Objective:To investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of primary thoracic synovial sarcoma (PTSS).Methods:Forty-two PTSS cases diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China from October 2011 to April 2024 were analyzed. All cases were retrospectively studied using hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. Their clinicopathological features were also reviewed. SS18 rearrangement was assessed in 28 cases using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on 8 cases.Results:Among the 42 cases, there were 23 biopsies and 19 surgically-removed specimens. One case was a specimen resected after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. There were 22 males and 20 females, with an age ranging from 6 to 68 years. Twenty-nine cases occured in the lung, 6 in mediastinum, 4 in pericardium, 1 in visceral pleura, and 1 in right atrium. One case did not show any unequivocal primary site. Computed tomography showed the tumors were manifested as a cystic mass, a solid mass, or thickening of the pleura and pericardium. Thirty-two cases had respiratory symptoms, while 19 had pleural effusion. One case had a history of radiotherapy for papillary thyroid carcinoma. Nineteen patients were treated with surgery, while 19 were treated with chemotherapy without surgery. Four patients were diagnosed and discharged, without specific treatment on the record. Morphologically, 1 case was biphasic type, 39 cases were monophasic type, and 2 cases were poorly differentiated type. In addition to the typical morphology of synovial sarcoma, tumors also showed pulmonary bullous changes, stromal collagen hyalinization, hemangiopericytoma-like vasculature, stromal edematous myxoid changes, and microcystic structure. Immunohistochemically, all cases were diffusely positive for TRPS1 (22/22), TLE1 (21/22), CD99 (26/26), SS18-SSX (25/25) and INI1 (12/12), including 3 cases with decreased expression of INI1. Twenty-one cases were focally positive for EMA (21/30), 4 cases for SMA (4/23), 2 cases for S-100 (2/28), and 2 cases (2/35) for CKpan. Twenty-eight cases (28/28) had SS18 rearrangement displaying a split signal on FISH analysis. Eight cases were found to have mutations in SMC1A, NOTCH2, CDK12, SPRY4, BRCA1, STK11, NF2, and PDGFRα genes using NGS. Eighteen of the 29 patients survived and 16 showed disease progression.Conclusions:PTSS is more commonly found in the lungs than other sites and has non-classical morphological features of various types, which need to be differentiated from other tumors. TRPS1 is highly expressed in PTSS and has certain diagnostic values. The diagnosis of PTSS also requires combination of patient′s medical history with thorough imaging studies.

AIM:To investigate the expression profile and biological significance of long noncoding RNA(lncRNA)zinc finger antisense 1(ZFAS1)in the brains of mice with diabetic encephalopathy(DE).METHODS:Ten db/m mice served as the normal control group,while twenty 22-week-old db/db mice were used to establish the DE model and randomly divided into two subgroups:ten as the db/db model control and the remaining ten receiving ZFAS1 gene knockdown(db/db+sh-ZFAS1)via lentiviral transfection.Weekly measurements of body weight and blood glucose levels were performed.Brain tissues were collected for Nissl staining to evaluate neuronal damage,TUNEL assay to detect apop-tosis,and immunofluorescence staining to examine neural biomarker expression.Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and oxidative stress markers,including reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT)and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),were determined.Western blot was conducted to quantify the protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax),p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphorylated p38(p-p38)in brain tissues.The expression levels of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA were determined by RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Knockdown of ZFAS1 in db/db mice significantly improved cognitive function,alleviated hippocampal neuronal damage,and reduced body weight and blood glucose levels(P<0.01).More-over,oxidative stress was mitigated,as evidenced by decreased MDA and ROS levels(P<0.01)and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes,GSH-Px,SOD and CAT(P<0.01 or P<0.05).Meanwhile,ZFAS1 silencing down-regulated Bax and p-p38/p38 protein expression(P<0.01 or P<0.05)while up-regulating Bcl-2(P<0.01).Consistently,RT-qPCR confirmed significant down-regulation of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA levels(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:lncRNA ZFAS1 is highly expressed in the hippocampus of DE mice.Down-regulation of ZFAS1 expression enhances cognitive func-tion,suppresses oxidative stress,and inhibits neuronal apoptosis,thereby attenuating neural damage in DE.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by persistent inflammation and joint damage, accompanied by the accumulation of plasma cells, which contributes to its pathogenesis. Understanding the genetic alterations occurring during plasma cell differentiation in RA can deepen our comprehension of its pathogenesis and guide the development of targeted therapeutic interventions. Here, our study elucidates the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying plasma cell differentiation by demonstrating that PRDX1 interacts with DOK3 and modulates its degradation by the autophagy-lysosome pathway. This interaction results in the inhibition of plasma cell differentiation, thereby alleviating the progression of collagen-induced arthritis. Additionally, our investigation identifies Salvianolic acid B (SAB) as a potent small molecular glue-like compound that enhances the interaction between PRDX1 and DOK3, consequently impeding the progression of collagen-induced arthritis by inhibiting plasma cell differentiation. Collectively, these findings underscore the therapeutic potential of developing chemical stabilizers for the PRDX1-DOK3 complex in suppressing plasma cell differentiation for RA treatment and establish a theoretical basis for targeting PRDX1-protein interactions as specific therapeutic targets in various diseases.

Objective:To investigate the clinical and pathological characteristics of primary thoracic synovial sarcoma (PTSS).Methods:Forty-two PTSS cases diagnosed at the Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China from October 2011 to April 2024 were analyzed. All cases were retrospectively studied using hematoxylin-eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. Their clinicopathological features were also reviewed. SS18 rearrangement was assessed in 28 cases using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on 8 cases.Results:Among the 42 cases, there were 23 biopsies and 19 surgically-removed specimens. One case was a specimen resected after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. There were 22 males and 20 females, with an age ranging from 6 to 68 years. Twenty-nine cases occured in the lung, 6 in mediastinum, 4 in pericardium, 1 in visceral pleura, and 1 in right atrium. One case did not show any unequivocal primary site. Computed tomography showed the tumors were manifested as a cystic mass, a solid mass, or thickening of the pleura and pericardium. Thirty-two cases had respiratory symptoms, while 19 had pleural effusion. One case had a history of radiotherapy for papillary thyroid carcinoma. Nineteen patients were treated with surgery, while 19 were treated with chemotherapy without surgery. Four patients were diagnosed and discharged, without specific treatment on the record. Morphologically, 1 case was biphasic type, 39 cases were monophasic type, and 2 cases were poorly differentiated type. In addition to the typical morphology of synovial sarcoma, tumors also showed pulmonary bullous changes, stromal collagen hyalinization, hemangiopericytoma-like vasculature, stromal edematous myxoid changes, and microcystic structure. Immunohistochemically, all cases were diffusely positive for TRPS1 (22/22), TLE1 (21/22), CD99 (26/26), SS18-SSX (25/25) and INI1 (12/12), including 3 cases with decreased expression of INI1. Twenty-one cases were focally positive for EMA (21/30), 4 cases for SMA (4/23), 2 cases for S-100 (2/28), and 2 cases (2/35) for CKpan. Twenty-eight cases (28/28) had SS18 rearrangement displaying a split signal on FISH analysis. Eight cases were found to have mutations in SMC1A, NOTCH2, CDK12, SPRY4, BRCA1, STK11, NF2, and PDGFRα genes using NGS. Eighteen of the 29 patients survived and 16 showed disease progression.Conclusions:PTSS is more commonly found in the lungs than other sites and has non-classical morphological features of various types, which need to be differentiated from other tumors. TRPS1 is highly expressed in PTSS and has certain diagnostic values. The diagnosis of PTSS also requires combination of patient′s medical history with thorough imaging studies.

AIM:To investigate the expression profile and biological significance of long noncoding RNA(lncRNA)zinc finger antisense 1(ZFAS1)in the brains of mice with diabetic encephalopathy(DE).METHODS:Ten db/m mice served as the normal control group,while twenty 22-week-old db/db mice were used to establish the DE model and randomly divided into two subgroups:ten as the db/db model control and the remaining ten receiving ZFAS1 gene knockdown(db/db+sh-ZFAS1)via lentiviral transfection.Weekly measurements of body weight and blood glucose levels were performed.Brain tissues were collected for Nissl staining to evaluate neuronal damage,TUNEL assay to detect apop-tosis,and immunofluorescence staining to examine neural biomarker expression.Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and oxidative stress markers,including reactive oxygen species(ROS),malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),catalase(CAT)and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),were determined.Western blot was conducted to quantify the protein expression levels of B-cell lymphoma-2(Bcl-2),Bcl-2-associated X protein(Bax),p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and phosphorylated p38(p-p38)in brain tissues.The expression levels of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA were determined by RT-qPCR.RESULTS:Knockdown of ZFAS1 in db/db mice significantly improved cognitive function,alleviated hippocampal neuronal damage,and reduced body weight and blood glucose levels(P<0.01).More-over,oxidative stress was mitigated,as evidenced by decreased MDA and ROS levels(P<0.01)and increased activity of antioxidant enzymes,GSH-Px,SOD and CAT(P<0.01 or P<0.05).Meanwhile,ZFAS1 silencing down-regulated Bax and p-p38/p38 protein expression(P<0.01 or P<0.05)while up-regulating Bcl-2(P<0.01).Consistently,RT-qPCR confirmed significant down-regulation of ZFAS1 and caspase-3 mRNA levels(P<0.01).CONCLUSION:lncRNA ZFAS1 is highly expressed in the hippocampus of DE mice.Down-regulation of ZFAS1 expression enhances cognitive func-tion,suppresses oxidative stress,and inhibits neuronal apoptosis,thereby attenuating neural damage in DE.

Objective: To determine the active components of Eupolyphaga sinensis Walker (Tu Bie Chong) and explore the mechanisms underlying its fracture-healing ability. Methods: A modified Einhorn method was used to develop a rat tibial fracture model. Progression of bone healing was assessed using radiological methods. Safranin O/fast green and CD31 immunohistochemical staining were performed to evaluate the growth of bone cells and angiogenesis at the fracture site. Methylthiazoletetrazolium blue and wound healing assays were used to analyze cell viability and migration. The Transwell assay was used to explore the invasion capacity of the cells. Tubule formation assays were used to assess the angiogenesis capacity of human vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). qRT-PCR was used to evaluate the changes in gene transcription levels. Results: Tu Bie Chong fraction 3 (TF3) significantly shortened the fracture healing time in model rats. X-ray results showed that on day 14, fracture healing in the TF3 treatment group was significantly better than that in the control group (P = .0086). Tissue staining showed that cartilage growth and the number of H-shaped blood vessels at the fracture site of the TF3 treatment group were better than those of the control group. In vitro, TF3 significantly promoted the proliferation and wound healing of MC3T3-E1s and HUVECs (all P < .01). Transwell assays showed that TF3 promoted the migration of HUVECs, but inhibited the migration of MC3T3-E1 cells. Tubule formation experiments confirmed that TF3 markedly promoted the ability of vascular endothelial cells to form microtubules. Gene expression analysis revealed that TF3 significantly promoted the expression of VEGFA, SPOCD1, NGF, and NGFR in HUVECs. In MC3T3-E1 cells, the transcript levels of RUNX2 and COL2A1 were significantly elevated following TF3 treatment. Conclusion TF3 promotes fracture healing by promoting bone regeneration associated with the RUNX2 pathway and angiogenesis associated with the VEGFA pathway.

Objective To investigate the correlations of serum Apelin-13 and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) levels with metabolic and bone metabolic indicators in postmenopausal women with different bone mass. Methods A total of 145 postmenopausal women were selected as subjects and divided into three groups based on bone mineral density (BMD) test results: normal bone mass group(49 cases), osteopenia (ON) group(51 cases), and osteoporosis (OP) group(45 cases). Serum Apelin-13, FABP4 levels, bone metabolic indicators, and biochemical indicators were measured and compared among the three groups. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlations of Apelin-13, FABP4, and other indicators with BMD. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors for OP, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to analyze the predictive value of serum Apelin-13 for postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). Results The serum Apelin-13 level in the OP group was lower than that in the ON group and the normal bone mass group (P < 0.05). No significant difference in serum FABP4 levels was found among the three groups (P>0.05). The levels of serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), type Ⅰ procollagen amino-terminal propeptide (PⅠNP), type Ⅰ collagen cross-linked C-terminal peptide (CTXⅠ), and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP) in the OP group were higher than those in the ON group and the normal bone mass group (P < 0.05). Lumbar post-menopause BMD was positively correlated with serum Apelin-13 levels (P < 0.05), but had no correlation with serum FABP4 levels (P>0.05). Lumbar BMD was negatively correlated with serum PTH, ALP, PⅠNP, CTXⅠ, BALP, and age (P < 0.05), but positively correlated with body weight, body mass index, T-score, fasting insulin, and insulin resistance index (P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that serum Apelin-13, PTH, ALP, PⅠNP, CTXⅠ, and BALP levels were independent factors influencing the occurrence of OP in postmenopausal women (P < 0.05). ROC curve results showed that the optimal cut-off value of serum Apelin-13 for predicting PMOP was 18.51 pg/mL, with an area under the curve of 0.716, a sensitivity of 70.0%, and a specificity of 64.4%. Conclusion Apelin-13 is lowly expressed in the serum of PMOP patients, and its expression level is closely related to lumbar BMD, which may serve as an early screening indicator and potential therapeutic target for PMOP.

Objective To analyze the correlation between serum soluble Klotho protein(sKL)and tendino-C(TN-C)and the severity of disease and oxidative stress in children with immunoglobulin A(IgA)nephropa-thy.Methods A total of 85 children with IgA nephropathy admitted to the hospital from July 2019 to August 2022 were selected as IgA nephropathy group,and 85 healthy patients who underwent physical examination in the hospital during the same period were selected as healthy group.Serum sKL and TN-C levels were com-pared between the two groups.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn to analyze the value of serum sKL,TN-C and their combination in predicting the occurrence of IgA nephropathy.IgA nephropathy group was divided into mild group(28 cases),moderate group(39 cases)and severe group(18 cases)accord-ing to 24 h urinary protein quantity.Serum sKL,TN-C levels and oxidative stress indexes[malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD)and advanced oxidation protein product(AOPP)]of the three groups were compared.The correlation between serum sKL and TN-C levels and oxidative stress indexes was ana-lyzed by Spearman correlation,and the correlation between serum sKL and TN-C levels and the severity of IgA nephropathy in children was examined by Kendall's Tau-b.Results The serum sKL level in IgA ne-phropathy group was lower than that in healthy group,and the serum TN-C level was higher than that in healthy group,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).ROC curve showed that the area under the curve and 95％CI of serum sKL,TNC and their combination predicted the occurrence of IgA nephropathy were 0.726(95％CI:0.648-0.803),0.853(95％CI:0.796-0.909)and 0.891(95％CI:0.845-0.937).The level of serum sKL in severe group was lower than that in moderate and mild groups,while the level of serum TN-C was higher than that in moderate and mild groups,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).The serum SOD level of severe group was lower than that of moderate group and mild group,and the serum AOPP and MDA levels were higher than those of moderate group and mild group,the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Spearman correlation showed that sKL level was positively correlated with SOD(r＞0,P＜0.05),and negatively correlated with AOPP and MDA(r＜0,P＜0.05).TN-C level was negatively correlated with SOD(r＜0,P＜0.05),and positively correlated with AOPP and MDA(r＞0,P＜0.05).Conclusion The levels of serum sKL and TN-C in children with IgA nephropathy are related to the severity of disease and oxidative stress,and the combination of SKL and TN-C can effectively predict the occurrence of IgA nephropathy.

Objective:To explore the application value of ultrasound diaphragmatic function assessment in weaning from invasive mechanical ventilation in patients with respiratory failure.Method:Fifty-three patients with acute respiratory failure who underwent mechanical ventilation and weaning in People’s Hospital Affiliated to Ningbo University from January 2020 to February 2022 were selected for research. After weaning conditions, T-tube was used for spontaneous breathing test (SBT). At SBT-30 min, beside ultrasound was used to collect the right diaphragm movement (DE) and diaphragm thickness, and the shallow rapid breathing index (RSBI), diaphragm shallow rapid breathing index (D-RSBI) and diaphragm thickness change rate (DTF) were calculated. According to the outcome of weaning, the patients were divided into the successfully weaned group and unsuccessfully weaned group. All patients’ clinical data were collected, and the relationship between ultrasound parameters and clinical indexes was compared between the two groups The efficiency of each index for predicting the success rate of weaning was analyzed with the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:Fifty-three patients were enrolled in this study, including 36 patients in the successfully weaned group and 17 patients in the unsuccessfully weaned group. DE and DTF in the successfully weaned group were higher than those in the unsuccessfully weaned group (all P<0.05), RSBI and D-RSBI in the successfully weaned group were significantly lower than those in the unsuccessfully weaned group (all P<0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that when the cut-off value of DE, DTF, RSBI and D-RSBI were >1.21 cm, >27.5%, <48.68 times/(min·L) and <1.31 times/(min·mm), the sensitivity of predicting the success of weaning was 69.0%, 97.2%, 83.0% and 83.0% respectively, and the specificity was 59.0%, 47.1%, 94.1% and 94.3%, respectively. Conclusions:The evaluation of ultrasound diaphragmatic function can effectively guide the clinical mechanical ventilation patients to withdraw the machine, and improve the accuracy of predicting the success rate of weaning. Therefore, t ultrasound diaphragmatic function assessment has a high application value in guiding the mechanical evacuation of patients with mechanical ventilation, and can be widely applied in clinical practice.