OBJECTIVE:Disorders in iron metabolism increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Hepcidin play an important role in maintaining iron homeostasis in the body,but its level increases with increased inflammation.Changes in hepcidin and iron homeostasis and the extent of their association with inflammation in people with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus are unknown.Meta-analysis was used to evaluate the effect of inflammation on serum hepcidin and iron metabolism related parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.METHODS:CNKI,PubMed,Web of Science and EBSCOhost databases were searched by computer to collect observational studies related to inflammatory index and hepcidin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.The search time was from September 1,2000 to September 30,2024.Three researchers independently screened the literature,extracted data and evaluated the quality of the included literature.Meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager 5.3,Stata 17.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0.2 software.RESULTS:A total of 15 articles(17 studies)involving 3 159 participants,including 1 357 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,were included.Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the control group,patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had higher levels of serum hepcidin[standardized mean difference(SMD)=0.35,95％confidence interval(CI)(0.05,0.65),P＜0.05],serum ferritin(SMD=0.49,95％CI(0.21,0.78),P＜0.01)and serum transferrin(SMD=0.19,95％CI(0.00,0.37),P＜0.05).Subgroup analysis results indicated that inflammation had a significant effect on serum hepcidin(SMD=0.76,95％CI(0.17,1.34),P＜0.05)and serum ferritin(SMD=0.77,95％CI(0.06,1.47),P＜0.05)in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.CONCLUSION:Hepcidin concentration is positively correlated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Inflammation is one of the risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Early prevention of inflammation has certain significance in preventing iron metabolism disorder in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the mechanism by which Qiaobai cold compress solution （QBCS） improves acne vulgaris （AV） based on transcriptomics and animal experiments. METHODS Rats were randomly divided into a blank control group （ n ＝6） and a modeling group （ n ＝30）. AV models were established in the modeling group by topical application of oleic acid to the inner surface of both ears， combined with subcutaneous injection of Cutibacterium acnes suspension into the auricle. Successfully modeled rats were further divided into the model group， positive control group （Tretinoin cream， 0.045 g/kg）， and QBCS low-， medium-， high-dose groups [3.55， 7.11， 14.22 g/kg （calculated by the amount of crude drug） ] ， with 6 rats in each group. Rats in each d rug group were treated with the corresponding drugs once daily for 14 consecutive days. After the final administration， changes in the appearance of the ears and histopathological changes in the ear tissues were observed， and serum levels of inflammatory factors， including tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-6 （IL-6） and IL-1β， were measured. Auricular tissues from the blank control group， model group and QBCS medium-dose group were collected for transcriptome sequencing. Differential expressed genes （DEGs） were screened and subjected to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis， followed by validation using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assay. RESULTS Compared with the model group， rats in all QBCS groups showed alleviated auricular acne symptoms， with reduced epidermal thickening， sebaceous gland hyperplasia， and inflammatory cell infiltration. Serum levels of TNF-α （except for the QBCS low-dose group）， IL-6 （except for the QBCS low-dose group） and IL-1β were significantly decreased （ P ＜0.05）. A total of 590 DEGs were identified （blank control group vs. model group）， and 596 DEGs were identified （model group vs. QBCS medium-dose group）. Above DEGs （blank control group vs. model group） were mainly enriched in Toll-like receptor （TLR） and nuclear factor-kappa B （NF-κB） signaling pathways， etc. Validation experiments showed that， compared with model group， low-， medium- and high-dose of QBCS reduced， to varying degrees， the mRNA expression of TNF-α， TLR2， interferon-γ and CXC chemokine ligand 8 in the auricular tissues of AV rats， increased the mRNA expression of peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor gamma and tumor protein 53， and inhibited the phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 protein as well as the expressions of TLR2 and myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88（MyD88） （ P ＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS QBCS can alleviate auricular inflammation and skin lesions in AV rats. This effect may be related to inhibition of the TLR/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway， thereby suppressing the expression of downstream inflammatory factors such as TNF-α.

Objective To explore the causal relationships between 13 micronutrients (copper, selenium, zinc, calcium, folate, iron, magnesium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E) and risk of tuberculosis (TB) through a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study. Methods The Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) data about micronutrients and TB were obtained from the IEU Open GWAS and FinnGen Biobank, and Bayesian Weighted Mendelian Randomization (BWMR) and Inverse Variance Weighted (IVW) methods were employed to explore the causal relationship between micronutrients and risk of TB. The robustness and reliability of the results were assessed through horizontal pleiotropy tests, heterogeneity tests, and leave-one-out sensitivity analyses. Results The BWMR results indicated that iron (OR = 0.40, 95% CI : 0.20- 0.79, P = 0.008) and vitamin C (OR = 0.42, 95% CI : 0.20 - 0.87, P = 0.019) were protective factors against TB infection, while no causal relationships were found between other micronutrients with TB infection. The IVW method produced consistent results with BWMR. The results for other micronutrients were robust and reliable (P > 0.05), except for calcium-related Instrumental Variables (IVs), which exhibited heterogeneity (P < 0.05). Conclusion Iron and vitamin C may play a protective role in reducing the risk of TB, whereas the remaining micronutrients show no significant causal relationship with TB.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Lycium ruthenicum Murr. in improving sleep. METHODS Network pharmacology was employed to identify the active components of L. ruthenicum and their associated disease targets， followed by enrichment analysis. A caffeine‑induced zebrafish model of sleep deprivation was established ， and the zebrafish were treated with L. ruthenicum Murr. extract （LRME） at concentrations of 0.1， 0.2 and 0.4 mg/mL， respectively； 24 h later， behavioral changes of zebrafish and pathological alterations in brain neurons were subsequently observed. The levels of inflammatory factors [interleukin-6 （IL-6）， IL-1β， IL-10， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）]， oxidative stress markers [superoxide dismutase （SOD）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， glutathione peroxidase （GSH-Px）， catalase （CAT）]， and neurotransmitters [5- hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， glutamic acid （Glu）， dopamine （DA）， and norepinephrine （NE）] were measured. The protein expression levels of protein kinase B1 （AKT1）， phosphorylated AKT1 （p-AKT1）， epidermal growth factor receptor （EGFR）， B-cell lymphoma 2 （Bcl-2）， sarcoma proto-oncogene，non-receptor tyrosine kinase （SRC）， and heat shock protein 90α family class A member 1 （HSP90AA1） in the zebrafish were also determined. RESULTS A total of 12 active components and 176 intersecting disease targets were identified through network pharmacology analysis. Among these， apigenin， naringenin and others were recognized as core active compounds， while AKT1， EGFR and others served as key targets； EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway was identified as the critical pathway. The sleep improvement rates in zebrafish of LRME low-， medium-， and high-dose groups were 54.60%， 69.03% and 77.97%， 开发。E-mail：hjp_yft@163.com respectively， while the inhibition ratios of locomotor distance were 0.57， 0.83 and 0.95， respectively. Compared with the model group， the number of resting counts， resting time and resting distance were significantly increased/extended in LRME medium- and high-dose groups （P＜0.05）. Neuronal damage in the brain was alleviated. Additionally， the levels of IL-6， IL-1β， TNF-α， MDA， Glu， DA and NE， as well as the protein expression levels of AKT1， p-AKT1， EGFR， SRC and HSP90AA1， were markedly reduced （P＜0.05）， while the levels of IL-10， SOD， GSH-Px， CAT， 5-HT and GABA， as well as Bcl-2 protein expression， were significantly elevated （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS L. ruthenicum Murr. demonstrates sleep-improving effects， and its specific mechanism may be related to the regulation of inflammatory responses， oxidative stress， neurotransmitter balance， and the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE:Disorders in iron metabolism increase the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Hepcidin play an important role in maintaining iron homeostasis in the body,but its level increases with increased inflammation.Changes in hepcidin and iron homeostasis and the extent of their association with inflammation in people with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus are unknown.Meta-analysis was used to evaluate the effect of inflammation on serum hepcidin and iron metabolism related parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.METHODS:CNKI,PubMed,Web of Science and EBSCOhost databases were searched by computer to collect observational studies related to inflammatory index and hepcidin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.The search time was from September 1,2000 to September 30,2024.Three researchers independently screened the literature,extracted data and evaluated the quality of the included literature.Meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager 5.3,Stata 17.0 and GraphPad Prism 8.0.2 software.RESULTS:A total of 15 articles(17 studies)involving 3 159 participants,including 1 357 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus,were included.Meta-analysis results showed that compared with the control group,patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had higher levels of serum hepcidin[standardized mean difference(SMD)=0.35,95％confidence interval(CI)(0.05,0.65),P＜0.05],serum ferritin(SMD=0.49,95％CI(0.21,0.78),P＜0.01)and serum transferrin(SMD=0.19,95％CI(0.00,0.37),P＜0.05).Subgroup analysis results indicated that inflammation had a significant effect on serum hepcidin(SMD=0.76,95％CI(0.17,1.34),P＜0.05)and serum ferritin(SMD=0.77,95％CI(0.06,1.47),P＜0.05)in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.CONCLUSION:Hepcidin concentration is positively correlated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Inflammation is one of the risk factors of type 2 diabetes mellitus.Early prevention of inflammation has certain significance in preventing iron metabolism disorder in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective:To investigate the risk factors and prognosis of postoperative atrial fibrillation(POAF) and delayed-onset POAF(dPOAF).Methods:In a retrospective cohort study involving consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery across provincial cardiovascular consortium consisted of 57 hospitals in Jiangsu Province from January 2015 to December 2022, the incidence and implications of dPOAF were examined. dPOAF was defined as being diagnosed within 30 days of discharge.Results:Among 2 788 patients with postoperative new-onset POAF, 154(5.5%)cases had dPOAF, median onset time 21(15, 26)days following surgery. Compared to in-patient diagnosed POAF, dPOAF was associated with increased rates of hypertension(28.6% vs. 9.0%, P<0.001), diabetes(10.4% vs. 3.2%, P<0.001), heart failure(39.6% vs. 19.3%, P<0.001), peripheral vascular disease(13.6% vs. 2.2%, P<0.001), and higher CHA2DS2-VASc score(≥2)(59.8% vs. 43.2%, P<0.001). Female patients were less likely to develop dPOAF( OR=0.44, 95% CI: 0.30-0.63, P<0.001). During follow-up period, there was no significant difference in major adverse cardiovascular events(MACEs)( HR=1.33, 95% CI: 0.82-2.17), overall mortality( HR=0.58, 95% CI: 0.07-4.67), or thromboembolism events( HR=0.57, 95% CI: 0.26-1.25). Conclusion:This study underscores the risk factors and prognosis associated with dPOAF compared to in-hospital POAF. It highlights the imperative for vigilant monitoring and individualized management strategies tailored to patients at risk of dPOAF.

Objective:To investigate the disparities in breast cancer burden and changing epidemiological trends between China and the United States(US)from 1990 to 2021 and identify the key driving factors.Methods:The Global Burden of Disease database(1990-2021)was utilized to analyze breast cancer incidence,mortality,and disability adjusted life years(DALYs)in China and the US;we also assessed the as-sociations with risk factors(e.g.,obesity and smoking)through regression models and spatiotemporal analysis.Results:China's breast can-cer age-standardized incidence rate(ASIR)surged from 9.08/100,000 in 1990 to 19.36/100,000 in 2021,whereas the US ASIR declined from 44.37/100,000 to 37.49/100,000.Regarding the age-standardized mortality rate(ASMR),China saw a marginal reduction from 4.70/100,000 to 4.40/100,000,whereas the US experienced a significant decline from 13.03/100,000 to 9.28/100,000,narrowing the mortality gap from 2.8-fold to 2.1-fold.Key risk factors contributing to mortality and DALYs included smoking,exposure to secondhand smoke,low physical activity,high red meat and alcohol intake,elevated fasting blood glucose levels,and high body mass index.The rising cancer incidence in China is associated with the westernization of lifestyles and changes in fertility patterns,whereas the United States has achieved a dual de-cline in both incidence and mortality rates through widespread screening and control of hormone replacement therapy.Conclusions:Both the incidence and mortality rates of breast cancer in China rank among the highest globally,with incidence rates still increasing,indicating severe issues in prevention and control.In contrast,although the incidence rate in the US is higher than that in China,it shows a declining trend.To alleviate the growing burden of breast cancer,China must further enhance the intensity and coverage of breast cancer screening.

Objective:To investigate the clinical, phenotypic and genotypic features of hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia mainly involving the nervous system.Methods:The clinical data, physical examination, imaging results, blood-urine tandem mass spectrometry analysis and genetic results of 8 patients with hyperhomocysteinemia from the Department of Neurology of the Shanghai Sixth People′s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine from September 2020 to December 2023 were collected, and the clinical, genetic features and pathogenic mechanisms of these patients were summarized and analyzed.Results:Among all the 8 patients (male∶female=5∶3), the age of onset was 7 to 74 (40.4±7.4) years. Seven had adult-onset and 1 had juvenile-onset, with various types of onset symptoms, including progressive stiffness in lower limbs and walking difficulty, limb numbness, tremor, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events, etc. Moderate to severe hyperhomocysteine (38.4-190.6 μmol/L) was present in all patients at first diagnosis. Among the 5 patients with cranial imaging examinations, all had white matter lesions. The genetic testing showed 7 patients with MTHFR gene pathogenic mutations (1 case with c.416C>T, and 6 cases with c.665C>T), and 1 patient with MMACHC gene pathogenic mutation (c.482G>A). Conclusions:Hereditary hyperhomocysteinemia is a metabolic disease, with complicated manifestations, varying degrees of severity, and diverse pathogenic genes. The cases with neurological involvement are not rare, such as spastic paraplegia-like manifestations, tremor, peripheral neuropathy, mental and behavioral abnormalities, cerebrovascular events.

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)expresses abundant glycolytic enzymes and displays comprehensive glucose metabolism reprogramming.Aldolase A(ALDOA)plays a prominent role in glycolysis;however,little is known about its role in HCC development.In the present study,we aim to explore how ALDOA is involved in HCC proliferation.HCC proliferation was markedly suppressed both in vitro and in vivo following ALDOA knockout,which is consistent with ALDOA overexpression encouraging HCC prolifera-tion.Mechanistically,ALDOA knockout partially limits the glycolytic flux in HCC cells.Meanwhile,ALDOA translocated to nuclei and directly interacted with c-Jun to facilitate its Thr93 phosphorylation by P21-activated protein kinase;ALDOA knockout markedly diminished c-Jun Thr93 phosphorylation and then dampened c-Jun transcription function.A crucial site Y364 mutation in ALDOA disrupted its interaction with c-Jun,and Y364S ALDOA expression failed to rescue cell proliferation in ALDOA deletion cells.In HCC patients,the expression level of ALDOA was correlated with the phosphorylation level of c-Jun(Thr93)and poor prognosis.Remarkably,hepatic ALDOA was significantly upregulated in the promotion and progression stages of diethylnitrosamine-induced HCC models,and the knockdown of Aldoa strikingly decreased HCC development in vivo.Our study demonstrated that ALDOA is a vital driver for HCC development by activating c-Jun-mediated oncogene transcription,opening additional avenues for anti-cancer therapies.

The present study aimed to explore whether hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) improved hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) in rats by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis-pyroptosis. Male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into normal group, normal+NaHS group, hypoxia group, and hypoxia+NaHS group, with 6 rats in each group. The control group rats were placed in a normoxic (21% O₂) environment and received daily intraperitoneal injections of an equal volume of normal saline. The normal+NaHS group rats were placed in a normoxic environment and intraperitoneally injected with 14 μmol/kg NaHS daily. The hypoxia group rats were placed in a hypoxia chamber, and the oxygen controller inside the chamber maintained the oxygen concentration at 9% to 10% by controlling the N₂ flow rate. An equal volume of normal saline was injected intraperitoneally every day. The hypoxia+NaHS group rats were also placed in an hypoxia chamber and intraperitoneally injected with 14 μmol/kg NaHS daily. After the completion of the four-week modeling, the mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) of each group was measured using right heart catheterization technique, and the right ventricular hypertrophy index (RVHI) was weighed and calculated. HE staining was used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue, Masson staining was used to observe fibrosis of lung tissue, and Western blot was used to detect protein expression levels of hexokinase 2 (HK2), pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH), pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), GSDMD-N-terminal domain (GSDMD-N), Caspase-1, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-18 in lung tissue. ELISA was used to detect contents of IL-1β and IL-18 in lung tissue. The results showed that, compared with the normal control group, there were no significant changes in all indexes in the normal+NaHS group, while the hypoxia group exhibited significantly increased mPAP and RVHI, thickened pulmonary vascular wall, narrowed lumen, increased collagen fibers, up-regulated expression levels of aerobic glycolysis-related proteins (HK2 and PKM2), up-regulated expression levels of pyroptosis-related proteins (NLRP3, GSDMD-N, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18), and increased contents of IL-1β and IL-18. These changes of the above indexes in the hypoxia group were significantly reversed by NaHS. These results suggest that H₂S can improve rat HPH by inhibiting aerobic glycolysis-pyroptosis.
Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Male ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/metabolism* ; Glycolysis/drug effects* ; Hydrogen Sulfide/therapeutic use* ; Hypoxia/complications* ; Rats ; Pyroptosis/drug effects*