OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role and mechanism of the cyclic guanosine monophosphate-adenosine monophosphate synthase/stimulator of interferon gene (cGAS/STING) pathway in oleic acid-induced acute lung injury (ALI) in mice. METHODS: Male wild-type C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into five groups (each n = 10): normal control group, ALI model group, and 5, 50, 500 μg/kg inhibitor pretreatment groups. The ALI model was established by tail vein injection of oleic acid (7 mL/kg), while the normal control group received no intervention. The inhibitor pretreatment groups were intraperitoneally injected with the corresponding doses of cGAS inhibitor RU.521 respectively 1 hour before modeling. At 24 hours post-modeling, blood was collected, and mice were sacrificed. Lung tissue pathological changes were observed under light microscopy after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and pathological scores were assessed. Western blotting was used to detect the protein expressions of cGAS, STING, phosphorylated TANK-binding kinase 1 (p-TBK1), phosphorylated interferon regulatory factor 3 (p-IRF3), and phosphorylated nuclear factor-κB p65 (p-NF-κB p65) in lung tissue. Immunohistochemistry was performed to observe STING and p-NF-κB positive expressions in lung tissue. Serum interferon-β (IFN-β) levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Compared with the normal control group, the ALI model group exhibited significant focal alveolar thickening, intra-alveolar hemorrhage, pulmonary capillary congestion, and neutrophil infiltration in the pulmonary interstitium and alveoli, along with markedly increased pathological scores (10.33±0.58 vs. 1.33±0.58, P < 0.05). Protein expressions of cGAS, STING, p-TBK1, p-IRF3, and p-NF-κB p65 in lung tissue significantly increased [cGAS protein (cGAS/β-actin): 1.24±0.02 vs. 0.56±0.02, STING protein (STING/β-actin): 1.27±0.01 vs. 0.55±0.01, p-TBK1 protin (p-TBK1/β-actin): 1.34±0.03 vs. 0.22±0.01, p-IRF3 protein (p-IRF3/β-actin): 1.23±0.02 vs. 0.36±0.01, p-NF-κB p65 protein (p-NF-κB p65/β-actin): 1.30±0.02 vs. 0.53±0.02, all P < 0.05], positive expressions of STING and p-NF-κB in lung tissue were significantly elevated [STING (A value): 0.51±0.03 vs. 0.30±0.07, p-NF-κB (A value): 0.57±0.05 vs. 0.31±0.03, both P < 0.05], and serum IFN-β levels were also significantly higher (ng/L: 256.02±3.84 vs. 64.15±1.17, P < 0.05). The cGAS inhibitor pretreatment groups showed restored alveolar structural integrity, reduced inflammatory cell infiltration, and decreased hemorrhage area, along with dose-dependent lower pathological scores as well as the protein expressions of cGAS, STING, p-TBK1, p-IRF3 and p-NF-κB p65 in lung tissue, with significant differences between the 500 μg/kg inhibitor group and ALI model group [pathological score: 2.67±0.58 vs. 10.33±0.58, cGAS protein (cGAS/β-actin): 0.56±0.03 vs. 1.24±0.02, STING protein (STING/β-actin): 0.67±0.03 vs. 1.27±0.01, p-TBK1 protein (p-TBK1/β-actin): 0.28±0.01 vs. 1.34±0.03, p-IRF3 protein (p-IRF3/β-actin): 0.32±0.01 vs. 1.23±0.02, p-NF-κB p65 protein (p-NF-κB p65/β-actin): 0.63±0.01 vs. 1.30±0.02, all P < 0.05]. Compared with the ALI model group, positive expressions of STING and p-NF-κB in lung tissue were significantly reduced in the 500 μg/kg inhibitor group [STING (A value): 0.40±0.01 vs. 0.51±0.03, p-NF-κB (A value): 0.43±0.02 vs. 0.57±0.05, both P < 0.05], and serum IFN-β levels were also markedly reduced (ng/L: 150.03±6.19 vs. 256.02±3.84, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The cGAS/STING pathway is activated in oleic acid-induced ALI, leading to exacerbated inflammatory responses and increased lung damage. RU.521 can inhibit cGAS, thereby down-regulating the expression of pathway proteins and cytokines, and providing protection to lung tissue.
Animals ; Acute Lung Injury/chemically induced* ; Male ; Nucleotidyltransferases/metabolism* ; Mice ; Signal Transduction ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Membrane Proteins/metabolism* ; Oleic Acid/adverse effects* ; Transcription Factor RelA/metabolism* ; Lung/pathology* ; Interferon Regulatory Factor-3/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal

Objective To investigate the role of sodium-glucose cotransporter 1(SGLT1)inhibitor mizagliflozin(MIZA)in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease(ADPKD).Methods Western blotting,quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR),and immunofluorescence staining were used to determine the expression and distribution of SGLT1 in kidney tissues of PKD1-/-and PKD1+/+mice,human renal cancer adjacent tissue and ADPKD tissue.Renal cyst lining epithelial cells OX161 and renal tubular epithelial cells UCL93 were treated with MIZA,incubated at 37℃for 24,48,and 72 h,and then were subjected to methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium and colony formation assay to observe cell proliferation.The qPCR method was used to determine the mRNA levels of collagen 1α1,collagen 3α1,and fibronectin 1 in OX161 cells treated with 100 μmol/L MIZA for 48 h.The Madin-Darby canine kidney(MDCK)cell 3D cyst formation assay verified the effect of MIZA on cyst formation.The mRNA-seq technology was used to detect differentially expressed genes between UCL93 cells and OX161 cells,and between OX161 cells and OX161 cells treated with 100 μmol/L MIZA for 48 h,and then the differentially expressed genes were analyzed with Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis.Results The expression level of SGLT1 was significantly increased in the tissues of ADPKD patients and PKD1-/-mice compared to those in normal kidney tissues(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Immunofluorescence staining revealed that SGLT1 was mainly expressed in the cystic lining epithelial cells.Additionally,MIZA inhibited the proliferation and fibrosis of polycystic kidney cells in a concentration-and time-dependent manner,and also inhibited cyst formation in 3D formation assay in vitro.The mRNA-seq analysis and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that differentially expressed genes between OX161 cells and OX161 cells cultured in 100 μmol/L MIZA for 48 h were mainly enriched in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase(PI3K)-protein kinase B(Akt)and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathways,which were the same as those between OX161 cells and UCL93 cells.Conclusion The SGLT1 inhibitor MIZA may inhibit the proliferation and fibrosis of polycystic kidney cells through signaling pathways such as PI3K-Akt and MAPK,delaying the growth of polycystic kidney,and it is a potential therapeutic target for ADPKD.

Objective To investigate the main pharmacological basis and mechanism of action of Guhuaisi Kangfu Pill(GHSKF)in the treatment of steroid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head(SONFH).Methods The active constituents and targets of GHSKF were screened by using Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP)and other databases.The speculative targets of SONFH were screened out based on GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM)databases.The gene modules and hub genes of SONFH were identified using a weighted gene co-expression network analysis(WGCNA).The intersection of the two targets and the result of WGCNA was taken to obtain the potential targets of GHSKF for the treatment of SONFH.The key active constituents were screened with the"active constituent-target"network,which was constructed by the Cytoscape software.Then,the STRING database was used to construct the protein interaction network to screen the key targets.The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis of key targets was performed,and the relationship between key active constituent,key targets and key signaling pathways was explored.Finally,the molecular docking between key active constituents and key targets was verified.In addition,the SONFH rat model was used for experimental verification.Results A total of 146 compounds and the corresponding 346 targets were identified based on the TCMSP database.A total of 4 187 targets of SONFH were obtained based on GeneCards and OMIM databases.In addition,twelve gene modules and 2 556 hub genes of SONFH were screened out based on WGCNA.Quercetin,luteolin and kaempferol were key active ingredients for the treatment of SONFH.Various signaling pathways such as PI3K/AKT were involved.Molecular docking showed the key active ingredients had good binding activity with the key targets.The results of animal experiments demonstrated that GHSKF could improve bone biological alterations by up-regulating AKT1,PI3K,RUNX2,and down-regulating the expression of Caspase-3 and IL-6(P＜0.01),which verified some results of the network pharmacology prediction.Conclusion We analyzed the potential mechanism of action of GHSKF for the treatment of SONFH using network pharmacology and animal experiments,which may provide a reference for further research on its pharmacological basis and targets.

Background: Twenty-four-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC) measurement is the initial diagnostic test for Cushing’s syndrome (CS). We compared UFC determination by both direct and extraction immunoassays using Abbott Architect, Siemens Atellica Solution, and Beckman DxI800 with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In addition, we evaluated the value of 24-hr UFC measured by six methods for diagnosing CS. Methods: Residual 24-hr urine samples of 94 CS and 246 non-CS patients were collected.A laboratory-developed LC-MS/MS method was used as reference. UFC was measured by direct assays (D) using Abbott, Siemens, and Beckman platforms and by extraction assays (E) using Siemens and Beckman platforms. Method was compared using Passing–Bablok regression and Bland–Altman plot analyses. Cut-off values for the six assays and corresponding sensitivities and specificities were calculated by ROC analysis. Results: Abbott-D, Beckman-E, Siemens-E, and Siemens-D showed strong correlations with LC-MS/MS (Spearman coefficient r = 0.965, 0.922, 0.922, and 0.897, respectively), while Beckman-D showed weaker correlation (r = 0.755). All immunoassays showed proportionally positive bias. The areas under the curve were 0.975 for Abbott-D, 0.972 for LCMS/MS, 0.966 for Siemens-E, 0.948 for Siemens-D, 0.955 for Beckman-E, and 0.877 for Beckman-D. The cut-off values varied significantly (154.8–1,321.5 nmol/24 hrs). Assay sensitivity and specificity ranged from 76.1% to 93.2% and from 93.0% to 97.1%, respectively. Conclusions Commercially available immunoassays for measuring UFC show different levels of analytical consistency compared to LC-MS/MS. Abbott-D, Siemens-E, and Beckman-E have high diagnostic accuracy for CS.

Objective:To assess the applicability of fully automatic pipeline automated testing for internal quality control (automated quality control).Methods:Stability, assay efficiency and implementation costs of 18 biochemical tests, 5 immunoturbidimetric tests and 11 chemical illuminescent tests in the Department of Laboratory Medicine of Peking Union Hospital from January 2019 to July 2022 were evaluated using automated quality control implementation methods. The detailed method is as follows: quality control materials for biochemical, immunoturbidimetric and chemiluminescent tests were stored in the refrigerator in the pipeline which was controlled by the intermediate software, and were automatically retrieved and tested as pre-set followed by documenting and storing. The quality control setup for the biochemical tests included refreshing quality control materials daily and weekly,both of which were paralleled for 3 months. The on-line storage stability of quality control materials in the pipeline was evaluated by comparing the coefficients of variation ( CV) of the quality control results between the two patterns. Effect of automated quality control application was evaluated using 6 indicators, including the results′ variation of automatically performed and manually performed quality controls, the out-of-controlled rate, the consumption of quality control materials, the change of staff workload, the impact on the testing time of the first sample, and the failure rate of automated quality control. Results:(1) Storage stability of quality control materials in the pipeline: under the pattern of weekly refresh of the biochemical quality control materials, except for total carbon dioxide (TCO 2) (the CVs of low and high level quality control were respectively 20.24% and 21.82%) and sodium (the CV of low level quality control was 1.51%) that were greater than the allowable variation set by the laboratory, the CVs of the rest tests meet the lab requirements on the allowable variations. (2) The results′ variation of quality control in automatically performed and manually performed control patterns: in the patterns of daily refresh of biochemical quality control materials and weekly refresh of immunoturbidimetric and chemiluminescent quality control materials, the CVs of both low and high levels of quality control were lower in the automatically performed control pattern than that in manually performed pattern for 8 chemiluminescent items of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, estradiol, follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, serum ferritin, serum folic acid, vitamin B12 and testosterone, 3 immunologic items of complement 3, C reactive protein and immunoglobulin G, and 10 biochemical items of alkaline phosphatase, glucose, calcium, chloride, potassium, lactate dehydrogenase, sodium, urea, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and adenosine deaminase. The out-of-control rates of biochemistry, immunoturbidimetric and chemiluminescence tests in both quality control patterns conformed with the clinical routine work requirements. (3) Comparison of quality control materials′ consumption: compared with manually performed quality control, weekly consumption of automatically performed chemiluminescent quality control materials decreased 37.5% (from 8 ml to 5 ml); weekly consumption of automatically performed immunoturbidimetric quality control materials decreased 33.3% (from 3 ml to 2 ml). (4)Comparison of staff workload and first sample testing time: compared with manually performed quality control, automatical quality control reduced manual work by about 156 steps per week, and the daily initial testing time was earlier by 15 min on average. The failure rate was 54.5% (37/64) during the early-stage application of the automated quality control which dropped to 10.2% (13/128) in the late-stage. Conclusion:The results of automated quality control detected in the pipeline system meet the quality indicators′ requirements of the laboratory, and the application of automated quality control can improve the quality control, save costs, reduce workload, and improve work efficiency.

Objective:To investigate the status quo of psychological contracts and influencing factors among members of the "1+N" family doctor teams in Shenzhen and to explore the impact of psychological contracts on job burnout.Methods:This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 30 to October 31, 2022 among 361 members of 92 family doctor teams from 92 community health service centers which provided family doctor team service in Shenzhen city. A self-designed general information questionnaire, an employee psychological contract questionnaire (including organizational responsibility and personal responsibility dimensions), and a job burnout scale (including emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment dimensions) were used in the study. T-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of psychological contracts and job burnout.Results:Among 361 respondents, there were 299 females (82.8%) and 62 males (17.2%), and a higher proportion of general practitioners (37.5%, 129/361) and nurses (41.8%, 151/361). The total score of psychological contracts among the 361 respondents was (141.6±19.5), with organizational responsibility scoring (70.6±11.2) and personal responsibility scoring (71.0±9.3). On the job burnout scale, emotional exhaustion scored (17.89±6.82), depersonalization scored (6.51±2.54), and personal accomplishment scored (30.95±5.70). General practitioners scored lower in organizational responsibility and personal responsibility compared to other members ( F=7.341,3.119, all P<0.05), and higher in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization ( F=7.637, 2.415, all P<0.05). Members with≤5 years of work experience scored lower in personal responsibility and personal accomplishment ( F=3.656, 4.205, all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that scores of organizational responsibility and personal responsibility were negatively correlated with levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization ( r=-0.618, -0.526, all P<0.01), ( r=-0.404, -0.393, all P<0.01), and positively correlated with personal accomplishment ( r=0.500, 0.558, all P<0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that organizational responsibility negatively affected emotional exhaustion and depersonalization ( β=-0.554, -0.274, all P<0.01), and positively affected personal accomplishment ( β=0.172, P<0.05). Personal responsibility positively affected personal accomplishment ( β=0.404, P<0.01). Conclusions:The study demonstrates that general practitioners in family doctor teams in Shenzhen city have lower psychological contract levels and are more prone to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization; members with≤5 years of work experience have lower personal responsibility and accomplishment. The results indicate that enhancing organizational responsibility can reduce job burnout of members in family doctor teams.

The patient was a 55-year-old man. On February 16, 2024, he was admitted to Peking Union Medical College Hospital complaining of "weakness and poor appetite for more than half a year, and found creatinine increase for 1 week". The patient was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. During the treatment in our hospital, the patient sustained"hyponatremia"(Na 124-136 mmol/L measured by indirect ion selective electrode method), and combined with the patient′s clinical symptoms and serum osmotic pressure results (327 mOsm/kg H 2O), it was considered that hyperglobulinemia led to pseudohyponatremia. So no intervention was given. Subsequent failure to recognize pseudohyponatremia during treatment in other hospitals and the administration of hypertonic saline resulted in severe iatrogenic hypernatremia. By reviewing similar cases in our hospital, we found that hyperglobulinemia/hyperlipidemia associated pseudohyponatremia was not uncommon. This case reminds us that for patients whose serum solid phase ratio is higher than normal due to various reasons, the use of indirect ion selective electrode method to determine serum sodium is prone to false low, and direct ion selective electrode method can be used to re-test blood sodium to determine whether it is true, so as to avoid iatrogenic injury to patients.

Objective:To study the role and preliminary molecular mechanism of TRIM24 regulating macrophage polarization in viral myocarditis(VM).Methods:VM mouse model was established by Coxsackie virus B3(CVB3),and expression of TRIM24 in myocardial tissue was detected.Cardiac inflammation level and polarization phenotype of cardiac infiltrating macrophages in a murine model of cardiac TRIM24 inhibition were detected in vivo.A polarization model of mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMDMs)in vitro was established to observe the role of TRIM24 inhibition in polarizing BMDMs to M1 and M2,as well as its effects on phagocy-tosis and bactericidal function of BMDMs.Effects of TRIM24 inhibition on total STAT6 protein level and phosphorylation were investi-gated.Results:TRIM24 was significantly highly expressed in myocardial tissue of VM mice(P<0.001).Inhibition of TRIM24 expres-sion in myocardium had an attenuating effect on VM and promoted polarization of cardiac infiltrating macrophages to M2.TRIM24 was significantly down-regulated in vitro during the polarization of BMDMs toward M2(P<0.01).Inhibition of TRIM24 expression signifi-cantly promoted macrophage polarization toward M2 type and inhibited polarization toward M1 type,accompanied by a significant increase in STAT6 phosphorylation levels(P<0.01).Conclusion:TRIM24 regulates macrophage M2 polarization via activation of STAT6 signaling pathway to attenuate VM.

Objective To construct and validate a predictive model for the risk of deep vein thrombosis(DVT)after lower extremity orthopedic surgery.Methods Clinical records of hospital-ized patients who underwent lower extremity orthopedic surgery in Wuxi Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from January 2017 to October 2019 were collected.The univariate and multivariate analysis with the backward stepwise method were applied to screen variables and build a nomogram prediction model,and the performance of the nomogram was evaluated with respect to its discriminant capabili-ty,calibration ability,and clinical utility.Results A total of 5 773 hospitalized patients with ortho-pedic surgery of lower extremity were included in the study,with the incidence of DVT of 0.9％.Through single factor and multi-factor stepwise regression analysis,5 variables were selected from 31 variables to construct the prediction model,including age,mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentra-tion(MCHC),D-dimer,platelet distribution width(PDW),and thrombin time(TT).The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve showed that areas under the ROC curve in the training and vali-dation cohort were 0.859 and 0.857,respectively.The model had good calibration ability and clini-cal practicability.Conclusion The DVT risk prediction model constructed in this study has good dif-ferentiation ability,calibration ability and clinical practicability,which is helpful for doctors to classi-fy DVT patients after lower extremity orthopedic surgery and formulate early treatment plan.

Objective:To investigate the expression of p21-activated kinase 2 (PAK2) in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and its relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics and chemosensitivity of patients.Methods:Transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) data for laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and 123 patients were included in the study (12 cases had cancer tissues and normal tissues data, and the remaining 111 only had cancer tissues data). Differential expression of PAK2 in cancer and para-cancer tissues was analyzed by using R software, and the potential function of PAK2 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma was investigated by using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database signaling pathway enrichment. A total of 34 patients with primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissues and corresponding para-carcinoma 34 tissue specimens who underwent surgical resection were retrospectively selected from Chaoyang Central Hospital between April 2016 and June 2021, and 20 cases of normal laryngeal mucosa tissues were selected as the controls. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of PAK2 in various tissues, and its correlation with clinicopathological factors was analyzed. A total of 35 supraglottic primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma patients were retrospectively collected before induction chemotherapy during the same period, including 20 patients sensitive to chemotherapy and 15 patients resistant to chemotherapy. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the relative expression level of PAK2 mRNA in cancer tissues.Results:Analysis of TCGA database data showed that PAK2 expression was increased in cancer tissues compared with that in para-cancer tissues ( P = 0.012); KEGG database signaling pathways showed that the high expression of PAK2 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma was related to signal transduction pathways, cell cycle, and cancer. Immunohistochemistry showed that the proportion of PAK2 positive in 34 cases of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissues was higher than that in adjacent tissues and normal tissues [58.82% (20/34) vs. 0.03% (1/34), 0 (0/20), all P < 0.001]. There were statistically significant differences in the proportion of PAK2 positive patients stratified with different degrees of differentiation [high differentiation vs. low or middle differentiation: 33.33% (6/18)vs. 87.50% (14/16)], lymph node metastasis [presence vs. absence: 90.91% (10/11) vs. 43.48% (10/23)], TNM staging [stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ vs. stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ: 82.35% (14/17) vs. 35.29% (6/17)] (all P < 0.05), and PAK2 positive patients were not associated with clinical type, tumor size, smoking history, drinking history, and age (all P > 0.05). qRT-PCR showed that the relative expression level of PAK2 mRNA in the chemotherapy-resistant group was higher than that in the chemotherapy-sensitive group (3.89±0.12 vs. 0.78±0.23, P < 0.001). Conclusions:The expression level of PAK2 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma tissues is increased, and the high expression of PAK2 is closely related to the malignant clinical characteristics of patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma. The high expression of PAK2 may indicate the insensitivity to traditional chemotherapy regimens, and PAK2 may be a potential gene that targets and regulates the chemosensitivity of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.