Microglia, the resident immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS), rapidly transition from a resting to an active state in the acute phase of ischemic brain injury. This active state mediates a pro-inflammatory response that can exacerbate the injury. Targeting the pro-inflammatory response of microglia in the semi-dark band during this acute phase may effectively reduce brain injury. Shionone (SH), an active ingredient extracted from the dried roots and rhizomes of the genus Aster (Asteraceae), has been reported to regulate the inflammatory response of macrophages in sepsis-induced acute lung injury. However, its function in post-stroke neuroinflammation, particularly microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, remains uninvestigated. This study found that SH significantly inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced elevation of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), in microglia in vitro. Furthermore, the results demonstrated that SH alleviated infarct volume and improved behavioral performance in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mice, which may be attributed to the inhibition of the microglial inflammatory response induced by SH treatment. Mechanistically, SH potently inhibited the phosphorylation of serine-threonine protein kinase B (AKT), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). These findings suggest that SH may be a potential therapeutic agent for relieving ischemic stroke (IS) by alleviating microglia-associated neuroinflammation.
Animals ; Microglia/immunology* ; Mice ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Brain Ischemia/immunology* ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/drug therapy* ; Neuroprotective Agents/administration & dosage* ; Interleukin-1beta/genetics* ; STAT3 Transcription Factor/genetics* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/immunology* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II/genetics* ; Lipopolysaccharides

Objective:To assess the prognostic value of methylation of interferon regulatory factor 6 ( IRF6) gene promoter in patients diagnosed with Kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC). Methods:The primary lesions of fifty KIRC patients who were diagnosed at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2016 to January 2020 were collected. The expression of IRF6 protein was determined with an immunohistochemical method. The correlation between the level of IRF6 expression and survival and/or metastasis status was analyzed. The mRNA and protein levels of the IRF6 in KIRC and normal renal tissues were compared by using bioinformatic tools. The difference in the methylation rate of the IRF6 gene promoter between tumor and adjacent tissues was analyzed by searching the online databases. Statistical analysis was carried out for the methylation status of the IRF6 gene promoter region to select those negatively correlated with the overall survival (OS) among the patients. In vitro experiments were conducted with cell lines to verify the correlation between the status of promoter methylation and transcription level of the IRF6 gene. Results:The mRNA and protein levels of the IRF6 gene in KIRC tissues were significantly lower than those of the normal controls, and this was more prominent in patients who had died or developed metastasis. The extent of IRF6 gene promoter methylation in the KIRC tissues was much higher compared with that of the adjacent normal renal tissues. There was a significant negative correlation between the methylation of the IRF6 gene promoter and mRNA level of the IRF6 ( R= -0.52). The higher methylation degree in the IRF6 gene promoter regions cg12034118 and cg16030177, the shorter the OS and worse prognosis in the patients. Only twenty CpG sites in cg12034118 were confirmed to be highly methylated in KIRC cell lines. The transcription level of the IRF6 gene was upregulated in a time- and dose-dependent manner after the treatment with demethylation reagent 5-azadeoxycytidine. Conclusion:The methylation of IRF6 gene promoter in the renal tissues of KIRC patients is closely correlated with the OS. Cg12034118 may provide a promising biomarker for laboratory detection, and its high methylation rate has certain reference value for the prognosis.

Objective This study was to develop a"Spleen Deficiency Certificate Scale for County Residents"and test its reliability.It was then developed as an objective tool for Chinese medicine evidence and symptoms for the prevention and control of chronic diseases among county residents.Methods The scale was compiled based on the team's previous foundation.The reliability of the scale was evaluated using internal consistency reliability and split-half reliability,while its validity was evaluated using structural validity,content validity,calibration validity,and discriminant validity.Results The study included 213 adults from Lanxi,of whom 155 were tested for intestinal flora.Seven scale entries were identified:Fatigue,fear of cold,bland mouth,loss of appetite,diarrhea,weak bowel movements,and tooth-marked tongue.In the reliability test,Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.828 and McDonald's ω coefficient was 0.825.The"stomach pain"and"bloating"entries did not meet the inclusion requirements and were recommended to be deleted.The Spearman-Brown coefficient was 0.839.The exploratory factor analysis of the two common factors explained 61.6%of the cumulative variance.The calibration validity indicated that the ratio of salivary amylase activity before and after acid stimulation was 0.826±0.253 in the group with spleen deficiency.Significant differences(P<0.05)in the genera Dialister,Shigella,Leuconostoc,Photobacterium,Trabulsiella,and Parvimonas between the spleen deficiency group and the non-spleen deficiency group.Conclusion The Spleen Deficiency Scale for County Residents demonstrates good reliability and validity.

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion leads to white matter injury (WMI), which subsequently causes neurodegeneration and even cognitive impairment. However, due to the lack of treatment specifically for WMI, novel recognized and effective therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. In this study, we found that honokiol and magnolol, two compounds derived from Magnolia officinalis, significantly facilitated the differentiation of primary oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) into mature oligodendrocytes, with a more prominent effect of the former compound. Moreover, our results demonstrated that honokiol treatment improved myelin injury, induced mature oligodendrocyte protein expression, attenuated cognitive decline, promoted oligodendrocyte regeneration, and inhibited astrocytic activation in the bilateral carotid artery stenosis model. Mechanistically, honokiol increased the phosphorylation of serine/threonine kinase (Akt) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) by activating cannabinoid receptor 1 during OPC differentiation. Collectively, our study indicates that honokiol might serve as a potential treatment for WMI in chronic cerebral ischemia.
Magnolia ; White Matter ; Brain Ischemia/metabolism* ; Oligodendroglia/metabolism*

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the landscape of cancer treatment. However, single immunotherapy only works well in a small subset of patients. Combined immunotherapy with antitumor synergism holds considerable potential to boost the therapeutic outcome. Nevertheless, the synergistic, additive or antagonistic antitumor effects of combined immunotherapies have been rarely explored. Herein, we established a novel combined cancer treatment modality by synergizing p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) silencing with immunogenic phototherapy in engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs) that were fabricated by coating M1 macrophage-derived EVs on the surface of the nano-complex cores assembled with siRNA against PAK4 and a photoactivatable polyethyleneimine. The engineered EVs induced potent PAK4 silencing and robust immunogenic phototherapy, thus contributing to effective antitumor effects in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the antitumor synergism of the combined treatment was quantitatively determined by the CompuSyn method. The combination index (CI) and isobologram results confirmed that there was an antitumor synergism for the combined treatment. Furthermore, the dose reduction index (DRI) showed favorable dose reduction, revealing lower toxicity and higher biocompatibility of the engineered EVs. Collectively, the study presents a synergistically potentiated cancer treatment modality by combining PAK4 silencing with immunogenic phototherapy in engineered EVs, which is promising for boosting the therapeutic outcome of cancer immunotherapy.

Objective:To compare the prognosis and complications of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) followed by ileal neobladder.Methods:The clinical data of 103 patients who underwent orthotopic ileal neobladder in Jiangsu Province Hospital from April 2010 to October 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 51 MIBC patients and 52 NMIBC patients. In the MIBC group, there were 49 males and 2 females, aged (58.1 ± 8.9) years, with American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 1-2 in 48 cases and 3 in 3 cases. Open radical cystectomy (ORC) was performed in 2 cases, laparoscopic (LRC) in 34 cases and robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) in 15 cases. In the NMIBC group, there were 49 males and 3 females, aged (55.7 ± 9.9) years, ASA score of 1-2 in 51 cases and ASA score of 3 in 1 case. LRC was performed in 41 cases, and RARC in 11 cases. There were no statistically differences between the two groups in above indicators ( P>0.05). The Clavien-Dindo grading system (CCS) was used to assess the complications, defining CCS Ⅰ-Ⅱ as mild complications and CCS Ⅲ-Ⅴ as severe complications. According to their relationship to the neobladder, complications were be classified as neobladder-related and non-neobladder-related complications. The occurrence of complications and the prognosis of neobladder between MIBC and NMIBC were compared. Results:The average operation time of the MIBC group and NMIBC group were (421.2 ± 119.7) min vs. (439.8 ± 106.2) min. The blood loss were 400 (300, 700) ml vs. 400 (300, 625) ml. The frequency of lymph nodes removed were (14.9 ± 8.3) vs. (14.8 ± 8.5). The postoperative defecation time were 5 (4, 6) d vs. 5 (3, 6) d. And the postoperative hospital stay were 20 (15, 28) d vs. 22 (19, 28) d. There were no statistically differences between the two groups in above indicators ( P>0.05). The MIBC group had a significantly lower rate of pelvic lymph node metastasis [17.6% (9/51) vs. 0(0/52), P=0.001] and tumor thrombosis [23.5% (12/51) vs. 5.8% (3/51), P=0.011] than the MIBC group. Moreover, the NMIBC group had a considerably superior 5-year overall survival (OS) (97.6% vs. 70.2%, P=0.035). The proportion of pads needed in the daytime of the MIBC group and NMIBC group were 14.6% (7/46) vs. 6.7% (3/45). The frequency of urination were (2.0 ± 0.7) h vs. (2.4 ± 0.7) h. Furthermore, The proportion of pads needed at night were 47.9% (23/48) vs. 53.3% (24/45). The frequency of nocturnal urination were 3.1±1.5 vs. 2.3 ± 1.7. And the number of pads needed at night were all 1 (0, 1) pad. The daytime and nighttime incontinence rate were 25.0% (12/48) and 62.5% (30/48) respectively in MIBC, compared to 11.1% (5/45) and 62.2% (28/45) respectively in NMIBC. And the proportion of erectile function retention were 15.8% (6/38) vs. 25.0% (10/40). There were no statistically significant differences in the prognosis of neobladder function between the two groups ( P>0.05). Furthermore, the proportions of mild complications in the MIBC group and NMIBC group were [41.2% (21/51) vs. 51.9 (27/52)]. The proportions of severe complications were [21.6% (11/51) vs. 19.2% (27/52)]. The proportions of neobladder-related complications were [27.5% (14/51) vs. 25.0% (13/52)]. And the proportions of non-neobladder-related complications were [39.2% (20/51) vs. 25.0% (13/52)]. There were no statistically significant differences in the complications between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:There was no statistically significant difference in functional prognosis and complications of neobladder between MIBC group and NMIBC group, and NMIBC had a better oncologic prognosis.

Object:To investigate the impact of carbon nanoparticle tracing on the number of lymph nodes harvested in obese patients during radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer.Methods:Clinical data of 127 patients undergoing D 2 radical gastrectomy in the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Zhengzhou University from Jan 2015 to Dec 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. According to whether the patients were injected with carbon nano particles during operation, they were divided into two groups: 64 patients without carbon nano particles during operation served as control group; 63 patients with carbon nano particles were included into experimental group. Results:The operation time of the control group was (160±31) min and that of the experimental group was (168±28) min ( t=-1.521, P=0.445). Intraoperative blood lose in the control group was (234±82) ml and that in the experimental group was (238±84) ml ( t=-0.295, P=0.846). The number of lymph nodes harvested in the first station, in the second station, the number of total lymph nodes and the number of lymph nodes with diameter <5 mm in the control group were less than those in the experimental group(10.4±3.8 vs. 24.5±10.6, t=-10.054),(6.6±2.8 vs. 16.8±7.3, t=-10.381),(17.1±6.4 vs. 41.2±17.6, t=-10.293),(3.9±2.5 vs. 21.2±9.1, t=-14.662) (all P<0.05), while the number of positive lymph nodes was not statistically different between the two groups all (5.9±6.2 vs. 4.2±3.4, t=-1.963, P>0.05). Black staining of lymph nodes in nano carbon group: 1 542 black stained lymph nodes were detected in the experimental group, the black staining rate of lymph nodes was 59.44% (1 542/2 594). Conclusion:Intraoperative application of carbon nanoparticles can significantly increase the number of harvested lymph nodes in obese (BMI≥25 kg/m 2) gastric cancer patients after radical resection.

OBJECTIVE To compare the effectiveness，safety and economy of bovine pulmonary surfactant （PS） and porcine PS in the treatment of preterm neonates with respiratory distress syndrome （RDS）. METHODS Retrieved from PubMed，Embase， Cochrane Library，CNKI，SinoMed，Wanfang and health technology assessment （HTA） organization websites and relevant database， HTA report，systematic review/meta-analysis and pharmacoeconomic study about bovine PS versus porcine PS in the treatment of preterm neonates with RDS were included from the inception to Feb 2022. Data extraction and quality evaluation were carried out for the included literature，and then research results were summarized and analyzed descriptively. RESULTS A total of 1 HTA report，6 systematic reviews/meta-analyses，and 6 pharmacoeconomic studies were included. There appeared to be no significant differences between bovine PS and porcine PS in terms of time staying in neonatal intensive care unit and extra-pulmonary outcomes. In terms of PS re-treatment，blood gas index，total effective rate and the incidence of patent ductus arteriosus，porcine PS was superior to bovine PS. Results from other indicators，such as mortality， the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia，air leakage syndrome，pulmonary hemorrhage，were still controversial. In terms of economy，there was no statistical difference in average hospital charges and administration cost per dose between two groups （P＞0.05）； compared with porcine PS，mean wastage cost per dose of bovine PS was higher （P＜0.001），and 24 h treatment cost of bovine PS was lower （P＜0.05）； the results of average medication cost were controversial. CONCLUSIONS The effectiveness， safety and economy of bovine PS are found to be similar or inferior to porcine PS. It is not certain whether the inferiority has clinical significance.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) manipulation plus horse-riding squat exercise in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and optimize the combining protocol. Methods: Based on a 2×2 factorial design, 120 eligible KOA patients were randomized into a manipulation group (group A1B2), a manipulation plus horse-riding squat group (group A1B1), a sitting knee-adjustment group (group A2B2 group), and a sitting knee-adjustment plus horse-riding squat group (group A2B1), with 30 cases in each group. The intervention was conducted three times a week, lasting for four weeks. The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) was taken as the major measure for efficacy evaluation (including three component scores, pain, stiffness, and daily function, and total score). Results: The three component scores (pain, stiffness, and daily function) and the total score of WOMAC showed significant differences after the intervention in the four groups (P<0.05). There were significant inter-group differences in the WOMAC stiffness score amongst the four groups after the intervention (P<0.05). In group A1B1, the step length, stride, walking speed, and knee joint flexion angle changed significantly after treatment (P<0.05). After the intervention, the step length changed significantly in group A1B2 (P<0.05), and the walking speed changed significantly in group A2B1 (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the step length, stride, walking speed, or knee joint flexion angle among the four groups (P>0.05). The extensor peak torque at 180 °/s changed significantly in group A1B2 after treatment (P<0.05). Neither the intra-group nor the inter-group comparisons of the four groups revealed significant differences in the other isokinetic muscle strength parameters (P>0.05). The main effect of manipulation showed significant in affecting the WOMAC pain and total scores (P<0.05). The main effect of horse-riding squat exercise showed significant in affecting the WOMAC pain and stiffness scores (P<0.05). Conclusion: The four treatment protocols all can improve the symptoms of KOA, for instance, relieving pain and stiffness, and enhancing daily function. Group A2B1 produces the most eminent effect in relieving joint stiffness. The main effects of both manipulation and horse-riding squat exercise are significant in reducing pain. Besides, the main effect of horse-riding squat exercise is significant in relieving joint stiffness.