ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Solanum nigrum on hepatic fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride （CCl₄） in rats. MethodsSixty SD rats were randomly allocated into blank， model， low-， medium-， and high-dose （0.9， 1.8， 3.6 g·kg^-1， respectively） S. nigrum， and silibinin capsules （18.9 mg·kg^-1） groups. Except the blank group， the other groups were subjected to intraperitoneal injection of 40% CCl₄ solution for the modeling of hepatic fibrosis. After 4 weeks of gavage， blood was collected from the abdominal aorta following intraperitoneal anesthesia. The rats were sacrificed， and the liver was separated. The pathological changes were observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and Masson staining. The levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and liver fibrosis indexes ［type Ⅲ procollagen （PCⅢ）， type Ⅳ collagen （Col Ⅳ）， laminin （LN）， and hyaluronic acid （HA）］ in the rat serum were determined. The mRNA and protein levels of B cell lymphoma-2 （Bcl-2）/Bcl-2-associated X protein （Bax）/cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-3 （Caspase-3） pathway-related factors were determined by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot， respectively. ResultsCompared with the blank group， the model group exhibited significant hepatocyte edema， infiltration of inflammatory cells， connective tissue proliferation， and collagen fiber deposition in the liver tissue. Compared with the model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose S. nigrum and silymarin capsules significantly improved the structure of liver cells and alleviated the edema， inflammatory cell infiltration， connective tissue proliferation， and collagen fiber deposition. Compared with those in the blank group， the serum levels of ALT， AST， PCⅢ， Col Ⅳ， LN， and HA were elevated in the model group （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the serum levels of ALT， AST， PCⅢ， Col Ⅳ， LN， and HA were reduced in all the treatment groups （P<0.05）. Real-time PCR and Western blot results showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 and down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bax and Caspase-3 （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， all the treatment groups showed down-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bcl-2 and up-regulated mRNA and protein levels of Bax and Caspase-3 （P<0.05）， with the high-dose S. nigrum group showing the best therapeutic effect. ConclusionS. nigrum modulates the progression of hepatic fibrosis in rats by regulating apoptosis through the Bcl-2/Bax/caspase-3 pathway.

To investigate the impact of preoperative serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels on the probability of testicular sperm retrieval, we conducted a study of nonobstructive azoospermic (NOA) men with different testicular volumes (TVs) who underwent microdissection testicular sperm extraction (micro-TESE). A total of 177 NOA patients undergoing micro-TESE for the first time from April 2019 to November 2022 in Shenzhen Zhongshan Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital (formerly Shenzhen Zhongshan Urology Hospital, Shenzhen, China) were retrospectively reviewed. The subjects were divided into four groups based on average TV quartiles. Serum hormone levels in each TV group were compared between positive and negative sperm retrieval subgroups. Overall sperm retrieval rate was 57.6%. FSH levels (median [interquartile range]) were higher in the positive sperm retrieval subgroup compared with the negative outcome subgroup when average TV was <5 ml (first quartile [Q1: TV <3 ml]: 43.32 [17.92] IU l -1 vs 32.95 [18.56] IU l -1 , P = 0.048; second quartile [Q2: 3 ml ≤ TV <5 ml]: 31.31 [15.37] IU l -1 vs 25.59 [18.40] IU l -1 , P = 0.042). Elevated serum FSH levels were associated with successful micro-TESE sperm retrieval in NOA men whose average TVs were <5 ml (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.06 per unit increase; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-1.11; P = 0.011). In men with TVs ≥5 ml, larger TVs were associated with lower odds of sperm retrieval (adjusted OR: 0.84 per 1 ml increase; 95% CI: 0.71-0.98; P = 0.029). In conclusion, elevated serum FSH levels were associated with positive sperm retrieval in micro-TESE in NOA men with TVs <5 ml. In men with TV ≥5 ml, increases in average TVs were associated with lower odds of sperm retrieval.
Humans ; Male ; Azoospermia/surgery* ; Sperm Retrieval/statistics & numerical data* ; Adult ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone/blood* ; Retrospective Studies ; Testis/pathology* ; Microdissection ; Organ Size

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2018.08.009.].

Objective To analyze the PLCβ4 gene mRNA expression and its clinical significance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) based on TCGA database. Methods Based on the data on 424 clinical samples (including 374 cases of HCC tissues and 50 cases of nontumor liver tissues) in the TCGA database, Kaplan–Meier method, Cox regression analysis, and immune infiltration analysis were performed to evaluate the relationship between PLCβ4 gene and the clinical characteristics and survival prognosis of HCC patients. Correlation analysis between PLCβ4 gene and 24 types of immune cells was applied to investigate the relationship between PLCβ4 gene and immune cell infiltration and mRNA expression level of TP53 gene, a high-frequency mutation gene in HCC. In addition, paraffin sections of highly, moderately, and poorly differentiated tumor tissues and normal liver tissues from HCC patients were collected. The histopathological observation was carried out via HE staining method, and the expression levels of PLCβ4 and Ki-67 proteins in each clinical sample were verified through the immunohistochemical method. Results The expression level of PLCβ4 gene in HCC was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P<0.01), and all patients in the PLCβ4 high-expression group had a significantly longer overall survival than those in the low-expression group (P<0.05), which suggested that PLCβ4 substantially affected the prognosis of HCC patients. Correlation analysis showed that the expression level of PLCβ4 gene was highly correlated with immune cell infiltration and the expression level of TP53 gene. As verified by clinical sample experiments, HE staining experiments and immunohistochemical results revealed that PLCβ4 gene expression in HCC tissue samples was significantly higher than that in normal tissues (P<0.001), and it was negatively correlated with the degree of differentiation. Conclusion PLCβ4 may serve as an independent prognostic factor in HCC and is expected to be a novel molecular target for HCC treatment.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) in differentiating tumor deposits (TDs) from metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) in rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 70 patients with rectal cancer, including 168 lesions (70 TDs and 98 MLNs confirmed by histopathology), who underwent pretreatment MRI and subsequent surgery between March 2019 and December 2022. The morphological characteristics of TDs and MLNs, along with quantitative parameters derived from DCE-MRI (K trans , kep, and v e) and DWI (ADCmin, ADCmax, and ADCmean), were analyzed and compared between the two groups.Multivariable binary logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to assess the diagnostic performance of significant individual quantitative parameters and combined parameters in distinguishing TDs from MLNs. Results: All morphological features, including size, shape, border, and signal intensity, as well as all DCE-MRI parameters showed significant differences between TDs and MLNs (all P < 0.05). However, ADC values did not demonstrate significant differences (all P > 0.05). Among the single quantitative parameters, v e had the highest diagnostic accuracy, with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.772 for distinguishing TDs from MLNs. A multivariable logistic regression model incorporating short axis, border, v e, and ADC mean improved diagnostic performance, achieving an AUC of 0.833 (P = 0.027). Conclusion The combination of morphological features, DCE-MRI parameters, and ADC values can effectively aid in the preoperative differentiation of TDs from MLNs in rectal cancer.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of eccentric treadmill exercise on adaptive hypertrophy of skeletal muscle in rats. Thirty-two 3-month-old Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were selected and randomly assigned to one of the four groups based on their body weights: 2-week quiet control group (2C), 2-week downhill running exercise group (2E), 4-week quiet control group (4C), and 4-week downhill running exercise group (4E). The downhill running protocol for rats in the exercise groups involved slope of -16°, running speed of 16 m/min, training duration of 90 min, and 5 training sessions per week. Twenty-four hours after the final session of training, all the four groups of rats underwent an exhaustion treadmill exercise. After resting for 48 h, all the rats were euthanized and their gastrocnemius muscles were harvested for analysis. HE staining was used to measure the cross-sectional area (CSA) and diameter of muscle fibers. Transmission electron microscope was used to observe the ultrastructural changes in muscle fibers. Purithromycin surface labeling translation method was used to measure protein synthesis rate. Immunofluorescence double labeling was used to detect the colocalization levels of lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2 (Lamp2)-leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LARS) and Lamp2-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). Western blot was used to measure the protein expression levels of myosin heavy chain (MHC) IIb and LARS, as well as the phosphorylation levels of mTOR, p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1). The results showed that, compared with the 2C group rats, the 2E group rats showed significant increases in wet weight of gastrocnemius muscle, wet weight/body weight ratio, running distance, running time, pre- and post-exercise blood lactate levels, myofibrillar protein content, colocalization levels of Lamp2-LARS and Lamp2-mTOR, and LARS protein expression. Besides these above changes, compared with the 4C group, the 4E group further exhibited significantly increased fiber CSA, fiber diameter, protein synthesis rate, and phosphorylation levels of mTOR, p70S6K, and 4E-BP1. Compared with the quiet control groups, the exercise groups exhibited ultrastructural damage of rat gastrocnemius muscle, which was more pronounced in the 4E group. These findings suggest that eccentric treadmill exercise may promote mTOR translocation to lysosomal membrane, activating mTOR signaling via up-regulating LARS expression. This, in turn, increases protein synthesis rate through the mTOR-p70S6K-4E-BP1 signaling pathway, promoting protein deposition and inducing adaptive skeletal muscle hypertrophy. Although the ultrastructural changes of skeletal muscle are more pronounced, the relatively long training cycles during short-term exercise periods have a more significant effect on promoting gastrocnemius muscle protein synthesis and adaptive hypertrophy.
Animals ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Physical Conditioning, Animal/physiology* ; Rats ; Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism* ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism* ; Male ; Hypertrophy ; Adaptation, Physiological/physiology* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism* ; Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70-kDa/metabolism* ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins

Body weight abnormalities, including overweight, obesity, and underweight, have become a dual public health challenge in Chinese adults: overweight and obesity lead to a variety of chronic complications, while underweight increases the risks of malnutrition, sarcopenia, and organ dysfunction. To systematically address these issues, multidisciplinary experts in endocrinology, sports science, nutrition, and psychiatry from various regions have held multiple weight management seminars. Based on the latest epidemiological data and clinical evidence, they expanded the guideline to include assessment and intervention strategies for underweight, in addition to the core content of obesity management. This guideline outlines the etiological mechanisms, evaluation methods, and multidimensional management strategies for overweight and obesity, covering key areas such as diagnosis and assessment, medical nutrition therapy, exercise prescription, pharmacological intervention, and psychological support. It is intended to provide a scientific and standardized approach to weight management across the adult population, aiming to curb the rising prevalence of obesity, mitigate complications associated with abnormal body weight, and improve nutritional status and overall quality of life.