[摘 要] 目的：探究重楼皂苷Ⅱ（PPⅡ）抑制甲状腺癌（TC）恶性生物学行为的分子机制。方法：常规培养甲状腺癌细胞TPC1，实验分为sh-NC、sh-可溶性半乳糖凝集素3（sh-LGALS3）、OE-NC、OE-LGALS3和 OE-LGALS3 + PPⅡ组，用转染试剂将应用质粒转染至各组TPC1细胞中。qPCR法检测TPC1细胞中LGALS3 mRNA的表达，WB法检测各组TPC1细胞中LGALS3、PI3K/AKT信号通路相关蛋白的表达，CCK-8法、Transwell实验、划痕愈合实验和流式细胞术分别检测各组TPC1细胞增殖、迁移和侵袭能力，以及细胞凋亡情况。结果：PPⅡ抑制TPC1细胞的增殖、迁移和侵袭，并诱导其凋亡（均P < 0.000 1）。数据库数据分析显示LGALS3在甲状腺癌组织中高表达（P < 0.001）且是PPⅡ的靶基因。LGALS1在TPC1细胞中呈高表达（P < 0.000 1），敲减LGALS3抑制TPC1细胞的恶性生物学行为，并促进其凋亡（均P < 0.000 1），PPⅡ通过抑制LGALS3 mRNA和蛋白的表达（P < 0.01或P < 0.001）从而抑制TPC1细胞的恶性生物学行为（P < 0.01或P < 0.000 1），PPⅡ抑制LGALS3表达抑制PI3K/AKT信号通路的激活水平（P <0.001或P <0.000 1），LGALS3通过PI3K/AKT信号通路促进TPC1细胞的恶性生物行为（P < 0.000 1）。结论：PPⅡ通过抑制TPC1细胞中LGALS3的表达，缓解PI3K/AKT信号通路的过度激活从而发挥抑癌作用。

Background Aluminum (Al) is a lightweight metal that is widely present in the environment and the human body. It has been documented to cause various adverse health effects including the suppression of humoral immunity. Objective To investigate the role of oxidative stress in Al-induced humoral immunity suppression and to evaluate the possible protective effects of iron supplementation on this process. Methods Adult C57BL/6J mice were exposed to Al at concentrations of 0, 200, or 800 μg·mL⁻¹ via drinking water for three consecutive months. The expression of major histocompatibility complex class Ⅱ (I-A), proliferating cell markr-67 (Ki-67), and 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate (DCFH-DA) in splenic B cells was evaluated through flow cytometry. Splenic B cells from the mice treated with 800 μg·mL⁻¹ Al or the control were sorted and treated in vitro with glutathione (GSH), N-Acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), or a control vehicle. After 24 h, the expression of I-A was evaluated; and the hydroxyl radical (·OH)-generating potential, ·OH production, malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and iron content were assessed using commercial kits. Sixteen mice treated with 800 μg·mL⁻¹ Al received an intravenous injection of either a ferric chloride solution containing 0.3 g·L⁻¹ iron or a 0.9% sodium chloride solution, while eight control mice received 0.9% sodium chloride solution; the injection volume was 0.1 mL per mouse. Two and a half days after injection, I-A and Ki-67 expressions, ·OH-generating potential, ·OH production, and MDA production in splenic B cells were measured; and the concentrations of serum immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG were measured through (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) ELISA. The splenic B cells sorted from untreated mice were exposed to 0, 12.5, 25, or 50 μg·L⁻¹ Al in vitro. The splenic B cells treated with 50 μg·L⁻¹ Al and the splenic B cells sorted from 800 μg·mL⁻¹ Al-treated mice were additionally treated with GSH and NAC in vitro. The iron supplementation groups, which included the 50 μg·L⁻¹ Al-treated group and splenic B cells sorted from 800 μg·mL⁻¹ Al-treated mice, were treated with a culture medium containing 30 μmol·L⁻¹ iron in vitro. I-A and Ki-67 expressions, ·OH-generating potential, ·OH production, and MDA production in B cells were detected after a 24-h treatment period. Results In the in vivo mouse model, exposure to 800 μg·mL⁻¹ Al significantly inhibited the I-A and Ki-67 expressions (P<0.05), increased DCFH-DA expression and ·OH-generating potential (P<0.05, P<0.01), decreased iron content (P<0.01) and ·OH and MDA production (P<0.01, P<0.001) of splenic B cells, as well as serum IgM and IgG concentrations (P<0.05, P<0.01) in the mice. Exposure to 200 μg·mL⁻¹ Al showed a tendency to decrease the I-A and Ki-67 expressions, and to increase the DCFH-DA expression in splenic B cells, but these differences were not significant. In the in vitro splenic B-cell model, Al (12.5, 25, and 50 μg·L⁻¹) inhibited I-A and Ki-67 expressions (P<0.05, P<0.01) across all concentrations; 50 μg·L⁻¹ Al increased the ·OH-generating potential (P<0.05), and decreased ·OH and MDA production (P<0.01, P<0.05) in B cells. Treatment with GSH and NAC further suppressed I-A expression (P<0.05) in B cells. Iron supplementation increased the ·OH and MDA production (P<0.05), restored I-A and Ki-67 expressions (P<0.05, P<0.01) in B cells, and elevated the serum IgM and IgG concentrations (P<0.05) in Al-treated mice. Conclusion Al suppresses humoral immunity and ·OH production in B cells. The underlying mechanism may involve the decreased iron content and the subsequent retardation of the Fenton reaction in B cells. Supplementing with iron can restore the Fenton reaction in B cells and potentially reverse Al-induced impairment of humoral immunity.

Background Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) monitoring stations may generate missing data for a certain period of time due to various factors. This data loss will adversely affect air quality assessment and pollution control decision-making. Objective To propose an inverse distance weighted (IDW) spatiotemporal interpolation method based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) to interpolate and fill missing PM_2.5 spatiotemporal sequence data and increase interpolation accuracy. Methods An interpolation experiment was designed into two parts. The first part used hourly PM_2.5 observational data from four moments on January 1, 2017 in the Yangtze River Delta region. The second part employed daily PM_2.5 observational data from the first 10 d of January 2017 in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Interpolation accuracy was evaluated using four metrics: root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and mean relative error (MRE). Results IDW spatiotemporal interpolation method optimized with PSO significantly improved the accuracy of filling missing PM_2.5 spatiotemporal sequence data. In the hourly-scale experiment conducted in the Yangtze River Delta region, compared to a distance index of 2, the accuracy metrics RMSE, MAE, MAPE, and MRE generated by the proposed method improved on average by 0.17 μg·m⁻³, 0.27 μg·m⁻³, 0.17%, and 0.01%, respectively. The PM_2.5 spatial field maps generated for four moments based on this method clearly illustrated the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of hourly PM_2.5 concentrations in the Yangtze River Delta region. In the daily-scale experiment conducted in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the PSO-optimized distance index outperformed the traditional method, with interpolation accuracy improvements of approximately 0.215 μg·m⁻³, 0.283 μg·m⁻³, 0.174%, and 0.014%, respectively. Furthermore, the seasonal PM_2.5 spatial field maps generated by this method revealed the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of PM_2.5 concentrations in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region across different seasons, further validating the effectiveness and applicability of this method. Conclusion The IDW spatiotemporal interpolation method optimized with PSO is highly accurate and reliable for interpolating the missing data in the Yangtze River Delta region and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, providing valuable insights for air pollution control and public health protection.

Bone repair remains an important target in tissue engineering, making the development of bioactive scaffolds for effective bone defect repair a critical objective. In this study, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds incorporated with processed pyritum decoction (PPD) were fabricated using three-dimensional (3D) printing-assisted freeze-casting. The produced composite scaffolds were evaluated for their mechanical strength, physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, in vitro pro-angiogenic activity, and in vivo efficacy in repairing rabbit femoral defects. They not only demonstrated excellent physicochemical properties, enhanced mechanical strength, and good biosafety but also significantly promoted the proliferation, migration, and aggregation of pro-angiogenic human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vivo studies revealed that all scaffold groups facilitated osteogenesis at the bone defect site, with the β-TCP scaffolds loaded with PPD markedly enhancing the expression of neurogenic locus Notch homolog protein 1 (Notch1), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and osteopontin (OPN). Overall, the scaffolds developed in this study exhibited strong angiogenic and osteogenic capabilities both in vitro and in vivo. The incorporation of PPD notably promoted the angiogenic-osteogenic coupling, thereby accelerating bone repair, which suggests that PPD is a promising material for bone repair and that the PPD/β-TCP scaffolds hold great potential as a bone graft alternative.
Calcium Phosphates/chemistry* ; Animals ; Bone Regeneration ; Rabbits ; Tissue Scaffolds ; Printing, Three-Dimensional ; Humans ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; Osteogenesis ; Tissue Engineering/methods* ; Biomimetic Materials ; Cell Proliferation ; Angiogenesis

Plants of the Isodon genus are an important source of terpenoids， with their constituents exhibiting rich structural diversity and remarkable biological activities （such as anticancer， antimicrobial， and anti-inflammatory properties）， demonstrating significant potential in the field of immunomodulation. This review summarizes recent advances in the immunomodulatory mechanisms， development and application of terpenoid compounds from the Isodon genus. It has been found that these compounds can modulate key inflammatory signaling pathways， such as nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） and mitogen-activated protein kinases （MAPKs）， thereby blocking the cascade amplification of inflammatory factors， alleviating chronic inflammatory responses， and correcting immune dysregulation. Additionally， they can influence the polarization direction of macrophages and dynamically regulate the balance among different functional subsets of T cells， restoring immune homeostasis. Their clinical translation faces multiple challenges， including poor druggability， a lack of systematic safety data， the absence of precise pharmacodynamic biomarkers， complexities in clinical trial design， and unclear industrialization pathways.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the gene carrier rate and genotype distribution characteristics of thalassemia in the population of Kunming, and compare the differences of red blood cell (RBC) parameters between β⁺ heterozygous carriers, β⁰ heterozygous carriers and healthy population, as well as between different sexes of adults aged 18-45 years. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 3 195 cases of thalassemia gene screened in the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University from April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2022 was performed to detect 21 mutations of β-globin genes which was common in Chinese people using fluorescence PCR melting curve method. Patients with single heterozygous carrying β-thalassemia gene were divided into β⁺ heterozygote group and β⁰ heterozygote group, while the control group consisted of 219 healthy individuals. Four indices, including RBC, hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were collected from all β heterozygous carriers and 219 healthy people, and compared between β⁺ heterozygote group, β⁰ heterozygote group and control group, as well as between β⁺ heterozygous carriers, β⁰ heterozygous carriers and healthy population of different sexes aged 18-45 years. RESULTS: There were 688 cases confirmed thalassemia gene carriers, accounting for 21.53%. Among them, 322 cases were found to have β-globin gene mutations, including 145 cases of β⁺ heterozygote, 151 cases of β⁰ heterozygote, and 14 cases of β⁺ homozygotes as well as β⁺ and β⁰ dual heterozygotes. Additionally, 12 cases were found to have simultaneous mutation or deletion of β-globin and α-globin. The carrier rate of CD26 G>A mutation in β⁺ thalassemia was the highest, accounting for 57.9%, while in β⁰ thalassemia CD17 A>T was the highest, accounting for 46.4%. The erythrocyte parameters of 296 β heterozygous mutation carriers were compared with the normal reference interval, and it was found that 218 cases with RBC value greater than the highest value of reference interval, while 105, 281, and 269 cases with Hb, MCV, and MCH value less than the lowest value of reference interval, respectively. There were significant differences in the 4 erythrocyte parameters between β⁺ heterozygotes, β⁰ heterozygotes and healthy individuals (all P < 0.001), and further comparison between different sexes also showed significant differences (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The carrier rates of thalassemia gene and β-thalassemia heterozygote are both at high level in Kunming, and there are significant differences in the erythrocyte parameters between β⁺ heterozygous carriers, β⁰ heterozygous carriers and healthy individuals. When genetic counseling, it is necessary to inform and strengthen screening among adults of marriageable age to prevent birth of children with severe thalassemia.
Humans ; beta-Thalassemia/blood* ; Adult ; Heterozygote ; Male ; Female ; beta-Globins/genetics* ; Retrospective Studies ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Adolescent ; Genotype ; Erythrocytes ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Young Adult ; China ; Genetic Testing ; Asian People/genetics*

OBJECTIVE: Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium (Chenpi, CRP) is one of the most used traditional Chinese medicines with great medicinal, dietary and collection values, among which the Citrus reticulata cv. 'Chachi' (Citrus reticulata cv. Chachiensis) from Guangdong Xinhui is the geoherb of CRP. Xinhui CRP in the market was often counterfeited with other varieties or origins, molecular identification method can effectively distinguish different CRP varieties, but it's still a difficult problem to identify the same CRP variety from different origin. It is necessary to discover a new molecular marker to ensure the safe and effective application of Xinhui CRP. METHODS: We selected one of the most studied transcription factor families in Citrus genus, MYB, to design the specific candidate primers on the conserved region. The primers with good band repeatability and high polymorphism were screened for PCR amplification of the test materials, and the genetic similarity coefficient among different families, genera, species, and origins were calculated. The cluster analysis was performed by unweighted pair group method using arithmetic average (UPGMA). RESULTS: A total of ten MYB primers were screened out to identify Xinhui CRP from plants from different family (Panax ginseng and Morus alba), genus (Clausena lansium and Zanthoxylum schinifolium), and species (Citrus reticulata, C. sinensis and C. maxima). Furthermore, two from the ten primers, M1 and M10, were found to distinguish Xinhui CRP from other origins. There were 169, 113, 133 and 134 polymorphic bands in the identification of different families, genera, species, and origins respectively, and the accordingly polymorphism ration were 79.88%, 76.87%, 79.20% and 82.84%. Moreover, M1 was discovered to be the best primer to identify Xinhui CRP from other seven origins, the cluster analysis results based on the genetic similarity coefficients were consistent with the geographical distribution. CONCLUSION This study established a novel molecular identification method according to MYB transcription factor, which can analyze the potential parental relationship of CRP germplasm, as well as identify the quality and origins of Xinhui CPR.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between acupuncture during controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) and the live birth rate (LBR) using different propensity score methods. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, eligible women who underwent a COH were divided into acupuncture and non-acupuncture groups. The primary outcome was LBR, as determined by propensity score matching (PSM). LBR was defined as the delivery of one or more living infants that reached a gestational age over 28 weeks after embryo transfer. The propensity score model encompassed 16 confounding variables. To validate the results, sensitivity analyses were conducted using three additional propensity score methods: propensity score adjustment, inverse probability weighting (IPW), and IPW with a "doubly robust" estimator. RESULTS: The primary cohort encompassed 9751 patients (1830 [18.76%] in the acupuncture group and 7921 [81.23%] in the non-acupuncture group). Following 1:1 PSM, a higher LBR was found in the acupuncture cohort (41.4% [755/1824] vs 36.4% [664/1824], with an odds ratio of 1.23 [95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.41]). Three additional propensity score methods produced essentially similar results. The risk of serious adverse events did not significantly differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION This retrospective study revealed an association between acupuncture and an increased LBR among patients undergoing COH, and that acupuncture is a safe and valuable treatment option. Please cite this article as: Zheng XY, Jiang ZY, Li YT, Li CL, Zhu H, Yu Z, Yu SY, Yang LL, Tang SY, Lü XY, Liang FR, Yang J. Association between acupuncture and live birth rates after fresh embryo transfer: A cohort study based on different propensity score methods. J Integr Med. 2025; 23(5):528-536.
Humans ; Female ; Propensity Score ; Embryo Transfer ; Adult ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Pregnancy ; Live Birth ; Birth Rate ; Cohort Studies

OBJECTIVE: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can result in fatigue and post-exertional malaise; however, whether severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection exacerbates lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) is unclear. This study investigated the association between prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection and postpartum LUTS. METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study was conducted at two tertiary hospitals in China from November 1, 2022, to November 1, 2023. Participants were classified into infected and uninfected groups based on SARS-CoV-2 antigen results. LUTS prevalence and severity were assessed using self-reported symptoms and the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-Short Form (IIQ-7). Pelvic floor muscle activity was measured using electromyography following the Glazer protocol. Group comparisons were performed to evaluate the association of SARS-CoV-2 infection with LUTS and electromyography parameters, with stratified analyses conducted using SPSS version 26.0. RESULTS: Among 3,652 participants (681 infected, 2,971 uninfected), no significant differences in LUTS prevalence or IIQ-7 scores were observed. However, SARS-CoV-2 infection was an independent factor influencing the electromyographic activity of the pelvic floor muscles (mean tonic contraction amplitudes), regardless of delivery mode ( P = 0.001). CONCLUSION Prenatal SARS-CoV-2 infection was not significantly associated with an increased risk of postpartum LUTS but independently altered pelvic floor muscle electromyographic activity, suggesting potential neuromuscular effects.
Humans ; Female ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Adult ; Pregnancy ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms/virology* ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/virology* ; China/epidemiology* ; Electromyography ; SARS-CoV-2/physiology* ; Pelvic Floor/physiopathology* ; Prevalence