Neuropathic pain is a chronic condition caused by damage or dysfunction in the nervous system. While the spleen may influence neuropathic pain, its role has been poorly understood. This study demonstrates that the spleen plays a crucial role in regulating neuropathic pain through the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) - paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) neural circuit in a chronic constriction injury (CCI) mouse model. Splenectomy, splenic denervation, or splenic sympathectomy significantly increased the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and reduced macrophage infiltration in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of CCI mice. Pseudorabies virus injections into the spleen revealed connections to the BNST and PVN in the brain. Chemogenetic inhibition of the BNST-PVN circuit increased macrophage infiltration in the DRG and decreased the MWT; these effects were reversed by splenectomy, splenic denervation, or sympathectomy. These findings underscore the critical role of the spleen, regulated by the BNST-PVN circuit, in neuropathic pain.
Animals ; Neuralgia/pathology* ; Septal Nuclei/physiopathology* ; Male ; Spleen/physiopathology* ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus/physiopathology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Splenectomy ; Mice ; Neural Pathways/physiopathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ganglia, Spinal/physiopathology* ; Sympathectomy ; Macrophages

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between blood glucose trajectories within 7 days of intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mortality in patients with sepsis-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). METHODS: Based on the MIMIC-IV database, sepsis-associated ARDS patients with daily blood glucose monitoring data within 7 days of ICU admission were selected. Blood glucose trajectories were analyzed using group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM), and the optimal number of groups was determined based on the minimum Akaike information criterion (AIC), Bayesian information criterion (BIC), average posterior probability (AvePP), odds of correct classification (OCC), and proportion of group membership (Prop). Baseline characteristics including demographics, comorbidities, severity scores, vital signs, laboratory indicators within the first 24 hours of ICU admission, and treatments were collected. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to compare 28-day and 1-year survival across trajectory groups. Multivariate Logistic regression was performed to evaluate the associations between glucose trajectory groups and in-hospital mortality, ICU mortality. The incidence of hypoglycemia within 7 days in the ICU was analyzed among different groups. RESULTS: A total of 3 869 patients with sepsis-associated ARDS were included, with a median age of 63.52 (52.13, 73.54) years; 59.6% (2 304/3 869) were male. Based on glucose levels within 7 days, patients were categorized into three groups: persistent hyperglycemia group (glucose maintained at 10.6-13.1 mmol/L, n = 894), moderate glucose group (7.8-8.9 mmol/L, n = 1 452), and low-normal glucose group (6.1-7.0 mmol/L, n = 1 523). There were statistically significant differences in 28-day mortality and 1-year mortality among low-normal glucose group, moderate glucose group, and persistent hyperglycemia group [28-day mortality: 11.42% (174/1 523), 19.83% (288/1 452), 25.50% (228/894), χ ² = 82.545, P < 0.001; 1-year mortality: 23.31% (355/1 523), 33.75% (490/1 452), 39.49% (353/894), χ ² = 77.376, P < 0.001]. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that higher glucose trajectories were associated with significantly lower 28-day and 1-year cumulative survival rates (Log-rank test: χ ² were 83.221 and 85.022, both P < 0.001). There were statistically significant differences in in-hospital mortality and ICU mortality among the low-normal glucose group, moderate glucose group, and persistent hyperglycemia group [in-hospital mortality: 9.65% (147/1 523), 19.70% (286/1 452), 24.50% (219/894), χ ² = 102.020, P < 0.001; ICU mortality: 7.22% (110/1 523), 16.05% (233/1 452), 20.13% (180/894), χ ² = 93.050, P < 0.001]. Logistic regression confirmed that, using the persistent hyperglycemia group as the reference, the low-normal glucose group had significantly lower risks of in-hospital mortality and ICU mortality after multiple factor adjustment. Although the moderate glucose group showed a trend toward lower mortality, the differences were not statistically significant. Using the moderate glucose group as a reference, the low-normal glucose group had 43.1% lower in-hospital mortality [odds ratio (OR) = 0.569, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 0.445-0.726, P < 0.001] and 42.0% lower ICU mortality (OR = 0.580, 95%CI was 0.439-0.762, P < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of hypoglycemia within 7 days of ICU admission among low-normal glucose group, moderate glucose group, and persistent hyperglycemia group [2.82% (43/1 523), 2.69% (39/1 452), 3.02% (27/894), χ ² = 0.226, P = 0.893]. CONCLUSIONS Blood glucose trajectories during ICU stay are closely associated with prognosis in patients with sepsis-associated ARDS. Persistent hyperglycemia (10.6-13.1 mmol/L) is linked to significantly higher short- and long-term mortality.
Humans ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome/etiology* ; Sepsis/blood* ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Blood Glucose/metabolism* ; Hospital Mortality ; Aged

Objective:To investigate the effect of chrysophanol(CHR)on cartilage injury in rats with osteoarthritis and its mechanism of regulating SIRT1/HMGB1/NF-κB signal pathway.Methods:Rat models of osteoarthritis were established and divided into negative control group,chrysophanol low(CHR-L,10 mg/kg),middle(CHR-M,20 mg/kg),high dose group(CHR-H,40 mg/kg),SIRT1 inhibitor(sirtinol 5 mg/kg)+chrysophanol high dose group(sirtinol+CHR-H),and normal healthy control group was set up.The degree of joint swelling was measured,and the inflammatory index was evaluated;the pain threshold(tenderness and heat pain)was measured;HE staining and safranine O staining were applied to detect the pathological changes of rat articular cartilage;the levels of serum inflammatory factors(IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α)were detected by ELISA method;oxidative stress indexes(MDA,SOD,GSH-PX)were detected by micro method;TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis;Western blot was used to detect the protein expressions of SIRT1,HMGB1,NF-κB p65,p-NF-κB p65,MMP-13 and C-Caspase-3.Results:Compared with the normal healthy control group,the rats in negative control group had obvious pathological injury,such as destruction of articular cartilage structure,necrosis and reduction of chondrocytes,the joint swelling degree,arthritis index,levels of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α,content of MDA,chondrocyte apoptosis rate,expressions of apoptotic protein C-Caspase-3,HMGB1,NF-κB p65/p-NF-κB p65,MMP-13 proteins increased obviously,the tenderness threshold,heat pain threshold,activities of SOD,GSH-PX,and the expression of SIRT1 protein decreased obviously(P<0.05);compared with negative control group,the pathological injury of articular cartilage in CHR group improved obviously with the increase of dosage,the joint swelling degree,arthritis index,levels of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α,content of MDA,chondrocyte apoptosis rate,expression of apoptotic protein C-Caspase-3,HMGB1,NF-κB p65/p-NF-κB p65,MMP-13 proteins decreased obviously,the tenderness threshold,heat pain threshold,activities of SOD,GSH-PX,and the expression of SIRT1 protein increased obviously(P<0.05);compared with CHR-H group,sirtinol+CHR-H group was able to reverse the protective effect of CHR on cartilage injury to a certain extent.Conclusion:CHR can reduce the inflammation of articular cartilage,inhibit the apoptosis of chondrocytes and play a protective role in the cartilage injury of osteoarthritis rats by up-regulating the expression of SIRT1 and down-regulating the expressions of HMGB1 and NF-κB p65/p-NF-κB p65.

Objective:To investigate the effect of chrysophanol(CHR)on cartilage injury in rats with osteoarthritis and its mechanism of regulating SIRT1/HMGB1/NF-κB signal pathway.Methods:Rat models of osteoarthritis were established and divided into negative control group,chrysophanol low(CHR-L,10 mg/kg),middle(CHR-M,20 mg/kg),high dose group(CHR-H,40 mg/kg),SIRT1 inhibitor(sirtinol 5 mg/kg)+chrysophanol high dose group(sirtinol+CHR-H),and normal healthy control group was set up.The degree of joint swelling was measured,and the inflammatory index was evaluated;the pain threshold(tenderness and heat pain)was measured;HE staining and safranine O staining were applied to detect the pathological changes of rat articular cartilage;the levels of serum inflammatory factors(IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α)were detected by ELISA method;oxidative stress indexes(MDA,SOD,GSH-PX)were detected by micro method;TUNEL staining was used to detect apoptosis;Western blot was used to detect the protein expressions of SIRT1,HMGB1,NF-κB p65,p-NF-κB p65,MMP-13 and C-Caspase-3.Results:Compared with the normal healthy control group,the rats in negative control group had obvious pathological injury,such as destruction of articular cartilage structure,necrosis and reduction of chondrocytes,the joint swelling degree,arthritis index,levels of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α,content of MDA,chondrocyte apoptosis rate,expressions of apoptotic protein C-Caspase-3,HMGB1,NF-κB p65/p-NF-κB p65,MMP-13 proteins increased obviously,the tenderness threshold,heat pain threshold,activities of SOD,GSH-PX,and the expression of SIRT1 protein decreased obviously(P<0.05);compared with negative control group,the pathological injury of articular cartilage in CHR group improved obviously with the increase of dosage,the joint swelling degree,arthritis index,levels of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α,content of MDA,chondrocyte apoptosis rate,expression of apoptotic protein C-Caspase-3,HMGB1,NF-κB p65/p-NF-κB p65,MMP-13 proteins decreased obviously,the tenderness threshold,heat pain threshold,activities of SOD,GSH-PX,and the expression of SIRT1 protein increased obviously(P<0.05);compared with CHR-H group,sirtinol+CHR-H group was able to reverse the protective effect of CHR on cartilage injury to a certain extent.Conclusion:CHR can reduce the inflammation of articular cartilage,inhibit the apoptosis of chondrocytes and play a protective role in the cartilage injury of osteoarthritis rats by up-regulating the expression of SIRT1 and down-regulating the expressions of HMGB1 and NF-κB p65/p-NF-κB p65.

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of curcumin affecting HIV-1 infection co-receptor CCR5 by regulating transcription factor FOXP3.Methods:Binding sites of transcription factor FOXP3 on CCR5 promoter were predicted and analyzed by bioinformatics method.AutoDock 4.2 software was used to connect curcumin and FOXP3 flexibly.MTT assay was used to detect cyto-toxcity of curcumin on activity of Jurkat cells.qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect expression levels of CCR5 and FOXP3 mRNA and protein in Jurkat cells that were treated with different concentrations of curcumin.pcDNA3.1-FOXP3 expression vector was built and combined with the prediction results of transcription factors.The mutant CCR5 gene fragment was amplified by Overlap PCR,and the mutant CCR5 promoter recombinant vector pFireRluc-Mt-CCR5 was constructed.Binding site between transcription fac-tor FOXP3 and CCR5 promoter was verified by double luciferase reporter gene assay.Results:Results of JASPAR transcription factor prediction showed that there was a binding site between CCR5 promoter and transcription factor FOXP3;molecular docking results showed that curcumin could bind to the active region of FOXP3;MTT results showed that curcumin inhibited the activity of Jurkat cells after 24 hours,and the IC50 was 34.48 μmol/L.qRT-PCR and Western blot showed that expression levels of CCR5 and FOXP3 mRNA and protein were decreased in a dose-dependent manner after different concentrations of curcumin treated Jurkat cells;double luciferase reporter gene confirmed that FOXP3 could bind to CCR5 promoter,and the transcription factor FOXP3 could regulate the activity of CCR5 promoter;results of the recovery experiment of FOXP3 on curcumin showed that when the curcumin concentration was 60 μmol/L,relative value of luciferase activity in HEK293T cells with pcDNA3.1-FOXP3 and pFireRluc-Wt-CCR5 was signifi-cantly higher than that in pFireRluc-Wt-CCR5+curcumin-60 group(P<0.01).Conclusion:FOXP3 can regulate the activity of CCR5 promoter,and the mechanism may be that curcumin affects activity of CCR5 promoter by acting on binding site of FOXP3 and CCR5 promoter.

In recent years,psoriatic arthritis has become a major problem in the medical field,with cases gradually increasing in China,and it is still incurable.Here,we summarize the pathogenesis and clinical characteristics of currently available animal models of psoriatic arthritis based on Chinese and Western medical evidence.Literature in line with this topic was collated and summarized.The etiology and pathogenesis according to Chinese and Western medicine of existing psoriatic arthritis models were given agreement scores;the diagnostic criteria of Chinese and Western medicine were compared;and the models'characteristics and degree of agreement with clinical observations were assessed.This study found that the human leukocyte antigen transgenic mouse model,the multiple hybridization transgenic mouse model,and the mannan-induced mouse model had the highest agreement scores.As psoriatic arthritis is more common in Europe,methods for the preparation of animal models have been mostly imported from abroad,and very few animal models have the characteristics of Chinese medicine;therefore,the model fitness scores of Western diagnoses were higher than those of Chinese diagnoses as a whole.We hope to leverage the unique diagnosis and treatment method of Chinese medicine further to improve the types of psoriatic arthritis animal models available.This study provides a basis for the construction of improved animal models of psoriatic arthritis with combined traditional Chinese and Western medicine characteristics.

Ketosis in dairy cows is often accompanied by apoptotic and inflammatory responses in adipose tissue.In order to investigate the effect of pro-apoptotic protein Bid on adipocyte apoptosis in cows with ketosis,the adipose tissue was stained by TUNEL staining technique in this study to observe the apoptotic changes in adipose tissue of cows with ketosis.In the in vivo test,protein ex-pression of apoptosis-related factors Bid,Bax,C-Caspase-3,Bcl-2 and inflammation marker factors C1q,IL-1β,IL-10 and IL-6 in adipose tissues of healthy cows and ketosis cows were detected by Western blot.In the in vitro assay,the adipocyte lipolysis model was constructed by culturing pri-mary bovine adipocytes in vitro to inhibit Bid and adding isoproterenol(ISO),and the protein ex-pression levels of apoptosis-related molecules and inflammation-related molecules in adipocytes were detected by Western blot technique.The results of TUNEL staining showed that the protein expression of pro-apoptotic factors Bid,Bax and C-Caspase-3,and pro-inflammatory markers TNF-a,IL-1β,and IL-6 were significantly higher,and the protein expression of complement C1q,anti-ap-optotic factor Bcl-2,and anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 were significantly lower in adipose tissues of ketosis cows compared with that of healthy cows.The in vitro results showed that the protein expression levels of apoptosis and inflammation-related factors in adipocytes treated with the ISO group were significantly higher compared with those in the control group,while the protein ex-pression levels of apoptosis and inflammation-related factors in adipocytes treated with the addi-tion of the Bid inhibitor group were significantly lower.The above results showed that inhibition of Bid could alleviate the apoptotic and inflammatory responses of ISO on adipocytes.This will fur-ther clarify the role of Bid/C1q in the regulation of adipose tissue and cell apoptosis and inflamma-tion in ketosis cows.

Objective:To investigate the levels of chemokine 2 (CCL2), chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 1 (CXCL1), chemokine (C-X3-C motif) ligand 1 (CX3CL1), and chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 10 (CXCL10) in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with acute and chronic herpes zoster (HZ), and their correlation with the severity of neuropathic pain.Methods:A total of 60 patients with acute herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) treated at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from November 2022 to November 2023 were selected for a case-control study. These patients were divided into a HZ group ( n = 25) and a PHN group ( n = 35). The pressure pain threshold in the affected area was measured on the day of admission for all patients. The Visual Analogue Scale scores were evaluated in both groups. After lumbar puncture, 2 mL of cerebrospinal fluid was collected, and the levels of related chemokines in the cerebrospinal fluid were detected using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results:In the HZ group, the levels of chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL10 were (24.84 ± 6.97) ng/L and (107.46 ± 28.29) μg/L, respectively, while in the PHN group, they were (20.51 ± 3.16) ng/L and (132.98 ± 30.92) μg/L. The differences in the levels of chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL10 between the two groups were statistically significant ( t = 2.91, -3.26, both P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the levels of chemokines CCL2 and CX3CL1 between the two groups ( t = 1.62, -0.23, both P > 0.05). The levels of CCL2, CXCL1, CX3CL1, and CXCL10 in both groups were negatively correlated with the pressure pain threshold (HZ group: r = -0.84, -0.78, -0.93, -0.86; PHN group: r = -0.71, -0.78, -0.94, -0.76, all P < 0.01). Conclusion:Higher levels of chemokines in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with acute and chronic HZ are associated with more pronounced neuropathic pain. The neuro-immune inflammation involving chemokines may be correlated with the severity of neuropathic pain in acute and chronic HZ.

Traditional Chinese medicine dispensing granules（TCMDGs）is the new type of decoction pieces with the development of modernization of TCM， which has received mixed opinions since its practical application. In 2021， the national departments issued Announcement on Ending the Pilot Work of TCMDGs， marking the end of the 28-year pilot work of TCMDGs， and eligible TCM enterprises can produce TCMDGs after filing. However， this does not mean that the preparation process， quality standard and efficacy research of TCMDGs have been developed and matured， on the contrary， there are still some problems that need to be solved and gradually improved. For example， in the production process， there are problems such as unclear， unified and non-standardized preparation parameters. In terms of quality control， there are some problems such as lack of producing area regulation， variety selection and processing specification. In terms of consistency evaluation with traditional decoction， there are problems such as unclear relationship between the chemical constituents and pharmacological effects of the two. Therefore， in view of some prominent problems of TCMDGs at present， this paper takes the published literature as the main data source and combines the specific requirements of the code or technical standards such as the 2020 edition of Chinese Pharmacopoeia， Publicity of the Unified Standard on the Varieties of TCMDGs， Quality Control and Standard Formulation Technical Requirements of TCMDGs. The production process of TCMDGs， the origin and variety of raw materials， the processing of decoction pieces， the quality control standard and the consistency evaluation of formula granules and traditional decoction were sorted out and visualized by literature mining， data analysis and list comparison. Based on the analysis results， the following suggestions were made. In terms of preparation process， the completeness and standardization of process parameters should be strengthened. In terms of quality evaluation， attention should be paid to the relationship between the authenticity， variety， processing and quality of medicinal materials. In the consistency evaluation of formula granules and traditional decoction， the deep difference and mechanism between TCMDGs and traditional decoction were discussed by combining structural Chinese medicine， quality marker（Q-Marker） theory and physicochemical characterization， so as to provide reference for the application and development of TCMDGs.

OBJECTIVE To study the improvement effects and mechan ism of thalidomide on Alzheimer ’s disease （AD）model of Caenorhabditis elegans . METHODS In this study ，the BR 5270 strain of C. elegans was used as AD model and BR 5271 strain as the control. The effects of thalidomide （0.5，2.0，6.0，15.0 mg/mL）on the motility of BR 5270 strains of C. elegans were studied by the basal slowing response assay ；the effects of thalidomide （0.5，2.0，6.0，15.0 mg/mL）on the survival time of BR 5270 strain of C. elegans were studied by life assay ；the effects of thalidomide （0.5，2.0，6.0 mg/mL）on learning and memory ability of BR 5270 strain of C. elegans were studied by short-term and long-term learning and memory assay. RT-PCR technology was used to study the effects of thalidomide （0.5，2.0，6.0 mg/mL）on mRNA expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase（PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt）signal pathway related genes （Age-1，Akt-1，Gsk-3）and calpain homologous gene （Clp-1）in BR 5270 strain of C. elegans . RESULTS After the intervention of thalidomide ，oscillation times of BR 5270 strain of C. elegans increased significantly within 30 s （except for 0.5 mg/mL group ），and the 10％ of maximum life span was prolonged significantly （only 0.5 mg/mL group ）；the short-term and long-term learning indexes were improved significantly （only 6.0 mg/mL group ）；mRNA expression of Age-1 and Akt-1（except for 0.5，2.0 mg/mL groups ）were increased significantly ，mRNA expression of Gsk-3（except for 0.5 mg/mL group ） and Clp-1 were decreased （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Thalidomide can ameliorate the dyskinesia of AD model of C. elegans，prolong the lifespan of this strain ，and enhance its learning and memory ability. Its mechanism of action may be related to activation of PI 3K/Akt signaling pathway and inhibition of calpain.