Objective To investigate the effect of miR-488-3p on renal tubular epithelial cell injury by regulating the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase(cGAS)-stimulator of interferon gene(STING)signaling pathway.Methods Human renal tubular epithelial HK-2 cells were divided into control,hypoxia-reoxygenation(HR),inhibition control,miR-488-3p inhibition,cGAS-STING pathway activator(RocA),and miR-488-3p inhibition+RocA groups.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect miR-488-3p expression in HK-2 cells.Cell viability was assessed using the CCK-8 assay.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure the levels of interleukin(IL)-10,IL-1β,and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in the culture supernatant of HK-2 cells.The DCFH-DA method was applied to detect the average fluorescence intensity of reactive oxygen species(ROS)in cells.Results Compared with the control group,the HR group showed increased miR-488-3p expression,IL-1β and TNF-α levels,average fluorescence intensity of ROS,malondialdehyde(MDA)levels,apoptosis rate,and protein expression of cleaved caspase-3,Bax,cGAS,and STING,whereas cell viability,IL-10 levels,and superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity were reduced in the HR group(P＜0.05).Com-pared with the HR and inhibition control groups,the miR-488-3p inhibition group exhibited decreased expression of miR-488-3p,IL-1β and TNF-α levels,average fluorescence intensity of ROS,MDA levels,apoptosis rate,and protein levels of cleaved caspase-3,Bax,cGAS,and STING,whereas cell viability,IL-10 levels,and SOD activity were increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Downregulation of miR-488-3p expression mitigates HR-induced inflammation,oxidative stress,and apoptosis in HK-2 cells,thereby reducing cell damage.The under-lying mechanisms may be associated with an inhibition of the cGAS-STING signaling pathway.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of modified multi-side hole nasobiliary drainage(MHND)via the percuta-neous transhepatic cholangiography(PTC)route with traditional percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage(PTCD)for palliative treatment of patients with advanced obstructive cholangiocarcinoma.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data from 66 patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma who underwent biliary drainage.Results Both groups normalize temperature and alleviate symptoms of acute cholangitis within 24 h post-puncture.There was no statistically significant difference in laboratory indicators such as white blood cell(WBC),total bilirubin(TBiL),alanine transaminase(ALT),aspartic transaminase(AST)at 48 h post-operation,and in the incidence of bile leakage,biliary peritonitis,and cholangitis during the postoperative hospital stay(P>0.05).However,the incidence of postoperative electrolyte disorders,gastrointestinal symptoms,and the recurrence rate of gastrointestinal symptoms during the follow-up period were significantly higher in the PTCD group compared to the MHND group,while the recur-rence rate of biliary tract infections was slightly higher in the MHND group compared to the PTCD group.The differences between the two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Modified MHND shows better clinical efficacy in the treatment of patients with advanced tumor jaundice.Compared with traditional PTCD,it not only effectively reduces jaundice and relieves acute cholangitis but also significantly reduces gastrointestinal symptoms during the postoperative period,thereby improving the quality of life for patients.However,it is noteworthy that it may also increase the risk of biliary tract infections.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of modified multi-side hole nasobiliary drainage(MHND)via the percuta-neous transhepatic cholangiography(PTC)route with traditional percutaneous transhepatic cholangial drainage(PTCD)for palliative treatment of patients with advanced obstructive cholangiocarcinoma.Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data from 66 patients with advanced cholangiocarcinoma who underwent biliary drainage.Results Both groups normalize temperature and alleviate symptoms of acute cholangitis within 24 h post-puncture.There was no statistically significant difference in laboratory indicators such as white blood cell(WBC),total bilirubin(TBiL),alanine transaminase(ALT),aspartic transaminase(AST)at 48 h post-operation,and in the incidence of bile leakage,biliary peritonitis,and cholangitis during the postoperative hospital stay(P>0.05).However,the incidence of postoperative electrolyte disorders,gastrointestinal symptoms,and the recurrence rate of gastrointestinal symptoms during the follow-up period were significantly higher in the PTCD group compared to the MHND group,while the recur-rence rate of biliary tract infections was slightly higher in the MHND group compared to the PTCD group.The differences between the two groups were statistically significant(P<0.05).Conclusion Modified MHND shows better clinical efficacy in the treatment of patients with advanced tumor jaundice.Compared with traditional PTCD,it not only effectively reduces jaundice and relieves acute cholangitis but also significantly reduces gastrointestinal symptoms during the postoperative period,thereby improving the quality of life for patients.However,it is noteworthy that it may also increase the risk of biliary tract infections.

Background and Aims:Complex choledocholithiasis often coexists with stenosis of the ampulla of Vater,which increases the difficulty and complexity of treatment.If only the stones in the bile duct are removed without addressing the ampullary stenosis,the disease is prone to recurrence.Previously,most treatments involved the use of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP)to guide the wire for sphincterotomy and stone extraction,followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy.However,ERCP has limitations in handling complex cases.In response,our team pioneered a new method of treating choledocholithiasis combined with stenosis of the ampulla of Vater via a transabdominal approach.This study was performed to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of this method,aiming to provide a new therapeutic option for clinical practice.Methods:A randomized controlled study was conducted with 120 patients treated at Chengdu Second People's Hospital from 2021 to 2023 for gallbladder stones and choledocholithiasis with stenosis of the ampulla of Vater.Patients were divided into an observation group and a control group,with 60 cases in each group.The observation group underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with choledochotomy for stone extraction,followed by retrograde guidance of duodenal papillary sphincterotomy through the opened bile duct,simultaneously treating gallbladder,bile duct stones,and stenosis of the ampulla of Vater.The control group underwent traditional ERCP approach for sphincterotomy,stone extraction,and laparoscopic cholecystectomy.Perioperative variables were collected for both groups and the surgical outcomes were compared.Results:Among the 120 patients,54 were male and 66 were female.There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of stone extraction success rate,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative 24-h total bilirubin,direct bilirubin,transaminases,white blood cell count,jaundice relief time,or incidence rates of bile leakage,retroperitoneal bleeding/infection,and severe pancreatitis(all P>0.05).The observation group had significantly shorter average operative time and postoperative hospital stay compared to the control group(98.67 min vs.110.8 min,P<0.05;3.81 d vs.5.61 d,P<0.05).Additionally,the observation group had a significantly lower incidence of postoperative hyperamylasemia and/or hyperlipasemia and mild pancreatitis(1.67%vs.25.00%,P<0.001;0 vs.10%,P=0.027).Conclusion:The novel transabdominal approach is superior to the ERCP approach in terms of reducing surgery time and hospitalization time,and it carries a lower risk of postoperative mild pancreatitis and hyperamylasemia and/or hyperlipasemia.The stone extraction success rate is comparable to that of ERCP,making it a viable alternative treatment option.

Aim To investigate the effect of Shenqi Dihuang decoction(SQDH)on henoch-schonlein pur-pura nephritis(HSPN)rats by regulating AMPK/Sirt1/Nrf2 mediated ferroptosis and the possible mech-anism.Methods Thirty SD rats were randomly divid-ed into a control group(Control),HSPN group,SQDH low-dose group(SQDH-L,5.4 g·kg-1),SQDH high-dose group(SQDH-H,21.6 g·kg-1),and SQDH high-dose+AMPK inhibitor group(SQDH-H+CC,20 mg·kg-1),with six rats in each group.Except for the control group,all other groups of rats were injected intraperitoneally with ovalbumin and complete Freund's adjuvant to establish HSPN rat models.After the successful construction of the model,each group of rats was orally administered with the cor-responding dosage or physiological saline once a day for five weeks.HE staining was used to observe the his-topathological changes in renal tissues;immunohisto-chemistry(IHC)was employed to detect the deposition of IgA and IgG in renal tissues;serum biochemical pa-rameters of renal function and urinary protein levels were measured;commercial assay kits were utilized to determine oxidative stress markers and Fe2+levels in renal tissues;Western blot analysis was performed to assess ferroptosis-related proteins and the protein ex-pression of the AMPK/Sirt1/Nrf2 signaling pathway in renal tissues.Results Compared with the control group,the HSPN group showed significant pathological damage in kidney tissue,with significantly increased scores,increased deposition of IgA and IgG in kidney tissue,decreased serum total protein(TP)and albu-min(ALB),and average increases in serum creatinine(Cre),urea nitrogen(BUN),and urinary protein levels(P＜0.05).The levels of MDA,ROS,Fe2+,and ACSL4 protein expression in the kidney tissue sig-nificantly increased,while SOD activity,SLC7A11,GPX4,p-AMPK/AMPK,Sirt1,and Nrf2 protein ex-pression significantly decreased(P＜0.05).Com-pared with the HSPN group,the pathological damage to renal tissue was reduced,IgA and IgG deposition in renal tissue decreased,TP and ALB decreased,Cre,BUN,and urinary protein levels were all reduced(P＜0.05),and the levels of MDA,ROS,Fe2+,and ACSL4 protein expression in renal tissue were signifi-cantly reduced in each dose group of SQDH rats.SOD activity,SLC7A11,GPX4,p-AMPK/AMPK,Sirt1,and Nrf2 protein expression significantly increased(P＜0.05).Compared with the SQDH-H group,the AMPK inhibitor CC could inhibit the AMPK/Sirt1/Nrf2 signaling pathway induced ferroptosis and reverse the protective effect of SQDH on renal injury in HSPN rats.Conclusions SQDH can improve renal injury in HSPN rats,and its mechanism may be related to the activation of AMPK/Sirt1/Nrf2 signaling pathway to in-hibit ferroptosis.

Objective To comparatively observe the value of 131I whole-body scanning(WBS)and 131I-SPECT/CT for evaluating residual thyroid tissue,lymph node and distant metastasis,as well as risk of recurrence of differentiated thyroid cancer(DTC)after surgical resection and initial radioactive iodine(RAI)treatment.Methods Totally 367 DTC patients who underwent initial RAI treatment after surgical resection and then 131I-WBS and 131I SPECT/CT scanning were retrospectively collected.131I-WBS and 131I SPECT/CT were compared for identifying residual thyroid,lymph node and distant metastases.According to follow-up results,the risk of DTC recurrence was evaluated based on 131I-WBS and 131I-SPECT/CT,respectively.Results Residual thyroid was detected in 353 cases and suspected in 3 cases with 131 I-WBS,which was diagnosed in 349 cases with 131I-SPECT/CT,and no significant difference was found between 2 methods(P=0.289).131I-WBS detected 36 cases with and suspected 67 cases with lymph node metastases,312 without distant metastases,while 131I-SPECT/CT diagnosed lymph node metastases in 52 cases;131I-WBS detected 20 cases with and suspected 35 cases with distant metastases,while 131I-SPECT/CT diagnosed 60 cases with distant metastases but could not diagnose in 3 cases,304 without distant metastases.The detection rate of 131I-SPECT/CT for lymph node and distant metastasis were both higher than that of 131I-WBS(P=0.018,P＜0.001).During follow-up period,there were 94 cases with low risk,155 with medium risk and 118 with high risk of DTC recurrence according to 131I-SPECT/CT,while 116 cases of low risk,137 of medium risk and 114 of high risk based on 131I-SPECT/CT,and the evaluating results were different between 2 methods in 40 cases(40/367,10.90％).Conclusion Compared with 131I-WBS,131I-SPECT/CT had better clinical value for evaluating lymph node and distant metastases and assessing recurrence risk of DTC after initial RAI treatment.

Objective To investigate the capacity of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound(LIPUS)for promoting osteogenic differentiation of senescent bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell(BMMSC)in mice,also the potential mechanism of involving myocardin-related transcription factor-A(MRTF-A)during this process.Methods Five aged mice received LIPUS irradiation on the left femur for eight weeks.Micro CT and HE staining were employed to evaluate bone status of bilateral femur.Bone marrow cells were isolated from mouse long bones,BMMSC were cultured,and the cells were divided into H2O2+LIPUS group,H2O2 group and control group.Mouse BMMSC were subjected to H2O2 for 3 days,followed by reactive oxygen species fluorescence staining and senescence-associated β-galactosidase staining to assess cellular senescence.Immunofluorescence and phalloidin staining were performed to examine MRTF-A distribution and cytoskeletal status.Based on H2O2-induced senescence model,MRTF-A nuclear translocation inhibitor CCG-100602 was applied,and the cells were further divided into H2O2+CCG-100602+LIPUS group,H2O2+CCG-100602 group,H2O2+LIPUS group and H2O2 group.Immunofluorescence staining was used to assess MRTF-A distribution.Alkaline phosphatase(ALP)and alizarin red staining were conducted to evaluate osteogenic differentiation capacity.Results LIPUS resulted in increased trabecular bone in the left femur of aged mice compared to the right femur,with increased bone volume to total volume and trabecular number and decreased trabecular spacing(both P＜0.05).Compared with H2O2 group,H2O2+LIPUS group showed increased nuclear expression of MRTF-A and increased intracellular rigid actin filament density.The nuclear expression of MRTF-A in H2O2+CCG-100602+LIPUS group was significantly lower than that in H2O2+LIPUS group.Compared with the H2O2+CCG-100602+LIPUS group and H2O2 group,the ALP and alizarin red staining positive areas in H2O2+LIPUS group were significantly larger.Conclusion LIPUS could improve osteoporosis in aged mice.Nuclear translocation of MRTF-A was a key regulator to LIPUS for promoting osteogenic differentiation of senescent BMMSC.

Dipsaci Radix is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine in China, with triterpenoid saponins as the main active components. β-Amyrin synthase, a member of the oxidosqualene cyclase superfamily, plays a crucial role in the biosynthesis of oleanane-type triterpenoid saponins. Asperosaponin Ⅵ is an oleanane-type triterpenoid saponin. To explore the β-amyrin synthase genes involved in the biosynthesis of asperosaponin Ⅵ in Dipsacus asper, this study screened the candidate genes from the transcriptome data of D. asper. Two β-amyrin synthase genes, Da OSC1 and Da OSC2, were identified by phylogenetic analysis and correlation analysis. The coding sequences of Da OSC1 and Da OSC2 were 2 286 bp and 2 295 bp in length, encoding 761 and 764 amino acids,respectively. Multiple sequence alignments showed that Da OSC1 and Da OSC2 had three conserved motifs( DCTAE, QW, and MWCYCR) unique to the oxidosqualene cyclase family. Real-time quantitative PCR results showed that Da OSC1 and Da OSC2 had the highest expression levels in the roots. Compared with normal growth conditions, the low-temperature treatment significantly upregulated the expression of Da OSC1 and Da OSC2. Agrobacterium-mediated transient expression of Da OSC1 and Da OSC2 in Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in the production of β-amyrin, which suggested that Da OSC1 and Da OSC2 were able to catalyze the synthesis of β-amyrin. This study clarified the catalytic functions of two β-amyrin synthases in D. asper, analyzed their expression patterns in different tissue and at low temperatures. The findings provide a foundation for further studying the biosynthetic pathway and regulatory mechanism of asperosaponin Ⅵ in D. asper.
Intramolecular Transferases/chemistry* ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins/chemistry* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Dipsacaceae/classification* ; Saponins/metabolism* ; Oleanolic Acid/metabolism*

This study aims to investigate the potential effect of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix on hypercholesterolemia in mice that was induced by a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet and explore its possible mechanism from bile acid reabsorption. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned into the following groups: control, model, low-and high-dose(4 and 8 g·kg~(-1), respectively) fresh Rehmanniae Radix, and positive drug(simvastatin, 0.05 g·kg~(-1)). Other groups except the control group were fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet for 6 consecutive weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia. From the 6th week, mice were administrated with corresponding drugs daily via gavage for additional 6 weeks, while continuing to be fed with a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet. Serum levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol(LDL-c), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-c), and total bile acid(TBA), as well as liver TC and TG levels and fecal TBA level, were determined by commercial assay kits. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy were performed to observe the pathological changes in the liver. Three livers samples were randomly selected from each of the control, model, and high-dose fresh Rehmanniae Radix groups for high-throughput transcriptome sequencing. Differentially expressed genes were mined and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis was performed to predict the key pathways and target genes of the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. RT-qPCR was employed to measure the mRNA levels of cholesterol 7α-hydroxylase(CYP7A1) and cholesterol 27α-hydroxylase(CYP27A1) in the liver. Western blot was employed to determine the protein levels of CYP7A1 and CYP27A1 in the liver as well as farnesoid X receptor(FXR), apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter(ASBT), and ileum bile acid-binding protein(I-BABP) in the ileum. The results showed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly lowered the levels of TC and TG in the serum and liver, as well as the level of LDL-c in the serum. Conversely, it elevated the level of HDL-c in the serum and TBA in feces. No significant difference was observed in the level of TBA in the serum among groups. HE staining, oil red O staining, and transmission electron microscopy showed that the water extract reduced the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver. Further mechanism studies revealed that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix significantly down-regulated the protein levels of FXR and bile acid reabsorption-related proteins ASBT and I-BABP. Additionally, it enhanced CYP7A1 and CYP27A1, the key enzymes involved in bile acid synthesis. Therefore, it is hypothesized that the water extract of fresh Rehmanniae Radix may exert an anti-hypercholesterolemic effect by regulating FXR/ASBT/I-BABP signaling, inhibiting bile acid reabsorption, and increasing bile acid excretion, thus facilitating the conversion of cholesterol to bile acids.
Animals ; Male ; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects* ; Cholesterol/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Hypercholesterolemia/genetics* ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics* ; Rehmannia/chemistry* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Humans ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase/genetics* ; Plant Extracts

PURPOSE: Bone cement-reinforced fenestrated pedicle screws (FPSs) have been widely used in the internal fixation and repair of the spine with osteoporosis in recent years and show significant improvement in fixation strength and stability. However, compared with conventional reinforcement methods, the advantages of bone cement-reinforced FPSs remain undetermined. This article compares the effects of fenestrated and conventional pedicle screws (CPSs) combined with bone cement in the treatment of osteoporosis. METHODS: A clinical control study of FPSs and CPSs combined with bone cement reinforcement in osteoporotic vertebral internal fixation was performed using the database PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, the Wanfang, and the China Biomedical Literature Service System. Two evaluators screened the relevant literature in strict accordance with the inclusion criteria (diagnosis of participants, type of clinical study, treatment with FPS and CPS, and outcome indicators) and exclusion criteria (duplicate literature and missing or incorrect data) and independently conducted data extraction and quality evaluation. Clinical control studies of direct comparison between FPS and CPS combined with bone cement reinforcement in patients who were definitively diagnosed with thoracolumbar fractures or spinal degenerative diseases were included. Quality evaluation was conducted using the Cochrane risk bias evaluation tool for randomized controlled studies and using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for retrospective case-control studies. RevMan software (version 5.3) was used for the meta-analysis to compare the clinical efficacy, radiological results, and related complications of the 2 methods. RESULTS: A total of 13 articles were included, including 7 randomized controlled studies and 6 retrospective case-control studies. There were 909 patients in these studies, 451 in the FPS and polymethyl methacrylate (FPS & PMMA) group and 458 in the CPS and polymethyl methacrylate (CPS & PMMA) group. The results of the meta-analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the 2 groups in operation time, hospital stay, visual analogue score, Japanese orthopaedic association score, Oswestry disability index score, Cobb angle, vertebral body deformation index and fusion rate (p > 0.05). The mean difference of intraoperative bleeding volume was -10.45, (95% confidence intervals (CI) (-16.92, -3.98), p = 0.002), the mean difference of loss height of the anterior edge of the vertebral body after surgery was -0.69 (95% CI (-0.93, -0.44), p < 0.001), and the relative risk (RR) of overall complication rate was 0.43 (95% CI (0.27, 0.68), p < 0.001), including the RR of bone cement leakage rate was 0.57 (95% CI (0.39, 0.85), p = 0.005). The screw loosening rate (RR = 0.26, 95% CI (0.13, 0.54), p < 0.001) of the FPS group was significantly lower than that of the CPS group. CONCLUSION The existing clinical evidence shows that compared with the CPS combined with bone cement, the use of FPS repair in the internal fixation of an osteoporotic vertebral body can reduce the amount of intraoperative bleeding, be more conducive to maintaining the height of the vertebral body, and significantly reduce the incidence of postoperative complications such as bone cement leakage and screw loosening.
Humans ; Pedicle Screws ; Bone Cements ; Spinal Fractures/surgery* ; Osteoporotic Fractures/surgery* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation*