Objective To study the effect and mechanism of high glucose on mesothelial-mesenchymal transition(MMT)of peritoneal mesothelial cells(HMrSV5),and the protective effect of pharmacological blocking of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)on rat peritoneal fibrosis(PF)model.Methods The animals were divided into three groups:the sham group,the model group,and the STAT3 inhibitor group.A miniature per-itoneal dialysis catheter was implanted under the dorsal skin of rat and the rat peritoneal fibrosis model was induced by daily injection of high glucose dialysate.After 10 weeks,HE staining was used to evaluate the histology of the peritoneum,and the level of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)in the peritoneum was measured by immuno-histochemistry.HMrSV5 was cultured in high glucose and the optimal stimulation concentration of high glucose was determined by Western blot.High glucose was used to stimulate HMrSV5 after successful transfection with si-STAT3 and Western blot was used to measure the protein level of STAT3,p-STAT3,and the key enzymes of glycol-ysis 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3(PFKFB3)and lactate dehydrogenase A(LDHA).Results HE staining showed that administration of STAT3 inhibitor(BP-1-102)could inhibit the thickening of subperitoneal tissue and the proliferation of vessels in HG dialysis rats.The expression of TGF-β1 in the rats perito-neum of the model group was significantly higher than that in the sham group,and the level of TGF-β1 was marked-ly lower in the STAT3 inhibitor group compared to the model group(P<0.05).Compared to the control group,high glucose induced the up-regulation of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),the down-regulation of E-cadherin and STAT3 activation in HMrSV5(P<0.05).Mesothelial cells treated with high glucose also exhibited high expres-sion of the key enzymes of glycolysis(PFKFB3,LDHA)(P<0.05),and si-STAT3 can effectively inhibit the overexpression of PFKFB3 and LDHA induced by high glucose(P<0.05).Conclusion STAT3 is involved in high glucose-induced HMrSV5 hyperglycolysis and MMT,and targeting STAT3 alleviates peritoneal fibrosis and an-giogenesis during peritoneal dialysis treatment in rats.

AIM:To investigate the role of proviral integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus 1(PIM1)in the phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs)induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein(oxLDL),and to explore the underlying mechanisms.METHODS:Eighteen male ApoE-/-mice(8 weeks old)were ran-domly divided into general diet group and high-fat diet group,with 9 mice per group.After 16 weeks,aortic samples were analyzed using HE staining to observe plaque formation.In vitro,VSMCs were exposed to oxLDL to induce phenotypic transformation.Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to measure the protein expression levels of PIM1 and phe-notypic markers including α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA),smooth muscle protein 22α(SM22α),osteopontin(OPN),and CD68.Glycolysis levels were assessed by detecting the expression of glycolytic enzymes 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase(PFKFB3)and hexokinase 2(HK2)by Western blot,and lactate secretion was measured using a lactate test kit.The effects of SMI-4a(a specific inhibitor of PIM1)and PIM1 small interfering RNA on oxLDL-in-duced phenotypic markers in VSMCs were evaluated.Moreover,the impact of 3-(3-pyridinyl)-1-(4-pyridinyl)-2-propen-1-one(3PO;a glycolysis inhibitor)on oxLDL-induced phenotypic switching and glycolysis in VSMCs was investigated.RESULTS:HE staining revealed atherosclerotic plaque formation in the aortas of ApoE-/-mice fed with high-fat diet.Im-munofluorescence showed high accumulation of PIM1 and OPN in the tunica intima of atherosclerotic plaques.Compared with control group,aortic plaques exhibited significantly elevated levels of PIM1,OPN and CD68 proteins(P<0.01),ac-companied by reduced expression of contractile phenotype markers α-SMA and SM22α(P<0.01).In vitro,oxLDL treat-ment led to gradual decrease in α-SMA and SM22α expression(P<0.05 or P<0.01),while OPN and CD68 expression in-creased(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Moreover,oxLDL significantly up-regulated the protein expression of PIM1,PFKFB3 and HK2,and increased lactate secretion in VSMCs(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Knockdown of PIM1 or treatment with SMI-4a markedly attenuated these oxLDL-induced effects on VSMCs(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Treatment with 3PO also abolished ox-LDL-induced phenotypic transformation and glycolysis in VSMCs(P<0.05 or P<0.01).CONCLUSION:PIM1 highly accumulates in the atherosclerotic plaques of ApoE-/-mice.The phenotypic transformation of VSMCs was correlated with the expression of PIM1.PIM1 can regulate the phenotypic transformation of oxLDL-treated VSMCs by inducing glycolysis.

Objective To investigate best timing of ultrasound-guided rectus sheath block in single-site laparoendoscopic surgery.Methods A total of 63 patients underwent elective single-site laparoendscopic surgery for benign gynecological tumors in Gynecology Ward of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from August 2021 to January 2022 were selected as study subjects.They were divided into Group E(32 cases)and Group O(31 cases)by using a random number table method.After excluding three cases,60 patients were finally admitted,with 30 cases in each group.Group E underwent preoperative ultrasound-guided rectus sheath block,and group O underwent postoperative ultrasound-guided rectus sheath block.Numerical rating scale(NRS)score of immediately after extubation(T1),12-hour after surgery(T2),and 24-hour after surgery(T3)in resting and active status were compared between two groups;mean arterial pressure and heart rate before and after incision were compared between two groups;intraoperative dose of remifentanil,postoperative oxycodone and rate of postoperative analgesic relief were compared between two groups;time of entry and operation were compared between two groups;and occurrence of nerve block complications in two groups was recorded.Results Overall analysis found that there were significant differences in comparison of time points and interaction of resting NRS scores in two groups(P<0.05),as well as there were significant differences in comparison of time points of active NRS scores in two groups(P<0.05).Further pairwise comparison,within-group comparison:NRS scores of rest status and active status at T2 and T3 in group O were significantly lower than those at T1(P<0.05);NRS scores for rest status at T3 was significantly lower than that at T1 in group E,and NRS scores for active status at T2 and T3 were significantly lower than those at T1 in group E(P<0.05).Comparison between groups:NRS scores for rest and active status at T1 were significantly lower in group E than that in group O(P<0.05).After skin incision,mean arterial pressure in group O was significantly higher than before skin incision,and heart rate in group O was significantly faster than before skin incision(P<0.05).No abdominal puncture,puncture site infection,local anesthetic poisoning,or other complications occurred in either group.Conclusion In single-site laparoendoscopic gynecological surgery,ultrasound-guided preoperative rectus sheath block can provide better analgesic effect for patients in the early postoperative stage,and changes in heart rate and mean arterial pressure before and after incision are smaller,which is worthy of recommendation.

Background As a group of environmental pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are neurotoxic and may cause mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by inducing inflammation. Whether neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), an inflammatory indicator, plays a mediating role in the relationship between PAHs exposure and MCI is unclear yet. Objective To investigate a potential mediating role of NLR in the association between exposure to PAHs and MCI in coke oven plant workers. Methods Eleven urine hydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) of 530 coke oven plant workers were determined by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. NLR was derived from participants' routine blood examination results using a fully automated haematology analyser. The associations between urinary OH-PAHs and MCI were analyzed by binary logistic regression, the associations between urinary OH-PAHs and NLR were analyzed by multiple linear regression, and the role of NLR in the relationship between urinary OH-PAHs and MCI was evaluated by mediating effect analysis. Results After controlling for confounding factors and other OH-PAHs, the results of binary logistic regression showed that for every e-fold (e is the base of the natural logarithm) increase in the concentration of 2-hydroxynaphthalene (2-OHNap) and 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1-OHPhe), the OR (95%CI) values of reporting MCI positive were 1.21 (1.02, 1.43) and 1.25 (1.04, 1.51) respectively. For each unit increase of NLR, the OR (95%CI) of reporting MCI positive was 1.56 (1.12, 2.18). The results of multiple linear regression showed that each unit increase in natural log-transformed levels of 1-OHPhe was associated with 0.05 (95%CI: 0.01, 0.10) increase of NLR. The results of mediating effect analysis showed that the association between urinary 1-OHPhe and MCI was partially mediated by peripheral blood NLR, with a mediation ratio of 9.8%. Conclusion Exposure to PAHs in coke oven plant workers may increase the risk of reporting MCI positive partially through increased NLR in peripheral blood.

At present, clinical interventions for chronic kidney disease are very limited, and most patients rely on dialysis to sustain their lives for a long time. However, studies on the gut-kidney axis have shown that the gut microbiota is a potentially effective target for correcting or controlling chronic kidney disease. This study showed that berberine, a natural drug with low oral availability, significantly ameliorated chronic kidney disease by altering the composition of the gut microbiota and inhibiting the production of gut-derived uremic toxins, including p-cresol. Furthermore, berberine reduced the content of p-cresol sulfate in plasma mainly by lowering the abundance of g_Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 and inhibiting the tyrosine-p-cresol pathway of the intestinal flora. Meanwhile, berberine increased the butyric acid producing bacteria and the butyric acid content in feces, while decreased the renal toxic trimethylamine N-oxide. These findings suggest that berberine may be a therapeutic drug with significant potential to ameliorate chronic kidney disease through the gut-kidney axis.

Specnuezhenide(SNZ)is among the main components of Fructus Ligustri Lucidi,which has anti-inflammation,anti-oxidation,and anti-tumor effect.The low bioavailability makes it difficult to explain the mechanism of pharmacological effect of SNZ.In this study,the role of the gut microbiota in the metabolism and pharmacokinetics characteristics of SNZ as well as the pharmacological meaning were explored.SNZ can be rapidly metabolized by the gut microbiome,and two intestinal bacterial metabolites of SNZ,salidroside and tyrosol,were discovered.In addition,carboxylesterase may be the main intestinal bacterial enzyme that mediates its metabolism.At the same time,no metabolism was found in the incubation system of SNZ with liver microsomes or liver homogenate,indicating that the gut microbiota is the main part involved in the metabolism of SNZ.In addition,pharmacokinetic studies showed that salidroside and tyrosol can be detected in plasma in the presence of gut microbiota.Interestingly,tumor development was inhibited in a colorectal tumor mice model administered orally with SNZ,which indicated that SNZ exhibited potential to inhibit tumor growth,and tissue distribution studies showed that salidroside and tyrosol could be distributed in tumor tissues.At the same time,SNZ modulated the structure of gut microbiota and fungal group,which may be the mechanism governing the antitumoral activity of SNZ.Furthermore,SNZ stimulates the secretion of short-chain fatty acids by intestinal flora in vitro and in vivo.In the future,targeting gut microbes and the interaction between natural products and gut microbes could lead to the discovery and development of new drugs.

OBJECTIVE To study the improvement effects of different polar parts fro m total f lavonoids of Scutellaria amoena on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD）model rats. METHODS The total flavonoids of S. amoena （SAF）were extracted by reflux extraction with ethanol ，suspended with water ，and then extracted with ethyl acetate and n-butanol in order to obtain the extraction parts of SAF （recorded as SAFA and SAFB respectively ）. Thirty-six rats were randomly divided into normal group （n＝ 6）and modeling group （n＝30）. Modeling group was given high-lipid diet to induce NAFLD model. After modeling ，modeling group was randomly divided into model group （normal saline ），fenofibrate group （positive control ，20 mg/kg），SAF group （300 mg/kg），SAFA group （300 mg/kg）and SAFB group （300 mg/kg）；they were given relevant intragastical administration ，once a day，for consecutive 6 weeks. After last administration ，the liver index was calculated ；the levels of total cholesterol （TC）， triacylglycerol（TG），aspartate transaminase （AST），alanine transaminase （ALT），high-density lipoprotein cholesterol （HDL-C）， low-density lipoprotein cholesterol （LDL-C） in serum ，the levels of superoxide dismutase （SOD），glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px），malondialdehyde（MDA），interleukin-1β（IL-1β），IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α（TNF-α）in liver tissue were detected；the pathomorphological changes of liver tissue were observed. RESULTS Compared with normal group ，the liver index ， the levels of TC ，TG，AST，ALT，LDL-C，MDA，IL-1β， IL-6 and TNF-α in serum/liver tissue of model group were all increased significantly （P＜0.05）， while the levels of HDL-C，SOD and GSH-Px were all decreased significantly （P＜0.05）. Compared with model group ，except there was no statistical significance in the serum levels of HDL-C and ALT in SAFA group （P＞0.05），above indexes in serum/liver tissue of rats in groups of polar parts from total flavonoids of S. amoena were significantly improved （P＜0.05）；inflammatory cell infiltration and fatty vacuoles in liver tissue were significantly improved. Compared with SAF group and SAFA group ，the levels of TC，TG，AST，MDA，IL-6 and TNF-α were decreased significantly in SAFB group（P＜0.05），while the level of SOD was increased significantly （P＜0.05）；pathomorphological changes of liver tissue were improved more significantly. CONCLUSIONS Each polar part from total flavonoids of S. amoena can improve NAFLD by regulating oxidative stress and inhibiting the secretion of inflammatory factors. The n-butanol polar part has more obvious effect .

Background As a complex organic pollutant, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure shares the common exposure characteristics of multiple hydroxyl metabolites. Most studies have analyzed independent effect of each PAHs metabolite and have adjusted for the potential confounding effects induced by other metabolites concomitantly, without considering possible interactions among them. Proper statistical methods are needed to study their toxic effects. Objective To explore the applicability of logistic regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) in evaluating the correlation between mixed exposures to exogenous chemicals and health outcomes, compare the advantages and limitations of the three models, and propose analytical strategies for evaluating the health effects of mixed chemical exposure for application in the analysis of the association between PAHs exposure and cognition. Methods Urine samples were collected of workers from a coke oven plant and a water treatment plant in Shanxi Province, who participated in their routine employee healthexamination. Mono-hydroxylated PAHs were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS), cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). A cut-off value of MoCA less than 26 was considered mild cognitive impairment (MCI). According to a predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 1 051 cases were included in the final data analysis. Logistic regression, WQS regression, and BKMR were used to analyze the relationship between PAHs metabolites and MCI. Results The prevalence rate of reporting MCI among the 1 051 workers was 21.7% (228/1 051). The concentration of 2-hydroxynathalene (2-OHNAP) was the highest among the 11 PAHs metabolites with a median concentration of 0.30 μg·L⁻¹, followed by 9-hydroxyphenanthrene (9-OHPHE) (0.26 μg·L⁻¹). There were significant differences between the two groups in 2-OHNAP, 1-hydroxynaphthalene (1-OHNAP), 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OHFLU), 9-OHPHE, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene (1-OHPHE), and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHPYR) (all Ps<0.05). In the logistic regression, 2-OHNAP and 2-OHPHE were associated with MCI, and the OR (95%CI) for reporting MCI was 1.28 (1.01-1.67) and 1.27 (1.00-1.72) for each 10-fold increase in 2-OHNAP and 2-OHPHE concentrations, respectively. In the WQS regression analysis, the WQS index was positively correlated with the prevalence rate of reporting MCI (OR=1.37, 95%CI: 1.10-1.72). In the BKMR analysis, compared with the median exposure levels of all chemicals, the overall effect was statistically significant when all PAHs metabolites concentrations were at or above their 30th percentile; when all exposures were at the 75th percentile, the risk of reporting MCI increased by 6%. Conclusion Based on the results of these three models, 2-OHNAP and 2-OHPHE are the most important factors related to cognitive. It is recommended to use a combination of traditional logistic regression and either WQS or BKMR to study the association between PAHs and MCI.

Objective:To reveal the specific region location of brain function injury after sleep deprivation by exploring cerebral glucose metabolism and blood perfusion changes and the correlation between them in healthy volunteers of sleep deprivation.Methods:From January 2019 to December 2019, a total of 17 healthy volunteers (8 males, 9 females; age (22.5±1.7) years) from People′s Hospital of Zhengzhou University were enrolled prospectively. All patients accepted MRI three-dimensional (3D) arterial spin labeling (ASL) and 18F-FDG PET/CT scanning at 2 h after normal sleep and after sleep deprivation of 24 h. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) software was used for image processing, and brain metabolism and perfusion differences activation graphs before and after sleep deprivation were obtained respectively. Then the common activated brain regions were obtained as ROI. The cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the SUV ratio (SUVR; the cerebellum was the reference area) were calculated. Pearson correlation analysis and paired t test were used for data analysis. Results:The cerebral metabolism and perfusion of the subjects after sleep deprivation were reduced, and the abnormal brain areas were similar. Brain areas with reduced metabolism were more than those with reduced perfusion. The brain areas with reduced metabolism and perfusion after sleep deprivation were commonly in the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, etc. The CBF and SUVR value of left dorsolateral frontal gyrus after sleep deprivation were correlated ( r=0.58, P=0.014). The mean CBF value ((46.32±7.39) ml·100 g -1·min -1) and SUVR value (1.46±0.04) of whole brain after sleep deprivation were lower than those before sleep deprivation ((54.91±6.51) ml·100 g -1·min -1, 1.53±0.06; t values: -2.67, -3.72, P values: 0.012, 0.001). Conclusions:The specific region′s location of brain function injury after sleep deprivation is preliminarily revealed. 18F-FDG PET/CT was more sensitive than 3D-ASL for brain function research of sleep deprivation and left dorsolateral frontal gyrus may be a key responsible functional region in subjects of sleep deprivation.

Bionic untethered micro-nano robots, due to their advantages of small size, low weight, large thrust-to-weight ratio, strong wireless mobility, high flexibility and high sensitivity, have very important application values in the fields of biomedicine, such as disease diagnosis, minimally invasive surgery, targeted therapy, etc. This review article systematically introduced the manufacturing methods and motion control, and discussed the biomedical applications of bionic untethered micro-nano robots. Finally, the article discussed the possible challenges for bionic untethered micro-nano robots in the future. In summary, this review described bionic untethered micro-nano robots and their potential applications in biomedical fields.
Bionics ; Equipment Design ; Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures ; Motion ; Robotics