AIM:To investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of sesamin(SES)on fatty liver disease in rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,and to explore the potential mecha-nisms based on mRNA-seq.METHODS:Spontane-ously hypertensive rats(SHRs)were fed a high-fat,high-cholesterol diet to establish a rat model of hy-pertension combined with dyslipidemia,and then treated with SES for 16 weeks continuously.The ex-periment was divided into four groups:WKY,SHR,Model,and Model+SES(160 mg·kg-1·d-1).Blood pressure was measured using the tail-cuff method.Body weight was monitored,and body mass index was calculated.Liver morphology was detected by ultrasound,and liver thickness was measured.Liver wet weight was weighed,and liver index was calcu-lated.Liver volume was detected by the water dis-placement method.Serum triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate amino-transferase(AST),and total bile acids(TBA)were de-tected by ELISA.Liver sequencing analysis was per-formed using mRNA-seq.Liver histomorphological changes were observed by HE staining.The degree of hepatic steatosis was observed by Oil Red O stain-ing,and the degree of hepatic fibrosis was observed by MASSON staining.The mRNA expression of Al-dh1a7,Nnmt,Irs2,Pltp,and Scd was detected by q-PCR.The protein expression of Scd,Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ was detected by Western blotting.RESULTS:After 16 weeks of continuous SES administration to rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,blood pressure was significantly reduced(P＜0.01),and body weight was decreased.Serum TG,TC,and LDL-C levels were decreased,while HDL-C levels were increased.Serum ALT and AST levels were decreased.Liver weight,organ in-dex,liver thickness,and liver volume were de-creased.The degree of hepatic steatosis and hepat-ic fibrosis was improved.A total of 545 differentially expressed mRNAs were identified in the livers of rats in each group,of which 278 were upregulated and 267 were downregulated.Among the 27 com-monly differentially expressed mRNAs,five mRNAs related to lipid metabolism were screened,namely Aldh1a7,Nnmt,Irs2,Pltp,and Scd.KEGG enrich-ment analysis showed that the enriched pathways were AMPK and PPAR.Further validation revealed that in the SES-treated group,the mRNA expression of Scd in the liver was decreased,while the mRNA expression of Nnmt was increased.The protein ex-pression of Scd was decreased,while the protein ex-pression of Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ was increased.CONCLUSION:SES has preven-tive and therapeutic effects on fatty liver disease in rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,and its mechanism of action may be related to the reduction of Scd expression levels in the liver and the increase in the expression of Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ.

AIM:To investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of sesamin(SES)on fatty liver disease in rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,and to explore the potential mecha-nisms based on mRNA-seq.METHODS:Spontane-ously hypertensive rats(SHRs)were fed a high-fat,high-cholesterol diet to establish a rat model of hy-pertension combined with dyslipidemia,and then treated with SES for 16 weeks continuously.The ex-periment was divided into four groups:WKY,SHR,Model,and Model+SES(160 mg·kg-1·d-1).Blood pressure was measured using the tail-cuff method.Body weight was monitored,and body mass index was calculated.Liver morphology was detected by ultrasound,and liver thickness was measured.Liver wet weight was weighed,and liver index was calcu-lated.Liver volume was detected by the water dis-placement method.Serum triglycerides(TG),total cholesterol(TC),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate amino-transferase(AST),and total bile acids(TBA)were de-tected by ELISA.Liver sequencing analysis was per-formed using mRNA-seq.Liver histomorphological changes were observed by HE staining.The degree of hepatic steatosis was observed by Oil Red O stain-ing,and the degree of hepatic fibrosis was observed by MASSON staining.The mRNA expression of Al-dh1a7,Nnmt,Irs2,Pltp,and Scd was detected by q-PCR.The protein expression of Scd,Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ was detected by Western blotting.RESULTS:After 16 weeks of continuous SES administration to rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,blood pressure was significantly reduced(P＜0.01),and body weight was decreased.Serum TG,TC,and LDL-C levels were decreased,while HDL-C levels were increased.Serum ALT and AST levels were decreased.Liver weight,organ in-dex,liver thickness,and liver volume were de-creased.The degree of hepatic steatosis and hepat-ic fibrosis was improved.A total of 545 differentially expressed mRNAs were identified in the livers of rats in each group,of which 278 were upregulated and 267 were downregulated.Among the 27 com-monly differentially expressed mRNAs,five mRNAs related to lipid metabolism were screened,namely Aldh1a7,Nnmt,Irs2,Pltp,and Scd.KEGG enrich-ment analysis showed that the enriched pathways were AMPK and PPAR.Further validation revealed that in the SES-treated group,the mRNA expression of Scd in the liver was decreased,while the mRNA expression of Nnmt was increased.The protein ex-pression of Scd was decreased,while the protein ex-pression of Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ was increased.CONCLUSION:SES has preven-tive and therapeutic effects on fatty liver disease in rats with hypertension combined with dyslipidemia,and its mechanism of action may be related to the reduction of Scd expression levels in the liver and the increase in the expression of Nnmt,AMPK,p-AMPK,PPARα,and PPARγ.

A colon-specific drug delivery system has great potential for the oral administration of colorectal cancer. However, the uncontrollable in vivo fate of liposomes makes their effectiveness for colonic location, and intratumoral accumulation remains unsatisfactory. Here, an oral colon-specific drug delivery system (CBS-CS@Lipo/Oxp/MTZ) was constructed by covalently conjugating Clostridium butyricum spores (CBS) with drugs loaded chitosan (CS)-coated liposomes, where the model chemotherapy drug oxaliplatin (Oxp) and anti-anaerobic bacteria agent metronidazole (MTZ) were loaded. Following oral administration, CBS germinated into Clostridium butyricum (CB) and colonized in the colon. Combined with colonic specifically β-glucosidase responsive degrading of CS, dual colon-specific release of liposomes was achieved. And the accumulation of liposomes at the CRC site furtherly increased by 2.68-fold. Simultaneously, the released liposomes penetrated deep tumor tissue via the permeation enhancement effect of CS to kill localized intratumoral bacteria. Collaborating with blocking the translocation of intestinal pathogenic bacteria from lumen to tumor with the gut microbiota modulation of CB, the intratumoral pathogenic bacteria were eliminated fundamentally, blocking their recruitment to immunosuppressive cells. Furtherly, synchronized with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) released from MTZ-induced dead Fusobacterium nucleatum and the tumor-associated antigens produced by Oxp-caused immunogenic dead cells, they jointly enhanced tumor infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells and reactivated robust antitumor immunity.

Objective:To explore the expression of NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles in hippocampal tissue and prefron-tal cortex in a mouse model of posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD).Methods:Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 2 groups:the control group and the PTSD group.The PTSD group used conditioned foot shock(CF)and single-sustained stress(SPS)to prepare an animal model of PTSD.Anxiety and depression responses of the mouse mod-el were detected by the open field experiment and elevated cross maze test.Memory and memory capacity tests were es-tablished by the darkness-avoidance experimental system.Morphological changes in the hippocampus and prefrontal cor-tex of mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE),and the expression of NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles was detected using Western Blot and immunohistochemical staining.Results:The PTSD mouse group showed decreased body mass,anxiety and depression-like behaviors,and decreased learning and memory abilities compared with the con-trol group(P＜0.05).HE staining showed tissue damage in the hippocampal CA1 region and prefrontal cortex in PTSD mice compared with the control group.Western Blot and immunohistochemical staining showed that after 3 d of PTSD stimulation,hippocampal and prefrontal cortical NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles were activated(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Increased expression of NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of PTSD model mice.

Background and purpose:Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)serves as one of the paramount drivers of breast cancer metastasis,with roughly 20%-30%of breast cancer patients exhibiting high expression of HER2.The expression level of HER2 is regulatable at multiple molecular levels and determines the metastatic potential of breast cancer cells;however,the manner in which HER2 expression is modulated at the mRNA level remains ambiguous.Circ-0007766 is a circRNA originated from the coding gene ERBB2 for HER2,and whether circ-0007766 can regulate HER2 expression via the ceRNA mechanism has not been reported.This study aimed to analyze whether circ-0007766 acts as a miR-1972 sponge to promote breast cancer cell migration and invasion via upregulation of HER2 expression.Methods:In this study,a high-throughput circRNA chip was employed to screen for circRNAs that exhibited highly specific expression in HER2-positive breast cancer cells.RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH)was utilized to detect the subcellular localization of circ-0007766.The BaseScope experiment was conducted to analyze the expression level of circ-0007766 in breast cancer tissues and its clinical diagnostic significance.Breast cancer cell models with overexpression and knockdown of circ-0007766 were constructed by transfecting cloning plasmids and siRNA in vitro.The effect of circ-0007766 on the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells was assessed using transwell migration and invasion experiments,and the migration and invasion abilities of MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 cells were measured.Additionally,it was evaluated whether circ-0007766 could promote the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells through miR-1972.A dual luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify whether circ-0007766 could regulate HER2 expression by binding to miR-1972.The direct interaction between circ-0007766 and miR-1972 was further verified through the RAP experiment.RIP detection was performed in MDA-MB-231 cells,and the relative 3'UTR of HER2 mRNA was measured by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(RTFQ-PCR).Western blot was used to detect the protein expressions.Results:Circ-0007766 was conspicuously highly expressed in HER2-positive breast cancer cells and distributed in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of cells,with the preponderance being in the cytoplasm.The expression level of circ-0007766 was strikingly higher in breast cancer tissues than in para-cancerous tissues.The expression of circ-0007766 was significantly elevated in HER2-positive breast cancer samples compared with HER2-negative samples.The overexpression(knockdown)of circ-0007766 in HER2-negative breast cancer cells(in HER2-positive breast cancer cells)was capable of promoting(inhibiting)the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells.Circ-0007766 directly bound to miR-1972,which inhibited breast cancer cell migration and invasion,thereby forming an endogenous competitive RNA(ceRNA)regulatory network and impeding the downregulation of HER2 mRNA and protein expression mediated by miR-1972.Circ-0007766 could potentiate the inhibitory effect of miR-1972 on HER2-mediated breast cancer cell migration and invasion that was negatively regulated by miR-1972.CircRNAs sequestered miRNAs to function as ceRNAs,thereby regulating gene expression at both the transcriptional and translational levels.Finally,we discovered that the expressions of circ-0007766 and HER2 were positively correlated in breast cancer cell and tissue samples,while the expression levels of miR-1972 and HER2 were negatively correlated.Circ-0007766 could specifically target miR-1972 to hinder its regulatory effect on HER2 expression.Conclusion:This study discovers that circ-0007766 facilitates the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells via the miR-1972/HER2 signal axis,offering a novel biomarker and potential therapeutic target for patients with metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer.

Objective To investigate the clinical features and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods Medical records were collected from 850 HCC patients who were admitted to Hubei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine from December 2014 to May 2022,and their clinical and prognostic features were analyzed.The chi-square test were used for comparison of categorical data between groups;the Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate survival time and survival rate,and the log-rank test was used for comparison of survival time based on baseline features.Results Among the 850 HCC patients,male patients accounted for 82.6%,and the median age at initial diagnosis was 58.0(49.0,66.0)years,with the highest proportion of patients aged 50-69 years(59.8%).The patients with HBV infection accounted for the highest proportion of 77.4%;at initial diagnosis,49.2%of the patients had portal vein tumor thrombus,and 20.2%of the patients had extrahepatic metastasis,among which pulmonary metastasis accounted for the highest proportion of 44.2%(76/172).The patients with Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer(BCLC)stage A(0),B,C,and D HCC accounted for 20.4%,22.5%,41.5%,and 15.6%,respectively.There was a significant difference in the distribution of BCLC stages between different groups based on sex(χ2=16.631,P=0.001),age(χ2=24.261,P=0.019),place of residence(χ2=39.776,P＜0.001),presence or absence of viral hepatitis(χ2=8.338,P=0.040),and presence or absence of regular antiviral therapy before initial diagnosis(χ2=26.140,P＜0.001).Follow-up was performed for 489 patients till death,with a median survival time of 19.99 months(95%confidence interval[CI]:14.86-25.12),and the 1-,3-,5-,and 10-year cumulative survival rates were 60.7%,39.9%,29.4%,and 22.7%,respectively.There was a significant difference in survival time between different groups based on age(χ2=13.452,P=0.009),history of viral hepatitis(χ2=6.123,P=0.013),regular antiviral therapy before initial diagnosis(χ2=15.505,P＜0.001),comorbidity with type 2 diabetes(χ2=9.820,P=0.002),the number of tumors(χ2=57.713,P＜0.001),maximum tumor diameter(χ2=41.862,P＜0.001),portal vein tumor thrombus(χ2=293.909,P＜0.001),extrahepatic metastasis at initial diagnosis(χ2=118.329,P＜0.001),BCLC stage(χ2=465.638,P＜0.001),surgical resection(χ2=78.86,P＜0.001),local treatment(χ2=36.216,P＜0.001),immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment and/or anti-tumor angiogenesis therapy(χ2=7.182,P=0.007),traditional Chinese medicine decoction treatment(χ2=30.050,P＜0.001),and comprehensive treatment regimens(χ2=13.221,P=0.004).Progression-free survival(PFS)was recorded for 259 patients(30.5%),with a median PFS of 10.98 months(95%CI:8.54-13.42).Conclusion HCC patients exhibit epidemiological characteristics in terms of sex,age,place of residence,presence or absence of viral hepatitis,regular antiviral therapy before initial diagnosis,tumor characteristics,treatment modality,and prognosis,with a low early detection rate and a short overall survival time,and therefore,it is urgent to perform early screening,early diagnosis,and early treatment.

Objective:To explore the expression of NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles in hippocampal tissue and prefron-tal cortex in a mouse model of posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD).Methods:Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into 2 groups:the control group and the PTSD group.The PTSD group used conditioned foot shock(CF)and single-sustained stress(SPS)to prepare an animal model of PTSD.Anxiety and depression responses of the mouse mod-el were detected by the open field experiment and elevated cross maze test.Memory and memory capacity tests were es-tablished by the darkness-avoidance experimental system.Morphological changes in the hippocampus and prefrontal cor-tex of mice were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining(HE),and the expression of NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles was detected using Western Blot and immunohistochemical staining.Results:The PTSD mouse group showed decreased body mass,anxiety and depression-like behaviors,and decreased learning and memory abilities compared with the con-trol group(P＜0.05).HE staining showed tissue damage in the hippocampal CA1 region and prefrontal cortex in PTSD mice compared with the control group.Western Blot and immunohistochemical staining showed that after 3 d of PTSD stimulation,hippocampal and prefrontal cortical NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles were activated(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Increased expression of NLRP3 inflammatory vesicles in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of PTSD model mice.

Objective To observe the effect of pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative ther-apeutic model in the treatment of patients with acute cerebral infarction.Methods A total of 67 pa-tients with acute cerebral infarction were selected as the research objects,and they were divided into observation group(n=37)and control group(n=30)according to the therapeutic model.The con-trol group was conducted with the traditional therapeutic model,while the observation group was con-ducted with the pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative therapeutic model.The time efficiency of intravenous thrombolysis,early recovery of nerve function and oxidative stress indexes were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in the time from onset to visit between the two groups(P＞0.05);the time from seeing a doctor to thrombolysis and the time from seeing a doctor to signing the informed consent for intravenous thrombolysis in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group(P＜0.05).On the hospital admission,there was no significant difference in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score be-tween the two groups(P＞0.05);at the time points of 7 days after admission and 90 days after thrombolysis,the NIHSS scores of patients in the observation group were significantly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the levels of serum glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)and malonaldehyde(MDA)between the two groups(P＞0.05);the level of serum superoxide dismutase(SOD)in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05).One patient died in the control group,with a mortality rate of 3.33％;no patient died in the observation group.Conclusion Pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative therapeutic model can effectively improve the time efficiency of intravenous thrombolysis for patients with acute cerebral infarction,alleviate the neurological damage,and reduce degree of oxidative stress reaction and death risk.

BACKGROUND: Clinical trial evidence is limited to identify better topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for treating knee osteoarthritis (OA). We aimed to compare the clinical efficacy and safety of flurbiprofen cataplasms (FPC) with loxoprofen sodium cataplasms (LSC) in treating patients with knee OA. METHODS: This is an open-label, non-inferiority randomized controlled trial conducted at Peking University Shougang Hospital. Overall, 250 patients with knee OA admitted from October 2021 to April 2022 were randomly assigned to FPC and LSC treatment groups in a 1:1 ratio. Both medications were administered to patients for 28 days. The primary outcome was the change of pain measured by visual analog scale (VAS) score from baseline to day 28 (range, 0-10 points; higher score indicates worse pain; non-inferiority margin: 1 point; superiority margin: 0 point). There were four secondary outcomes, including the extent of pain relief, the change trends of VAS scores, joint function scores measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster University Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and adverse events. RESULTS: Among 250 randomized patients (One patient without complete baseline record in the flurbiprofen cataplasms was excluded; age, 62.8 ± 10.5 years; 61.4% [153/249] women), 234 (93.6%) finally completed the trial. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the decline of the VAS score for the 24-h most intense pain in the FPC group was non-inferior, and also superior to that in the LSC group (differences and 95% confidence interval, 0.414 (0.147-0.681); P <0.001 for non-inferiority; P = 0.001 for superiority). Similar results were observed of the VAS scores for the current pain and pain during exercise. WOMAC scores were also lower in the FPC group at week 4 (12.50 [8.00-22.50] vs . 16.00 [11.00-27.00], P = 0.010), mainly driven by the dimension of daily activity difficulty. In addition, the FPC group experienced a significantly lower incidence of adverse events (5.6% [7/124] vs . 33.6% [42/125], P <0.001), including irritation, rash and pain of the skin, and sticky hair uncovering pain. CONCLUSIONS This study suggested that FPC is superior to LSC for treating patients with knee OA in pain relief, joint function improvement, and safety profile.
Humans ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/drug therapy* ; Flurbiprofen/therapeutic use* ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use* ; Pain/drug therapy* ; Treatment Outcome ; Double-Blind Method

Objective To observe the effect of pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative ther-apeutic model in the treatment of patients with acute cerebral infarction.Methods A total of 67 pa-tients with acute cerebral infarction were selected as the research objects,and they were divided into observation group(n=37)and control group(n=30)according to the therapeutic model.The con-trol group was conducted with the traditional therapeutic model,while the observation group was con-ducted with the pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative therapeutic model.The time efficiency of intravenous thrombolysis,early recovery of nerve function and oxidative stress indexes were compared between the two groups.Results There was no significant difference in the time from onset to visit between the two groups(P＞0.05);the time from seeing a doctor to thrombolysis and the time from seeing a doctor to signing the informed consent for intravenous thrombolysis in the observation group were significantly shorter than those in the control group(P＜0.05).On the hospital admission,there was no significant difference in the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)score be-tween the two groups(P＞0.05);at the time points of 7 days after admission and 90 days after thrombolysis,the NIHSS scores of patients in the observation group were significantly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in the levels of serum glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px)and malonaldehyde(MDA)between the two groups(P＞0.05);the level of serum superoxide dismutase(SOD)in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group(P＜0.05).One patient died in the control group,with a mortality rate of 3.33％;no patient died in the observation group.Conclusion Pre-hospital and intra-hospital collaborative therapeutic model can effectively improve the time efficiency of intravenous thrombolysis for patients with acute cerebral infarction,alleviate the neurological damage,and reduce degree of oxidative stress reaction and death risk.