Objective To investigate the changes in eosinophil counts and the activation of microglial cells in the brain tissues of mice at different stages of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, and to examine the role of microglia in regulating the progression of angiostrongyliasis and unravel the possible molecular mechanisms. Methods Fifty BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-day and 25-d infection groups, of 10 mice in each group. All mice in infection groups were infected with 30 stage III A. cantonensis larvae by gavage, and animals in the control group was given an equal amount of physiological saline. Five mice were collected from each of infection groups on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice were collected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. The general and focal functional impairment was scored using the Clark scoring method to assess the degree of mouse neurological impairment. Five mice from each of infection groups were sacrificed on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice from the control group were sacrificed on the day of oral gavage. Mouse brain tissues were sampled, and the pathological changes of brain tissues were dynamically observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Immunofluorescence staining with eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) was used to assess the degree of eosinophil infiltration and the counts of microglial cells in mouse brain tissues in each group, and the morphological parameters of microglial cells (skeleton analysis and fractal analysis) were quantified by using Image J software to determine the morphological changes of microglial cells. In addition, the expression of M1 microglia markers Fcγ receptor III (Fcgr3), Fcγ receptor IIb (Fcgr2b) and CD86 antigen (Cd86), M2 microglia markers Arginase 1 (Arg1), macrophage mannose receptor C-type 1 (Mrc1), chitinase-like 3 (Chil3), and phagocytosis genes myeloid cell triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2), CD68 antigen (Cd68), and apolipoprotein E (Apoe) was quantified using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay in the mouse cerebral cortex of mice post-infection. Results A large number of A. cantonensis larvae were seen on the mouse meninges surface post-infection, and many neuronal nuclei were crumpled and deeply stained, with a large number of bleeding points in the meninges. The median Clark scores of mouse general functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 0 (interquartile range, 0.5), 6 (interquartile range, 1.0), 14 (interquartile range, 8.5) points and 20 (interquartile range, 9.0) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.45, P < 0.01), and the median Clark scores of mouse focal functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 2 (interquartile range, 2.5), 7 (interquartile range, 3.0), 18 (interquartile range, 5.0) points and 25 (interquartile range, 6.5) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.72, P < 0.01). The mean scores of mice general and focal functional impairment were all higher in the infection groups than in the control group (all P values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed a significant difference in the eosinophil counts in mouse brain tissues among the five groups (F = 40.05, P < 0.000 1), and the eosinophil counts were significantly higher in mouse brain tissues in the 14-d (3.08 ± 0.78) and 21-d infection groups (5.97 ± 1.37) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.28) (both P values < 0.05). Semi-quantitative analysis of microglia immunofluorescence showed a significant difference in the counts of microglial cells among the five groups (F = 17.66, P < 0.000 1), and higher Iba1 levels were detected in mouse brain tissues in 14-d (5.75 ± 1.28), 21-d (6.23 ± 1.89) and 25-d infection groups (3.70 ± 1.30) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.30) (all P values < 0.05). Skeleton and fractal analyses showed that the branch length [(162.04 ± 34.10) μm vs. (395.37 ± 64.11) μm; t = 5.566, P < 0.05] and fractal dimension of microglial cells (1.30 ± 0.01 vs. 1.41 ± 0.03; t = 5.266, P < 0.05) were reduced in mouse brain tissues in the 21-d infection group relative to the control group. In addition, there were significant differences among the 5 groups in terms of M1 and M2 microglia markers Fcgr3 (F = 48.34, P < 0.05), Fcgr2b (F = 55.46, P < 0.05), Cd86 (F = 24.44, P < 0.05), Arg1 (F = 31.18, P < 0.05), Mrc1 (F = 15.42, P < 0.05) and Chil3 (F = 24.41, P < 0.05), as well as phagocytosis markers Trem2 (F = 21.19, P < 0.05), Cd68 (F = 43.95, P < 0.05) and Apoe (F = 7.12, P < 0.05) in mice brain tissues. Conclusions A. cantonensis infections may induce severe pathological injuries in mouse brain tissues that are characterized by massive eosinophil infiltration and persistent activation of microglia cells, thereby resulting in progressive deterioration of neurological functions.

Background The high work intensity and possible subsequently increased susceptibility to occupational hazards of calcium carbide plants may lead to hypertension in workers, but there are few studies on the relationship between occupational hazard exposure and hypertension in workers involving the production process of calcium carbide. Objective To explore the influence of occupational hazards on the incidence of hypertension in calcium carbide plants. Methods Using historical cohort design, the employees of a calcium carbide factory in the western part of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region were selected as research subjects. According to the pre-determined inclusion and exclusion criteria, the study population comprised an exposure group of 377 employees (including furnace workers, inspection workers, and maintenance workers) exposed to dust, noise & carbon monoxide, and a control group of 388 employees (including central control workers, electricians, and administrative personnel) without above-mentioned exposure. The total sample size was 765 participants. The follow-up period was from April 2011 to October 2022, and the study endpoint was defined as the conclusion of the follow-up period or diagnosed hypertension in annual occupational health examination. Information on general demographic characteristics, living habits, and work status was collected from all study subjects. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to analyze the association between occupational hazard exposure and the risk of hypertension among the calcium carbide plant employees. Results The average age, mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure, proportion of males, smoking rate, and alcohol consumption rate in the exposure group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). Compared to baseline, both systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels increased in the exposure group and the control group at the end of the follow-up (P<0.05). At the end of the follow-up, the average differences between systolic/ diastolic blood pressure and baseline values in the exposure group were higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). During the follow-up period, a total of 223 cases of hypertension occurred, with a total follow-up of 2785 person-years, resulting in an incidence density of 8007.18 per 100000 person-years, an average age of onset of (35.90±8.22) years, and an average working age of onset of (2.69±1.97) years. The incidence density in the exposure group was 128.71% higher than that in the control group, and the risk of hypertension in the exposure group was 2.115 times that of the control group. The risk of hypertension was 2.199 times higher for men than for women, 1.344 times higher for those aged 30 and above than for those under 30, 1.546 times higher for smokers than for non-smokers, and 1.750 times higher for drinking workers than for non-drinking ones. The results of Cox proportional hazards regression modeling indicated that the hazard ratio (95%CI) of hypertension among the employees exposed to dust, noise, and carbon monoxide was 2.254 (1.703, 2.982), 1.594 (1.107, 2.295), and 1.567 (1.079, 2.274), respectively, when different covariates (gender, age, smoking, and alcohol consumption) were included. The results of Log-rank test showed that there were statistically significant differences in the distribution of disease-free survival between the exposure group and the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion Occupational exposures to dust, noise, and carbon monoxide may increase the risk of hypertension among calcium carbide plant workers.

ObjectiveTo explore the establishment and evaluation methods of the rat model of acute myocardial infarction （AMI） in coronary heart disease with the syndrome of Qi and Yin deficiency by sleep deprivation （SD） combined with isoproterenol （ISO） and preliminarily explore its biological basis. MethodForty SD rats were assigned into normal （no treatment）， SD （treatment in modified multi-platform water environment for 96 h）， ISO （subcutaneous injection of ISO at 100 mg·kg^-1 once every other day for a total of 2 times）， and SD+ISO （injection of 100 mg·kg^-1 ISO after SD for 72 h and 96 h） groups. The cardiac function was detected by small animal echocardiography. The serum levels of creatine kinase （CK）， creatine kinase isoenzyme （CK-MB）， lactate dehydrogenase （LDH）， and cardiac troponin T （cTnT） were measured by biochemical methods. The pathological changes of the myocardial tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The general state， body weight， grip strength， body temperature， behaviors in open field test， serum levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate （cAMP）， cyclic guanosine monophosphate （cGMP）， cAMP/cGMP ratio， red （R）， green （G）， blue （B） values of the tongue surface， and pulse amplitude were observed and measured to evaluate the modeling results. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was employed to determine the serum levels of interleukin-18 （IL-18）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， corticotropin-releasing factor （CRF）， adrenocorticotropic hormone （ACTH）， triiodothyronine （T3）， tetraiodothyronine （T4）， cluster of differentiation 4 （CD4）， and cluster of differentiation 8 （CD8）. ResultIn terms of disease indicators， the ISO and SD+ISO groups had lower cardiac function indicators than the normal group （P<0.01）. The levels of CK， CM-MB， LDH and cTnT elevated in each model group compared with the normal group （P<0.01）. The pathological changes of myocardial tissue were obvious in the ISO and SD+ISO groups. In terms of syndrome indicators， compared with the normal group， the SD and SD+ISO groups showed decreased body weight at each time point （P<0.01）， and the ISO group showed decreased body weight at the time points of 48 h and 72 h （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The paw temperature and rectal temperature increased in the SD group （P<0.01）. The model groups showed weakened grasp strength， lowered R， G， and B values of the tongue surface （P<0.01）， prolonged immobility time （P<0.01）， reduced total distance and number of entering the central area （P<0.01）， decreased average speed （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and increased cAMP and cGMP （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The cAMP/cGMP ratio was increased in the SD+ISO group （P<0.01）， and the pulse amplitude was decreased in the SD and SD+ISO groups （P<0.01）. In terms of serological indicators，compared with the normal group， the levels of IL-18， TNF-α， SOD and MDA were significantly increased in the ISO and SD+ISO groups （P<0.01）， the CRF， ACTH， CORT， T3， T4， CD4 and CD8 in the model groups were increased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionSleep deprivation for 96 h combined with high-dose ISO can successfully establish a rat model of acute myocardial infarction in coronary heart disease with the syndrome of Qi and Yin deficiency. The model evaluation system can be built with disease indicators of western medicine， histopathological indicators， macroscopic indicators of traditional Chinese medicine， and serological indicators.

Objective To investigate the protective effect of butyrolphthalein on nerve injury in rats with acute cerebral infarction(ACI)by regulating Toll-like receptor 4(TLR4)/nuclear transcription factor-κB(NF-κB)pathway.Methods SD rats were randomly divided into model group and experimental-L,-M,-H groups;ACI models were established in vivo except sham operation group.The experimental-L,-M,-H groups were given 20,40,80 mg·kg-1 butylphthalide,qd,for 7 days;the sham operation group and the model group were given the same amount of 0.9％NaCl,for 7 days.Neural function score,bilateral sticker removal time,balance beam crossing score,cerebral water content and cerebral infarction volume of rats in each group were measured.The expression of axonal growth inhibitory factor A(Nogo-A)and serum inflammatory factor in hippocampus were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).The expression of TLR4/NF-κB pathway related proteins was detected by Western blot.Results The neural function scores of sham operation group,model group,and experimental-L,-M,-H groups were 0,3.55±0.52,2.55±0.52,1.82±0.60,0.91±0.30,respectively;the Nogo-A in hippocampus were(0.93±0.23),(6.32±0.53),(5.10±0.55),(3.54±0.57),(1.58±0.30)ng·L-1,respectively;serum Nogo-A were(0.49±0.12),(5.09±0.82),(3.83±0.54),(2.23±0.64),(1.13±0.25)ng·L-1,respectively;TLR4 protein expression were 0.44±0.05,1.23±0.14,0.93±0.07,0.75±0.06,0.55±0.07,respectively;the expressions of p-p65 NF-κB protein were 0.32±0.05,0.82±0.06,0.68±0.08,0.57±0.07,0.44±0.05,respectively.There were statistically significant differences between sham operation group and model group(all P＜0.05).There were significant differences in the above indexes between the model group and the experimental-L,-M,-H groups(P＜0.05).Conclusion Butylphthalein can play a neuroprotective role in ACI rats by regulating TLR4/NF-κB pathway to improve nerve function and reduce inflammatory damage.

Objective To analyze the effects of probiotics combined with montmorillonite powder on intestinal mucosa and expressions of intestinal microorganism function-related genes in neonatal rats with rotavirus(RV)infection.Methods RV infection model was established by intragastric administration of SA11 strain rotavirus.Forty-eight suckling rats were randomly divided into normal group(0.9％NaCl),model group(0.9％NaCl),experimental group(0.06 g·mL-1 montmorillonite powder)and combined group(0.06 g·mL-1 montmorillonite powder+6.5 × 107 CFU·mL-1 Saccharomyces cerevisiae powder)with 12 rats in each group.The feces were collected for evaluation.The levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-a(TNF-a),interleukin-1 β(IL-1 β)and IL-17 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,the levels of aquaporin(AQP)in intestinal tissues was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction,and the counts of Bifidobacteria and Escherichia coli in feces were detected by bacterial 16srDNA fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Results The feces scores in normal,model,experimental and combined groups were(1.01±0.10),(2.97±0.08),(2.84±0.03)and(2.77±0.03)points;TNF-α levels were(132.54±14.63),(185.66±19.64),(165.25±17.63)and(149.95±15.76)pg·mL-1;IL-1β levels were(172.32±18.68),(265.34±27.72),(202.34±21.34)and(186.24±19.46)pg·mL-1;IL-17 levels were(118.62±12.44),(173.24±18.25),(152.32±16.72)and(122.54±13.58)pg·mL-1;Bifidobacteria counts were(6.35±0.64),(4.31±0.44),(4.93±0.50)and(5.34±0.54)CFU·g-1;Escherichia coli counts were(6.14±0.62),(8.78±0.88),(8.46±0.85)and(8.12±0.83)CFU·g-1;mRNA levels of AQP2 were 1.02±0.05,0.72±0.07,0.89±0.08 and 1.21±0.12;mRNA expression levels of AQP4 were 1.04±0.07,0.42±0.05,0.78±0.08 and 1.19±0.12;mRNA expression levels ofAQP8 were 1.00±0.06,0.63±0.06,0.91±0.09 and 1.30±0.13,respectively.There were significant differences of above indexes between the model group with the normal,experimental and combined groups(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Montmorillonite powder combined with probiotics can improve fecal properties,reduce serum inflammatory factors and correct intestinal flora disorders in neonatal rats with RV infection,which may be related to improving the expressions of intestinal A QP2,AQP4 and AQP8.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics of induced labor in twin pregnancy and the related factors of induced labor failure. Methods: The clinical data of twin pregnant women who underwent induced labor in Peking University Third Hospital from January 2016 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. According to whether they had labor or not after induction, pregnant women were divided into the success group (pregnant women who had labor after induction, 72 cases) and the failure group (pregnant women who did not have labor after induction, 30 cases). Logistic regression was used to analyze the related factors of induction failure in twin pregnant women. Results: The parity and cervical Bishop score in the failure group were significantly lower than those in the success group, while the proportion of dichorionic diamniotic twins, assisted reproductive technology pregnancy and cervical Bishop score <6, postpartum hospital stay and total hospital stay in the failure group were significantly higher than those in the success group (all P<0.05). The proportion of induced labor by artificial rupture of membranes ± oxytocin intravenous infusion in the success group was 72.2% (52/72), which was significantly higher than that in the failure group (46.7%, 14/30; P=0.030). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the gestational age at delivery, the incidence of severe postpartum hemorrhage and blood transfusion, the amount of postpartum hemorrhage, the neonatal weight of two fetuses, the incidence of neonatal asphyxia, and the proportion of neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit (all P>0.05). There were no severe perineal laceration and hysterectomy in all pregnant women. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that primipara (OR=3.064, 95%CI: 1.112-8.443; P=0.030) and cervical Bishop score <6 (OR=5.208, 95%CI: 2.008-13.508; P=0.001) were the independent risk factors for induction failure in twin pregnancy. Conclusions: Elective induction of labor in twin pregnancy is safe and feasible. It is helpful to improve the success rate of induction of labor by strictly grasping the timing and indications of termination of pregnancy, choosing the appropriate method of induction according to the condition of the cervix, and actively promoting cervical ripening .
Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnancy, Twin ; Postpartum Hemorrhage/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Labor, Induced/methods* ; Cervical Ripening

Humans ; Adolescent ; Fractures, Avulsion ; Fractures, Bone ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Ischium/surgery*

Objective : To study the effect of deep learning applied to the assisted diagnosis of radiolucent lesions and radiopaque lesions of the jaws in panoramic radiography and to reduce the missed diagnosis, with early screening to assist doctors to improve the diagnostic accuracy. Methods: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the West China Stomatological Hospital of Sichuan University. The YOLO v8m-p2 neural network model was constructed with 443 panoramic images as a subject to read. The labeled images were divided into 354 training sets, 45 verification sets, and 44 test sets, which were used for model training, verification, and testing. Accuracy, recall, F-1 score, G score, and mAP50 were used to evaluate the detection performance of the model. Results: 443 panoramic images covered the common benign lesions of the jaw, the number of radiolucent lesions of the jaw was 318, containing dentigerous cyst, odontogenic keratocyst, and ameloblastoma. The number of radiopaque lesions was 145, containing idiopathic osteosclerosis, odontoma, cementoma, and cemento-osseous dysplasia; the samples are well representative. The accuracy of the YOLO v8m-p2 neural network model in identifying jaw lesions was 0.887, and the recall, F-1 score, G score, and mAP50 were 0.860, 0.873, 0.873, and 0.863, respectively. The recall rates of dentigerous cyst, odontogenic keratocyst, and ameloblastoma were 0.833, 0.941, and 0.875, respectively. Conclusion YOLO v8m-p2 neural network model has good diagnostic performance in preliminary detection of radiolucent and radiopaque lesions of the jaws in panoramic radiography and multi-classification monitoring of radiolucent lesions of jaws, which can assist doctors to screen jaw diseases in panoramic radiography.

3ʹ-Hydroxy-4ʹ-methoxy-2-hydroxy-5-bromochalcone (hereinafter referred to as C13) is a novel chalcone derivative obtained in the process of structural modification of DHMMF, the antitumor active compound of Resina Draconis, in our laboratory. In this study, we investigated the effects of C13 on the proliferation and apoptosis of human gastric cancer HGC-27 and AGS cells and its potential mechanism of action. Firstly, through methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT), colony formation assay, and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining, we found that C13 inhibited the proliferation ability of human gastric cancer HGC-27 and AGS cells. Using flow cytometry and Western blot, it was found that C13 induced apoptosis in human gastric cancer HGC-27 and AGS cells, and up-regulated the protein level of cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase (cleaved-PARP). The results of RNA sequencing analysis showed that the Erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4/phosphoinositide 3-kinases/AKT (ErbB4/PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway may be involved in anti-gastric cancer activity of C13. Finally, the results of immunoblotting assay showed that C13 treatment down-regulated the protein levels of ErbB4 and phospho-ErbB4, as well as down-regulated the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and AKT in human gastric cancer HGC-27 and AGS cells, which verified the results from RNA-seq analysis. In conclusion, C13 inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis of human gastric cancer cells, which may be related to the down-regulation of ErbB4/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. This study may provide a candidate drug for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Four furan α-butenolactones were isolated from 50% acetone extract of tuber of Alisma orientale by silica gel column, chromatography gel column and high performance liquid chromatography techniques. Their structures were identified by modern wave spectroscopy techniques and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) and assigned as (5R)-5-hydroxy-3,4-dimethylfuran-2(5H)-one (1), 5-hydroxy-3,5-dimethylfuran-2(5H)-one (2), 5-hydroxy-4-(1-methylethyl)-2(5H)-furanone (3) and alismanoid A (4). Compound 1 was new compound and compounds 2–4 were first isolated from Alisma orientale. Compound 1-4 had potential antifibrotic activities.