AIM:To explore the causal association between the counts of five types of white blood cells—neutrophils,monocytes,eosinophils,baso-phils,and lymphocytes—and venous thromboem-bolism(VTE).METHODS:Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis method was used,with genetic vari-ants associated with the five types of white blood cells as instrumental variables,and venous throm-boembolism occurrence risk as the outcome vari-able,inverse variance-weighted(IVW)method was employed as the primary analysis method,with MR-Egger regression,weighted median(WM),sim-ple model,and weighted mode methods used as supplements,to analyze the causal association be-tween the counts of five types of white blood cells and VTE,followed by reverse MR analysis.RE-SULTS:Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts are caus-ally associated with the risk of VTE.For neutrophil count,the IVW estimate(OR=0.867,95%CI:0.761-0.981,P=0.031),MR-Egger estimate(OR=0.754,95%CI:0.571-0.996,P=0.048),weighted median es-timate(OR=0.846,95%CI:0.729-0.981,P=0.027),and weighted model estimate(OR=0.748,95%CI:0.595-0.942,P=0.014)were calculated.For lympho-cyte count,the IVW estimate(OR=0.838,95%CI:0.741-0.949,P=0.005)and weighted median esti-mate(OR=0.024,95%CI:0.718-0.977,P=0.024)were calculated.Reverse MR analysis showed a causal association between the risk of VTE and neu-trophil count,the IVW estimate(OR=0.989,95%CI:0.980-0.999,P=0.024).CONCLUSION:Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts are related to the risk of VTE,and decrease in neutrophil and lymphocyte numbers may increase the risk of VTE.VTE occur-rence risk is associated with neutrophil count,and reducing the risk of VTE occurrence may increase neutrophil count.Further research is needed to un-derstand the underlying biological mechanisms be-hind this relationship.

BACKGROUND:Long noncoding RNA TP53TG1(lncRNA TP53TG1)is involved in regulating the proliferation,migration,invasion,and apoptosis of various cancer cells,but there are few reports on its role in other cells.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects and pathways of lncRNA TP53TG1 on the proliferation and differentiation of human stem cells from the apical papilla.METHODS:Human stem cells from the apical papilla were isolated and cultured,and then transfected with lncRNA TP53TG1 overexpression lentivirus.RT-qPCR was used to detect the overexpression efficiency of lncRNA TP53TG1.Western blot assay was used to detect the relative expression levels of PI3K,AKT,ERK,P38,Smad3,and their phosphorylated proteins.Human stem cells from the apical papilla were divided into the empty lentiviral vector transfection group and the lncRNA TP53TG1 overexpression group.CCK-8 assay was used to measure the cell proliferation.Alkaline phosphatase activity was detected by alkaline phosphatase staining on day 5 of osteogenic induction.Formation of mineralized nodules was detected by alizarin red staining on day 21 of osteogenic induction.RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of dentin sialophosphoprotein,Runt-related transcription factor 2,dentin matrix protein 1,and bone sialoprotein on days 3,7,and 14 of osteogenic induction.Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression levels of dentin sialophosphoprotein and Runt-related transcription factor 2 on days 3,7,and 14 of osteogenic induction.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)RT-qPCR results showed that the lentivirus was successfully integrated into the genome of stem cells from the apical papilla.Western blot assay results showed that overexpression of lncRNA TP53TG1 up-regulated the protein levels of p-PI3K and p-AKT without affecting the expression of phosphorylated proteins in other pathways.(2)Starting from day 3 of cell culture,overexpression of lncRNA TP53TG1 significantly promoted the proliferation of stem cells from the apical papilla.(3)In the process of inducing odontogenic differentiation of stem cells from the apical papilla,overexpression of lncRNA TP53TG1 promoted the expression of odontogenic and osteogenic differentiation-related genes and proteins,significantly increased alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralized nodule formation.(4)The results show that lncRNA TP53TG1 may promote the odontogenic and osteogenic differentiation of stem cells from the apical papilla by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

AIM:To explore the causal association between the counts of five types of white blood cells—neutrophils,monocytes,eosinophils,baso-phils,and lymphocytes—and venous thromboem-bolism(VTE).METHODS:Mendelian randomization(MR)analysis method was used,with genetic vari-ants associated with the five types of white blood cells as instrumental variables,and venous throm-boembolism occurrence risk as the outcome vari-able,inverse variance-weighted(IVW)method was employed as the primary analysis method,with MR-Egger regression,weighted median(WM),sim-ple model,and weighted mode methods used as supplements,to analyze the causal association be-tween the counts of five types of white blood cells and VTE,followed by reverse MR analysis.RE-SULTS:Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts are caus-ally associated with the risk of VTE.For neutrophil count,the IVW estimate(OR=0.867,95%CI:0.761-0.981,P=0.031),MR-Egger estimate(OR=0.754,95%CI:0.571-0.996,P=0.048),weighted median es-timate(OR=0.846,95%CI:0.729-0.981,P=0.027),and weighted model estimate(OR=0.748,95%CI:0.595-0.942,P=0.014)were calculated.For lympho-cyte count,the IVW estimate(OR=0.838,95%CI:0.741-0.949,P=0.005)and weighted median esti-mate(OR=0.024,95%CI:0.718-0.977,P=0.024)were calculated.Reverse MR analysis showed a causal association between the risk of VTE and neu-trophil count,the IVW estimate(OR=0.989,95%CI:0.980-0.999,P=0.024).CONCLUSION:Neutrophil and lymphocyte counts are related to the risk of VTE,and decrease in neutrophil and lymphocyte numbers may increase the risk of VTE.VTE occur-rence risk is associated with neutrophil count,and reducing the risk of VTE occurrence may increase neutrophil count.Further research is needed to un-derstand the underlying biological mechanisms be-hind this relationship.

BACKGROUND:Long noncoding RNA TP53TG1(lncRNA TP53TG1)is involved in regulating the proliferation,migration,invasion,and apoptosis of various cancer cells,but there are few reports on its role in other cells.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects and pathways of lncRNA TP53TG1 on the proliferation and differentiation of human stem cells from the apical papilla.METHODS:Human stem cells from the apical papilla were isolated and cultured,and then transfected with lncRNA TP53TG1 overexpression lentivirus.RT-qPCR was used to detect the overexpression efficiency of lncRNA TP53TG1.Western blot assay was used to detect the relative expression levels of PI3K,AKT,ERK,P38,Smad3,and their phosphorylated proteins.Human stem cells from the apical papilla were divided into the empty lentiviral vector transfection group and the lncRNA TP53TG1 overexpression group.CCK-8 assay was used to measure the cell proliferation.Alkaline phosphatase activity was detected by alkaline phosphatase staining on day 5 of osteogenic induction.Formation of mineralized nodules was detected by alizarin red staining on day 21 of osteogenic induction.RT-qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of dentin sialophosphoprotein,Runt-related transcription factor 2,dentin matrix protein 1,and bone sialoprotein on days 3,7,and 14 of osteogenic induction.Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression levels of dentin sialophosphoprotein and Runt-related transcription factor 2 on days 3,7,and 14 of osteogenic induction.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)RT-qPCR results showed that the lentivirus was successfully integrated into the genome of stem cells from the apical papilla.Western blot assay results showed that overexpression of lncRNA TP53TG1 up-regulated the protein levels of p-PI3K and p-AKT without affecting the expression of phosphorylated proteins in other pathways.(2)Starting from day 3 of cell culture,overexpression of lncRNA TP53TG1 significantly promoted the proliferation of stem cells from the apical papilla.(3)In the process of inducing odontogenic differentiation of stem cells from the apical papilla,overexpression of lncRNA TP53TG1 promoted the expression of odontogenic and osteogenic differentiation-related genes and proteins,significantly increased alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralized nodule formation.(4)The results show that lncRNA TP53TG1 may promote the odontogenic and osteogenic differentiation of stem cells from the apical papilla by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo explore the molecular mechanism implicated in the treatment of primary myelofibrosis （PMF） using Chinese medicinal herbs （CMH） by bioinformatics and molecular dynamics. MethodsData mining was performed to find the high-frequency CMH in treating PMF between the year of 1985 and 2024 by searching CNKI， Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database （CCD）， and China Academic Journal Database （CSPD）. TCMSP， SwissTargetPrediction and related reports were used to collect the main active ingredients of high-frequency CMH and their targets. The PMF datasets GSE44426 and GSE124281 were downloaded from GEO database， and R software was used for data normalization and differentially expressed genes （DEGs） screening. Key module hub genes were obtained by weighted gene co-expression network analysis （WGCNA） analysis. The common intersection genes of active ingredient targets， DEGs and key module hub genes of CMH were selected， and the target network was generated using Cytoscape 3.9.2 software. The core target network was generated by topological analysis， while key pathways were selected by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis， and protein interaction relationships were obtained from the String database， so as to construct drug-ingredient-target network and protein interaction network （PPI） relationship diagrams. Discovery Studio 2020 software was used to perform molecular docking， and the GROMACS program was used to perform molecular dynamics simulation. ResultsA total of 21 prescriptions were collected involving 121 herbs. There were 9 herbs with a frequency ≥10 times， which were Danshen （Radix et Rhizoma Salviae Miltiorrhizae）， Huangqi （Radix Astragali）， Baizhu （Rhizoma Atractylodis Macrocephalae）， Danggui （Radix Angelicae Sinensis）， Dangshen （Radix Codonopsis）， Gancao （Radix et Rhizoma Glycyrrhizae）， Baishao （Radix Paeoniae Alba）， Fuling （Poria） and Shudihuang （Radix Rehmanniae Praeparata） from high- to low-frequency. A total of 98 active ingredients and 1125 potential targets were obtained from 9 high-frequency CMH. GSE44426 and GSE124281 data sets screened out 24 gene samples， including 14 of the healthy control group and 10 of the PMF group， and identified 319 DEGs between the two groups， including 122 up-regulated genes and 197 down-regulated genes. WGCNA screened out 24 co-expression module genes and found that the five modules closely related to the onset of PMF were MEpink， MEdarkred， MEblack， MEgrey， and MEturquoise， involving 7112 key module hub genes. The GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that lipids and the atherosclerosis pathways were mainly involved in the mechanism of above high-frequency CMH in treating PMF， which included six hub protein targets： HSP90AA1， HSP90AB1， SRC， MAPK1， IL1B and IL10. From the drug-ingredient-target network， seven active ingredients of CMH targeting at these six hub targets were found， including verbascoside， verbascos isoflavone， kaempferol， luteolin， naringenin， quercetin and pachymic acid. The molecular docking and molecular dynamics analyses showed that the key CMH were Shudihuang， Huangqi， Baishao， Danshen， Gancao and Fuling， and among the seven active ingredients， calycosin had the highest binding affinity with HSP90AB1. ConclusionThe main CMH for the treatment of PMF may be Shudihuang， Huangqi， Baishao， Danshen， Gancao and Fuling， and the active ingredients include verbascoside， verbascos isoflavones， kaempferol， luteolin， naringenin， quercetin and pachymic acid. The relevant targets are HSP90AA1， HSP90AB1， SRC， MAPK1， IL-10， and IL-1β， and the most critical pathways are lipid and atherosclerosis pathways.

Endodontic diseases are a kind of chronic infectious oral disease.Common endodontic treatment concepts are based on the removal of inflamed or necrotic pulp tissue and the replacement by gutta-percha.However,it is very essential for endodontic treatment to debride the root canal system and prevent the root canal system from bacterial reinfection after root canal therapy(RCT).Recent research,encompassing bacterial etiology and advanced imaging techniques,contributes to our understanding of the root canal system's anatomy intricacies and the technique sensitivity of RCT.Success in RCT hinges on factors like patients,infection severity,root canal anatomy,and treatment techniques.Therefore,improving disease management is a key issue to combat endodontic diseases and cure periapical lesions.The clinical difficulty assessment system of RCT is established based on patient conditions,tooth conditions,root canal configuration,and root canal needing retreatment,and emphasizes pre-treatment risk assessment for optimal outcomes.The findings suggest that the presence of risk factors may correlate with the challenge of achieving the high standard required for RCT.These insights contribute not only to improve education but also aid practitioners in treatment planning and referral decision-making within the field of endodontics.

Diabetic retinal neurodegeneration is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus, manifested by apoptosis and gliosis, and its pathogenesis is closely related to the oxidative stress induced by high glucose levels. The increase in blood glucose in the body leads to excessive production of reactive oxygen species and the downregulation of antioxidant defense signaling pathways, which leads to oxidative stress in the body, which in turn induces apoptosis, mitochondrial damage and autophagy, resulting in diabetic retinal neurodegeneration. Antioxidant stress therapy with gene therapy, flavonoids, recombinant Ad-β-catenin carriers, and autophagy inducers to exert neuroprotective effects. In the future, more clinical trials are needed to explore the effective dosage and side effects of drugs, and to develop new drugs and treatment strategies for oxidative stress to prevent and treat diabetic retinal neurodegeneration and protect retinal nerve function.

Pheretima,also called"earthworms",is a well-known animal-derived traditional Chinese medicine that is extensively used in over 50 Chinese patent medicines(CPMs)in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edi-tion).However,its zoological origin is unclear,both in the herbal market and CPMs.In this study,a strategy for integrating in-house annotated protein databases constructed from close evolutionary relationship-sourced RNA sequencing data from public archival resources and various sequencing al-gorithms(restricted search,open search,and de novo)was developed to characterize the phenotype of natural peptides of three major commercial species of Pheretima,including Pheretima aspergillum(PA),Pheretima vulgaris(PV),and Metaphire magna(MM).We identified 10,477 natural peptides in the PA,7,451 in PV,and 5,896 in MM samples.Five specific signature peptides were screened and then validated using synthetic peptides;these demonstrated robust specificity for the authentication of PA,PV,and MM.Finally,all marker peptides were successfully applied to identify the zoological origins of Brain Heart capsules and Xiaohuoluo pills,revealing the inconsistent Pheretima species used in these CPMs.In conclusion,our integrated strategy could be used for the in-depth characterization of natural peptides of other animal-derived traditional Chinese medicines,especially non-model species with poorly annotated protein databases.

Objective:To explore the feasibility and efficacy of subpatellar artery balloon molding in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer caused by arterial ischemia.Methods:The clinical data of patients with diabetic foot ulcer caused by subpatellar artery disease treated in Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University from December 2020 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 29 patients received medical balloon dilatation (drug balloon group) and 30 patients received balloon dilatation alone (simple balloon group). The improvement of lower limb ischemia at 3 and 6 months after surgery was analyzed in the two groups. The observation indicators included case-fatality rate, limb preservation rate, ulcer healing, Rutherford grading and pain score.Results:There was no significant difference in preoperative Rutherford grading between the two groups ( P>0.05). Three and six months after operation, the Rutherford grading in both groups was significantly improved compared with that before surgery (all P<0.05), and there was no statistical significance between the two groups ( P>0.05). There was no significant difference in preoperative pain scores between the two groups ( P>0.05). The pain scores of both groups were significantly decreased 3 and 6 months after surgery ( P<0.05), and there was no statistical significance between the two groups ( P>0.05). Three and six months after surgery, the wound ulcer healing rate in the drug balloon group was higher than that in the simple balloon group [51.7%(15/29) vs 43.3%(13/30), P=0.519; 86.2%(25/29) vs 50.0%(15/30), P=0.002]. There was no death or amputation in the two groups 3 and 6 months after surgery. Conclusions:Balloon dilatation can improve severe limb ischemia of diabetic foot. Compared with balloon dilatation alone, drug balloon dilatation is more beneficial to the healing of ulcer wounds in diabetic limb ischemia patients.

Cordyceps sinensis(C.sinensis)is a widely used and highly valuable traditional Chinese medicine.Several dipeptides have been detected in C.sinensis,but current scientific knowledge of its chemical makeup remains limited.In this study,an improved approach that integrates offline two-dimensional liquid chromatography(2D LC)separation,precursor ion list,library screening,and diagnostic ion filtering was established to systematically screen and characterize dipeptides in C.sinensis.Offline 2D LC integrating hydrophilic interaction LC and reverse phase separations was established to eliminate interference and identify the target dipeptides.A library containing the potential 400 dipeptides was created,and a precursor ion list with all theoretical precursor ions was adopted to trigger the MS/MS scan with high sensitivity.To identify dipeptides,the type and connection sequence of amino acids were determined according to the product ions.Ile and Leu residues were differentiated for the first time according to the characteristic ion at m/z 69.07.Ultimately,170 dipeptides were identified or tentatively characterized from C.sinensis,and most are reported for the first time in this species herein.In addition,the identified dipeptides were also applied for discrimination among the three Cordyceps species,and 11 markers were identified.The obtained results provide a deeper understanding of the chemical basis of C.sinensis.