Objective: To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of mechano-growth factor (MGF) on the proliferation and differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs). Methods: PDLSCs were obtained using magnetic bead sorting. Flow cytometry was performed to identify biomarkers. The clonogenicity and multidifferentiation potential of PDLSCs were identified by colony-forming unit, osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation assays. A CCK8 assay was used to detect the cell activity under different concentrations of mechano-growth factors (MGF-Ct24E). Western blot was used to detect the protein expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA), Scleraxis, collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1）, Osterix, Yes-associated protein (YAP) and phosphorylation Yes-associated protein (P-YAP）in PDLSCs. YAP protein expression was observed by immunofluorescence. Knockdown of YAP expression by a siRNA, detected the expression of PCNA, Scleraxis and COL1A1under MGF-Ct24E in PDLSCs. Results : PDLSCs showed high expression of stem cell markers (CD29, CD90 and CD105) and low expression of hematopoietic markers (CD34 and CD45). PDLSCs also have a strong ability to clone. Red calcium junctions were observed by Alizarin red staining, and red lipid droplets were observed by Oil red O staining. After treatment with 50 ng/mL and 100 ng/mL MGF-Ct24E for 24 h, the cell activity of periodontal ligament stem cells was significantly enhanced (P<0.05). The protein expression of PCNA, Scleraxis and COL1A1 was significantly upregulated, and the protein expression of Osterix was significantly downregulated (P<0.05). After treatment with 50 ng/mL mechano-growth factor for 24 h, the phosphorylation of YAP protein was significantly enhanced (P<0.05), and YAP protein was observed to accumulate in the nucleus by immunofluorescence. Following inhibition of YAP expression, PCNA and Scleraxis had significantly downregulated expression caused by MGF-Ct24E (P<0.05). Conclusion MGF promotes proliferation and fibrogenesis via upregulation of YAP activities.

Aim To explore the effect of tanshinone II A (Tan II A) on reverse cholesterol transport in atherosclerosis model mice and RAW264. 7 cells and the underlying mechanism. Methods Thirty-two male LDLR -/- mice were randomly divided into four groups. These mice were fed with normal diet or high fat diet for 12 weeks. The control group and model group were given normal saline. Tan II A group and atorvastatin group were given Tan II A solution and atorvastatin solution for 12 weeks. RAW264. 7 cells were induced with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) 100 mg • L-

COVID-19 has been prevalent for three years. The virulence of SARS-CoV-2 is weaken as it mutates continuously. However, elderly patients, especially those with underlying diseases, are still at high risk of developing severe infections. With the continuous study of the molecular structure and pathogenic mechanism of SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drugs for COVID-19 have been successively marketed, and these anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs can effectively reduce the severe rate and mortality of elderly patients. This article reviews the mechanism, clinical medication regimens, drug interactions and adverse reactions of five small molecule antiviral drugs currently approved for marketing in China, so as to provide advice for the clinical rational use of anti-SARS-CoV-2 in the elderly.

Objective: This study systematically explore the efficacy and safety of fourth-generation chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CAR-T), which express interleukin 7 (IL7) and chemokine C-C motif ligand 19 (CCL19) and target CD19, in relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. Methods: Our center applied autologous 7×19 CAR-T combined with tirelizumab to treat 11 patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. The efficacy and adverse effects were explored. Results: All 11 enrolled patients completed autologous 7×19 CAR-T preparation and infusion. Nine patients completed the scheduled six sessions of tirolizumab treatment, one completed four sessions, and one completed one session. Furthermore, five cases (45.5%) achieved complete remission, and three cases (27.3%) achieved partial remission with an objective remission rate of 72.7%. Two cases were evaluated for disease progression, and one died two months after reinfusion because of uncontrollable disease. The median follow-up time was 31 (2-34) months, with a median overall survival not achieved and a median progression-free survival of 28 (1-34) months. Two patients with partial remission achieved complete remission at the 9th and 12th months of follow-up. Therefore, the best complete remission rate was 63.6%. Cytokine-release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome were controllable, and no immune-related adverse reactions occurred. Conclusion: Autologous 7×19 CAR-T combined with tirelizumab for treating relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma achieved good efficacy with controllable adverse reactions.
Humans ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use* ; Antigens, CD19 ; Chemokine CCL19 ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive ; Interleukin-7 ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/therapy* ; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen

INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact in Asia and has placed significant burden on already stretched healthcare systems. We examined the impact of COVID-19 on the safety attitudes among healthcare workers (HCWs), as well as their associated demographic and occupational factors, and measures of burnout, depression and anxiety. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study utilising snowball sampling was performed involving doctors, nurses and allied health professions from 23 hospitals in Singapore, Malaysia, India and Indonesia between 29 May 2020 and 13 July 2020. This survey collated demographic data and workplace conditions and included three validated questionnaires: the Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ), Oldenburg Burnout Inventory and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. We performed multivariate mixed-model regression to assess independent associations with the SAQ total percentage agree rate (PAR). RESULTS: We obtained 3,163 responses. The SAQ total PARs were found to be 35.7%, 15.0%, 51.0% and 3.3% among the respondents from Singapore, Malaysia, India and Indonesia, respectively. Burnout scores were highest among respondents from Indonesia and lowest among respondents from India (70.9%-85.4% vs. 56.3%-63.6%, respectively). Multivariate analyses revealed that meeting burnout and depression thresholds and shifts lasting ≥12 h were significantly associated with lower SAQ total PAR. CONCLUSION Addressing the factors contributing to high burnout and depression and placing strict limits on work hours per shift may contribute significantly towards improving safety culture among HCWs and should remain priorities during the pandemic.
Humans ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Pandemics ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Burnout, Psychological ; Health Personnel

Objective: To investigate whether the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) / exchange proteins directly activated by cAMP (Epac) / ras-related protein 1 ( Rap1 ) signalling pathway is involved in the intervening mechanisms of interleukin-1 β (IL-1 β) ，tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) ，brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Jujuboside A(JuA) secretion by NG2 cells． Methods: NG2 cells were cultured in vitro and the experiment was divided into control group ，pertussis toxin ( PTX) group ，ESI-09 group，JuA group and positive drug group．The effect of different concentrations of JuA on the survival rate of NG2 cells was detected by CCK-8 method，and the expression of IL-1 β , TNF-α , BDNF，cAMP，Epac，Rap1 mRNA and protein in each group was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot. Results: Compared with the control group，the PTX group decreased the expression of IL-1 β and TNF-α mRNA and protein (P＜0. 01) and increased the expression of cAMP and BDNF mRNA and protein (P＜0. 01) ; the ESI-09 group increased the expression of IL-1 β and TNF-α mRNA and protein (P < 0. 05) and decreased the expression of BDNF，Epac and Rap1 mRNA and protein expression (P＜0. 01) ; the JuA group and positive drug group increased IL-1 β , TNF-α , BDNF，cAMP，Epac，Rap1 mRNA and protein expression (P＜0. 01) ． Conclusion The cAMP / Epac / Rap1 signaling pathway is involved in the secretion of IL-1 β , TNF- α , and BDNF by NG2 cells．JuA may act on cAMP / Epac / Rap1 signaling pathway to affect the secretion of BDNF by NG2 cells.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the main cause of clinical treatment failure and poor prognosis in cancer. Targeting P-glycoprotein (P-gp) has been regarded as an effective strategy to overcome MDR. In this work, we reported our preclinical studies of the triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-based compound WS-716 as a highly potent, specific, and orally active P-gp inhibitor. Through direct binding to P-gp, WS-716 inhibited efflux function of P-gp and specifically reversed P-gp-mediated MDR to paclitaxel (PTX) in multiple resistant cell lines, without changing its expression or subcellular localization. WS-716 and PTX synergistically inhibited formation of colony and 3D spheroid, induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase in resistant SW620/Ad300 cells. In addition, WS-716 displayed minimal effect on the drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4). Importantly, WS-716 increased sensitivity of both pre-clinically and clinically derived MDR tumors to PTX in vivo with the T/C value of 29.7% in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Relative to PTX treatment alone, combination of WS-716 and PTX caused no obvious adverse reactions. Taken together, our preclinical studies revealed therapeutic promise of WS-716 against MDR cancer, the promising data warrant its further development for cancer therapy.

The ultra-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS~E) technology was employed to compare the chemical components between the aerial and underground parts of Coptis chinensis samples from different batches. According to the retention time, molecular ion peak, and LC-MS~E fragment information of the reference substances and available literature, we identified a total of 40 components. Thirty-three and 31 compounds were respectively identified in the underground part(taproots) and the aerial part(stems and leaves) of C. chinensis. Among them, 24 compounds, including alkaloids(e.g., berberine and jatrorrhizine) and phenolic acids(e.g., chlorogenic acid, quinic acid, and tanshinol), were common in the two parts. In addition, differential components were also identified, such as magnoline glucoside in the underground part and(±) lariciresionol-4-β-D-glucopyranoside in the aerial part. The analysis of fragmentation pathways based on spectra of reference substances indicated the differences among samples of different batches. Furthermore, we performed the principal component analysis(PCA) for the peak areas of C. chinensis in different batches. The results showed that the underground part and the aerial part were clearly clustered into two groups, indicating that the chemical components contained in the two parts were different. Furthermore, the results of partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) identified 31 differential compounds(VIP value>1) between the underground part and the aerial part, mainly including alkaloids, phenolic acids, lignans, and flavonoids. This study proves that C. chinensis possesses great development potential with multiple available compounds in stems and leaves. Moreover, it sheds light on for the development and utilization of non-medicinal organs of C. chinensis and other Chinese medicinal herbs.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods* ; Coptis chinensis ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization/methods* ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry/methods* ; Technology

The saponins in different parts of Gynostemma pentaphyllum were analyzed via UPLC-Q-TOF-MS~E. A total of 46 saponins were identified, and the underground part had 26 saponins more than the aboveground part, most of which were trisaccharide saponins. The rat model of hyperlipidemia was established with high-fat diet. This study explored the lipid-lowering activity of total saponins in the underground part of G. pentaphyllum, so as to provide a theoretical basis for the comprehensive utilization of the underground part of G. pentaphyllum. A total of 99 healthy SD rats were randomly assigned into a blank group, a model group, a positive drug group, an aboveground total saponins group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose underground total saponins groups. Except the blank group, the other groups were fed with high-fat diet for 6 weeks. Then, the blood was collected from the orbital cavity to determine whether the modeling was successful according to the serum levels of total cholesterol(TC) and triglyceride(TG). After intragastric administration of the corresponding agents for 30 continuous days, the physical state of the rats were observed, and the body weight and liver specific gravity were measured. Furthermore, the levels of TC, TG, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), alanine transaminase(ALT), aspartate transaminase(AST), bilirubin, and total bile acids in serum, as well as the levels of superoxide dismutase(SOD), malondialdehyde(MDA), peroxidase proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR-γ) in the liver tissue, were determined. The pathological changes of liver was observed via HE staining. The results showed that the aboveground total saponins and medium-and high-dose underground total saponins can treat hepatocyte steatosis, lower TC, TG, LDL-C, ALT, AST, total bilirubin, MDA, and PPAR-γ levels, and increase HDL-C and SOD levels in the model rats. The effect tended to be more obvious with the increase in dosage. Therefore, the total saponins in the underground part of G. pentaphyllum have good pharmacological effect of reducing blood lipid, which provides a theoretical basis for the comprehensive utilization of the underground part of G. pentaphyllum.
Alanine Transaminase/analysis* ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases/analysis* ; Bile Acids and Salts/blood* ; Bilirubin/blood* ; Cholesterol, LDL/blood* ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects* ; Gynostemma/chemistry* ; Hypolipidemic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Lipoproteins, HDL/blood* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Malondialdehyde/analysis* ; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors/analysis* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Saponins/therapeutic use* ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Triglycerides/blood* ; Trisaccharides/therapeutic use*

Objective:To observe the stability of severe acute respiratory syrdrome coronavirus （SARS-CoV-2） in cell cultures at different temperatures so as to provide basic data and scientific basis for the research and control of COVID-19 epidemic. Methods:The Vero E6 cells inoculated with SARS-CoV-2. According to TCID₅₀， SARS-CoV-2 with different dilution （10^-1， 10^-3， 10^-5， 10^-6）were stored at 37 °C， 22.5 °C， and 4 °C for one to seven days， and then infectious titer was determined by micro cytopathogenic effect assay， observing cytopathic effect （CPE）， and real-time fluorescence quantitative testing. Results:SARS-CoV-2 was stable under 4 °C. The infectivity of high concentration （10^-1 dilution） under 22.5 °C for seven days gradually decreased， while lower concentration completely lost infectivity after one day. The virus lost infectivity when stored at 37 °C for more than one day. Conclusion:SARS-CoV-2 is highly stable at 4 °C， sensitive to heat， and related to virus concentration.