Objective To assess the therapeutic efficacy of low-intensity focused ultrasound(LIFU)on knee arthrofibrosis in rats and explore its underlying mechanisms.Methods Fifteen male SD rats(8 weeks old,weighing 250～300 g)were randomly divided into a blank control group,a model group,and an ultrasound treatment group,with 5 animals in each group.Rat model of knee joint stiffness was established in the model and ultrasound treatment group.The rats in the ultrasound group received LIFU intervention(frequency:1 MHz,power:1.5 W,20 min per session,5 times/week)for 4 weeks.The knee ranges of motion(ROM,flexion and extension)were measured in all 3 groups at 0,14 and 28 d after intervention.Histological analysis was conducted for the morphological changes in the posterior capsular area of the knee.After the synovial fibroblasts were primary isolated from rat knee joints,the cells were divided into blank control,LIFU,TGF-β(10 ng/mL),and TGF-β+LIFU groups.Changes in fibrosis-related indicators and the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway were assessed in each group.Results In the animal experiments,LIFU intervention for 14 d resulted in significantly improved flexion-extension ROM in knee joints when compared with the rats in the model group(P<0.05),and the improvement was more obvious at 28 d after intervention(P<0.05).After 28 d of LIFU intervention,the fibrosis of the posterior capsule of the knee joint was notably improved in the ultrasound group than the model group,and the expression levels of fibrosis-related indicators(α-SMA,TGF-β)were decreased(P<0.05).In the cellular experiments,the TGF-β group exhibited remarkable up-regulation of fibrosis-related molecules(α-SMA,COL1A1,COL3A1)at both protein and mRNA levels(P<0.05),and activation of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway when compared to the blank control group.While LIFU intervention inhibited the expression of TGF-β-induced upregulation of fibrotic indicators(α-SMA,COL1A1,COL3A1)and the activation of TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway(P<0.05).Conclusion LIFU can effectively improve knee arthrofibrosis in rats,which potentially through the inhibition of fibroblast activation and modulation of the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the effect of Yes-associated protein(YAP)on intervertebral disc nucleus pulposus cells and its possible mechanism.Methods The relatively normal and degenerative intervertebral disc tissues of patients who underwent lumbar surgery in our hospital from March 2021 to July 2022 were harvested,and then the expression of YAP in the tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry assay and Western blotting.Human primary nucleus pulposus cells were isolated and primarily cultured,and treated with IL-1β to induce degeneration.Then the cells was divided into control group,IL-1β group,IL-1β+LV-YAP group,IL-1β+YAP-siRNA group,and IL-1β+LV-YAP+3-MA group.Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression of the proteins related to extracellular matrix catabolism and autophagy in each group.Finally,a rat model of disc degeneration was established,and the expression of YAP and LC3 and disc degeneration were observed with MRI,Alcian blue staining and immunohistochemistry.Results The expression level of YAP was significantly lower in the degraded disc tissues than the relatively normal disc tissues(P＜0.05).The IL-1β+LV-YAP group had significantly increased protein levels of Collagen Ⅱ,Aggrecan,and LC3-11(P＜0.05),and decreased levels of MMP-3 and MMP-13(P＜0.05)when compared with the cells after IL-1β treatment,whereas the IL-1β+YAP-siRNA group showed the exact opposite effects.What's more,pretreatment with autophagy inhibitor 3-MA resulted in decreased number of GFP-LC3 positive particles and protein levels of Collagen Ⅱ,Aggrecan and LC3-Ⅱ(P＜0.05),and increased protein expression of MMP-3 and MMP-13(P＜0.05)in comparison with the conditions in the IL-1β+LV-YAP group.Furthermore,YAP overexpression promoted LC3 expression and inhibited disc degeneration in rat model of disc degeneration.Conclusion YAP overexpression can inhibit extracellular matrix degradation by promoting autophagy in human nucleus pulposus cells and thus delaying disc degeneration.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting both upper and lower motor neurons (MNs) with large unmet medical needs. Multiple pathological mechanisms are considered to contribute to the progression of ALS, including neuronal oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Honokiol (HNK) has been reported to exert therapeutic effects in several neurologic disease models including ischemia stroke, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Here we found that honokiol also exhibited protective effects in ALS disease models both in vitro and in vivo. Honokiol improved the viability of NSC-34 motor neuron-like cells that expressed the mutant G93A SOD1 proteins (SOD1-G93A cells for short). Mechanistical studies revealed that honokiol alleviated cellular oxidative stress by enhancing glutathione (GSH) synthesis and activating the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2)-antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway. Also, honokiol improved both mitochondrial function and morphology via fine-tuning mitochondrial dynamics in SOD1-G93A cells. Importantly, honokiol extended the lifespan of the SOD1-G93A transgenic mice and improved the motor function. The improvement of antioxidant capacity and mitochondrial function was further confirmed in the spinal cord and gastrocnemius muscle in mice. Overall, honokiol showed promising preclinical potential as a multiple target drug for ALS treatment.

Asthma is a common respiratory disease of children.However, it could be problem during the clinical diagnose and treatment due to the parents unknowing the wheezing and pediatricians may not find positive sign because of intermittent change.A digital monitoring device which can gather and analysis the breath sound leads to the easy of family control.Recently the progresses of digital monitoring device with the technology of artificial intelligence provide an objective way for the chest auscultation and increase the accuracy of diagnose of asthma.Nowadays the technology of the chest auscultation based on artificial intelligence places emphasis on the research of artificial intelligence algorithm, include image processing of the sound spectrum and supportive vector machines.In this paper, the researches and applications of breath sound artificial intelligence algorithm based on digital monitoring device are reviewed.

OBJECTIVE：To study the protective effect of tadehaginoside（TA）on liver fibrosis model mice induced by carbon tetrachloride（CCl4），and to investigate its mechanism. METHODS ：Kunming mice were randomly divided into normal group ， model group ，colchicines group （positive control ，0.2 mg/kg），TA low-dose ，medium-dose and high-dose groups （3，6，12 mg/kg），with 10 mice in each group. Those groups were intraperitoneally injected with 10％ CCl4-olive oil solution （5 mL/kg）to induce liver fibrosis model twice a week ，for consecutive 8 weeks；except that ，the normal group was intraperitoneally injected with olive oil. From 3rd week ，the mice in each administration groups were given relevant medicine intragastrically ，normal group and model group were given constant volume 2％ sodium carboxymethylcellulose solution intragastrically ，once a day ，for consecutive 6 weeks. The contents of ALT ，AST，HA and IL- 6 in serum of mice were test ed by ELISA. The contents of Hyp ， SOD，MDA and GSH-Px in liver tissues were detected by spectrophotometry. mRNA expression of Col- Ⅰ，TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in liver tissue was detected by RT-PCR. The protein expression of MMP- 2 and TGF-β1 in liver tissue was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS ： Compared with normal group，the contents of ALT，AST，HA，IL-6，MDA and Hyp，the mRNA expression of Col- Ⅰ，TIMP-1 and TIMP- 2，as well as the protein exp ression of MMP- 2 and TGF-β1 were increased significantly ，while the contents of SOD and GSH-Px were decreased significantly （P＜0.01）. Compared with model group，the contents of ALT ，AST，HA，IL-6，MDA and Hyp ，the mRNA expression of Col- Ⅰ，TIMP-1 and TIMP- 2，as well as the protein expression of MMP- 2 and TGF-β1were decreased significantly ，while the contents of SOD and GSH-Px were increased significantly（P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS ：TA has a significant protective effect on liver tissue and anti-fibrosis effects in liver fibrosis model mice ，the mechanism of which may be associated with inhibiting lipid peroxidation and collagen synthesis ， down-regulating the mRNA expression of Col- Ⅰ，TIMP-1 and TIMP- 2 as well as the protein expression of MMP- 2 and TGF-β1.

Objective To analyze the status of sleep disorders in patients with functional gastrointestinal disease (FGID) and its relation with symptom characteristics .Methods From January to December 2014 ,questionnaire was carried out in FGID patients who met the Rome Ⅲ criteria and visited the outpatient department of gastroenterology at six third-level general hospitals in Tianjin City to assess the severity of symptoms ,sleep quality (Pittsburgh sleep quality index ,PSQI) ,and psychological state (anxiety and depression) .Chi-square test and Mann-Whitney rank sum test were performed for statistical analysis .Results Among 931 patients with FGID ,651 (69 .92％ ) patients had sleep disorders and 280 (30 .08％ ) patients had no sleep disorders .Among 828 patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) ,360 (43 .48％ ) patients had sleep disorders complicated with and depression .Among 292 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS ) , 138 (47 .26％ ) had sleep disorders complicated with anxiety and depression .Among 618 patients with FD complicated with sleep disorders , 70 (11 .33％ ) patients overlapped with IBS ;among 210 patients with FD ,but without sleep disorder ,11 (5 .24％ ) patients overlapped with IBS and the percentage of the former was higher than the latter ,and the difference was statistically significant (χ2 =6 .580 , P=0 .01) .The proportion of lower abdominal pain ,sheep fecal or hard stool ,laborious defecation or incomplete defecation in FGID patients without sleep disorder were 22 .14％ (62/280) ,11 .79％ (33/280) ,19 .29％ (54/280) and 27 .86％ (78/280) ,respectively ;which were lower than those of FGID patients with sleep disorders (36 .10％ (235/651) ,21 .20％ (138/651) ,32 .41％(211/651) and 44 .39％ (289/651));and the differences were statistically significant (χ2 =17 .552 ,11 .569 , 16 .566 and 22 .419;all P<0 .01) .FGID patients with sleep disorders have more severe symptoms such as lower abdominal pain , lower abdominal discomfort (non-pain ) , sheep fecal or hard stool , laborious defecation incomplete defecation , and urgency than FGID patients without sleep disorders ;and the differences were statistically significant (Z= -4 .423 ,-1 .973 ,-3 .360 ,-4 .467 ,-4 .550 and -2 .420 ;all P<0 .05) . Conclusions Sleep disorders ,anxiety and depression often coexist in patients with FGID .Sleep disorders are closely related with lower gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with FGID .

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly heterogeneous in nature and has been one of the most common cancer types worldwide. To ensure repeatability of identified gene expression patterns and comprehensively annotate the transcriptomes of HCC, we carefully curated 15 public HCC expression datasets that cover around 4000 clinical samples and developed the database HCCDB to serve as a one-stop online resource for exploring HCC gene expression with user-friendly interfaces. The global differential gene expression landscape of HCC was established by analyzing the consistently differentially expressed genes across multiple datasets. Moreover, a 4D metric was proposed to fully characterize the expression pattern of each gene by integrating data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx). To facilitate a comprehensive understanding of gene expression patterns in HCC, HCCDB also provides links to third-party databases on drug, proteomics, and literatures, and graphically displays the results from computational analyses, including differential expression analysis, tissue-specific and tumor-specific expression analysis, survival analysis, and co-expression analysis. HCCDB is freely accessible at http://lifeome.net/database/hccdb.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; Databases, Genetic ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics

Objective To investigate the protective effects of ethanol extracts of Tadehagi triquetrum ( TTOE) on car-bon tetrachloride ( CCl4 )-induced acute liver injury in mice. Methods Kunming mice were randomly divided into six groups:normal control group ( NC group) ,model control group,bifendate dropping pill group,low-,medium-and high-dose TTOE groups. The liver injury model was established by administration of CCl4 in all the groups except the NC group.The indexes of the liver, spleen and thymus were obtained.The activities of serum ALT,AST,ALP,LDH, albumin and T-AOC were measured.The activi-ties of SOD and GSH-PX and the contents of MDA,NO and GSH and Cyt P450 were also detected in hepatic tissues. Results TTOE at different doses could obviously reduce the indexes of the liver,thymus and spleen,which were (57.13±0.71),(32.44± 0.24),and (27.78±0.16),respectively,in high-dose TTOE group,and there were significant differences between the TTOE groups and model control group (P<0.01).The activities of ALT,AST,ALP and LDH were obviously decreased in high-dose TTOE groups,which were (65.59±8.23),(141.38±15.52),(2 462.4±253.6),(172.51±20.64),respectively,in the TTOE high-dose group (P<0.01).The serum levels of Alb and T-AOC were obviously increased,the contents of NO and MDA significantly decreased and the activities of SOD and GSH-PX and the contents of GSH Cyt P450 in liver tissues profoundly increased in TTOE groups when compared with those in model control group ( P<0.05 or P<0.01) . Conclusion TTOE could protect against acute hepatic injury induced by CCl4 in mice,which may be associated with the decrease in the activities of liver enzymes,anti-oxide free radical effect,decreased NO content and inhibited lipid peroxidation.

Objective To observe the porcelain treated with Nd∶YAG laser irradiation and hydrofluoric acid (HF), and to explore the influence of integrated treatment of Nd ∶ YAG laser irradiation and HF etching in the bond strength of brackets to porcelain.Methods 48 metal ceramic prostheses were randomly divided into untreated control group,HF group,grooved treatment group,0.75W laser group,1.05W laser group,1.45W laser group. All samples were bonded to the brackets.After temperature cycling test,the shear bond strength (SBS)and tensile bond strength (TBS)were measured.Results There were significant differences in SBS and TBS between various surface treatment groups and untreated control group (P < 0.01).The SBS and TBS of brackets bonded in HF group was significantly higher than those in 1.05W laser and 1.45W laser groups (P <0.05).The SBS and TBS in 1.05W laser and 1.45W laser groups were higher than those in HF group (P <0.05).The SBS and TBS in 1.05W laser group were higher than those in other groups (P < 0.05).SBS showed positive correlation with TBS (r =0.426,P =0.000).Conclusion The use of Nd∶YAG laser irradiation with the energy parameter of 1.05W and HF could increase the bonding with formation of composite resin,and the more SBS,the more TBS.

Objective:To investigate the effects of hemodialysis f on immune function of patients with end-stage nephropathy associated HBV virus infection.Methods:50 cases of patients with end-stage nephropathy associated HBV virus infection from June 2011 to June 2013 were randomly selected as observation group.50 cases of patients with end-stage renal disease as the control group.Patients in control group and observation group were treated with continuous hemodialysis therapy .24 h urinary protein ,serum al-bumin,blood urea nitrogen and creatinine in control group and observation group before and after treatment were analyzed .The regulatory T lymphocyte ,the CD8+T lymphocytes,perforin and granzyme B in peripheral blood in control group and observation group before and after treatment were analyzed by flow cytometry.Results:After dialysis treatment ,clinical symptoms and laboratory indexes of the two groups were significantly improved ( P<0.05 ).Clinical symptoms and laboratory indexes in control group and observation group after treatment had no statistical difference ( P>0.05 ).There was no significant change of immune function in the control group before and after treatment ( P>0.05 ).But the ratio of Treg cells and CD 8+T lymphocyte in observation group after treatment were sig-nificantly increased than that of before treatment ( P<0.05 ).Before treatment ,the active molecule perforin and granzyme B expression rate of T cells in the peripheral blood of observation group were higher than the control group ( P<0.05 ).After treatment ,Treg cell and CD8+T lymphocyte ratio were significantly decreased as well as perforin and granzyme B expression rate ( P<0.05 ).Conclusion:Compared with control group ,hemodialysis can significantly improve the immune function of the patients with end -stage nephropathy as-sociated HBV virus infection.