-genetic-risk groups based on their polygenic risk scores. Multivariate Cox regression models and multiplicative interaction analyses were used. RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 13 years, 9,209 participants were diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. For low genetic risk, compared to low physical activity, the hazard ratios ( HRs) for moderate and high physical activity were 0.853 (95% confidence interval [ CI]: 0.748-0.972) and 0.831 (95% CI: 0.727-0.950), respectively. For intermediate genetic risk, the HRs were 0.829 (95% CI: 0.758-0.905) and 0.835 (95% CI: 0.764-0.914), respectively. For participants with high genetic risk, the HRs were 0.809 (95% CI: 0.746-0.877) and 0.818 (95% CI: 0.754-0.888), respectively. A significant interaction was observed between genetic risk and physical activity. CONCLUSION Moderate or high levels of physical activity were associated with a lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across all genetic risk groups, highlighting the need to tailor activity interventions for genetically susceptible individuals.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology* ; Exercise ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Aged ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Risk Factors ; United Kingdom/epidemiology* ; Incidence ; Adult

Objective To analyze the predictive value of the serum amyloid A/C-reactive protein ratio(SAA/CRP),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),and chitinase-40(YKL-40)combined with conventional influencing factors for the prognosis of children with refractory mycoplasmal pneumonia(RMPP).Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 180 children with RMPP admitted to the First People's Hospital of Nanyang from January to December 2023,serving as study group,and 90 children with general mycoplasmal pneumonia(GMPP)as control group.The clinical data of the two groups,including age,gender,and serum levels of SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40,were compared.On the day of admission,the disease severity of the children in study group was assessed and divided into mild(n=102)and severe(n=78)groups.After treatment,they were further categorized into poor prognosis(n=52)and good prognosis(n=128)groups based on the occurrence of adverse events.The levels of serum SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40 were compared between mild-case and severe-case children in study group,as well as between children with good and poor prognosis.A binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors for poor prognosis in children with RMPP.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predictive value of serum SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40 for the prognosis of children with RMPP.Conventional influencing factors[disease severity,oxygen therapy duration,pneumonia severity index(PSI)score,and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ(APACHE Ⅱ)score]were used as the conventional prediction scheme,and the conventional prediction scheme combined with the levels of serum SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40 was used as the new prediction scheme.The predictive values of the two prediction schemes for the prognosis of children with RMPP were compared.Results The levels of serum SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40 in study group were higher than those in control group(P＜0.05),and the levels of serum SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40 in children with severe RMPP were higher than those in children with mild RMPP(P＜0.05).In study group,the proportion of children with pleural effusion,the proportion of severe-case disease severity,oxygen therapy duration,PSI score,APACHE Ⅱ score,and the levels of serum SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40 in children with poor prognosis were higher than those in children with good prognosis(P＜0.05).Binary logistic regression analysis showed that disease severity,oxygen therapy duration,PSI score,APACHE Ⅱ score,and the levels of serum SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40 were all factors affecting poor prognosis in children with RMPP(P＜0.05).The areas under the curves(AUCs)of serum SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40 for predicting the prognosis of children with RMPP were 0.756,0.749,and 0.734,respectively.The AUC of the new prediction scheme was 0.945,which was significantly higher than that of the conventional prediction scheme(AUC=0.859),with a statistically significant difference(P=0.011).Conclusion Serum SAA/CRP,LDH,and YKL-40 levels combined with the conventional prediction scheme have a high predictive efficacy for the prognosis of children with RMPP.

Aim To investigate the mechanism by which sufentanil(Suf)improved hypoxia-reoxygen-ation(H/R)-induced myocardial cell injury by regula-ting hypoxia inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α)and KC-NQ1 opposite strand/antisense transcript 1(Kcnq1ot1).Methods Bioinformatics analysis was conducted to predict the interaction between HIF-1αand Kcnq1ot1.Subsequently,H9c2 cells were divided into multiple treatment groups:Ctrl group,H/R group,and Suf group.Further grouping was based on different transfection conditions,including oe-HIF-1α group,oe-HIF-1α+Suf group,sh-HIF-1α group,and sh-HIF-1α+Kcnq1ot1 group.Cell viability was detected u-sing the MTT assay,cell apoptosis was detected using the TUNEL assay,and the concentrations of CK-MB and HBDH in cell supernatants were measured using ELISA.HIF-1α protein expression in cellswas deter-mined by Western blot,and the mRNA expression level of Kcnq1ot1 was measured by reverse transcription quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR).Additionally,a rat model of myocardial is chemia reperfusion was con-structed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of Suf for myocardial ischemia reperfusion injury in vivo.Results The results of bioinformatics analysis showed a direct interaction between HIF-1α and Kcnq1ot1.Compared with the Ctrl group,the H/R group showed significantly reduced H9c2 cell viability,increased cell apoptosis,and significantly upregulated concentrations of CK-MB and HBDH,along with significantly enhanced expres-sion of HIF-1α and Kcnq1ot1(all P＜0.05).When H9c2 cells were transfected with oe-HIF-1 α,cell via-bility further decreased,apoptosis was worsened,and CK-MB and HBDH concentrations further increased(all P＜0.05);however,these adverse effects were significantly inhibited when combined with Suf inter-vention(all P＜0.05).Additionally,compared with the H/R group,the sh-HIF-1α group showed signifi-cantly improved cell viability,reduced apoptosis and decreased CK-MB and HBDH concentrations(all P＜0.05);however,these improvements were partially re-versed upon transfection with Kcnq1ot1(all P＜0.05).Animal experiments confirmed that Suf could improve myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in myo-cardial ischemia-reperfusion injury rats.Conclusions Suf improves myocardial H/R injury by inhibiting the HIF-1α-Kcnq1ot1.

With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.

A mounting body of research suggests that circRNAs significantly contribute to the develop-ment of myocardial fibrosis.The microarray results of human circular RNA expression profile indicated that circHERC4_041 expression increased in the myocardium of patients with heart failure,RT-qPCR a-nalysis confirmed that the myocardial expression level of circHERC4_041 in individuals with heart failure were considerably elevated compared to that in healthy organ donors.Fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH)confirmed that circHERC4_041 was abundant in the cytoplasm of human cardiomyocyte AC16.Overexpression of circHERC4_041 in mouse myocardial fibroblasts(mCFs)mediated by adenovirus in-hibited the expression of fibrosis-related proteins in mCFs.Experiments involving cell proliferation,wound healing,and Transwell assays demonstrated that overexpression of circHERC4_041 suppressed the growth and mobility of mCFs(P＜0.001).Sequence analysis results suggested that circHERC4_041 con-tains potential ribosome entry sequence(IRES)and open reading frame(ORF).Western blot confirmed that circHERC4_041 could translate the 516 amino acid HERC4-516aa protein,which was mainly located in the cytoplasm of the cell.Cell functional experiments confirmed that circHERC4_041 inhibited the fi-brotic phenotype of mCFs by specifically translating HERC4-516aa(P＜0.05).The specific interaction between HERC4-516aa and transglutaminase 2(TGM2)was confirmed by IP-MS screening and Co-IP i-dentification.Further results found that the degradation of TGM2 was promoted through proteasome path-way.The overexpression of TGM2 in mCFs facilitated by adenoviral vectors could counteract the suppres-sive effects of HERC4-516aa on the fibrotic phenotype of mCFs.Therefore,this study confirmed that the HERC4-516aa protein translated by circHERC4_041 can specifically bind to TGM2 to inhibit the fibrotic phenotype of myocardial fibroblasts.

Aim To explore the effect of the classical famous prescription Dahuang Zhechong pill(DHZCP)on relieving liver cirrhosis by regulating the stress fiber remodeling mediated by mechanistic signaling pathway and to explore the underlying mechanism.Methods Mice were randomly divided into the control group,model group,DHZCP low-dose group,DHZCP high-dose group,and Colchicine-positive control group.The liver cirrhosis mouse model was constructed by intrap-eritoneal injection of olive oil-solubilized CCl4.HE staining and serologic markers were used to reflect liver injury.Masson staining was used to evaluate collagen deposition in liver tissue.ELISA was applied to detect vasoactive molecules and cancer indicators.Atomic force microscopy was employed to detect liver tissue stiffness.Color Doppler diagnostic instrument was used to assess portal blood flow velocity.Western blot was utilized to detect ROCK2 expression and phosphoryla-tion of YAP,Cofilin,and MLC.Results The liver tis-sues in the model group had obvious inflammatory cell infiltration and collagen deposition,accompanied by significant elevation of serum transaminases and fibrosis indexes.Similarly,vasoactive molecules and cancer in-dicators were elevated,and the mechanoregulatory pro-tein ROCK2 expression and phosphorylation of Cofilin and MLC were elevated,with YAP being strongly de-phosphorylated.Both low and high doses of DHZCP re-versed the pathological changes,serological indices,and inhibited the activation of the stress fiber(SF)re-modeling mechanistic signaling pathway.Conclusion DHZCP effectively ameliorates liver tissue lesions in mice with liver cirrhosis,and its mechanism may be re-lated to the inhibition of SF remodeling mechanistic signaling pathway.

With the rapid development of generative artificial intelligence(GAI)technologies,their widespread application in academic research and writing is continuously expanding the boundaries of sci-entific inquiry.However,this trend has also raised a series of ethical and regulatory challenges,inclu-ding issues related to authorship,content authenticity,citation accuracy,and accountability.In light of the growing involvement of AI in generating academic content,establishing an open,controllable,and trustworthy ethical governance framework has become a key task for safeguarding research integrity and maintaining trust within the academic community.This expert consensus outlines ethical requirements across key stages of AI-assisted academic writing-including topic selection,data management,citation practices,and authorship attribution.It aims to clarify the boundaries and ethical obligations surrounding AI use in academic writing,ensuring that technological tools enhance efficiency without compromising in-tegrity.The goal is to provide guidance and institutional support for building a responsible and sustainable research ecosystem.