In recent years, cancer treatment methods and means are becoming more and more diversified, and single treatment methods often have limited efficacy, while the synergistic effect of immunity combined with chemotherapy can inhibit tumor growth more effectively. Based on this, we constructed a sodium alginate hydrogel composite system loaded with chemotherapeutic agents and tumor vaccines (named SA-DOX-NA) with a view to the combined use of chemotherapeutic agents and tumor vaccines. Firstly, the tumor vaccine (named NA) degradable under acidic conditions was constructed by in situ polymerization using chicken ovalbumin (OVA), acrylamide (AAM) and 2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) monomer. Then a hydrogel composite system SA-DOX-NA co-loaded with chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) and NA was prepared using sodium alginate as a matrix. The results showed that SA-DOX-NA had good in situ gel-forming ability and formed a mesh structure that could realize the co-loading of DOX and NA as well as the slow drug release. The electron microscopy results showed that SA-DOX-NA had good in situ gel-forming ability with good internal connectivity, and the three-dimensional mesh structure could realize the co-loading of DOX and NA as well as the slow drug release. The antitumor and immunomodulatory results showed that SA-DOX-NA both effectively inhibited the growth of tumor cells and efficiently promoted the proliferation and activation of DC2.4 dendritic cells without additional adjuvant. In summary, SA-DOX-NA exerts the dual efficacy of chemotherapy and immunotherapy for tumor treatment, and has a good application prospect in local tumor treatment.

The molecular mechanism of verbascoside(OC1) in promoting acetylcholine(ACh) release in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease(AD) was studied. Adrenal pheochromocytoma cells(PC12) of rats induced by β-amyloid protein(1-42)(Aβ_(1-42)) were used as AD models in vitro and were divided into control group, model group(Aβ_(1-42) 10 μmol·L~(-1)), OC1 treatment group(2 and 10 μg·mL~(-1)). The effect of OC1 on phosphorylated proteins in AD models was analyzed by whole protein phosphorylation quantitative omics, and the selectivity of OC1 for calcium channel subtypes was virtually screened in combination with computer-aided drug design. The fluorescence probe Fluo-3/AM was used to detect Ca~(2+) concentration in cells. Western blot analysis was performed to detect the effects of OC1 on the expression of phosphorylated calmodulin-dependent protein kinase Ⅱ(p-CaMKⅡ, Thr286) and synaptic vesicle-related proteins, and UPLC/Q Exactive MS was used to detect the effects of OC1 on ACh release in AD models. The effects of OC1 on acetylcholine esterase(AChE) activity in AD models were detected. The results showed that the differentially modified proteins in the model group and the OC1 treatment group were related to calcium channel activation at three levels: GO classification, KEGG pathway, and protein domain. The results of molecular docking revealed the dominant role of L-type calcium channels. Fluo-3/AM fluorescence intensity decreased under the presence of Ca~(2+) chelating agent ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid(EGTA), L-type calcium channel blocker verapamil, and N-type calcium channel blocker conotoxin, and the effect of verapamil was stronger than that of conotoxin. This confirmed that OC1 promoted extracellular Ca~(2+) influx mainly through its interaction with L-type calcium channel protein. In addition, proteomic analysis and Western blot results showed that the expression of p-CaMKⅡ and downstream vesicle-related proteins was up-regulated after OC1 treatment, indicating that OC1 acted on vesicle-related proteins by activating CaMKⅡ and participated in synaptic remodeling and transmitter release, thus affecting learning and memory. OC1 also decreased the activity of AChE and prolonged the action time of ACh in synaptic gaps.
Animals ; Rats ; Glucosides/administration & dosage* ; Acetylcholine/metabolism* ; Alzheimer Disease/genetics* ; PC12 Cells ; Phenols/chemistry* ; Neurotransmitter Agents/metabolism* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2/genetics* ; Humans ; Phosphorylation/drug effects* ; Calcium/metabolism* ; Polyphenols

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of percutaneous short-segment injured vertebra pedicle screw fixation combined with bone grafting versus percutaneous short-segment injured vertebra pedicle screw fixation alone for the treatment of thoracolumbar fractures. METHODS: The clinical data of 54 patients with single-level thoracolumbar fractures who met the selection criteria between January 2023 and February 2024 were retrospectively analysed. Based on whether bone grafting was performed on the injured vertebra, the patients were divided into a control group (28 cases, percutaneous short-segment injured vertebra pedicle screw fixation alone) and a study group (26 cases, percutaneous short-segment injured vertebra pedicle screw fixation combined with bone grafting using a self-made minimally invasive bone grafting funnel). No significant difference was observed between the two groups ( P>0.05) in baseline data, including age, gender, surgical segment, cause of injury, AO classification, and preoperative anterior-vertebral height compression ratio, mid-vertebral height compression ratio, Cobb angle, visual analogue scale (VAS) score, and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI). The operation time, intraoperative blood loss, fracture healing status, removal time of internal fixator, and complications were recorded and compared between the two groups. Effectiveness was assessed using anterior-vertebral height compression ratio, mid-vertebral height compression ratio, Cobb angle, VAS scores, and ODI taken preoperatively, at 1 week postoperatively, and at last follow-up. RESULTS: All patients in both groups successfully underwent surgery. The operation time and intraoperative blood loss in the control group were significantly less than those in the study group ( P<0.05). No significant difference was observed in the follow-up time between the study group [(14.46±2.00) months] and control group [(14.36±1.83) months] ( P>0.05). The fracture healing time of the study group was significantly shorter than that of the control group ( P<0.05). One patient in the study group was found to have bilateral titanium rod breakage by X-ray reexamination at 8 months after operation, and there was no subsequent vertebral height collapse occurred, and the internal fixator was removed following complete fracture healing. The other patients had no complication such as spinal cord injury, internal fixator loosening and breakage. There was no significant difference in the removal time of internal fixator between the two groups ( P<0.05). The anterior-vertebral height compression ratio, mid-vertebral height compression ratio, Cobb angle, VAS score, and ODI significantly improved in both groups at 1 week after operation and at last follow-up ( P<0.05). Among them, the VAS score, and ODI further improved at last follow-up when compared with at 1 week after operation, Cobb angle lost a little at 1 week after operation, while anterior-vertebral height compression ratio and mid-vertebral height compression ratio slightly increased when compared with 1 week after operation, and the differences were significant ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in Cobb angle at last follow-up, VAS score and ODI at 1 week after operation ( P>0.05), while the other indicators in the study group were significantly better than those in the control group at all time points ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION Compared to percutaneous short-segment injured vertebra pedicle screw fixation alone, the technique combined with intravertebral bone grafting can shorten fracture healing time, effectively restore and maintain vertebral body height, correct kyphotic deformity, and improve clinical outcomes for patients with thoracolumbar fractures.
Humans ; Thoracic Vertebrae/surgery* ; Pedicle Screws ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery* ; Spinal Fractures/surgery* ; Bone Transplantation/methods* ; Fracture Fixation, Internal/instrumentation* ; Male ; Female ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Operative Time ; Aged

ObjectiveTo compare the effects and differences of Yiqi Liangxue Shengji Formula （益气凉血生肌方） and atorvastatin on the repair of vascular injury in rats from the perspective of metabolomics. MethodsTwenty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into sham-surgery， model， traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）， and ator-vastatin groups， with 6 rats in each group. The rat model was established by balloon-induced abdominal aorta injury. Gavage was started on the day after surgery in all groups of rats. The sham and model groups were given with deio-nized water， TCM group received Yiqi Liangxue Shengji Formula 6 g/（kg·d）， and the atorvastatin group treated with atorvastatin suspension 2 mg/（kg·d） for 4 weeks. HE staining was used to observe the pathological morphology of the injured segment of the abdominal aorta； ELISA detection was used to test serum nitric oxide （NO） and C-reactive protein （CRP） levels； UPLC MS/MS technology was used for widely targeted metabolomics detection in serum， and multivariate statistical analysis was used to screen metabolic markers and pathways of two drugs； finally， compare serum levels of key metabolic markers of the above two medications in rats of each group. ResultsCompared with the sham-surgery group， the neointima significantly thickened， the level of NO decreased significantly and the level of CRP increased in serum of the model group （P＜0.01）； compared with the model group， the degree of arterial intimal hyperplasia in TCM group and atorvastatin group reduced， with an increase in NO levels and a decrease in CRP levels （P＜ 0.05 or P＜0.01）. The results of serum metabolomics showed that TCM group obtained 49 metabolic markers and 6 metabolic pathways， while atorvastatin group obtained 41 metabolic markers and 4 metabolic pathways. The two medications jointly regulated 38 metabolites. Glycerophospholipid metabolism and arginine-related metabolism were common metabolic pathways for both medications. Lysophosphatidylcholine （16∶1/0∶0） ［LPC （16∶1/ 0∶0）］， phosphatidylcholine （15∶0/15∶0） ［PC （15∶0/15∶0）］ were the key metabolites of glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway； ornithine， spermidine were the key metabolites of arginine-related metabolic pathway. The tricarboxylic acid cycle and glutathione metabolism were the unique metabolic pathways of Yiqi Liangxue Shengji Formula. Compared with the sham-surgery group， LPC （16∶1/0∶0）， ornithine， and spermidine levels elevated and PC （15∶0/15∶0） levels decreased in the model group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， LPC （16∶1/0∶0）， ornithine， and spermidine levels decreased， and PC （15∶0/15∶0） levels increased in both TCM group and atorvastatin group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. The degree of LPC reduction （16∶1/0∶0） was more significant in atorvastatin group compared with that in the TCM group （P＜0.01）. ConclusionsBoth sham-surgery and atorvastatin could regulate lipid metabolism and arginine-related metabolism， exert the characteristics of lipid-lowering， anti-inflammatory， improve arginine/NO bioavailability， and improve endothelial dysfunction. Atorvastatin showed more advantages in lipid-lowering and anti-inflammatory， while Yiqi Liangxue Shengji Formula has unique characteristics in regulating energy metabolism and improving oxidative stress.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

In the outbreak of COVID-19,triage procedures based on epidemiology were implemented in a local hospital in Changsha to control the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and avoid healthcare-associated infection.This re-trospective study analyzed the data collected during the triage period and found that COVID-19 patients were en-riched 7 folds into the Section A designated for patients with obvious epidemiological history.On the other side,nearly triple amounts of visits were received at the Section B for patients without obvious epidemiological history.8 COVID-19 cases were spotted out of 247 suspected patients.More than 50％of the suspected patients were submi-tted to multiple rounds of nucleic acid analysis for SARS-CoV-2 infection.Of the 239 patients who were diagnosed as negative of the virus infection,188 were successfully revisited and none was reported as COVID-19 case.Of the 8 COVID-19 patients,3 were confirmed only after multiple rounds of nucleic acid analysis.Besides comorbidities,delayed sharing of epidemiological history added complexity to the diagnosis in practice.The triaging experience and strategy will be helpful for the control of infectious diseases in the future.

Neuropathic pain is one of the common complications of diabetes. Tetrahydropalmatine(THP) is a main active component of Corydalis Rhizoma with excellent anti-inflammatory and pain-alleviating properties. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic effect of THP on diabetic neuropathic pain(DNP) and the underlying mechanism. High-fat and high-sugar diet(4 weeks) and streptozotocin(STZ, 35 mg·kg~(-1), single intraperitoneal injection) were employed to induce type-2 DNP in rats. Moreover, lipopolysaccharide(LPS) was used to induce the activation of BV2 microglia in vitro to establish an inflammatory cellular model. Fasting blood glucose(FBG) was measured by a blood glucose meter. Mechanical withdrawal threshold(MWT) was assessed with von Frey filaments, and thermal withdrawal latency(TWL) with hot plate apparatus. The protein expression levels of OX42, inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS), CD206, p38, and p-p38 were determined by Western blot, the fluorescence expression levels of OX42 and p-p38 in the dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord by immunofluorescence, the mRNA content of p38 and OX42 in rat spinal cord tissue by qRT-PCR, and levels of nitric oxide(NO), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-10(IL-10), and serum fasting insulin(FINS) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). RESULTS:: showed that the mo-del group demonstrated significant decrease in MWT and TWL, with pain symptoms. THP significantly improved the MWT and TWL of DNP rats, inhibited the activation of microglia and p38 MAPK signaling pathway in rat spinal cord, and ameliorated its inflammatory response. Meanwhile, THP promoted the change of LPS-induced BV2 microglia from the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to the anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype, suppressed the activation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, decreased the expression levels of inflammatory factors NO, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and increased the expression level of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10. The findings suggested that THP can significantly ameliorate the pain symptoms of DNP rats possibly by inhibiting the inflammatory response caused by M1 polarization of microglia via the p38 MAPK pathway.
Animals ; Berberine Alkaloids ; Blood Glucose/metabolism* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Neuropathies/genetics* ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-6/metabolism* ; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Microglia ; Neuralgia/metabolism* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Signal Transduction ; Spinal Cord/metabolism* ; Streptozocin/therapeutic use* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism* ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism*

Background Hand-transmitted vibration is one of the most common occupational hazards and is closely related to symptoms of fingertip terminal nerve damage. Objective To analyze the effects of hand-transmitted vibration on the terminal nerve of fingertips. Methods We systematically searched literature about the effects of hand-transmitted vibration on fingertip terminal nerve at home and abroad. The outcome index was the number (rate) of fingertip terminal nerve symptoms reported by the vibration group and the control group, such as finger numbness and finger tingling, and the search period was from database inception to December 2021. The quality of cross-sectional studies was assessed using the criteria recommended by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the quality of cohort studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). NoteExpress 3.2 was used for literature management, and Excel 2003 was used for data collection and extraction. RevMan 5.4.1 software was used for statistical analysis, and random effect model was used to calculate the OR value of pooled effects and to draw forest plots. Subgroup analysis was carried out according to the working years with vibration exposure. At the same time, sensitivity analysis was performed after excluding studies with the largest weight and funnel plots were generated to evaluate publication bias. Results A total of 3619 articles were retrieved, and 39 articles were finally included, including 29 Chinese articles and 10 English articles; 36 cross-sectional studies and 3 cohort studies. In total, 8399 subjects were studied, including 5673 cases in the vibration exposure group and 2726 cases in the control group. Random effect model was used to merge the included literature. The results of meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, hand-transmitted vibration was significantly associated with the self-reported occurrence of finger numbness (OR=8.29, 95%CI: 5.43-12.66), finger tingling (OR=7.50, 95%CI: 4.78-11.77), finger swelling (OR=8.25, 95%CI: 4.06-16.76), finger stiffness (OR=10.71, 95%CI: 3.60-31.87), finger trembling (OR=5.11, 95%CI: 2.60-10.04), hand weakness (OR=11.05, 95%CI: 3.98-30.68), hand sweating (OR=2.70, 95%CI: 1.64-4.43), hand coldness (OR=3.54, 95%CI: 2.42-5.18) (P<0.01). The subgroup analysis showed that the odds ratios of both finger numbness and finger tingling increased in the early and middle stages of vibration exposure (<5 years and 5-10 years of exposure duration）(finger numbness: OR=11.11, 19.07; finger tingling: OR=4.70, 16.55, respectively)(P<0.01), and decreased in the late stage of vibration exposure (10-15 years and ≥15 years of exposure duration) (finger numbness: OR=9.57, 2.30; finger tingling: OR=5.71, 6.00, respectively) (P<0.01). The results of sensitivity analysis showed a stable pooled effect (OR=13.96, 95%CI: 4.85-40.13, Z=4.89, P<0.01). The funnel plot results showed positive publication bias. Conclusion Occupational exposure to hand-transmitted vibration can cause finger numbness, finger tingling, finger swelling, finger stiffness, finger trembling, hand weakness, hand sweating, and hand coldness.

Hand-transmitted vibration is one of the most common physical harmful factors in the workplace，and the hand-arm vibration syndrome caused by it lacks effective treatment, and seriously affects the physical and mental health of the involved workers. As an important target for hand-transmitted vibration, the nervous system has attracted increasing attention from scholars, and much progress has been made in recent years in studying the effects of hand-transmitted vibration on nervous system function. Based on related literature at home and abroad, this paper introduced the hand-transmitted vibration-associated damage in peripheral, autonomic, and central nervous systems, and then explored the associated influence factors, like vibration frequency, environment temperature, and individual factors. The potential directions for further research were also proposed.

Objective: To investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) induced by high fat and the mechanism of CNPY2-PERK pathway. Methods: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into four groups: the control group (C), the C+ aerobic exercise group (CE), the model group (M) and the M+ aerobic exercise group (ME). Mice in group C and CE were given normal diet, while mice in group M and ME were given high-fat diet (60 cal % fat). The mice were fed continuously for 18 weeks until the end of the experiment, and the serum and liver samples were collected. Both CE and ME group performed an aerobic treadmill training from the 10th week (12 m/min, 60 min/ day, 5 days/week, for 8 weeks). The serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triacylglycerol (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were detected. The pathological morphology of the liver was observed. The relative expressions of CNPY2, PERK, p-eIF2a, CHOP, CNPY2 mRNA and PERK mRNA, and the positive expressions of CNPY2 and PERK were measured. Results: Compared with group C, the serum levels of LDL-c, TC, TG, ALT and AST in group M were increased significantly (P＜0.05), while the HDL-c level was decreased significantly (P＜0.05). The liver tissues of mice showed obvious hepatic steatosis, the number of lipid droplets in liver cells was increased, and the expressions of CNPY2, CNPY2mRNA, PERK, PERKmRNA, p-eIF2a, CHOP, and the positive expressions of both CNPY2 and PERK in liver were increased (P＜0.05). However, the above indexes showed no significant difference in CE group (P＞0.05). Compared with group M, the serum levels of LDL-c, TC, TG, ALT and AST in group ME were decreased (P＜0.05). The fatty degeneration of liver tissue and the number of lipid droplets in liver cells in mice was reduced, and the expressions of CNPY2, CNPY2 mRNA, PERK, PERK mRNA, p-eIF2a, CHOP, and the positive expressions of CNPY2 and PERK in liver tissue were decreased (P＜0.05). Conclusion: The CNPY2-PERK pathway is involved in the formation of NAFLD. Aerobic exercise can effectively ameliorate NAFLD, and the mechanisms may be related to the reduction of CNPY2-PERK pathway-related molecule expressions by aerobic exercise.
Animals ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Exercise ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; RNA, Messenger ; Triglycerides