Objective: To explore the association between mental health and muscle strength among Chinese adolescents aged 13- 18, providing a theoretical foundation and intervention strategies for mental health promotion. Methods: Data were obtained from the 2019 Chinese National Survey on Students Constitution and Health, including 98 631 Chinese adolescents aged 13- 18. Psychological distress was assessed by using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10), and mental well being was measured with the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well being Scale (WEMWBS). Based on the gender and age specific Z scores of various test items [grip strength, standing long jump, pull ups (for males), and sit ups (for females)], muscle strength index (MSI) was constructed to evaluate the comprehensive level of muscle strength in adolescents. According to the Dual factor Model (DFM) of mental health, participants were categorized into four groups:troubled, symptomatic but content, vulnerable, and complete mental health. Gender differences were analyzed by using Chi-square tests, trends were tested with Cochran-Armitage tests, and multinomial Logistic regression models were applied to assess associations between muscle strength and mental health among adolescents. Results: In 2019, 37.4% of Chinese adolescents aged 13-18 were reported of high mental distress, and 59.9% were reported of low mental well being. Boys had significantly lower rates of high mental distress (35.3%) and low mental well being (55.6%) compared to girls (39.4%, 64.3%), and the differences were of statistical significance ( χ 2=176.13, 780.42, both P <0.05). In 2019, the rate of complete mental health among adolescents showed a downward trend with increasing age ( χ 2 trend = 258.47) and a gradual upward trend with increasing muscle strength levels ( χ 2 trend =123.14)，and both boys and girls exhibited similar trends ( χ 2 trend =103.83, 168.46; 57.00 , 67.34) (all P <0.05). The results of the unordered multiclass Logistic regression model showed that after controlling for confounding factors such as age and gender, when the completely pathological group as a reference, for every 1 unit increase in MSI in adolescents, the likelihood of being in a completely mental health state increased by 29% ( OR = 1.29); for every unit increase in the Z-score for pull ups, the likelihood of being in a completely mental health state increased by 6% ( OR =1.06) among boys; for every 1 unit increase in sit up Z score, the likelihood of being in a completely mental health state increased by 19% ( OR =1.19) among girls (all P <0.05). Conclusions The mental health status of Chinese adolescents is not good enough. Muscle strength is positively associated with mental health.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the mechanism by which Tougu Xiaotong Capsule (TXC) promotes chondrogenic differentiation and cartilage repair in mice with osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: Fifty 8-week-old male C57BL mice were randomly divided into normal control group, cartilage damage (induced by subchondral ring-shaped drilling) model group and TXC treatment groups at low, moderate and high doses (184, 368 and 736 mg/kg, respectively). Saline (in normal control and model groups) and TXC were administered after modeling by daily gavage for 6 consecutive weeks. The changes of cartilage damage in the mice were assessed by measuring thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) and mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and using micro-CT, modified safranine O and fast green staining, HE staining, and qPCR. Primary cultures of mouse synovial mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs) with lentivirus vector transfection for interfering CXCL12, TXC treatment, or both for 24 h were examined for chondrogenic differentiation using immunofluorescence staining, scratch assay, immunocytochemistry, and Western blotting. RESULTS: In mouse models with cartilage damage, TXC treatment at the moderate dose significantly alleviated joint pain, promoted cartilage repair, and upregulated the mRNA expression levels of CXCL12, GDF5, collagen II, aggrecan, Comp and Sox9 in the cartilage tissue. In primary mouse SMSCs, CXCL12 knockdown resulted in significant reduction of GDF5 protein expression, migration ability and Sox9 protein expression, and these changes were obviously reversed by TXC treatment. CONCLUSIONS TXC promotes chondrogenic differentiation of mouse SMSCs to promote repair of cartilage damage in mice by activating the CXCL12/GDF5 pathway.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Osteoarthritis/metabolism* ; Male ; Growth Differentiation Factor 5/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice ; Chemokine CXCL12/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Cartilage, Articular/drug effects* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology*

Cancer ranks as the second leading cause of death globally and has surpassed cardiovascular diseases to become the primary cause of mortality in developed countries. Cancer stem cells (CSCs), which play crucial roles in cancer recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance, have attracted significant attention in targeted therapeutic strategies. Aptamers, with unique three-dimensional structures capable of specifically recognizing the surface markers of CSCs, show promising potential in targeted drug delivery systems. Compared with conventional antibodies, aptamers are praised for small molecular weights, low production costs, and easy chemical modification. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in aptamer research targeting the surface markers of CSCs, with particular emphasis on aptamer-drug conjugate systems targeting the markers including EpCAM, CD133, CD44, and ABCG2. Both in vitro cellular studies and in vivo animal models have demonstrated the definite anti-cancer efficacy of aptamer-based drug delivery systems, which are of great significance to develop novel therapeutic strategies and improving the therapeutic effects of CSC-targeted treatment. Thus, aptamer-based drug delivery system has broad application prospects in the field of precise cancer treatment.
Humans ; Neoplastic Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Aptamers, Nucleotide/therapeutic use* ; Drug Delivery Systems/methods* ; Neoplasms/drug therapy* ; Biomarkers, Tumor/metabolism* ; Animals ; Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule ; AC133 Antigen ; Hyaluronan Receptors

AIM:To investigate the mechanism by which N6-methyladenosine(m6A)methylase methyltrans-ferase-like protein 3(METTL3)regulates the differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)into adipocytes in vitro.METHODS:Lentiviral vectors of METTL3,AKT serine/threonine kinase 1(AKT1),peroxisome pro-liferator-activated receptor γ(PPARγ)and YTH m6A RNA binding protein F2(YTHDF2)were constructed to package lentiviral particles and used to infect MSCs.A human bone MSC adipogenic differentiation kit was used to induce the MSCs into adipocytes.Additionally,the adipocytes were stained by oil red O.The recombinant vector of METTL3 mutant was constructed using molecular cloning to confirm the regulatory effect of the key site of m6A in METTL3 on the target genes.Actinomycin D was applied to MSCs with overexpression of YTHDF2 to evaluate the effect of YTHDF2 recognition on the mRNA and protein expression of AKT1.The RNA pull-down assay combined with silver staining and Western blot were used to detect the binding of potentially methylated fragments to recognized proteins.RESULTS:METTL3 inhibited the adipogenesis of MSCs in an AKT1/PPARγ-dependent manner,and mediated the protein expression of AKT1 in an m6A-YTHDF2-dependent manner.YTHDF2 recognized and bound to coding sequence(CDS)of m6A-AKT1,and reduced its expression,which inhibited the adipogenesis of MSCs.CONCLUSION:The m6A methylase METTL3 regulates the adipo-genic differentiation of human bone marrow MSCs through YTHDF2/AKT1/PPARγ,providing a theoretical basis for the identification of new targets for acute myeloid leukemia treatment from the perspective of tumor microenvironment.

Objective To explore the value of pelvic CT angiography(CTA)digital three-dimensional reconstruction model(abbreviated as"three-dimensional model")in the diagnosis of female pelvic mass.Methods A total of 98 patients with pelvic mass who were hospitalized and operated in Xi'an People's Hos-pital(Xi'an Fourth Hospital)from January 2021 to April 2023 were selected.All patients underwent B-ultra-sound and CTA examination before operation,and the original data of CTA were collected.The digital three-dimensional model of pelvic mass was established by three-dimensional reconstruction software,and the source of pelvic mass was judged according to the blood supply of pelvic mass.Taking postoperative pathological di-agnosis as the gold standard,the coincidence rate between different preoperative diagnosis methods(B-ultra-sound,CTA examination and three-dimensional model)was compared.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was plotted to evaluate the efficacy of different preoperative diagnostic methods in judging the ovarian origin of pelvic tumors.Results A total of 130 pelvic masses were included in 98 patients,and the average maximum diameter of the mass was(71.61±3.03)mm,including 83 ovarian masses and 47 non-ovarian masses.Taking postoperative pathological diagnosis as the gold standard,the diagnostic coincidence rate of the preoperative three-dimensional model was 72.31％,which was higher than that of B-ultrasound(58.46％)and CTA(52.31％),and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.001).The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value,negative predictive value,accuracy,Kappa value,and area under the ROC curve were 79.51％,91.49％,94.29％,71.67％,83.85％,0.67 and 0.855,respectively,when the three-dimensional model showed that the blood supply of the mass originated from ovarian artery or uterine artery-ovarian branch.Conclusion The three-dimensional model of pelvic CTA can directly display the blood supply source,characteristics of mass,and the relationship between mass and adjacent organs,which can guide the clinical treatment.It has certain clinical value to judge the ovarian origin of pelvic mass by using ovarian artery and uterine artery-ovarian branch.

Objective To observe the effects of electroacupuncture on the motor function and mitochondrial dynamics of skeletal muscle of SAMP8 mice;To explore the mechanism of electroacupuncture in improving the motor dysfunction of Alzheimer disease(AD)from the perspective of mitochondrial dynamics.Methods Totally 18 SAMP8 mice were divided into model group and electroacupuncture group,with 9 mice in each group,and the SAMR1 mice with the same age were set as control group."Baihui","Dazhui"and"Shenshu"were selected in the electroacupuncture group,and electroacupuncture was performed daily for 20 min,8 d as a course of treatment.Each course of treatment was separated by 2 d,for a total of 3 courses of treatment.The model group and the control group were not intervened.The motor function of mice was tested by grip strength test,suspension test,hind limb extension test and Morris water maze experiment.The morphology and structure of gastrocnemius were observed by HE staining,ATP content in gastrocnemius was determined by colorimetry,the mRNA expression of optic atrophy 1(OPA1),mitofusin 2(MFN2)and dynamin-related protein 1(DRP1)in gastrocnemius were detected by real-time quantitative PCR,the expressions of OPA1,MFN2 and DRP1 in gastrocnemius were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with the control group,the grip strength,the score in suspension test,and the average speed and maximum speed of Morris water maze experiment of mice in model group significantly decreased(P<0.01);the arrangement of fibers in the gastrocnemius muscle tissue was disordered,the gaps become wider,and the distribution of nuclei was uneven;the ATP content in the gastrocnemius muscle tissue was significantly decreased(P<0.01),the mRNA and protein expressions of OPA1 and MFN2 were significantly decreased(P<0.01),and the expression of DRP1 mRNA and protein significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the grip strength,the score in suspension test,and the average speed and maximum speed of Morris water maze experiment in electroacupuncture group significantly increased(P<0.01);the arrangement of gastrocnemius muscle tissue was relatively neat,the gaps become narrower,and the distribution of nuclei was more uniform;the ATP content in gastrocnemius muscle tissue significantly increased(P<0.01),while the mRNA and protein expressions of OPA1 and MFN2 significantly increased(P<0.05,P<0.01),the expression of DRP1 mRNA and protein significantly decreased(P<0.01).Conclusion Electroacupuncture can improve the skeletal muscle morphological structure and motor dysfunction of SAMP8 mice,and the mechanism may be related to the correction of skeletal muscle mitochondrial dynamic imbalance and the increase of skeletal muscle ATP content.

The incidence of myopia is increasing year by year and the trend of younger age is obvious. The situation of myopia prevention and control is very serious. The sclera is the target organ for the development of myopia. When myopia occurs and develops, the ultrastructure of the sclera tissue will undergo pathological changes, resulting in a decrease in its tensile strength, then progressive axial growth and posterior sclera expansion. Scleral collagen cross-linking can effectively increase the hardness and tensile strength of scleral tissue, which may have great potential in the prevention and control of myopia, especially pathological myopia. At present, the effectiveness of scleral collagen cross-linking technology in the prevention and treatment of pathological myopia researches are still in the stage of animal experiments, and there are a lot of controversies on the safety. The development of any new technology to ensure safety is the primary condition. A comprehensive understanding of the safety of scleral collagen crosslinking in the prevention and control of myopia can provide more basis and guidance for the further study of scleral collagen crosslinking.

Objective:To analyze the acupoint selection law of acupuncture for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using data mining techniques.Methods:Literature related to acupuncture for ASD was retrieved from the CNKI, SinoMed, VIP, Wanfang, and PubMed databases from the establishment of the databases to April 1, 2022, and then a database of acupuncture prescriptions was established. The frequency analysis of acupoint use was performed using Microsoft Excel 2019; the Apriori algorithm was used to analyze the association law of acupoints/acupoint areas; SPSS 26.0 was used to perform intergroup cluster analysis.Results:A total of 97 relevant articles with 97 acupuncture prescriptions and 98 acupoints/acupoint areas were included. The most frequently used acupoint was Shenmen (HT 7). The acupoint area of Jin's three-needle therapy and the Governor Vessel acupoints are commonly used. The most frequently occurring part of the acupoint/acupoint area was the head, and the most commonly used specific acupoint was the rendezvous acupoint. Association rule analysis yielded 40 groups of acupoints/acupoint areas, and the most commonly used combination was Laogong (PC 8) and Shenmen (HT 7). Four categories were extracted among high-frequency acupoints/acupoint areas by cluster analysis.Conclusion:Acupuncture treatment for ASD mainly selects the head acupoints, mainly selecting the acupoint area of Jin's three-needle therapy and the Governor Vessel acupoints, and paying attention to the use of specific acupoints.

The amygdala is an important hub for regulating emotions and is involved in the pathophysiology of many mental diseases, such as depression and anxiety. Meanwhile, the endocannabinoid system plays a crucial role in regulating emotions and mainly functions through the cannabinoid type-1 receptor (CB₁R), which is strongly expressed in the amygdala of non-human primates (NHPs). However, it remains largely unknown how the CB₁Rs in the amygdala of NHPs regulate mental diseases. Here, we investigated the role of CB₁R by knocking down the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) gene encoding CB₁R in the amygdala of adult marmosets through regional delivery of AAV-SaCas9-gRNA. We found that CB₁R knockdown in the amygdala induced anxiety-like behaviors, including disrupted night sleep, agitated psychomotor activity in new environments, and reduced social desire. Moreover, marmosets with CB₁R-knockdown had up-regulated plasma cortisol levels. These results indicate that the knockdown of CB₁Rs in the amygdala induces anxiety-like behaviors in marmosets, and this may be the mechanism underlying the regulation of anxiety by CB₁Rs in the amygdala of NHPs.
Animals ; Callithrix ; Receptors, Cannabinoid ; Anxiety ; Amygdala ; Cannabinoids ; Phenotype