Objective To investigate the protective effect and its mechanism of low-dose interleukin-2(IL-2)against hepatocyte injury in Concanavalin A(Con A)-induced autoimmune hepatitis(AIH)mice.Methods Eighteen SPF female C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal group,model group and treatment group,each group with 6 mice.Mice in the treatment group were subcutaneously injected with 300 μl 10,000 U IL-2 for 12 d,once a day.2 h after the last dose,Con A(15 mg/kg)was injected through the tail vein in the model group and treatment group.After 8 h of modeling,the histopathological changes in the mouse liver were observed using HE staining,and the serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase(AST),alanine aminotransferase(ALT),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interferon-γ(IFN-γ)were detected using ELISA method;the expression of apoptotic protein caspase 8/9/3 was detected by Western blotting;and the percentages of Treg and Th1 cells were observed by flow cytometry.Results Compared with normal group,the liver index,spleen index,the percentage of necrotic area of liver tissue,the serum levels of ALT,AST,TNF-α and IFN-γ,and the expression of apoptosis protein caspase 8/9/3 significantly increased in the model group(P<0.05 or P<0.01);Compared with model group,the liver index,spleen index,the percentage of necrotic area of liver tissue,the serum levels of ALT,TNF-α and IFN-γ,and the expression of apoptosis protein caspase 8/9/3 significantly decreased in the treatment group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).The flow cytometry results showed that compared with normal group,the percentages of Treg and Th1 cells and Th1/Treg ratio increased in the model group(P<0.05 or P<0.01);Compared with the model group,the percentage of Treg cells further increased(P<0.01),Th1/Treg ratio decreased significantly in the treatment group(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference in the percentage of Th1 cells between two groups(P>0.05).Conclusion Low-dose of IL-2 can effectively improve liver injury in AIH mice,and the mechanism of action may be related to inducible Treg cell activation.

Objective:To investigate the effect of CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR) measurement sites on the values and the diagnostic performance, and to determine the optimal measurement site for CT-FFR using invasive FFR as the reference standard.Methods:This study was part of the CT-FFR CHINA clinical trial. Patients with suspected coronary artery disease who were scheduled for invasive coronary angiography (ICA) were prospectively recruited from five clinical centers across the country from November 2018 to March 2020. Each enrolled patient underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA), CT-FFR, ICA, and invasive pressure wire-based FFR assessments sequentially within one week. Four groups of CT-FFR values were obtained on each enrolled target vessels according to different CT-FFR measurement locations: 1, 2, 3 cm distal to the target lesion, and terminal vessel groups. Spearman and Bland-Altman analyses were used to explore the correlation and consistency of CT-FFR values and FFR values at different measurement sites. The measurement deviation of CT-FFR was also compared. Diagnostic accuracy and performance of CT-FFR, including sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), in discriminating myocardial ischemia were analyzed across all measurement site groups on a per-vessel level, using FFR as the reference standard.Results:A total of 289 patients with 345 target lesion vessels were included. According to CCTA, there were 51 target vessels (14.8%) with<50% stenosis, 106 vessels (30.7%) with 50%-69% stenosis, and 188 vessels (54.5%) with stenosis≥70%. At per-vessel level, CT-FFR and FFR values at each measurement position group were highly positively correlated: 1 cm distal to target lesion group, r=0.734 ( P<0.001); 2 cm distal to target lesion group, r=0.732 ( P<0.001); 3 cm distal to target lesion group, r=0.737 ( P<0.001); terminal vessel group was 0.719 ( P<0.001). At per-vessel level, CT-FFR and FFR values of all measurement sites were in good agreement (Bland-Altman analysis results): 1 cm distal to target lesion group, 0.014 (95% LoA 0.002-0.026); 2 cm distal to target lesion group, 0.026 (95% LoA 0.015-0.038); 3 cm distal to target lesion group, 0.040 (95% LoA 0.039-0.051); terminal vessel group, 0.075 (95% LoA 0.064-0.087). And at per-vessel level, the accuracy of diagnosing myocardial ischemia with CT-FFR at 1 cm was highest [84.6% (95% CI 80.4%-88.3%)], and the lowest accuracy in the terminal vessel group [67.0% (95% CI 61.7%-72.0%)]. However, there was no significant difference in the diagnostic accuracy of CT-FFR at 1 cm, 2 cm [80.6% (95% CI 76.1%-84.6%)] and 3 cm [77.5% (95% CI 72.6%-81.7%)]. AUC of CT-FFR at 1 cm distal to the lesion were both highest for global level and moderately stenosis (50%-69%) lesions [0.85 (95% CI 0.81-0.89), 0.84 (95% CI 0.77-0.90)]. And the differences were statistically significant among the four measurement location groups (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The deviation of CT-FFR increases with measurement site distance distal to target lesions. One centimeter distal to the target lesion is the optimal measurement site, and the CT-FFR value here shows the highest diagnostic performance for myocardial ischemic lesions, especially for moderate stenosis.

There is controversy over the specific and non-specific components in the efficacy evaluation of acupuncture therapy.The placebo effect,as a key non-specific factor,needs to be clarified in terms of its mechanism and clinical value.This article reviewed the research progress in the placebo effect of acupuncture from three aspects:cognitive process,influencing factors,and mechanism.It focused on the regulatory effects of patient expectations,doctor-patient interaction,and individual differences on the effect,summarized key mechanisms such as endogenous opioid system,dopamine reward pathway,and neural projection of rostral anterior cingulate cortex to pontine nucleus,and pointed out the methodological limitations of current comfort acupuncture designs,in order to provide theoretical basis for the optimization of acupuncture clinical research models and the deepening of the effect mechanism.

A targeted metabolomics study was conducted on the bile acid profiles in the liver and feces of rats induced by a high-fat diet and intervened by ginsenoside Rb_1, along with the detection of FXR pathway gene expression in the liver, to explore and clarify its mechanism of action. The content of biochemical indicators in the serum were detected using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining and oil red O staining were used to detect pathological changes and lipid deposition in the liver. RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of FXR, small heterodimer partner(SHP), cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase(CYP7A1), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c(SREBP-1c) in the liver. Targeted bile acid metabolomics technology was employed to analyze changes in bile acid profiles in liver tissue and feces, and a correlation analysis was performed between key genes such as FXR, SHP, CYP7A1, SREBP-1c and differential bile acid metabolites. The results showed that ginsenoside Rb_1 significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C) in the serum, alleviated the large fat vacuoles and lipid deposition in the liver, increased the expression of FXR mRNA in the liver, and decreased the expression of SREBP-1c mRNA. The expression of CYP7A1 and SHP mRNA was increased, but the differences were not statistically significant. Targeted bile acid metabolomics showed that ginsenoside Rb_1 could restore the levels of 9 bile acids in the liver and 8 bile acids in the feces. Ginsenoside Rb_1 also increased the percentage of taurocholic acid(TCA) in the liver(56.78%) and the percentage of 12-ketolithocholic acid(12-KLCA) in the feces(26.10%). Pathway enrichment analysis revealed two pathways involved in bile acid metabolism: primary bile acid biosynthesis and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. Correlation analysis showed that FXR, SHP, CYP7A1, and SREBP-1c were positively correlated with multiple differential bile acids. These results suggest that ginsenoside Rb_1 may intervene in lipid metabolism disorders induced by a high-fat diet by regulating the FXR pathway and modulating bile acid profiles in the liver and feces.
Animals ; Bile Acids and Salts/metabolism* ; Rats ; Ginsenosides/pharmacology* ; Male ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear/genetics* ; Liver/drug effects* ; Diet, High-Fat/adverse effects* ; Metabolomics ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Feces/chemistry* ; Cholesterol 7-alpha-Hydroxylase/metabolism* ; Sterol Regulatory Element Binding Protein 1/genetics* ; Humans

Objective To investigate the predictive value of serum interleukin-17(IL-17)combined with eotaxin-3 for poor prognosis in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(AECOPD).Methods A total of 213 patients with AECOPD admitted to Beijing Municipal Armed Police Force Hospital from May 2018 to July 2023 were selected as the disease group.According to the prognosis of patients,they were divided into good prognosis group(133 cases)and poor prognosis group(80 cases).At the same time,205 physical examination healthy people in Beijing Municipal Armed Police Force Hospital were selected as the healthy group.The serum levels of IL-17 and eotaxin-3 were detected by enzyme-linked immu-nosorbent assay.The clinical data of poor prognosis group and good prognosis group were compared.Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between serum IL-17 level and eotaxin-3 in AECOPD patients.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the related factors affecting the progno-sis of AECOPD patients.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the predic-tive value of serum IL-17 and eotaxin-3 levels for the prognosis of AECOPD patients.Results Compared with the healthy group,the serum levels of IL-17 and eotaxin-3 were increased in the disease group(P<0.05).Compared with the good prognosis group,the poor prognosis group had significant increases in serum IL-17 and eotaxin-3 levels(P<0.05).Serum IL-17 level was positively correlated with eotaxin-3 in AECOPD pa-tients(r=0.537,P<0.001).There were significant differences in Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease(GOLD)grade,blood oxygen partial pressure(PaO2)and carbon dioxide partial pressure(PaCO2)between the poor prognosis group and the good prognosis group(P<0.05).GOLD grade,PaCO2,serum IL-17 and eotaxin-3 levels were risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with AECOPD(P<0.05),and PaO2 was a protective factor for poor prognosis in patients with AECOPD(P<0.05).The area under the curve of serum IL-17 and eotaxin-3 combined to predict the prognosis of AECOPD patients was 0.885,the sensitivity was 80.00%,and the specificity was 83.46%,which was better than that of IL-17 and eotaxin-3 a-lone(Zcombiation-IL-17=4.045,P<0.001,Zcombiation-eotaxin-3=3.254,P=0.001).Conclusion The serum levels of IL-17 and eotaxin-3 are increased in AECOPD patients.The combination of IL-17 and eotaxin-3 has predictive value for the prognosis of AECOPD patients.

The Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell is the most representative mammalian cell protein expression system, and it is widely used in recombinant protein, vaccine and other biopharmaceutical fields. However, due to its vulnerability to environmental factors, apoptosis, and metabolic inhibitors, CHO cells demonstrate poor robustness, and thus the integrated viable cell density and unit cell productivity are largely limited. To improve the robustness and foreign protein expression efficiency of CHO cells, we employed CRISPR/Cas9 to knock out the apoptosis genes Bax and Bak and the lactate dehydrogenase gene LDHa, thereby blocking apoptosis and lactic acid metabolism pathways. The results of apoptosis and single cell viability detection showed that the number of apoptotic cells in the knockout cell lines Bax^-/-, Bax-bak^-/-, and LDHa-Bax-bak^-/- was reduced by 22.51%, 37.73%, and 64.12%, respectively, compared with the wild-type cell line CHO-K1, which indicated that the anti-apoptotic ability was significantly improved. After staurosporine treatment, the single cell viability of Bax^-/-, Bax-bak^-/-, and LDHa-Bax-bak^-/- cells was increased by 30.8%, 22%, and 41.1%, respectively. After treatment with puromycin, the single cell viability of Bax^-/-, Bax-bak^-/-, and LDHa-Bax-bak^-/- cells was increased by 26.7%, 30.7%, and 38.8%, respectively. To further investigate the production performance of cells obtained after blocking apoptosis and lactic acid metabolism pathways, we induced transient expression of human tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in these cells. The results showed that the secretion of tPA in Bax^-/-, Bax-Bak^-/-, and LDHa-Bax-Bak^-/- cells was 11.12%, 46.18%, and 63.13%, respectively, higher than that in wild-type CHO-K1 cells. The expression of intracellular tPA was increased by 35.65%, 130%, and 192.15%. In conclusion, blocking apoptosis and lactic acid metabolism pathways simultaneously can improve cell robustness and productivity, with the performance better than blocking the apoptosis pathway alone. The above results indicated that the constructed cell lines were expected to be the delivery carriers of protein drugs such as medicinal peptides, and better used for the treatment of diseases.
CHO Cells ; Cricetulus ; Animals ; Apoptosis/genetics* ; Lactic Acid/metabolism* ; Recombinant Proteins/biosynthesis* ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase/genetics* ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein/genetics* ; bcl-2 Homologous Antagonist-Killer Protein/genetics* ; Cricetinae ; CRISPR-Cas Systems ; Staurosporine/pharmacology*

Objective:To investigate and analyze the surgical method and therapeutic effect of removing benign masses between the nasal radix and eyebrow via a V-shaped cosmetic incision approach through the columella with the assistance of nasal endoscopy.Methods:The data of patients who underwent surgical treatment from May 2020 to August 2023 at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Linyi People’s Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, because of a mass involving the radix of the nose and the interbrow area. Preoperative CT examination of the nose was performed to clarify the nature, size, and level of the mass, and a V-shaped incision was made in the middle and lower third of the nasal columella, with subcutaneous tunnels along the dorsal median line of the nose, and the mass was excised with the aid of nasal endoscopy. Postoperative follow-up was performed for recurrence of swelling, diplopia, ocular dyskinesia, frontal-facial numbness, and recovery of the operative area; patients were evaluated by visual analogue scoring (VAS) to assess satisfaction with the appearance of the incorporeal scar (0~10 points, higher scores indicate higher satisfaction).Results:A total of 4 patients were included, with an average age of 18.5 years (15-21 years). All 4 patients had complete resection of the tumor through the columellar V-shaped incision approach, and the surgical incisions were all healed by primary intention. Postoperative pathology suggested epidermoid cysts in 1 case, lipoma in 1 case, sebaceous cysts in 1 case, and osteomas in 1 case. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 6 to 24 months, with an average follow-up of 12 months, with no recurrence of the mass, no depression at the radix of the nose and between the eyebrows, and no noticeable scar at the columella. The patients were satisfied with the appearance of the incision scar with a VAS score of 10 points.Conclusion:Nasal endoscopic transnasal columella approach to excision of benign tumors at the root of the nose and between the eyebrows has the advantages of small skin incision and hidden scarring, and has good treatment effect.

Objective To construct a risk prediction model for atherosclerosis(AS)in patients with rheumatoid arthritis(RA)based on Lasso-Logistic regression analysis and provide a scientific basis for individualized clinical intervention.Methods The retrospective clinical data were collected from 344 RA patients,including 86 patients with AS(RA+AS group)and 258 patients with without AS(RA group).The clinical characteristics and initial laboratory test results were compared between the two groups.Lasso regression was used to screen the key predictive variables,and Logistic regression was combined to construct the prediction mode.The discrimination of the model was evaluated through the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve and the area under the curve(AUC).The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to assess the calibration,and decision curve analysis was used to verify the clinical applicability of the model.Results Seven predictive variables were identified including RA disease duration,DAS28 score,C-reactive protein(CRP),triglycerides(TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),fasting blood glucose(FBG)and hypertension.The risk prediction model for AS in RA patients was:Logit(P)=-2.674+0.605×RA disease duration+0.393×DAS28 score+0.310×CRP+1.346×TG-2.289×HDL-C+0.679×FBG+0.711×hypertension.The AUC of the model was 0.965(95%CI:0.943-0.987),and the Hosmer-Lemeshow test showed χ2=0.547,P=1.000,indicating good discrimination and calibration.Clinical decision curve analysis showed that the probability threshold ranged from 7%to 92%,demonstrating high clinical applicability.Conclusion The AS risk prediction model constructed in this study for RA patients can effectively identify high-risk individuals,supporting the development of personalized prevention and treatment strategies.

Objective:To investigate and analyze the surgical method and therapeutic effect of removing benign masses between the nasal radix and eyebrow via a V-shaped cosmetic incision approach through the columella with the assistance of nasal endoscopy.Methods:The data of patients who underwent surgical treatment from May 2020 to August 2023 at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Linyi People’s Hospital were retrospectively analyzed, because of a mass involving the radix of the nose and the interbrow area. Preoperative CT examination of the nose was performed to clarify the nature, size, and level of the mass, and a V-shaped incision was made in the middle and lower third of the nasal columella, with subcutaneous tunnels along the dorsal median line of the nose, and the mass was excised with the aid of nasal endoscopy. Postoperative follow-up was performed for recurrence of swelling, diplopia, ocular dyskinesia, frontal-facial numbness, and recovery of the operative area; patients were evaluated by visual analogue scoring (VAS) to assess satisfaction with the appearance of the incorporeal scar (0~10 points, higher scores indicate higher satisfaction).Results:A total of 4 patients were included, with an average age of 18.5 years (15-21 years). All 4 patients had complete resection of the tumor through the columellar V-shaped incision approach, and the surgical incisions were all healed by primary intention. Postoperative pathology suggested epidermoid cysts in 1 case, lipoma in 1 case, sebaceous cysts in 1 case, and osteomas in 1 case. Postoperative follow-up ranged from 6 to 24 months, with an average follow-up of 12 months, with no recurrence of the mass, no depression at the radix of the nose and between the eyebrows, and no noticeable scar at the columella. The patients were satisfied with the appearance of the incision scar with a VAS score of 10 points.Conclusion:Nasal endoscopic transnasal columella approach to excision of benign tumors at the root of the nose and between the eyebrows has the advantages of small skin incision and hidden scarring, and has good treatment effect.

The incidence rate of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) in our country has risen rapidly and has developed into the largest chronic liver disease with the rise of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Although obesity is closely related to the occurrence of MAFLD, there are still some MAFLD patients whose body mass index does not meet the criteria for obesity or overweight, which is referred to as lean MAFLD. With the continuous advancement of pathological mechanisms and clinical diagnosis and treatment technologies, relevant research on lean MAFLD has made certain progress. This article reviews the epidemiological status, pathological mechanisms and clinical diagnosis and treatment of lean MAFLD in detail.