Lentiviral vectors(LVs)are key gene delivery tools for integrating target genes into the host genome,but they may also pose risks of insertional mutagenesis.The vector copy number(VCN)in cells is critical for determining the safety of gene modification.However,the reliability and accuracy of its quantification process are influenced by multiple factors.Developing cell reference materials with specific vector copy numbers represents a viable approach to enhance the reliability and consistency of measurement results,enabling quality control of the quantification process and traceability of outcomes.However,the preparation of such reference materials faces challenges in cell sample design,preparation protocols,and advanced quantification techniques.In this study,T lymphocyte cell line Jurkat-based reference materials with LV gene copy numbers of 1 and 2 copy/cell were developed.A high-precision duplex digital polymerase chain reaction(dPCR)method was established to quantify the LV gene and endogenous genes simultaneously.Additionally,the results of dPCR were cross-validated through next-generation sequencing and flow cytometric analysis.Ultimately,confocal microscopy characterization results showed that the developed cell reference materials had intact morphology.The quantification result of VCN-1 was(1.07±0.11)copy/cell,and that of VCN-2 was(2.09±0.21)copy/cell.These cell reference materials demonstrated compliance with stability and homogeneity requirements,and could be applied for quality control throughout the VCN measurement workflow and metrological traceability,improving the accuracy,comparability,and validity of copy number measurements.

The chemical components of Carthami Flos were investigated by using macroporous resin, silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase octadecylsilane(ODS) column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The planar structures of the compounds were established based on their physicochemical properties and ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis), infrared(IR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(HR-ESI-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopic technology. The absolute configurations were determined by comparing the calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism(ECD). Six flavonoid C-glycosides were isolated from the 30% ethanol elution fraction of macroporous resin obtained from the 95% ethanol extract of Carthami Flos, and identified as saffloquinoside F(1), 5-hydroxysaffloneoside(2), iso-5-hydroxysaffloneoside(3), isosafflomin C(4), safflomin C(5), and vicenin 2(6). Among these, the compounds 1 to 3 were new chalcone C-glycosides. The compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 could significantly increase the viability of H9c2 cardiomyocytes damaged by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) at a concentration of 50 μmol·L~(-1), showing their good cardioprotective activity.
Glycosides/pharmacology* ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Carthamus tinctorius/chemistry* ; Chalcones/pharmacology* ; Animals

Objective: To explore the mechanism of cistanche deserticola(meat cistanche) in treating Alzheimer′s disease(AD) through network pharmacology, molecular docking, and animal experiments. Methods : Effective components of meat cistanche were mined from the TCMSP database, and AD-related targets were filtered using the SwissTargetPrediction, DisGeNET, and GeneCards databases. The intersection of these targets was analyzed using protein-protein interaction(PPI) networks. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were conducted via the Metascape database. Molecular docking of meat cistanche′s active components with core targets was performed using AutoDock Vina. Based on network pharmacology predictions, an AD model was established using 8-month-old SAMP8 mice, with Morris water maze tests assessing learning and cognitive functions, Nissl staining observing hippocampal neuron morphology, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and Western blotting detecting the expression levels of cAMP signaling pathway-related proteins in hippocampal tissues. Results : Network pharmacology analysis predicted that meat cistanche might act on 74 AD targets through 8 active components. Molecular docking showed high affinity of active components like acteoside with core targets such as ESR1, BDNF, MAPK1, and APP. KEGG analysis indicated involvement in pathways related to cancer, cAMP signaling, and AD. Animal experiments demonstrated that meat cistanche effectively improved learning and cognitive impairments in AD mice and alleviated hippocampal neuron damage. ELISA and Western blotting results indicated that meat cistanche significantly increased the expression levels of cAMP, PKA, P-CREB in the cAMP pathway and promoted the expression of downstream neurotrophic factor BDNF. Conclusion Meat cistanche can improve learning and cognitive disorders in AD model mice and may exert therapeutic effects on AD by up-regulating the cAMP signaling pathway and the expression of downstream BDNF protein targets, thereby improving hippocampal neuron injury.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of BRD4 inhibition on migration of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells with low acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACC1) expression. METHODS: ESCC cell lines with lentivirus-mediated ACC1 knockdown or transfected with a negative control sequence (shNC) were treated with DMSO, JQ1 (a BRD4 inhibitor), co-transfection with shNC-siBRD4 or siNC with additional DMSO or C646 (an ahistone acetyltransferase inhibitor) treatment, or JQ1combined with 3-MA (an autophagy inhibitor). BRD4 mRNA expression in the cells was detected using RT-qPCR. The changes in cell proliferation, migration, autophagy, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were examined with CCK8 assay, Transwell migration assay, and Western blotting. RESULTS: ACC1 knockdown did not significantly affect BRD4 expression in the cells but obviously increased their sensitivity to JQ1. JQ1 treatment at 1 and 2 μmol/L significantly inhibited ESCC cell proliferation, while JQ1 at 0.2 and 2 μmol/L promoted cell migration. The cells with ACC1 knockdown and JQ1 treatment showed increased expresisons of vimentin and Slug and decreased expression of E-cadherin. BRD4 knockdown promoted migration of ESCC cells, and co-transfection with shACC1 and siBRD4 resulted in increased vimentin and Slug expressions and decreased E-cadherin expression in the cells. C646 treatment of the co-transfected cells reduced acetylation levels, decreased vimentin and Slug expressions, and increased E-cadherin expression. Treatment with JQ1 alone obviously increased LC3A/B-II levels in the cells either with or without ACC1 knockdown. In the cells with ACC1 knockdown and JQ1 treatment, additional 3-MA treatment significantly decreased the expressions of vimentin, Slug and LC3A/B-II and increased the expression of E-cadherin. CONCLUSIONS BRD4 inhibition promotes autophagy of ESCC cells via a histone acetylation-dependent mechanism, thereby enhancing EMT and ultimately increasing cell migration driven by ACC1 deficiency.
Humans ; Cell Movement ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Esophageal Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; Azepines/pharmacology* ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism* ; Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma ; Triazoles/pharmacology* ; Nuclear Proteins/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase/genetics* ; Transfection ; Autophagy ; Bromodomain Containing Proteins

Objective:To investigate the response of mandibular condylar chondroprogenitors to flow fluid shear stress(FFSS).Methods:Chondroprogenitors were in vitro cultured and stimulated with FFSS that can cause cell degeneration,and treated with sec-ond-generation high-throughput RNA sequencing.Differential gene expression was screened using DESeq2 software for gene ontology(GO)functional enrichment analysis,kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis.qRT-PCR was performed to validate the core genes screened by PPI.Results:A total of 1996 differentially expressed genes were obtained,mainly including inflammatory response and cell cycle related molecules.Among them,Actal,Atf3,Ccl2,116,Nfkbia,Ret and Vcaml were identified as the core genes.Conclusion:FFSS stimulation affects chondroprogenitor function by acting on inflammatory responses and cell cycle-related signaling pathways in chondroprogenitors.

Objective:To explore the effect of esketamine on inflammatory cytokines and myocardial injury markers in children undergoing living-donor liver transplantation (LT).Methods:Considering the inclusion criteria, 50 children with biliary atresia were selected for living donor LT. They were equally randomized into two groups of control (C) and esketamine (E) (25 cases each). Esketamine 0.5 mg/kg was administered to group E during induction and continued at a dose of 0.5 mg·kg –1·h -1 after an induction of anesthesia. Group C provided the same dose of 0.9% sodium chloride injection during induction and then continued to pumping until the end of the procedure. Basic profiles of two groups were recorded. Hemodynamic parameters, such as heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and central venous pressure (CVP), were monitored at 5 min of anesthesia induction (T 0), 30 min of anhepatic phase (T 1), immediately after repercussion (T 2), 30 min of neohepatic phase (T 3) and end of surgery (T 4) in both groups. Central venous blood samples were collected at T 0, T 1, T 3 and T 4. Serum levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB) ,tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were measured. The incidence of adverse cardiac events, postoperative mechanical ventilation time, ICU stay and hospitalization length were compared. Results:As compared with T 0, mean arterial pressure (MAP) at T 2 declined markedly in group E [(48.6±12.7) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) vs (55.6±10.7) mmHg, P<0.001] and C [(39.3±8.0) mmHg vs (53.2±9.4) mmHg, P<0.001 ] ;As compared with T 0, the TNF-α and IL-6 spiked at T 3 in group C [169.0 (207.1) ng/L vs 43.8 (26.4) ng/L, (132.63±51.75) ng/L vs (51.79±17.83) ng/L, P<0.001] and E [78.5 (138.8) ng/L vs 43.8 (26.4) ng/L, (87.44±32.17) ng/L vs (51.79±17.83) ng/L, P<0.001 ] ; In group C, the concentration of myocardial injury markers CK-MB and cTnI rose at T 3/T 4 compared with T 0[T 3 vs T 0: 5.7 (5.4) μg/L vs 4.0 (3.5) μg/L, 0.09 (0.08) μg/L vs 0.02 (0.02) μg/L; T 4 vs T 0: 5.3 (5.0) μg/L vs 4.0 (3.5) μg/L, 0.07 (0.08) μg/L vs 0.02 (0.02) μg/L, P<0.001 ]. In group E, the levels of CK-MB and cTnI were higher at T 3/T 4 than those at T 0[T 3 vs T 0: 7.0 (5.0) μg/L vs 4.6 (2.1) μg/L, 0.06 (0.09) μg/L vs 0.03 (0.04) μg/L; T 4 vs T 0: 5.4 (4.9) μg/L vs 4.6 (2.1) μg/L, 0.03 (0.06) μg/L vs 0.03 (0.04) μg/L; P<0.001]. Compared with group C, the MAP of E rose at T 1/T 2/T 3 [(58.8±10.3) mmHg vs (53.3±8.6) mmHg, P=0.048; (48.6±12.7) mmHg vs (39.3± 8.0) mmHg, P=0.003; (55.8±7.4) mmHg vs (51.5±7.3) mmHg, P=0.044]. Compared with group C, TNF-α and IL-6 decreased in E at T 3/T 4[T 3: 78.5 (138.8) ng/L vs 169.0 (207.1) ng/L, P=0.010; (87.44±32.17) ng/L vs (132.63±51.75) ng/L, P=0.017. T 4: 62.3 (118.3) ng/L vs 141.3 (129.2) ng/L, P=0.001; (74.34±26.38) ng/L vs (100.59±30.40) ng/L, P=0.002]. Compared with group C, cTnI decreased in E at T 3/T 4[0.06 (0.09) μg/L vs 0.09 (0.08) μg/L, P=0.014; 0.03 (0.06) μg/L vs 0.07 (0.08) μg/L, P=0.003]. Compared with group C, the mechanical ventilation time in group E decreased [195 (120) min vs 315 (239) min, P<0.001]. Compared with group C, the incidence of severe hypotension [16%(4/25) vs 48% (12/25), P=0.015 ], bradycardia [12% (3/25) vs 36 % (9/25), P=0.047 ], myocardial ischemia [4 % (1 /25) vs 24 % (6/25), P=0.042 ] and premature ventricular contractions [0 vs 4 %(1/25), P=0.312 ] decreased in group E. Conclusion:Intraoperative dosing of esketamine may suppress inflammatory reactions and alleviate perioperative myocardial injury in children undergoing living-donor LT.

Objective To analyze the stress changes of thoracic vertebra(T)11-sacrum(S)titanium rods in patients with ankylosing spondylitis after vertebral column decancellation(VCD)osteotomy,and provide reference for the selection and improvement of titanium rods before surgery.Methods The original data of the continuous scanning tomographic images of patients with ankylosing spondylitis after VCD osteotomy were imported into Mimics 21.0 in DICOM format,and T11-S vertebrae,screws and titanium rods were respectively reconstructed.They were imported into 3-Matic to establish a preliminary geometric modeling,and then processed with noise removal,paving,smoothing,etc.The improved model was imported into Hypermesh 10 software for grid division,and the material was imported into ANSYS 19.2 to display the finite element model after attribute assignment,Set the boundary and load conditions,and measure the stress value at the connection between the screw and the titanium rod.Results Under neutral position,forward bending,lateral bending,and axial rotation conditions,the titanium rod had the highest stress at the upper vertebrae(T11)and the lowest stress at the top vertebrae(L3);Under the backward extension condition,the titanium rod has the highest stress at the lower end vertebra(L5).Conclusion In the upper and lower vertebrae,it is possible to consider increasing the diameter of the titanium rod,enhancing its hardness,or changing it to a double rod.

Objective To observe the improvement of motor dysfunction and serum levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),blood glucose and blood lipid in post-stroke patients treated with scalp acupuncture at different needle retention time.Methods A total of 120 patients with motor dysfunction after stroke were randomly divided into control group,observation group 1 and observation group 2,with 40 cases in each group.The patients in the 3 groups were treated with scalp acupuncture,body acupuncture and routine rehabilitation exercise,once a day and 6 times a week,lasting for 2 weeks.The control group was given scalp acupuncture with retaining of needles for 30 minutes,the observation group 1 was given scalp acupuncture with retaining of needles for one hour,and the observation group 2 was given scalp acupuncture with retaining of needles for 2 hours.Before and after treatment,the 3 groups were observed in the changes of the scale scores of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS),Fugl-Meyer Assessment(FM A),Berg Balance Scale(BBS)and modified Barthel Index(MBI),and the levels of laboratory indicators of peripheral blood CRP,fasting plasma glucose(FPG),total cholesterol(TC),triglyceride(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C)and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C).After treatment,the clinical safety of the three groups was evaluated.Results(1)After treatment,the scale scores of NIHSS in the three groups were lower(P＜0.01)and the scale scores FMA,BBS and MBI were higher than those before treatment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The comparison of post-treatment scale scores showed that the differences among the three groups were statistically significant(P＜0.01).The intergroup comparison showed that the decrease of NIHSS score and the increase of FMA,BBS and MBI scores in the observation group 2 were significantly superior to those in the control group and the observation group 1(P＜0.01);the improvement of FMA score in the observation group 1 was significantly superior to that in the control group(P＜0.01),while the improvement of NIHSS,BBS and MBI scores tended to be superior to that in the control group without statistically significant differences(P＞0.05).The results indicated that the curative effect of scalp acupuncture plus exercise regimen was positively correlated with the duration of needle retention for scalp acupuncture.(2)After treatment,the laboratory indicator levels of CRP and FPG in the peripheral blood of the three groups,the levels of TG and LDL-C in the two observation groups and the level of HDL-C in the observation group 2 were improved compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Statistically significant differences were presented in the post-treatment levels of CRP and TG in peripheral blood among the three groups(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The intergroup comparison showed that the improvement of CRP and TG levels in the observation group 2 was significantly superior to that in the control group,and the improvement of CRP level in the observation group 2 was significantly superior to that in the observation group 1,the differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The TC level in the three groups after treatment did not differ from that before treatment,and there was no significant difference in TC level after treatment among the three groups either(P＞0.05).(3)During the treatment,no adverse reactions such as fainting,needle breaking and hematoma occurred in the three groups,the vital signs of the patients were stable,and there were no obvious abnormal changes in pulse,blood pressure and respiratory rate.Conclusion Scalp acupuncture can effectively improve the motor function of post-stroke patients in a pasitive time-effect relationship with the needle retention,and better the curative effect can be achieved by retaining of the needle for 2 h.