BACKGROUND:Non-coding RNA,as a class of RNA molecules that do not encode proteins,plays a crucial role in cellular regulation.Simultaneously,mesenchymal stem cells possess multipotent differentiation capabilities,making them vital for tissue repair and regeneration.In recent years,researchers have extensively explored the role of non-coding RNA in regulating the functions of mesenchymal stem cells. OBJECTIVE:To systematically understand the trends and key areas of research related to non-coding RNA and mesenchymal stem cells through bibliometric analysis. METHODS:Literature data on non-coding RNA and mesenchymal stem cell-related research were retrieved from the Science Citation Index Expanded in the Web of Science Core Collection from 1990 to the present.The literature data were analyzed using bibliometric tools such as VOSviewer and CiteSpace,focusing on publication output,clustering,citation frequency,burstiness,and intermediary centrality with respect to years,countries or regions,research institutions,cited references,and keywords.This analysis aimed to reveal the knowledge base and emerging hotspots in the research field. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)This study included a total of 5 348 articles for analysis,showing a significant growth trend in relevant literature from 1997 to 2021.Although there was a slight decrease in 2022,the publication output remained at a high level.China dominated the research in this field,with Shanghai Jiao Tong University being the most active contributor.(2)Analysis of cited references revealed that highly bursty,intermediary,and cited articles were mainly related to topics such as microRNA,extracellular vesicles,and bone metabolism.These articles constitute an important knowledge base for research on non-coding RNA and mesenchymal stem cells.(3)Burstiness analysis of keywords identified persistent bursts in keywords such as exosomes,circular RNA,extracellular vesicles,and injury.(4)Cluster evolution analysis of keywords with continuous growth in publication output included clusters related to tumor microenvironment,osteoarthritis,oxidative stress,and extracellular vesicles.These keywords reflect the current and future research hotspots in the field.(5)The findings of this study not only illustrate the research trends in the field of non-coding RNA and mesenchymal stem cells but also provide potential directions and insights for researchers.

Objective To analyze the situation of insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) ownership in malaria-endemic African countries from 2010 to 2023, so as to provide insights into China’s deeper participation in malaria control in Africa. Methods The study period from 2010 to 2023 was divided into three phases: the baseline phase (from 2010 to 2015), the middle phase (from 2016 to 2019), and the final phase (from 2020 to 2023), a total of 11 African countries with at least one Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in each phase were included. Data pertaining to ITNs in 33 surveys of the above 11 African counties from 2010 to 2023 were captured from the DHS database, and the proportions of sources of ITNs and ITN ownership in each phase (number of ITNs ownership per person, overall ownership rate, and ownership rate per two residents) were calculated. The differences in numbers of ITNs per person between urban and rural areas and specified by socioeconomic status were analyzed. Results The proportions of ITNs from distribution campaigns were 60.24% to 94.01% and 50.46% to 85.04% in 11 African countries in the middle and final phases, respectively. The median numbers (interquartile range) of INTs ownership per person were 0.22 (0.50), 0.33 (0.50) and 0.33 (0.50) in the baseline, middle, and final phases, and the overall ownership rates [95% confidence interval (CI)] were 59.77% (59.50%, 60.05%), 70.32% (70.06%, 70.57%), and 69.21% (68.95%, 69.47%), while the ownership rates per two residents were 26.91% (26.66%, 27.16%), 38.07% (37.80%, 38.34%), and 36.56% (36.29%, 36.84%), respectively. The number of ITNs per person showed a significant increase followed by a significant decrease in 7 countries during all three phases (H = 102.518 to 2 327.440, all P < 0.05; Z = -48.886 to -4.653, all P < 0.016 7 after Bonferroni correction). In 33 surveys, there were 31 (Z = -26.719 to -2.472, P < 0.05) and 28 surveys (Z = -27.316 to -4.068, P < 0.001) with significant differences in numbers of ITNs ownership per person between households in urban and rural areas and with different socioeconomic status, including 20 surveys with a significantly higher number of ITNs ownership per person in households in rural areas than in urban areas, and 17 surveys with a significantly higher number of ITNs ownership per person among the poorest households than among the richest households. Conclusions There are substantial disparities in ITNs ownership in 11 African countries. Intensified co-operation on malaria prevention and control measures, such as ITNs, is recommended between China and African countries to build a global community of health for all.

Objective To explore the impact of change in oxygen concentration on the expression of angiopoietin-like protein 8(ANGPTL8)by endothelial cells(HPAECs)of human pulmonary artery,and the role and mecha-nism of ANGPTL8 in pulmonary hypertension(PH).Methods HPAECs were treated under hypoxic and hyperoxic conditions,and the expression level of ANGPTL8 was detected using Western blot and PCR.The changes in endo-thelial-mesenchymal transition(EndMT)and ERK signaling pathway activity were analyzed.Simultaneously,new-born rats were exposed to hyperoxia to develop a bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)model.The expression of ANGPTL8 protein and changes in the ERK signaling pathway in lung tissue were observed.Results Under hypoxic condition,the protein expression of ANGPTL8 in HPAECs was significantly increased accompanied by inhibition of the ERK signaling pathway.ANGPTL8 promoted the EndMT process induced by hypoxia(P<0.05)and silencing the expression of ANGPTL8 resulted in a partial reversal of EndMT.The protein expression of ANGPTL8 was decreased in hyperoxia-exposed HPAECs and rat lung tissues accompanied by the activation of the ERK signaling pathway(P<0.05).Conclusions ANGPTL8 is highly sensitive to the change of oxygen concentration in HPAECs and closely correlated to its expression level and to the activity of ERK signaling pathway.This result suggests that ANGPTL8 may have potential regulatory effects on the development of PH.

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of methimazole on the urinary metabolomics of hyperthyroidism rats， and to preliminarily investigate its possible mechanism. METHODS Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into control group， model group and methimazole group， with 10 rats in each group. Except for the control group， the rats in the other two groups were given Levothyroxine sodium tablets 160 mg/kg by intragastric administration for 15 days； at the same time， methimazole group was additionally given methimazole 3.6 mg/kg daily by intragastric administration every day. The basic condition of the rats was observed， and the body weight and anal temperature were measured. After the last medication， the serum levels of triiodothyronine （T3）， tetraiodothyronine （T4）， free triiodothyronine （FT3）， free tetraiodothyronine （FT4）， and thyroid stimulating hormone （TSH） were determined； 24-hour urine was collected on the 15th day after administration. UPLC-TOF-MS was used to analyze the urine metabolomics of rats. Principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis were used to screen out related differential metabolites， and potential metabolic pathways were analyzed by using HMDB and KEGG. RESULTS Compared with the control group， the rectal temperature， serum levels of T3， T4， FT3 and FT4， the expressions of differential metabolites sebacic acid， cholic acid 3-O-glucuronic acid and N6， N6， N6-trimethyl-L-lysine in urine were significantly up-regulated， while body weight， serum level of TSH， the expressions of deoxycytidine and 2-oxo-4-methylthiobutanoic acid in urine were significantly down-regulated （P＜0.01）. Compared with model group， above indexes of rats were reversed significantly in methimazole group （P＜0.01 or P＜0.05）. Above five differential metabolites were mainly involved in four signaling pathways: pentose and glucuronate interaction， lysine degradation， cysteine and methionine metabolism， and pyrimidine metabolism. CONCLUSIONS Methimazole might improve hyperthyroidism by modulating the four pathways of pentose and glucuronate interaction， lysine degradation， cysteine and methionine metabolism， and pyrimidine metabolism.

BACKGROUND:Plastic as a durable,inexpensive,easy to manufacture organic synthetic polymer materials are widely used.At the same time,plastic resistance to high temperatures,acid and alkali resistance,corrosion-resistant properties make it difficult to degrade in nature,and ultimately forming a huge number of microplastic pollution threatening human health. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of microplastic exposure on growth and development and hepatic lipid metabolism in mice. METHODS:Twenty C57BL/6J male mice were adaptively fed for one week,and then randomly divided into normal and microplastic groups(n=10 per group).Mice in the normal group were given a normal diet and water,for 4 weeks.Mice in the microplastic group were given a normal diet and free drinking of microplastic(polystyrene)water with a concentration of 1 000 μg/L,for 4 weeks.At 2 and 4 weeks of drinking,body mass and grip strength,blood lipids and liver and kidney function,ultrasonic morphology and pathological morphology of liver and lipid deposition were detected. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)With the extension of time,the body mass of mice in the two groups gradually increased,and the body mass of mice in the microplastic group was greater than that in the normal group after 2,4 weeks of drinking water(P<0.05).With the extension of time,the grip strength of mice in the normal group gradually increased,and the grip strength of mice in the microplastic group first decreased and then increased,and the grip strength of mice in the microplastic group was lower than that in the normal group after drinking water for 4 weeks(P<0.05).(2)Liver ultrasound examination showed that compared with the normal group,the ultrasonic echo signal of the liver in the microplastic group was enhanced after 2 and 4 weeks of drinking water.(3)Hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the morphology of liver cells in the microplastic group did not change significantly after 2 and 4 weeks of drinking water,but inflammatory cell infiltration could be seen.Oil red O staining showed that obvious lipid deposition was observed in the liver of microplastic group after 2 and 4 weeks of drinking water.(4)Compared with the normal group,the levels of serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol,triacylglycerol,and aspartate aminotransferase in the microplastic group were decreased after 2 weeks of drinking water(P<0.05),and the serum triacylglycerol concentration was decreased after 4 weeks of drinking water(P<0.05).(5)These findings confirm that microplastics may cause weight gain,loss of physical strength,and abnormal hepatic lipid metabolism in mice.

Purpose To investigating the pathological characteristics of the heart and spleen in a Kawasaki disease(KD)model induced by candida albicans watersoluble fraction(CAWS)and to provide a research basis for the pathological mechanisms of KD.Methods Intraperitoneal injection of CAWS was used to establish a KD model in C57BL/6 mice.Specimens of the heart,aorta,and spleen were collected to measure body weight and the weights of the heart and spleen.HE staining was utilized to examine the morphological alterations in the heart,aorta,and spleen.The expression levels of the ma-ture macrophage marker(F4/80),TNF-α,and IL-1β in the spleen were measured using qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence.its clinical pathological characteristics were analyze and relevant literatures were reviewed.Results Compared to the control group,there were no significant differences in the heart and body mass of the model group mice,but their spleen mass signif-icantly increased(P＜0.05).In the myocardial interstitium of model group mice,there was infiltration of mononuclear cells,disorder of the elastic fibers in the aortic wall along with mucoid degeneration,disruption of the splenic red and white pulp struc-ture,and significant macrophage infiltration.In the model group mice,the mRNA levels and immunofluorescence staining inten-sity of spleen F4/80(2.58-fold,P＜0.000 1),TNF-α(1.43-fold,P＜0.001),and IL-1β(3.62-fold,P＜0.000 1)were significantly higher than those in the control group.Conclusion Mice with KD models induced by CAWS can exhibit patholog-ical alterations akin to KD in the heart and aorta,significant en-largement of the spleen,infiltration by macrophages,with ele-vated expressions of TNF-α and IL-1β.

OBJECTIVES: The magnesium depletion score (MDS) is considered more reliable than traditional approaches for predicting magnesium deficiency in humans. We explored the associations of MDS and dietary magnesium intake with diabetes. METHODS: We obtained data from 18,853 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2018. Using multivariate regression and stratified analysis, we investigated the relationships of both MDS and magnesium intake with diabetes. To compute prevalence ratios (PRs), we employed modified Poisson or log-binomial regression. We characterized the non-linear association between magnesium intake and diabetes using restricted cubic spline analysis. RESULTS: Participants with MDS ≥2 exhibited a PR of 1.26 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19 to 1.34) for diabetes. Per-standard deviation (SD) increase in dietary magnesium intake was associated with a lower prevalence of diabetes (PR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.87 to 0.96). Subgroup analyses revealed a positive association between MDS ≥2 and diabetes across all levels of dietary magnesium intake, including the lowest (PR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.18 to 1.55), middle (PR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.35), and highest tertiles (PR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.37; pinteraction<0.001). Per-SD increase in magnesium intake was associated with lower diabetes prevalence in participants with MDS <2 (PR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.87 to 0.98) and those with MDS ≥2 (PR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.84 to 0.98; pinteraction=0.030). CONCLUSIONS MDS is associated with diabetes, particularly among individuals with low magnesium intake. Adequate dietary magnesium intake may reduce diabetes risk, especially in those with high MDS.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect and underlying molecular mechanism of astragaloside-Ⅳ （AS-Ⅳ） on autophagy and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. MethodIn experiments in vitro， the effect of AS-Ⅳ on the autophagy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells was observed by monodansylcadaverine （MDC） staining and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. In experiments in vivo， immunofluorescence （IF） and Western blot were used to detect the changes in autophagy and apoptosis and the expression of key proteins in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin （PI3K/Akt/mTOR） signaling pathway after the establishment of a xenograft tumor model in nude mice. ResultAfter 5-8F cells were treated with AS-Ⅳ of different doses （5， 10， 20 μmol·L^-1）， the fluorescence intensity of autophagy in AS-Ⅳ groups significantly increased as compared with that in the blank group. The fluorescence expression of autophagy in AS-Ⅳ groups was the strongest after intervention for 24 hours， and the fluorescence expression in the 10 μmol·L^-1 AS-Ⅳ group was the most obvious. The autophagy activator rapamycin （RAPA） induced more autophagosomes in 5-8F cells under the transmission electron microscope， and 3-methyladenine （3-MA）， an autophagy inhibitor， did not induce autophagosome formation in 5-8F cells under the transmission electron microscope as compared with the results in the blank group. In the 10 μmol·L^-1 AS-Ⅳ group， the intracellular structure and cell membrane were intact and clear， and autophagosome formation was observed. Compared with the blank group， the AS-Ⅳ groups showed inhibited tumor volume （P<0.05， P<0.01）， potentiated fluorescence signals of microtubule-associated protein l light chain 3 type Ⅱ/microtubule-associated protein l light chain 3 type Ⅰ （LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ） and cleaved Caspase-3 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， increased expression levels of the mammalian homolog of yeast ATG6 （Beclin-1）， LC3 Ⅱ/Ⅰ， cleaved Caspase-3， and cleaved PARP （P<0.05， P<0.01）， down-regulated expression of ubiquitin-binding protein （p62） （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and reduced protein expression levels of phosphorylated PI3K （p-PI3K）， phosphorylated Akt （p-Akt）， and phosphorylated mTOR （p-mTOR） （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionAS-Ⅳ can induce autophagy and apoptosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells， and the mechanism is presumably attributed to the activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Humans ; Computed Tomography Angiography ; Deep Learning ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Coronary Stenosis/diagnosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial ; Predictive Value of Tests

Objective:To investigate the effect of macrophage polarization in the pathogenesis of necrotizing enterocolitis(NEC).Methods:C57BL/6 mice were chose to construct the NEC model.The preterm pups were randomly assigned into the control group( n=10) and the NEC group( n=19). The pups in the control group were breastfed by mothers while the NEC group were treated with hypoxia, hypothermia, hypertonic feeding and lipopolysaccharide treatment.The intestinal tissues from the lower part of duodenum to the colon were collected after the pups were born after 96 hours.HE staining was used to observe the intestinal histological structure.Intestinal mucosal permeability was detected by the measurement of concentration of FD70 in plasma after gastric gavage.The expression of Pan-keratin of intestinal epithelium was detected by immunofluorescence histochemistry.Enterocyte apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining.The expression of CD86 and CD206 protein were determined by western blotting and the percentage of M1 and M2 macrophages was calculated by flow cytometry.RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of mRNA levels of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor, interleukin(IL)-6, IL-10 and IL-12. Results:Compared with the control group, the pups in the NEC group had low survival rate(100.0% vs.36.8%), different level of intestinal injury, incomplete integrity of intestinal epithelium, increased mucosal permeability(1.53±0.80 vs.14.32±1.27, P<0.05)and enterocyte apoptosis(1.9%±1.1% vs.7.6%±2.6%, P<0.05). Western blotting showed that the expression of CD86 protein(1.00±0.01 vs.1.50±0.10, P<0.05) increased while CD206 protein decreased(1.00±0.01 vs.0.60±0.05, P<0.05) in the NEC group.Flow cytometry showed that the percentage of CD68 + CD86 + M1 macrophages increased(1.90%±0.19% vs.10.20%±0.38%, P<0.05) while the CD68 + CD206 + M2 macrophages decreased(5.8%±0.33% vs.3.7%±0.56%, P<0.05) in the NEC group.The expression of the mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor(1.00±0.05 vs.1.83±0.17, P<0.05), IL-6 (1.00±0.13 vs.2.00±0.58, P<0.05) and IL-12(1.00±0.05 vs.1.49±0.22, P<0.05) increased and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10(1.00±0.22 vs.0.09±0.01, P<0.05) decreased. Conclusion:Polarization of macrophages towards the pro-inflammatory M1 subtype plays an important role in the pathogenesis of NEC.