Objective: To explore the association between serum nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), NIMA-related kinase 7 (NEK7) and pulmonary fibrosis among patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis, so as to provide a basis for the assessment of the degree of pulmonary fibrosis. Methods: Coal workers with pneumoconiosis hospitalized in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from July 2022 to July 2023 were selected by simple random sampling. Data such as age, stage of pneumoconiosis, and dust-exposure duration were collected through the hospital's electronic medical record management system. Venous blood was collected to detect the levels of serum NLRP3 and NEK7. High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) image data of the chest were obtained through the hospital's imaging reporting system. The left and right lungs were divided into 6 pulmonary regions according to the upper, middle, and lower parts. The pulmonary fibrosis score was quantified according to the proportion of the pulmonary area occupied by HRCT manifestations of pulmonary fibrosis, including reticular shadows, pleural and interlobular septal thickening, traction bronchiectasis, and honeycombing. The association between the levels of serum NLRP3, NEK7, and pulmonary fibrosis was analyzed using a multiple linear regression model. Results: A total of 81 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis were included, all of whom were male, with a mean age of (71.46±11.69) years. There were 48, 28, and 5 cases in stage Ⅰ, stage Ⅱ, and stage Ⅲ of pneumoconiosis pathological staging, accounting for 59.26%, 34.57%, and 6.17%, respectively. There were 45 cases of tunneling and coal mining, accounting for 55.56%. There were 41 cases with dust exposure years of ≥30 years, accounting for 50.62%. The median serum NLRP3 and NEK7 in patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis were 2.01 (interquartile range, 2.33) ng/mL and 0.98 (interquartile range, 0.83) ng/mL. The median score of pulmonary fibrosis was 5.00 (interquartile range, 5.50) points. After adjusting for age, stage of pneumoconiosis, type of work and dust-exposure duration, multiple linear regression analysis showed that serum NLRP3 (β'=0.649) and NEK7 (β'=0.346) were positively correlated with the pulmonary fibrosis score. Conclusion The increase in the levels of serum NLRP3 and NEK7 in patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis is related to the increase in the degree of pulmonary fibrosis.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC）， characterized by insidious onset and non-specific features at the initial stage， is usually diagnosed at middle or late stage with metastasis. The invasion and metastasis of NPC involve complex biological processes， which are affected by many factors. The regulation of gene expression is involved in the invasion and metastasis of NPC， which has become a hot topic. Micro-ribonucleic acids （miRNAs） are short （about 22 nucleotides long） non-coding ribonucleic acids （RNAs） that participate in each step of invasion and metastasis of malignant tumor cells and play an important regulatory role by modulating the transcription and translation of target genes. Abnormal expression of miRNAs has been found in NPC， which regulates the invasion and metastasis of NPC cells. This paper summarized the regulatory mechanisms of different miRNAs as tumor suppressor genes in the migration and invasion of NPC cells， including the modulation of target genes， migration-and invasion-related proteins， and important signaling pathways， which involve biological processes such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT）， neovascularization and lymphatic vessels， tumor stem cells， and resistance to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. As Chinese medicine shows remarkable efficacy in the prevention and control of NPC， especially in the alleviation of adverse reactions and reduction of metastasis rate after radiotherapy and chemotherapy， we also summed up the effect and mechanism of Chinese medicine and the active components in inhibiting the migration and invasion of NPC cells by miRNAs. Thereby， this review is expected to lay a theoretical basis for further research and development of new drugs against NPC.

OBJECTIVES: To observe the electrophysiological changes of astrocytes in the process of hyperoxia induced apoptosis and analyze the relationship between electrophysiological characteristics and morphological changes. METHODS: Astrocytes were exposed to 90% hyperoxia for 12-72 h. The electrophysiological characteristics of astrocytes in each group were detected by patch clamp technique, and the morphological characteristics of astrocytes were observed at the same time. Then the same batch of astrocytes were collected, and the expression levels of caspase-1, caspase-3, gasdermin D (GSDMD) and gasdermin E (GSDME) were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: From 12 h to 72 h after hyperoxia exposure, the inward current was significantly lower than that of the control group (<0.05), while the outward current was significantly decreased at 12 h and increased at 48 h (<0.05). There was no significant difference between 24 h or 72 h after hyperoxia exposure and the control group (>0.05). At each time point, the morphology of cells changed correspondingly. Western blotting showed that the expression of caspase-1 was increased significantly at 24 h and decreased significantly at 72 h after hyperoxia exposure (<0.05); the expression of GSDMD was increased at 12 h and decreased gradually from 24 h to 72 h after hyperoxia exposure (<0.05); the expression of caspase-3 did not change significantly at 12 h and 24 h after hyperoxia exposure (>0.05), but began to decrease at 48 h (<0.05); GSDME increased gradually at 24 h after hyperoxia exposure (<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Under hyperoxia exposure, the ion channels of astrocytes are damaged, which can maintain the dysfunction of ion homeostasis, activate GSDME, induce the damaged cells to break away from the apoptotic pathway, and mediate the pyroptosis.
Apoptosis ; Astrocytes ; Caspase 1 ; Humans ; Hyperoxia ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Neoplasm Proteins ; Phosphate-Binding Proteins ; Pyroptosis

Purpose To investigate the diagnostic value of prenatal MRI in fetal intracranial hemorrhage (FICH). Materials and Methods The imaging and clinical data of 41 cases of FICH accepting MRI diagnosis were retrospectively analyzed. The hemorrhage location, signal characteristics and the associated intracranial abnormalities were observed. The pregnancy outcomes and clinical data after birth were followed up. The correlation between periventricular hemorrhage/intraventricular hemorrhage (PVH/IVH) classification and clinical outcomes was analyzed by combining prenatal risk factors. Results Forty-one cases of FICH were evaluated. There were 23 cases of multifocal cerebral hemorrhage and 18 cases of single focal hemorrhage. According to the bleeding site, the 41 cases were classified into PVH/IVH (33 cases), cerebral hemispheres near cortex hemorrhage (3 cases), cerebellar hemorrhage (2 cases), subdural hemorrhage (2 cases) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (1 case). Most of the FICH cases were in subacute period (36/41) and a few were in chronic period or forming encephalomalacia (5/41). The associated changes included ventriculomegaly, vascular malformation, agenesis of corpus callosum, agenesis of vermis, etc. Follow-up results showed that there were 25 cases of labor induction (autopsy after labor induction was performed in 3 cases), 16 cases were followed-up after birth. Among the 16 newborn, there was 1 case of PVH/IVH grade II fetus showing left ear hearing loss after birth, 1 case of grade II fetus showed dyskinesia within one year after birth, and 1 case of grade IV fetus showed unilateral limb movement disorder. The other 13 cases had no obvious neurological sequelae. Spearman correlation test of ranked data indicated that PVH/IVH classification was moderately correlated with birth outcome (r=0.689, P<0.05). Conclusion Prenatal MRI can evaluate the type and severity of fetal intracranial hemorrhage, and provide references for clinical diagnosis and treatment.