Advanced atherosclerosis is the major global cause of death, as featured by the aggregation of apoptotic cells (ACs) in necrotic cores. The defective efferocytosis and dysfunctional cholesterol efflux of macrophages are the main reasons for forming necrotic cores in advanced atherosclerosis. In this study, we constructed self-assembled procyanidins (PC) NPs for loading pitavastatin (Pita). The designed HA@PC@Pita NPs with hyaluronic acid (HA) modification combined the advantages of efferocytosis restoration of Pita and cholesterol efflux enhancement of PC. In vitro assay indicated that HA@PC@Pita NPs could induce M1/M2 repolarization and upregulate ERK5/Mertk expression to restore efferocytosis of macrophages. Simultaneously, HA@PC@Pita NPs notably promoted cholesterol efflux by promoting macrophage lipophagy, a selective autophagy of lipid droplets. In vivo study showed that HA@PC@Pita NPs cleared necrotic core and enhanced plaque stability in the ApoE ^-/- mice model with advanced atherosclerosis. Taken together, this study demonstrated the potential of HA@PC@Pita NPs for the treatment of advanced atherosclerosis.

Pyroptosis is a novel,inflammatory programmed cell death mediated by gasdermins(GSDMs),which characterized by the formation of membrane pores and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines.Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a chronic,inflamma-tory autoimmune disease characterized by persistent synovitis in multiple joints,progressive destruction of bone and cartilage,and eventually leading to joint deformity and disability.Recently,it has been shown that pyroptosis plays an important role in development of RA.This review summarizes the molecular mechanism of pyroptosis,its pathogenic role and therapeutic strategies in RA,aiming of providing new insights for the mechanism research and new drug development of RA.

Pyroptosis is a novel,inflammatory programmed cell death mediated by gasdermins(GSDMs),which characterized by the formation of membrane pores and the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines.Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is a chronic,inflamma-tory autoimmune disease characterized by persistent synovitis in multiple joints,progressive destruction of bone and cartilage,and eventually leading to joint deformity and disability.Recently,it has been shown that pyroptosis plays an important role in development of RA.This review summarizes the molecular mechanism of pyroptosis,its pathogenic role and therapeutic strategies in RA,aiming of providing new insights for the mechanism research and new drug development of RA.

The incidence of orthopedic trauma-related diseases keeps rising annually, which brings an urgent need to optimize the diagnostic and treatment processes to enhance treatment efficiency and improve patients′ prognosis. Traditional diagnostic methods in traumatic orthopedics primarily rely on manual film interpretation and classification, resulting in a substantial workload for physicians and consequently a low efficiency. Furthermore, during multidisciplinary consultations and cross-hospital referrals for patients with orthopedic trauma, accessing medical records and facilitating information exchange can be challenging, leading to delays in surgical intervention. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, characterized by feature engineering, artificial neural networks, and deep learning, has transformed the landscape of rapid diagnosis and precision treatment for orthopedic trauma. Nonetheless, centralized storage during task training poses risks of privacy disclosure and security concerns that impede the widespread application of AI models. In contrast, the decentralized nature of blockchain technology offers a secure operational environment for AI-driven diagnostics and treatments and the integration of blockchain and AI can deliver more accurate, efficient, and safe services for patients with orthopedic trauma. Currently, challenges remain in the inter-institutional sharing of data, constant phenomenon of data silos and absence of standardized protocols for developing collaborative models in clinical settings. To address these challenges, the authors reviewed the research advancements in integrated application of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence in diagnosing and treating orthopedic trauma, aiming to provide insights into the development of a digital diagnostic system tailored to this field in China.

The incidence of orthopedic trauma-related diseases keeps rising annually, which brings an urgent need to optimize the diagnostic and treatment processes to enhance treatment efficiency and improve patients′ prognosis. Traditional diagnostic methods in traumatic orthopedics primarily rely on manual film interpretation and classification, resulting in a substantial workload for physicians and consequently a low efficiency. Furthermore, during multidisciplinary consultations and cross-hospital referrals for patients with orthopedic trauma, accessing medical records and facilitating information exchange can be challenging, leading to delays in surgical intervention. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, characterized by feature engineering, artificial neural networks, and deep learning, has transformed the landscape of rapid diagnosis and precision treatment for orthopedic trauma. Nonetheless, centralized storage during task training poses risks of privacy disclosure and security concerns that impede the widespread application of AI models. In contrast, the decentralized nature of blockchain technology offers a secure operational environment for AI-driven diagnostics and treatments and the integration of blockchain and AI can deliver more accurate, efficient, and safe services for patients with orthopedic trauma. Currently, challenges remain in the inter-institutional sharing of data, constant phenomenon of data silos and absence of standardized protocols for developing collaborative models in clinical settings. To address these challenges, the authors reviewed the research advancements in integrated application of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence in diagnosing and treating orthopedic trauma, aiming to provide insights into the development of a digital diagnostic system tailored to this field in China.

Objective:To explore the expression and predictive value of serum CD36 level in cardio-vascular risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to provide a new theoretical basis for clinical iden-tification and prediction of patients at moderate and high cardiovascular risk in RA patients.Methods:Eighty-four RA patients hospitalized to the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the second hospital of Lanzhou University in Gansu Province were selected as the study subjects, and 34 healthy people were selected as the controls. All RA patients were divided into low cardiovascular risk groups and medium and high cardiovascular risk groups according to prediction for ASCVD risk in China (China-PAR) cardiovascular risk assessment. At the same time, they were tested for serological indicators at admission. Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS)) 26.0 software was used for the statistical data analysis. T-test and nonparametric test were used for comparison of the measurement data. The Chi-square test and Fisher's exact test were used for the comparison of classified data. Variables with P<0.05 in univariate analysis were included into the Logistic regression model. Results:Compared with the healthy control group, the number of patients with medium and high cardiovascular risk in RA[8 cases (23.5)% and 38 cases (45.2)%, χ2=4.80, P=0.029] was significantly higher and was negatively correlated with serum CD36 ( r=-0.27, P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that age [ OR(95% CI)=1.654(1.157, 2.365), P=0.006] and diastolic blood pressure [ OR(95% CI)=1.225(1.040, 1.442) , P=0.015] were independent risk factors for medium and high cardiovascular risk in RA patients, and serum CD36 level [ OR(95% CI)=0.569(0.352, 0.922) , P=0.022] was the protective factor of medium and high cardiovascular risk in RA patients according to the results of Logistic regression analysis. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under the curve (AUC) was 0.691, the cut-off value was 4.27 pg/ml, and the sensitivity and specificity were 89.7% and 41.0% respectively. Conclusion:The serum CD36 level decreases with the increase of cardiovascular risk in RA patients. A higher serum CD36 level is a protective factor of cardiovascular risk in RA patients, and CD36 has a certain predictive value for cardiovascular risk in RA patients and is a potential predictor.

Objective To construct expression vectors of calmodulin(CaM)mutants N2 and C2,and to express,purify,and identify the mutant proteins,in order to study the interactions between CaM and calcium channels. Methods The cDNA of N?lobe and C?lobe of CaM were used to prepare the cDNA of N2 and C2. Next,the recombinant cDNAs were cloned into a pGEX?6p?3 plasmid,and the recombinant plasmids were trans?ferred into E.coli BL21 cells. The transfected BL21 cells were stimulated with IPTG. The fusion proteins were extracted by ultrasonication and puri?fied by using GS?4B beads. Finally,protein activity was identified by the pull?down assay. Results Both the restriction digestion map and the DNA sequence identification results confirmed that the recombinant plasmids were successfully constructed. SDS?PAGE results showed high purity and concentration of N2 and C2 proteins. Their activities and binding abilities with the calcium channel fragment were confirmed by the pull?down assay.Conclusion In this study,expression vectors of N2 and C2 are successfully constructed,and physiologically active N2 and C2 CaM mutant proteins are obtained.

Thirteen compounds were isolated from the stem bark of Bombax ceiba L. by silica gel, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic analysis as: lupeol(1), lupeone(2), betulinic acid(3), zeorin(4), oleanolic acid(5), 3-oxooleanolic acid(6), cleomiscosin A(7), (±)-lyoniresinol(8), desmosterol(9), stigma-3, 6-dione(10), (+)-lasiodiploidin(11), aurantiamide acetate(12), and(2S, 3S, 4R, 10E)-2-［(2R)-2-hydroxytetracosanoylamino］-10-octadecene-1, 3, 4-triol(13). Among them, compounds 3, 4, 6, 7-13 were isolated from this plant for the first time.