This study employed the drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) technique to investigate the molecular mechanism of the antipsychotic drug penfluridol against melanoma, revealing the biological pathway to exert its effect on the HSPA6/p53/p21 signaling axis. Experiments such as the methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and cell colony formation ability assay confirmed that penfluridol could significantly downregulate the expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) in melanoma A375 and B16 cells, induce cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase, and thus inhibit the proliferation of melanoma cells. Meanwhile, the results of Western blot, Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining experiments showed that penfluridol could significantly downregulate the expression of Bcl-2 and upregulate the expression of Bax and cleaved caspase-3, inducing cell apoptosis. Further, the DARTS technique was used to identify heat shock 70 kD protein 6 (HSPA6) as the key target bound by penfluridol. Penfluridol activates the p53/p21 pathway by upregulating HSPA6. Knocking down HSPA6 reverses not only the activation of the p53/p21 pathway mediated by penfluridol but also the associated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Animal experiments on tumor-bearing mice also confirmed that knocking down HSPA6 could reverse the in vivo anti-tumor activity of penfluridol. This study clarified that penfluridol can inhibit the progression of melanoma by targeting HSPA6 to activate the p53/p21 signaling axis, providing a new perspective for the repositioning of antipsychotic drugs in cancer treatment.

Objective: To development the prognostic nomogram for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Methods: Two hundred and ten patients pathologically confirmed as MPM were enrolled in this retrospective study from 2007 to 2020 in the People's Hospital of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, the First and Third Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, and divided into training (n=112) and test (n=98) sets according to the admission time. The observation factors included demography, symptoms, history, clinical score and stage, blood cell and biochemistry, tumor markers, pathology and treatment. The Cox proportional risk model was used to analyze the prognostic factors of 112 patients in the training set. According to the results of multivariate Cox regression analysis, the prognostic prediction nomogram was established. C-Index and calibration curve were used to evaluate the model's discrimination and consistency in raining and test sets, respectively. Patients were stratified according to the median risk score of nomogram in the training set. Log rank test was performed to compare the survival differences between the high and low risk groups in the two sets. Results: The median overall survival (OS) of 210 MPM patients was 384 days (IQR=472 days), and the 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year survival rates were 75.7%, 52.6%, 19.7%, and 13.0%, respectively. Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that residence (HR=2.127, 95% CI: 1.154-3.920), serum albumin (HR=1.583, 95% CI: 1.017-2.464), clinical stage (stage Ⅳ: HR=3.073, 95% CI: 1.366-6.910) and the chemotherapy (HR=0.476, 95% CI: 0.292-0.777) were independent prognostic factors for MPM patients. The C-index of the nomogram established based on the results of Cox multivariate regression analysis in the training and test sets were 0.662 and 0.613, respectively. Calibration curves for both the training and test sets showed moderate consistency between the predicted and actual survival probabilities of MPM patients at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. The low-risk group had better outcomes than the high-risk group in both training (P=0.001) and test (P=0.003) sets. Conclusion: The survival prediction nomogram established based on routine clinical indicators of MPM patients provides a reliable tool for prognostic prediction and risk stratification.
Humans ; Mesothelioma, Malignant ; Prognosis ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Proportional Hazards Models

Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease caused by many factors including colonic inflammation and microbiota dysbiosis.Previous studies have indicated that celastrol(CSR)has strong anti-inflammatory and immune-inhibitory effects.Here,we investigated the effects of CSR on colonic inflammation and mucosal immunity in an experimental colitis model,and addressed the mechanism by which CSR exerts the protective effects.We characterized the ther-apeutic effects and the potential mechanism of CSR on treating UC using histological staining,intestinal permeability assay,cytokine assay,flow cytometry,fecal microbiota transplantation(FMT),16S rRNA sequencing,untargeted metabolomics,and cell differentiation.CSR administra-tion significantly ameliorated the dextran sodium sulfate(DSS)-induced colitis in mice,which was evidenced by the recovered body weight and colon length as well as the decreased disease activity index(DAI)score and intestinal permeability.Meanwhile,CSR down-regulated the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and up-regulated the amount of anti-inflammatory mediators at both mRNA and protein levels,and improved the balances of Treg/Thl and Treg/Th1 7 to maintain the colonic immune homeostasis.Notably,all the therapeutic effects were exerted in a gut microbiota-dependent manner.Furthermore,CSR treatment increased the gut microbiota diversity and changed the compositions of the gut microbiota and metabolites,which is probably associated with the gut microbiota-mediated protective effects.In conclusion,this study provides the strong evidence that CSR may be a promising therapeutic drug for UC.

OBJECTIVETo explore the characters of lung injury induced by tin dusts and to provide the diagnosis evidence of tin pneumoconiosis.

METHODSForty SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: the group exposed to tin dusts from smelting workshop, the group exposed to tin dusts from tin refining workshop, the positive control group exposed to standard quartz dusts and the negative control group exposed to saline. The pathological changes of rat lungs were observed dynamically.

RESULTSIn rats exposed to tin dusts, on the 30th day after exposure to tin dusts, the scattered hoar tip size of the spots in surface and section of the lungs were observed, the scattered focal granulomatous inflammation around the small bronchi and dust particles in lung tissue were observed under microscope; on the 90th day after exposure to tin dusts, the granulomatous inflammation increase, the fibroblasts proliferation, collagen fibers formation and positive VG staining were found. There were significant differences, as compared with positive or negative controls (P < 0.05). These pathological changes were basically the characters of specific pathological changes in early tin pneumoconiosis.

CONCLUSIONNon-ferrous metal tin dusts can induce the specific lung injury (granuloma formation) in lung tissue of rats exposed to tin dusts, which fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of specific pathological changes in early tin pneumoconiosis.

Animals ; Dust ; Lung ; pathology ; Lung Injury ; chemically induced ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tin ; adverse effects

Objective To study the expression and clinical significance of thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) in stage Ⅰ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after operation and to 1 investigate the values in identification of the prognosis of stage Ⅰ NSCLC.Methods The expression of TTF-1 in 129 specimens of stage Ⅰ NSCLC was detected by immunohistochemistry.Results The positive rate of TTF-1 in stage Ⅰ NSCLC was 64.3％.There were significant differences in TTF-1 expression rate among pathological subtypes (x2 =25.231,P ＜ 0.001),different ages (x2 =4.581,P =0.032),sex (x2 =4.900,P =0.027) and differentiation degrees(x2 =11.519,P =0.019).Univariate analysis suggested that in the stage Ⅰ NSCLC patients,the median disease-free survival and overall survival of those positive for TTF-1 expression were superior to those negative:38.9 months versus 27.8 months (P =0.023) and 64.10 months versus 50.68months (P =0.013).Cox regression analysis suggested that TTF-1 expression,tumor differentiation degrees were independent factors affecting the prognosis of stage Ⅰ NSCLC.Conclusion Patients with TTF-1 positive expression often had better survival.Positive expression of TTF-1 and differentiation degree of tumor were independent prognostic factors to affect the prognosis of NSCLC.

OBJECTIVETo study diagnosis and therapeutic efficacy of transient oeteoporods of the hip (TOH).

METHODSFrom January 2005 to February 2010, 5 patients with TOH were treated with traditional methods. All the patients were male, with an average age of 38.6 years (ranged, 27 to 46 years). The clinical manifestation, physical examination and imageology characteristic was investigated. The therapeutic efficacy was evaluated by Harris hip score.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up, the duration ranged from 12 to 36 months (averaged, 24 months). The Harris hip score before treatment were 63.1, 86.0, 74.9, 63.6 and 64.8 respectively, while after 6 months treatment, the scores improved to 90.5, 94.5, 89.7, 93.9 and 87.8 respectively. Moreover, 6 months later, the abnormal signal disappeared in MR imaging and X-ray.

CONCLUSIONTransient osteoporosis of the hip is a self-resolving condition and a self-limited disease, the expectant treatment is useful for it.

Adult ; Female ; Hip Joint ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of renal sympathetic nerves in renal sodium transport in ouabain-hypertensive rats (OHR).

METHODSSixteen male SD rats with sham renal denervation (Sham-RDNX) and 16 with renal denervation (RDNX) were randomly into normal control group and ouabain group to receive intraperitoneal injection of normal saline (1 ml/kg) and ouabain (27.8 µg/kg) once a day, respectively. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate and body weight were recorded weekly. Food consumption of the rats was determined twice a week. After a 4-week treatment, blood and 24 h urine samples were collected to measure the serum and urinary concentration of sodium, trace lithium and creatinine. Endogenous creatinine clearance rate (Ccr), fractional excretions of sodium (FENa), fractional excretions of lithium (FELi) and fractional reabsorption of sodium in the postproximal tubules (FDRNa) were calculated. Plasma renin activity was determined by radioimmunoassay. Norepinephrine was extracted from the renal tissue and assayed for norepinephrine content by HPLC.

RESULTSThe body weight, food intake and heart rate showed no significant difference among the 4 groups (P > 0.05). After 4 weeks, the SBP of control RDNX group (CDNX) was significantly lower than that of the control Sham-DNX group (Csham)(P < 0.05); the SBP of ouabain RDNX group (ODNX) was also significantly lower than that of ouabain Sham-DNX group (Osham) (P < 0.05); RNDX lowered SBP by about 10 mmHg in both ouabain groups and control groups. The SBP was significantly higher in Osham and ODNX groups than in the corresponding control groups (P < 0.01), also significantly higher in ODNX group than in Csham group (P < 0.01). Ccr showed no significant difference among the 4 groups(P > 0.05). FENa, FELi and FDRNa were significantly lower in ouabain groups than in the corresponding control groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.05), but FENa, FELi and FDRNa of ODNX group were similar with those of Osham group (P > 0.05); FENa , FELi and FDRNa were similar between CDNX and Csham groups (P > 0.05). The plasma renin activity was comparable between the 4 groups (P > 0.05). Renal norepinephrine level was markedly reduced in RDNX group compared with that in Sham-RDNX group in both ouabain and control groups (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe increase of proximal tubule sodium reabsorption in OHR is not dependent on the renal sympathetic nerve.

Animals ; Hypertension ; chemically induced ; metabolism ; Kidney ; innervation ; Male ; Ouabain ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium ; metabolism ; Sodium Channels ; metabolism ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; physiology

Objective To evaluate the effect of anesthetic sleeping balance for treatment of chronic insomnia. Methods Twenty-four patients with chronic insomnia were treated with anesthetic sleeping balance on a voluntary basis with written informed consent. Polysomnographic (PSG) recordings were conducted and the scores of Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire (LSEQ) were measured before and after the therapy. Results Twenty-two of these patients showed an increase in the LSEQ score of over 100 after the therapy, with a total response rate of 92%. The therapy resulted in significant improvements in the sleep latency, sleep quality, alertness and behavioral integrity on the following morning and the total scores (P<0.05). PSG recording suggested increased total sleep duration, decreased sleep interruption frequency and shortened duration of wakefulness after the therapy, showing significant differences from the status before the therapy (P<0.05). Significant favorable changes also occurred in sleep architecture after the therapy, manifested by decreased S1% and increased S3%, S4% and percentage of rapid eye movement time. Conclusion Anesthetic sleeping balance may help minimize the sleep debt in patients with chronic insomnia and has also good effect in improving the sleep architecture in patients with refractory chronic insomnia.

Objective To investigate effects of different rewarming rates and maintenance of light hypothermia on inflammatory response in rabbits after limb blast injury, coupled with seawater immersion. Methods First, the model of limb blast injury coupled with seawater immersion was reproduced [the animals were immersed to low body temperature of (31.0±0.5℃)]. Then, 24 adult rabbits were randomly divided into group Ⅰ [the rapid rewarming group, n=6, rewarmed to (38±0.5)℃ at a rate of (8.94±0.93)℃/h], group Ⅱ [the slow rewarming group, n=6, rewarmed to (38±0.5)℃ at a rate of (3.88±0.22)℃/h], group Ⅲ [another slow rewarming group, n=6, rewarmed to (38±0.5)℃ at a rate of (2.18±0.12)℃/h], and the H group [the hypothermia group, n =6, rewarmed to (34 - 35)℃ at a rate of (4.49±0.66)℃/h and kept at that temperature till termination of the experiment]. Regulation of ambient temperature and warm transfusion were used to restore body temperature to target levels and maintained there for 6 hours. Blood samples were taken at 5 different times, I.e. Pre-injury time(T0), post-immersion time (T1), the time when rewarming started (T2), 3 h after rewarming (T3), and 6 h after rewarming (T4). Tissue samples from heart, liver, intestinum, lung and kidney were also collected. Levels of TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), IL-1β (interleukin-1β) and IL-6 (interleukin-6) in plasma and MPO (myeloperoxidase) in homogenate were detected. Results Following rewarming, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 concentrations in the plasma of the animals in group Ⅰ and group H were significantly higher when compared with those of the animals in group Ⅱ and group Ⅲ (P<0.05, P<0.01), and MPO activity in homogenate was significantly higher when compared with that of the animals in group Ⅱ and group Ⅲ(P<0.01, P<0.05), and no statistical difference could be seen between group Ⅱ and Ⅲ (P>0.05). Conclusions Rapid rewarming and maintenance of light hypothermia could obviously elevate TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 concentrations in plasma and MPO activity in homogenate, following limb blast injury coupled with hypothermia induced by seawater immersion, while slow rewarming (with a rewarming rate of 2-4℃/h) could significantly inhibit TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 levels and PMN activity.

Objective To investigate effects of different rewarming rates and maintenance of light hypothermia on inflammatory response in rabbits after limb blast injury, coupled with seawater immersion. Methods First, the model of limb blast injury coupled with seawater immersion was reproduced [the animals were immersed to low body temperature of (31.0±0.5℃)]. Then, 24 adult rabbits were randomly divided into group Ⅰ [the rapid rewarming group, n=6, rewarmed to (38±0.5)℃ at a rate of (8.94±0.93)℃/h], group Ⅱ [the slow rewarming group, n=6, rewarmed to (38±0.5)℃ at a rate of (3.88±0.22)℃/h], group Ⅲ [another slow rewarming group, n=6, rewarmed to (38±0.5)℃ at a rate of (2.18±0.12)℃/h], and the H group [the hypothermia group, n =6, rewarmed to (34 - 35)℃ at a rate of (4.49±0.66)℃/h and kept at that temperature till termination of the experiment]. Regulation of ambient temperature and warm transfusion were used to restore body temperature to target levels and maintained there for 6 hours. Blood samples were taken at 5 different times, I.e. Pre-injury time(T0), post-immersion time (T1), the time when rewarming started (T2), 3 h after rewarming (T3), and 6 h after rewarming (T4). Tissue samples from heart, liver, intestinum, lung and kidney were also collected. Levels of TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α), IL-1β (interleukin-1β) and IL-6 (interleukin-6) in plasma and MPO (myeloperoxidase) in homogenate were detected. Results Following rewarming, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 concentrations in the plasma of the animals in group Ⅰ and group H were significantly higher when compared with those of the animals in group Ⅱ and group Ⅲ (P<0.05, P<0.01), and MPO activity in homogenate was significantly higher when compared with that of the animals in group Ⅱ and group Ⅲ(P<0.01, P<0.05), and no statistical difference could be seen between group Ⅱ and Ⅲ (P>0.05). Conclusions Rapid rewarming and maintenance of light hypothermia could obviously elevate TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 concentrations in plasma and MPO activity in homogenate, following limb blast injury coupled with hypothermia induced by seawater immersion, while slow rewarming (with a rewarming rate of 2-4℃/h) could significantly inhibit TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 levels and PMN activity.