Objective To identify mechanisms regulating disease progression in rat models of pulmonary arterial hy-pertension(PAH).Methods Rat PAH models were established using subcutaneous monocrotaline(MCT)injec-tion and the SU5416/hypoxia(SU/Hx)method.Transcriptomic sequencing of lung tissues was performed to identify gene expression and pathway alterations in PAH rats,followed by a comparative analysis with transcriptomic data of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension(IPAH)in NCBI database.Results Inflammatory-related genes such as CXCL9,CCL24,and SECTM1 were upregulated in both PAH rat models and IPAH patient lungs,while genes such as DGKG and DOCK9 were downregulated(P＜0.05).Pathways related to endothelial cell proliferation regulation and extracellular matrix(ECM)remodeling were significantly upregulated(P＜0.05).Conclusions The imbalance in endothelial cell proliferation and abnormal ECM remodeling may collectively contribute to PAH pathogenesis.Further exploration of these signaling pathways may provide deep in-sights for early diagnosis and targeted therapy of PAH.

Hypoxia inducible factors(HIFs)are core molecules that enable the body to adapt to hypoxia environments.By sensing changes in intracellular oxygen pressure,HIFs regulate gene expression related to hypoxia adaptation,thereby enhancing the body's hypoxia tolerance at cellular,tissue and organ levels.On the other hand,HIFs promote the generation of red blood cells,angiogenesis,and regulate the body's energy metabolism,thereby improving its hypoxia tolerance.The enhancement of hypoxia tolerance is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of hypoxia-related diseases,upgrading of athletes'performance,enhancement of workers'efficiency at high-altitudes,and the improvement of individu-als'quality of life.This article reviews the relationships between HIFs and hypoxia tolerance as well as related mechanisms in order to provide strategies for enhancing hypoxia tolerance in the body.

BACKGROUND:Clinical studies have found good analgesic effects of silver needle-thermal conduction therapy in patients with myofascial pain syndrome,but the exact mechanism remains unclear. OBJECTIVE:To observe the effect of silver needle-thermal conduction therapy on silent information regulator homolog 3(SIRT3)changes and mitochondrial ultrastructure in a rat model of myofascial pain syndrome. METHODS:Twenty rats were randomly selected from 26 Sprague-Dawley rats and were subjected to percussion combined with motor fatigue for replicating the rat model of myofascial pain syndrome.Sixteen rats that were successfully modeled were randomly divided into model group and silver needle-thermal conduction therapy group(treatment group),with eight rats in each group.The remaining rats were used as controls(normal group).The treatment group was treated with silver needle-thermal conduction therapy.Mechanical withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal latency of rats were measured at 1 day before modeling,1 day after modeling and 14 days after treatment.Electromyographic activities of the right medial femoral muscle were measured at 14 days after treatment.The right medial femoral muscle tissue was taken for hematoxylin-eosin staining to observe the local morphology and for transmission electron microscopy to observe the mitochondrial ultrastructure.Western blot assay was performed to detect SIRT3 expression. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Pain threshold:The mechanical withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal latency of the model and treatment groups were significantly decreased compared with those in the normal group and before modeling(P＜0.01).After treatment,the mechanical withdrawal threshold and thermal withdrawal latency of rats were significantly higher in the treatment group compared with the model group(P＜0.01).Electromyography:The rats in the model group showed spontaneous electrical activity in the right medial femur,while the rats in the treatment group showed reduced spontaneous electrical activity,longer time frame(P＜0.01)and lower wave amplitude(P＜0.05)compared with the model group.Hematoxylin-eosin staining:In the normal group,rat muscle fibers arranged closely and regularly.In the model group,the muscle fibers of rats were atrophied,degenerated,and disordered in arrangement.In the treatment group,rat muscle structure disorder improved.Mitochondrial microstructure:Under the transmission electron microscope,mitochondrial structure in the normal group was normal;mitochondrial swelling with broken or disappeared cristae appeared in the model group;mitochondrial swelling in the treatment group was obviously relieved or tended to be normal.SIRT3 expression:SIRT3 expression was significantly downregulated in the model group compared with the normal group,but was significantly upregulated in the treatment group compared with the model group(P＜0.05).To conclude,abnormalities in local muscle mitochondria and downregulation of SIRT3 expression suggest the presence of impaired energy metabolism in the rat model of myofascial pain syndrome.Mitochondrial changes recover and are close to normal after the silver needle-thermal conduction therapy,and the expression of SIRT3 is also upregulated close to the normal group,indicating the silver needle-thermal conduction therapy may play a therapeutic role by promoting mitochondrial repair and improving energy metabolism disorder.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of otoendoscopic stapes surgery.METHODS From December 2020 to May 2023,a retrospective analysis was performed on 29 patients who underwent otoendoscopic stapes fenestration and artificial stapes implantation were diagnosed with otosclerosis during the operation.The medical history data of the patients were collected and analyzed.RESULTS In the period examined,44 stapes surgical procedures were performed and out of these 29 met the inclusion criteria.All patients were performed under otoendoscopy.There was no significant change in bone conduction threshold(P>0.05),but the average air conduction threshold improved from the preoperative(59.91±10.25)dB HL to(38.92±11.37)dB HL with air-bone gap reduced from the preoperative(37.37±7.65)dB HL to(18.71±8.38)dB HL(P<0.05).There were no serious complications such as sensorineural hearing loss and facial paralysis,but 22 patients were accompanied by varying degrees of vertigo,which were relieved after symptomatic treatment.CONCLUSION Endoscopic stapes surgery is a safe procedure with a low risk of peri-or postoperative complications,and can improve the air conduction hearing of otosclerosis patients.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension(PAH)is a complex pulmonary vascular disease characterized by pro-gressive elevation of mean pulmonary artery pressure resulted from the pathological feature of pulmonary vascular re-modeling.Without medical intervention,PAH can eventually lead to right heart failure and death of patients.Up to the present,there are few treatment options for PAH are still mainly function through pulmonary vasodilation.Although these treatments can alleviate symptoms,the prognosis remains poor.In recent years,breakthroughs have been made in understanding the pathogenesis of PAH,thus support the development of new treatment strategies tar-geting at dysregulation of signaling pathways in PAH.This review focuses on five critical pathways and the relevant drugs those entered phase Ⅱ clinical trials and discusses their therapeutic potential,so to provide a basis for future research on targeting therapies for PAH patients.

Alzheimer's disease(AD)is a common neurodegenerative disease.Neuroinflammation is one of the important pathological mechanisms of AD.The generation of AD neuroinflammation is closely associated with Aβ deposition,Tau phosphorylation,glial polarization and activation of inflammasome.Acupuncture and moxibustion have such effect on the improvement of AD neuroinflammation,which can relieve neuroinflammation by regulating the polarization of microglia and astrocytes,reducing the release of inflammatory mediators,so as to delay the pathological process of AD.This article reviews the neuroinflammatory mechanism of AD and the research progress of acupuncture and moxibustion regulating AD neuroinflammation,in order to provide a theoretical basis and idea reference for the clinical and basic research of acupuncture and moxibustion in the prevention and treatment of AD.

Humans ; Hospital Mortality ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Comorbidity ; Registries ; Neoplasms/complications*

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor in adults and is poorly controlled. Previous studies have shown that both macrophages and angiogenesis play significant roles in GBM progression, and co-targeting of CSF1R and VEGFR is likely to be an effective strategy for GBM treatment. Therefore, this study developed a novel and selective inhibitor of CSF1R and VEGFR, SYHA1813, possessing potent antitumor activity against GBM. SYHA1813 inhibited VEGFR and CSF1R kinase activities with high potency and selectivity and thus blocked the cell viability of HUVECs and macrophages and exhibited anti-angiogenetic effects both in vitro and in vivo. SYHA1813 also displayed potent in vivo antitumor activity against GBM in immune-competent and immune-deficient mouse models, including temozolomide (TMZ) insensitive tumors. Notably, SYHA1813 could penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and prolong the survival time of mice bearing intracranial GBM xenografts. Moreover, SYHA1813 treatment resulted in a synergistic antitumor efficacy in combination with the PD-1 antibody. As a clinical proof of concept, SYHA1813 achieved confirmed responses in patients with recurrent GBM in an ongoing first-in-human phase I trial. The data of this study support the rationale for an ongoing phase I clinical study (ChiCTR2100045380).

Objective:To study the correlation between the quartering of nerve root subsidence sign (NRS) and the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the narrow segment thecal sac in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS).Methods:The data of 203 LSS patients in the Fourth People′s Hospital of Hengshui from January 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients underwent MRI cross sectional scanning. The patients were divided into positive type a group ( n=62), positive type b group ( n=32), positive type c group ( n=51), and negative group ( n=58) by NRS quartering method. The minimum CSA, median sagittal diameter (PAD), and lateral recess sagittal diameter of each group were compared. The correlation between NRS quartering classification and the minimum CSA and related indicators of lumbar spinal stenosis was analyzed. Results:The minimum CSA, PAD, and sagittal diameter of the lateral recess in the positive a group, positive b group, and positive c group were all smaller than those in the negative group, while the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were higher than those in the negative group; The minimum CSA, PAD, and sagittal diameter of the lateral recess in the positive b type and positive c type groups were smaller than those in the positive a type group, while the VAS score and ODI index were higher than those in the positive a type group; The minimum CSA, PAD, and sagittal diameter of the lateral recess in the positive c type group were smaller than those in the positive b type group; The VAS score and ODI index were higher than those of the positive b type group; The differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). 203 patients were divided into 54 normal cases, 58 mild stenosis cases, 49 moderate stenosis cases, and 42 severe stenosis cases based on the minimum CSA. The coincidence rate between negative NRS and minimal CSA diagnosis as normal was 94.44%(51/54), the coincidence rate between positive type a and minimal CSA diagnosis as mild stenosis was 84.48%(49/58), the coincidence rate between positive type b and minimal CSA diagnosis as moderate stenosis was 53.06%(26/49), and the coincidence rate between positive type c and minimal CSA diagnosis as severe stenosis was 90.48%(38/42). Using the kappa consistency test, the kappa value for quantitative diagnosis of minimum CSA stenosis in NRS and LSS patients was 0.743, indicating good consistency. The kappa values for quantitative diagnosis of NRS, sagittal diameter of lateral recess, and PAD stenosis were 0.271 and 0.335, with poor consistency. NRS typing was negatively correlated with CSA and PAD ( r=-0.723, -0.581, all P<0.001), and positively correlated with VAS score and ODI index ( r=0.473, 0.640, all P<0.001). Conclusions:The NRS quartering method has a good consistency in diagnosing the severity of LSS patients and the minimum CSA of stenosis segments, suggesting that the NRS quartering method can better reflect the degree of Spinal stenosis, which can not only be used as an auxiliary indicator for qualitative diagnosis of LSS, but also has a high value in quantitative diagnosis.

Silicosis is a leading cause of occupational disease-related morbidity and mortality worldwide, but the molecular basis underlying its development remains unclear. An accumulating body of evidence supports gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis as a key component in the development of various pulmonary diseases. However, there is little experimental evidence connecting silicosis and GSDMD-driven pyroptosis. In this work, we investigated the role of GSDMD-mediated pyroptosis in silicosis. Single-cell RNA sequencing of healthy and silicosis human and murine lung tissues indicated that GSDMD-induced pyroptosis in macrophages was relevant to silicosis progression. Through microscopy we then observed morphological alterations of pyroptosis in macrophages treated with silica. Measurement of interleukin-1β release, lactic dehydrogenase activity, and real-time propidium iodide staining further revealed that silica induced pyroptosis of macrophages. Additionally, we verified that both canonical (caspase-1-mediated) and non-canonical (caspase-4/5/11-mediated) signaling pathways mediated silica-induced pyroptosis activation, in vivo and in vitro. Notably, Gsdmd knockout mice exhibited dramatically alleviated silicosis phenotypes, which highlighted the pivotal role of pyroptosis in this disease. Taken together, our results demonstrated that macrophages underwent GSDMD-dependent pyroptosis in silicosis and inhibition of this process could serve as a viable clinical strategy for mitigating silicosis.