BACKGROUND:The absence of blood vessels in tendon tissue makes tendon repair challenging.Therefore,improving tendon healing and raising the efficacy of stem cell and other therapeutic cell transplantation after tendon damage have become hotspots for research in both clinical and scientific contexts. OBJECTIVE:The stem cells and gelatin microcarrier scaffold were joined to form tissue engineered stem cells.Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells cultured in gelatin microcarriers were used to investigate the therapeutic impact and mode of action on tendinopathy healing in rats in vitro and In vivo. METHODS:(1)In vitro cell experiments:After seeding human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells with three-dimensional gelatin microcarriers,the cell vitality and survival were assessed.Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells conventionally cultured were cultured as controls.(2)In vivo experiment:Adult SD rats were randomly assigned to normal group,tendinopathy group,2D group(tendinopathy+conventional culture of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells),and 3D group(tendinopathy+gelatin microcarrier three-dimensional culture of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells),with 6 rats in each group.Four weeks after therapy,animal behavior tests and histopathologic morphology of the Achilles tendon was examined. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)In vitro cell experiments:the seeded human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on gelatin microcarriers showed high viability and as time went on,the stem cell proliferation level grew.Compared with the control group,3D stem cell culture preserved cell viability.(2)In vivo experiment:Following a 4-week treatment,the 3D stem cell culture group showed a significant improvement in both functional recovery of the lower limbs and histopathological scores when compared to the tendinopathy group.The 2D stem cell culture group also showed improvement in tendinopathy injury,but its effect is not as much as the 3D stem cell culture group.(3)The outcomes demonstrate that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells cultured with three-dimensional gelatin microcarrier can promote the repair and regeneration of tendon injury tissue,and the repair effect is better than that of conventional human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells.

Objective: To explore the isotemporal substitution effects among different intensities of physical activity within a 10 minute recess period on the mental health of junior high school students, aiming to provide evidence based references for targeted practical interventions. Methods: From May to November 2024, a total of 845 junior high school students from Tianjin,Taiyuan and L Liang in Shaanxi Province,Puyang in Henan Province,Xi an in Shaanxi Province,Quzhou in Zhejiang Province,and Chaoyang in Liaoning Province were selected by using a combination of stratified random sampling and convenience sampling. ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometers was used to measure physical activity during a 10 minute recess period. Mental health status was assessed with the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). An isotemporal substitution model was constructed in 1 minute increments to predict the effects of substituting different physical activity behaviors on students mental health. Results: During recess, sedentary behavior (SB) was predominant among junior high school students, with an average duration of [7.08(5.85,7.98)] minutes, while moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) accounted for the shortest duration at [0.42(0.21,0.85)] minutes. There were statistically significant differences in MVPA,LPA and SB time between students of different genders and grades( Z/H =-9.08,-8.34,-9.51;84.87,126.82,135.27,all P <0.01). Isotemporal substitution analysis, adjusted for gender and age, showed that replacing 1 minute of SB with 1 minute of MVPA significantly improved anxiety levels ( β =-0.29, 95% CI =-0.53 to -0.04) and overall mental health ( β =-0.72, 95% CI =-1.39 to -0.04), with both results reaching statistical significance (both P <0.05). No significant effects were observed for other substitution patterns (both P >0.05). Conclusions Substituting SB with MVPA during a 10 minute recess period exerts a positive impact on the mental health of junior high school students. It is recommended to optimize the daily recess activity structure in schools to enhance students mental well being.

Drug-induced liver injury(DILI)is a common adverse drug reaction in clinical practice,which can lead to acute liver failure and even death in severe cases.In recent years,with the continuous introduction of new drugs and the expansion of their usage,the incidence and mortality rates of DILI have shown an upward trend,posing significant challenges to public health and clinical treatment.Macrophages,as a crucial component of the innate immune system,exhibit high plasticity and heterogeneity.They can polarize into pro-inflammatory M1 type or anti-inflammatory M2 type in response to microenvironmental signals.Research has demonstrated that macrophage polarization plays a central regulatory role in the occurrence and progression of DILI by influencing various processes such as inflammatory responses,cell apoptosis,and tissue repair.This review focuses on elucidating the regulatory mechanisms and roles of macrophage polarization in DILI,providing a theoretical framework for developing precise immunotherapeutic strategies.

Objective To establish a stable and reproducible animal model of abdominal intestinal firearm penetrating injury in a cold high-altitude environment.Methods Twenty landrace pigs were randomly and equally assigned to a low-altitude normal temperature(LN)group and a high-altitude cold(HC)group.The HC group was placed in a cold environment at high altitudes,and the LN group was placed in a normal-temperature environment at low altitudes.They were raised for 48 hours respectively.After anesthesia,they were suspended on the shooting range,and the right lower abdomen of the experimental pigs was shot with a gun.After injury,they were simply bandaged and transported back to the laboratory for observation in the normal temperature environment of the low altitudes.The vital signs and injuries at 0,2,4,8,12 and 24 h and 24 h survival rates of experimental pigs were compared.Laparotomy was immediately performed on the dead pigs and the experimental pigs still alive at 24 h to explore the injuries and observe the pathology of the small intestine and colon.Results The 24 h survival rate of the HC group was 70％,with no statistically significant difference compared to the LN group's 90％(P＞0.05).After the injury,the body temperature of both groups gradually increased.The body temperature of the HC group was significantly higher than the LN group at 0,2,4 and 8 h time points(P＜0.001),and the LN group exceeded the HC group at 24 h(P＜0.05).Both groups showed an initial increase followed by a decrease in heart rate,with the HC group significantly higher than the LN group only at 0 h(P＜0.01),and no statistically significant differences were observed at other time points(P＞0.05).Both groups showed an early increase and later decrease in respiratory rate,with the HC group higher than the LN group at 0,4,8,12 and 24 h(P＜0.05 or P＜0.001).There was no statistically significant difference(P＞0.05)between the HC group and the LN group in small intestine rupture,small intestine contusion,mesenteric injury,colon rupture and wound diameter.The pathology of the small intestine and colon in the HC group showed extensive necrosis and shedding of the mucosa layer,severe congestion and edema of the submucosa,and extensive lymphocyte infiltration.The LN group also showed similar symptoms but to a lesser extent.Conclusion This study established a pig model of abdominal firearm intestinal perforation injury in a cold environment at high-altitudes.The model has strong operability and stable damage,which can provide a reference for subsequent research.

Pyroptosis is an identified programmed cell death that has been highly linked to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) dynamics. However, the crucial proteins for modulating dynamic ER membrane curvature change that trigger pyroptosis are currently not well understood. In this study, a biotin-labeled chemical probe of potent pyroptosis inducer α-mangostin (α-MG) was synthesized. Through protein microarray analysis, reticulon-4 (RTN4/Nogo), a crucial regulator of ER membrane curvature, was identified as a target of α-MG. We observed that chemically induced proteasome degradation of RTN4 by α-MG through recruiting E3 ligase UBR5 significantly enhances the pyroptosis phenotype in cancer cells. Interestingly, the downregulation of RTN4 expression significantly facilitated a dynamic remodeling of ER membrane curvature through a transition from tubules to sheets, consequently leading to rapid fusion of the ER with the cell plasma membrane. In particular, the ER-to-plasma membrane fusion process is supported by the observed translocation of several crucial ER markers to the "bubble" structures of pyroptotic cells. Furthermore, α-MG-induced RTN4 knockdown leads to pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)-dependent conventional caspase-3/gasdermin E (GSDME) cleavages for pyroptosis progression. In vivo, we observed that chemical or genetic RTN4 knockdown significantly inhibited cancer cells growth, which further exhibited an antitumor immune response with anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1). In translational research, RTN4 high expression was closely correlated with the tumor metastasis and death of patients. Taken together, RTN4 plays a fundamental role in inducing pyroptosis through the modulation of ER membrane curvature remodeling, thus representing a prospective druggable target for anticancer immunotherapy.
Pyroptosis/immunology* ; Humans ; Endoplasmic Reticulum/immunology* ; Animals ; Nogo Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors* ; Mice ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Xanthones/pharmacology* ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Mice, Nude

Bacillus mycoides JA20-1 was screened and identified as a biocontrol bacterium with a high capacity for producing volatile organic compounds(VOCs) in the laboratory. This strain had significant inhibitory effects on various postharvest disease pathogens in crops, such as Botrytis cinerea, as well as soil-borne disease pathogens in ginseng, such as Sclerotinia ginseng. In order to accelerate its industrialization process, in this study, single-factor experiments and response surface optimization methods were used. The fermentation medium and fermentation conditions in the shake flask of strain JA20-1 were systematically optimized by using cell production volume as the response variable. Meanwhile, the biocontrol effect of JA20-1 on B. cinerea of ginseng during the storage period was evaluated by using the method of fumigation in a dry dish in vitro. The results indicated that the optimal fermentation medium formulation for strain JA20-1 was as follows: 1% yeast paste, 1% soluble starch, 0.25% K_2HPO_4·3H_2O, and 0.2% NaCl. The optimal fermentation conditions in the shake flask were vaccination size of 3%, culture volume of 50 mL in a 250 mL Erlenmeyer flask, pH of 6.2, fermentation temperature of 34 ℃, shaking speed of 180 r·min~(-1), and incubation time of 18 hours. The bacteria count in the fermentation broth under these conditions reached 2.17 × 10~8 CFU·mL~(-1), which was 6.58 times higher than before. The average control efficacy of the fermentation broth on Botrytis cinerea of ginseng under in vitro fumigation reached 61.70% and 84.04% respectively, when 20 mL and 30 mL per dish were used. The research provided theoretical support and technical foundation for the development and utilization of Bacillus mycoides JA20-1 and the biocontrol of soil-borne diseases in ginseng and postharvest diseases in crops.
Botrytis/drug effects* ; Fermentation ; Panax/microbiology* ; Plant Diseases/prevention & control* ; Volatile Organic Compounds/metabolism* ; Bacillus/physiology* ; Pest Control, Biological/methods* ; Biological Control Agents/metabolism* ; Culture Media/chemistry*

This study investigated the effect of Wuling San on transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1)-induced fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress in human renal tubular epithelial cells(HK-2) and its mechanism of antioxidant stress injury. HK-2 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into a control group, a TGF-β1 model group, and three treatment groups receiving Wuling San-containing serum at low(2.5%), medium(5.0%), and high(10.0%) doses. TGF-β1 was used to establish the model in all groups except the control group. CCK-8 was used to analyze the effect of different concentrations of Wuling San on the activity of HK-2 cells with or without TGF-β1 stimulation. The expression of key fibrosis molecules, including actin alpha 2(Acta2), collagen type Ⅰ alpha 1 chain(Col1α1), collagen type Ⅲ alpha 1 chain(Col3α1), TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 1(Timp1), and fibronectin 1(Fn1), was detected using qPCR. The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), interleukin-8(IL-8), and interleukin-4(IL-4), were measured using ELISA kits. Glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px), malondialdehyde(MDA), catalase(CAT), and superoxide dismutase(SOD) biochemical kits were used to analyze the effect of Wuling San on TGF-β1-induced oxidative stress injury in HK-2 cells, and the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2), heme oxygenase 1(HO-1), and NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1) was analyzed by qPCR and immunofluorescence. The CCK-8 results indicated that the optimal administration concentrations of Wuling San were 2.5%, 5.0%, and 10.0%. Compared with the control group, the TGF-β1 model group showed significantly increased levels of key fibrosis molecules(Acta2, Col1α1, Col3α1, Timp1, and Fn1) and inflammatory cytokines(TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-4). In contrast, the Wuling San administration groups were able to dose-dependently inhibit the expression levels of key fibrosis molecules and inflammatory cytokines compared with the TGF-β1 model group. Wuling San significantly increased the activities of GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD enzymes in TGF-β1-stimulated HK-2 cells and significantly inhibited the level of MDA. Furthermore, compared with the control group, the TGF-β1 model group exhibited a significant reduction in the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1 genes and proteins. After Wuling San intervention, the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1 genes and proteins was significantly increased. Correlation analysis showed that antioxidant stress enzymes(GSH-Px, CAT, and SOD) and Nrf2 signaling were significantly negatively correlated with key fibrosis molecules and inflammatory cytokines in the TGF-β1-stimulated HK-2 cell model. In conclusion, Wuling San can inhibit TGF-β1-induced fibrosis in HK-2 cells by activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway, improving oxidative stress injury, and reducing inflammation.
Humans ; Oxidative Stress/drug effects* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Fibrosis/genetics* ; Cell Line ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Epithelial Cells/immunology* ; Inflammation/metabolism*

BACKGROUND: Blood glucose and serum albumin have been associated with cardiovascular disease prognosis, but the impact of admission-blood-glucose-to-albumin ratio (AAR) on adverse outcomes in critical ill coronary artery disease (CAD) patients was not investigated. METHODS: Patients diagnosed with CAD were non-consecutively selected from the MIMIC-IV database and categorized into quartiles based on their AAR. The primary outcome was 1-year mortality, and secondary endpoints were in-hospital mortality, acute kidney injury (AKI), and renal replacement therapy (RRT). A restricted cubic splines model and Cox proportional hazard models assessed the association between AAR and adverse outcomes in CAD patients. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis determined differences in endpoints across subgroups. RESULTS: A total of 8360 patients were included. There were 726 patients (8.7%) died in the hospital and 1944 patients (23%) died at 1 year. The incidence of AKI and RRT was 63% and 4.3%, respectively. High AAR was markedly associated with in-hospital mortality (HR = 1.587, P = 0.003), 1-year mortality (HR = 1.502, P < 0.001), AKI incidence (HR = 1.579, P < 0.001), and RRT (HR = 1.640, P < 0.016) in CAD patients in the completely adjusted Cox proportional hazard model. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis noted substantial differences in all endpoints based on AAR quartiles. Stratified analysis and interaction test demonstrated stable correlations between AAR and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS The results highlight that AAR may be a potential indicator for assessing in-hospital mortality, 1-year mortality, and adverse renal prognosis in critical CAD patients.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is one of the most common diseases in elderly men, the incidence of which gradually increases with age and leads to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) are widely used for the treatment of BPH in China and some other countries. To explore the molecular mechanisms of CHMs for BPH, we conducted a review based on peer-reviewed English-language publications in PubMed and Web of Science databases from inception to December 31, 2023. This article primarily reviewed 32 papers on the use of CHMs and its active compounds in the treatment of BPH, covering animal and cell experiments, and identified relevant mechanisms of action. The results suggest that the mechanisms of action of CHMs in treating BPH may involve the regulation of sex hormones, downregulation of cell growth factors, anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects, inhibition of cell proliferation, and promotion of apoptosis. CHMs also exhibit α-blocker-like effects, with the potential to relax urethral smooth muscle and alleviate LUTS. Additionally, we also reviewed 4 clinical trials and meta-analyses of CHMs for the treatment of BPH patients, which provided initial evidence of the safety and effectiveness of CHMs treatment. CHMs treatment for BPH shows advantages as a multi-component, multi-target, and multi-pathway therapy, which can mitigate the severity of the disease, improve LUTS, and may become a reliable treatment option in the future.
Prostatic Hyperplasia/drug therapy* ; Humans ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Male ; Animals