Guided by the theory of "the kidney storing essence, governing the bones, and producing marrow", this study explored the mechanism of icariin(ICA) in regulating the osteogenic differentiation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs) through caveolin-1(Cav1) via in vitro and in vivo experiments, aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM). Primary cells were obtained from 4-week-old female SD rats using the whole bone marrow adherent method. Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of surface markers CD29, CD90, CD11b, and CD45. The potential for osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation was assessed. The effect of ICA on cell viability was determined using the CCK-8 assay, and the impact of ICA on the formation of mineralized nodules was verified by alizarin red staining. A stable Cav1-silenced cell line was constructed using lentivirus. The effect of Cav1 silencing on osteogenic differentiation was observed via alizarin red staining. Western blot analysis was conducted to detect the expression of Cav1, Hippo/TAZ, and osteogenic markers such as Runt-related transcription factor 2(RUNX2) and alkaline phosphatase(ALP). The results showed that primary cells were successfully obtained using the whole bone marrow adherent method, positively expressing surface markers of rat BMSCs and possessing the potential for both osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. The CCK-8 assay and alizarin red staining results indicated that 1×10~(-7) mol·L~(-1) was the optimal concentration of ICA for intervention in this experiment(P<0.05). During osteogenic induction, ICA inhibited Cav1 expression(P<0.05) while promoting TAZ expression(P<0.05). Alizarin red staining demonstrated that Cav1 silencing significantly promoted the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. After ICA intervention, TAZ expression was activated, and the expression of osteogenic markers ALP and RUNX2 was increased. In conclusion, Cav1 silencing significantly promotes the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs, and ICA promotes this differentiation by inhibiting Cav1 and regulating the Hippo/TAZ signaling pathway.
Animals ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Caveolin 1/genetics* ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Female ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Flavonoids/administration & dosage* ; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Cells, Cultured ; Humans

Iron metabolism is a critical factor in tumorigenesis and development. Although TP53 mutations are prevalent in glioblastoma (GBM), the mechanisms by which TP53 regulates iron metabolism remain elusive. We reveal an imbalance iron homeostasis in GBM via TCGA database analysis. TP53 mutations disrupted iron homeostasis in GBM, characterized by elevated total iron levels and reduced ferritin (FTH). The gain-of-function effect triggered by TP53 mutations upregulates itchy E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase (ITCH) protein expression in astrocytes, leading to FTH degradation and an increase in free iron levels. TP53-mut astrocytes were more tolerant to the high iron environment induced by exogenous ferric ammonium citrate (FAC), but the increase in intracellular free iron made them more sensitive to Erastin-induced ferroptosis. Interestingly, we found that Erastin combined with FAC treatment significantly increased ferroptosis. These findings provide new insights for drug development and therapeutic modalities for GBM patients with TP53 mutations from iron metabolism perspectives.
Ferroptosis/drug effects* ; Humans ; Iron/metabolism* ; Glioblastoma/metabolism* ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/metabolism* ; Homeostasis/physiology* ; Ferritins/metabolism* ; Brain Neoplasms/genetics* ; Mutation ; Astrocytes/drug effects* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Piperazines/pharmacology* ; Quaternary Ammonium Compounds/pharmacology* ; Ferric Compounds

Objective To explore the anatomical landmarks and segmentation method for the intraoperative identification of the cervical segment of the internal carotid artery by studying cadaveric dissections with an endoscopic transoral medial pterygomandibular fold approach and to investigate its clinical significance.Methods The head specimens of five fresh frozen cadavers were dissected in the anatomical laboratory of the Surgical Treatment Technology Innovation Unit of Nasal Skull Base Tumor in Eye&ENT Hospital of Fudan University.The parapharyngeal space was dissected layer by layer through the endoscopic transoral medial pterygomandibular fold approach,and the location marks of parapharyngeal internal carotid artery(ppICA)and adjacent structures of ppICA were anatomically studied.The anatomical landmarks associated with ppICA were observed and characterized,and the ppICA was segmented anatomically according to its adjacent structures.Then,the length of each ppICA segment was measured.Results Muscle structures were essential anatomical landmarks for an endoscopic transoral pterygoid medial approach that identifies mandibular folds.The first layer of muscles included the superior pharyngeal constrictor,tensor veli palatini,and medial pterygoid muscles.The second layer includes the stylopharyngeus,styloglossus,longus capitis,and levator veli palatini muscles.The stylopharyngeal and levator veli palatini muscles were close to the ppICA and were reliable landmarks for locating the ppICA.Furthermore,the ppICA was divided into three segments according to their positional relationship with the ppICA.The first segment of ppICA(P1 ICA)was located between the greater horn plane of the hyoid bone and the intersection plane between the upper margin of stylopharyngeal muscle and ppICA.The second segment of ppICA(P2 ICA)was between the plane where the upper edge of the stylopharyngeal muscle intersected with the ppICA and the plane where the projection of inferior edge of the levator veli palatini muscle intersected with the ppICA.The third segment of ppICA(P3 ICA)was between the intersection of the lower margin projection of the levator veli palatini muscle and ppICA and the external orifice of the carotid canal.The P2 ICA was within an anatomical region bounded by the levator veli palatini muscle,longus capitis muscle,and stylopharyngeus muscle.This region was termed"ICA window"in this paper measured under the cadaver head specimen,the lengths of P1 ICA,P2 ICA,and P3 ICA were(36.5±7.3)mm,(15.5±1.6)mm,(7.4±1.7)mm respectively.Conclusion The muscular structure refers to the relatively constant anatomical reference landmarks within the endoscopic transoral medial pterygomandibular fold.The stylopharyngeus and levator veli palatini muscles are reliable landmarks for precisely locating and segmenting the ppICA,thus having essential clinical implications.

Objective To investigate the feasibility of a "pericardial lining" modified Bentall procedure for the treatment of patients with aortic root aneurysm. Methods This was a retrospective study that consecutively enrolled patients treated at the Affiliated Suzhou Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, The Affiliated Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital of Southwest Medical University, and the First People's Hospital of Guangyuan from January 2023 to February 2024. Preoperative clinical data, imaging findings (including echocardiography and CT scans of the aortic root and the entire aorta), details of coronary artery management, surgical outcomes, and postoperative follow-up results were collected. All patients underwent the "pericardial lining" modified Bentall procedure: the aortic valve was replaced, and an autologous pericardial patch was divided into three equal leaflets based on the circumference of the aortic annulus measured by a valve sizer. These leaflets were then sutured to the aortic annulus. Fenestrations were created in two of the pericardial leaflets for anastomosis with the left and right coronary ostia. The pericardial leaflets were sutured to the wall of the aortic sinuses to form an integrated structure, thereby narrowing the sinus portion. A prosthetic vascular graft was anastomosed to the proximal and distal aorta, and no aortic root-to-right atrium shunt was created. Results A total of 5 patients, aged 37 to 68 years, were included. The preoperative Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) risk scores ranged from 2.8% to 3.9%. The diameter of the ascending aorta was 40-73 mm, the left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD) was 45-71 mm, and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 47%-64%. Intraoperatively, the aortic cross-clamp time ranged from 85 to 180 min, and the cardiopulmonary bypass time ranged from 110 to 302 min. Postoperative follow-up echocardiography revealed that the ascending aortic diameter was 27-35 mm, LVEDD was 39-57 mm, and LVEF was 43%-61%. All surgeries were completed successfully with satisfactory immediate outcomes and no intraoperative complications. During the follow-up period, there was no mortality or reoperation. Conclusion For patients with aortic root aneurysm, the "pericardial lining" modified Bentall procedure yields satisfactory preliminary results, and the technique is demonstrated to be feasible.

[Objective] To compare the clinical efficacy of pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) in patients with acute herpes zoster neuralgia (AHN) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). [Methods] A retrospective analysis was made on 287 patients with thoracic herpes zoster related pain. The patients were divided into acute herpes zoster neuralgia group (group AHN, within 3 months) and PHN group (group PHN, over 3 months) according to the onset time of herpes zoster. Pain degree (VAS), sleep quality (AIS), anxiety and depression (GAD-7 and PHQ-9) at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months after the procedure were analyzed and compared between the two groups. [Results] The scores of VAS, AIS, GAD-7 and PHQ-9 significantly decreased in both groups after surgery (P<0.001). The four scores decreased more in AHN group than in PHN group from 1 to 12 months after surgery (P<0.001). After 12 months of follow-up, there were fewer cases of taking oral pregabalin and opioids in the former group than in the latter group (P=0.001). [Conclusion] PRF has a good therapeutic effect on herpes zoster related pain and is better than PHN in relieving pain, improving sleep and anxiety and depression in AHN, or can prevent PHN.

RNA editing, an essential post-transcriptional reaction occurring in double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), generates informational diversity in the transcriptome and proteome. In mammals, the main type of RNA editing is the conversion of adenosine to inosine (A-to-I), processed by adenosine deaminases acting on the RNAs (ADARs) family, and interpreted as guanosine during nucleotide base-pairing. It has been reported that millions of nucleotide sites in human transcriptome undergo A-to-I editing events, catalyzed by the primarily responsible enzyme, ADAR1. In hematological malignancies including myeloid/lymphocytic leukemia and multiple myeloma, dysregulation of ADAR1 directly impacts the A-to-I editing states occurring in coding regions, non-coding regions, and immature miRNA precursors. Subsequently, aberrant A-to-I editing states result in altered molecular events, such as protein-coding sequence changes, intron retention, alternative splicing, and miRNA biogenesis inhibition. As a vital factor of the generation and stemness maintenance in leukemia stem cells (LSCs), disordered RNA editing drives the chaos of molecular regulatory network and ultimately promotes the cell proliferation, apoptosis inhibition and drug resistance. At present, novel drugs designed to target RNA editing(e.g., rebecsinib) are under development and have achieved outstanding results in animal experiments. Compared with traditional antitumor drugs, epigenetic antitumor drugs are expected to overcome the shackle of drug resistance and recurrence in hematological malignancies, and provide new treatment options for patients. This review summarized the recent advances in the regulation mechanism of ADAR1-mediated RNA editing events in hematologic malignancies, and further discussed the medical potential and clinical application of ADAR1.

Aim To study the effect of emetine on in-sulin secretion through glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor(GLP-1R).Methods Isolating rat islets were used to carry out insulin secretion experiment.Islets were incubated with different concentrations of emetine(2,10,50 μmol·L-1),different concentrations of glu-cose solution(2.8,11.1,16.7 mmol·L-1)or spe-cific GLP-1R antagonist Exendin(9-39).The amount of insulin secretion in the supernatant of each group was determined by an enzyme-linked radioimmunoas-say.Small molecule compounds were docked to GLP-1R(PDB code:5NX2)using SYBYL-X2.0 software.Results Emetine could promote insulin secretion in high glucose(11.1 mmol·L-1)in a dose-dependent manner.In low glucose(2.8 mmol·L-1),insulin secretion did not change after intervention of emetine.But in high glucose(11.1,16.7 mmol·L-1),insu-lin secretion significantly increased under the treatment of emetine in a glucose-dependent manner.The doc-king score of emetine and GLP-1R was Total Score=6.82,C Score=5,indicating that emetine had a good binding affinity with GLP-1R.Using Exendin(9-39)to block GLP-1R,the insulinotropic effect of emetine was reduced.Conclusion Emetine could promote in-sulin secretion,which is related to the activation of GLP-1R.

Objective To investigate the effect of chemokine CXC ligand 9(CXCL9)on cognitive function impairment in patients with breast cancer brain metastases undergoing whole-brain radiotherapy(WBRT)using bioinformatics methods.Methods The mRNA of breast cancer brain metastases datasets GSE43837 and GSE12276 and Alzheimer's disease(AD)dataset GSE161199 were screened and downloaded from GEO database.Limma method and Venn diagrams were used to identify common differentially expressed genes(DEGs),and protein-protein interaction and functional prediction through GeneMANIA website assays were performed.A total of 42 patients with breast cancer brain metastases who first visited the Department of Radiotherapy at the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2021 to January 2023 were selected.Patients were divided into normal cognitive function group and cognitive function impairment group based on cognitive status.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was employed to detect serum CXCL9 levels one week before and three months after radiotherapy.The mini-mental state examination(MMSE)was used to assess patients'cognitive function.Results The DEGs from datasets GSE43837 and GSE12276 included PKP1,POLDIP2,SPAG5,ALDOC,PTPRZ1,PKIA,TLCD1,CPE,PMP22 and CXCL9.The DEGs from GSE161199 included RPS16,CD79A,LYPD3,RPL28,HBG2,RPL23AP7,TRNR,CXCL9.Venn diagram showed that CXCL9 was a common DEG between breast cancer brain metastasis and AD.Functional enrichment analysis indicated that CXCL9 was involved in cellular responses to chemokines,negative regulation of immune system processes,negative regulation of vascular morphogenesis,Toll-like receptor signaling pathway,nucleotide oligomerization domain(NOD)-like receptor signaling pathway,and JAK-STAT signaling pathway.Before radiotherapy,patients with cognitive function impairment and normal cognitive function accounted for 61.9%and 38.1%,respectively,with a statistically significant difference in MMSE scores[(24.53±2.19)vs.(28.89±1.36),P＜0.01].Compared with normal cognitive function group,patients with cognitive function impairment had a significantly increased number of brain metastases and significantly lower Karnofsky performance status(KPS)scores and serum CXCL9 levels(P＜0.05).Three months after radiotherapy,patients with cognitive function impairment and normal cognitive function accounted for 47.6%and 52.4%,respectively,with a statistically significant difference in MMSE scores[(25.16±1.98)vs.(28.18±1.08),P＜0.01].Compared with normal cognitive function group,patients with cognitive function impairment had significantly lower CXCL9 levels(P=0.003).In patients with normal cognitive function,CXCL9 levels were remarkably lower after radiotherapy compared to those before radiotherapy(P=0.009).Conclusions Patients with cognitive function impairment had significantly lower CXCL9 levels than those with normal cognitive function,and whole-brain radiotherapy may be related to a certain degree of reduction in CXCL9 levels.

Objective:To investigate the association between cytokines and ocular chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) and identify specific biomarkers for ocular cGVHD to enhance clinical diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation.Methods:A mouse model of cGVHD was established to explore the correlation between cGVHD and serum cytokines. Based on the findings from the animal experiments and literature review, a panel of 16 cytokine combinations was identified. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to compare the cytokine concentrations in the serum and tear samples from patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from June 2017 to March 2022 at the Medical Center of Hematology, Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University.Results:① Compared with the control group, mice with cGVHD exhibited elevated serum IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-17, IFN-γ, CX3CL1, CXCL11, CXCL13, CCL11, and CCL19 concentrations (all P<0.05). ② Analysis of the cytokine profiles of the serum and tear samples revealed that compared with patients without ocular cGVHD, those with ocular cGVHD exhibited increased serum IL-8 [ P=0.032, area under the curve (AUC) =0.678]; decreased serum IL-10 ( P=0.030, AUC=0.701) ; elevated IL-8, IFN-γ, CXCL9, and CCL17 in tear samples; and lower IL-10 and CCL19 in tear samples (all P<0.05, all AUC>0.7). Moreover, cytokines in tear samples showed correlations with ocular surface parameters related to ocular cGVHD. Conclusions:Tear fluid demonstrates greater specificity and sensitivity as a biomarker for diagnosing ocular cGVHD than serum biomarkers. Among the identified cytokines in tear samples, IL-8, IL-10, IFN-γ, CXCL9, CCL17, and CCL19 serve as diagnostic biomarkers for ocular cGVHD post-transplantation, offering practical reference value for diagnosis.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and prognosis of chemotherapy regimen containing Bruton's tyrosine kinase(BTK)inhibitor in the treatment of relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma(R/R MCL).Methods:The clinical data of 134 patients with R/R MCL were collected and analyzed retrospectively.The clinical characteristics of patients and effect of chemotherapy regimen on efficacy,overall survival(OS)and progression-free survival(PFS)were observed.Results:The median age of the patients was 58(56-61)years old,and male to female ratio was about 2.9∶1.Patients with Ann Arbor stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ accounted for 77.6％,extranodal involvement＞2 for 43.3％,bone marrow involvement for 60.4％,gastrointestinal involvement for 24.6％,and hepatosplenomegaly for 38.1％.The median follow-up time was 30(2-103)months,overall response rate(ORR)was 41.8％,3-year PFS was not reached,and 3-year and 5-year OS rate was 62.7％and 53.8％,respectively.The ORR of BTK inhibitor group was 56.9％,which was higher than 32.5％of non-BTK inhibitor group(P=0.006).The difference was statistically significant in PFS between the two groups(P=0.002),but was not in OS(P＞0.05).The difference was statistically significant in OS between classical and special morphology(P＜0.001),but was not in PFS(P＞0.05).Ki-67 was an influencing factor for OS and PFS.Multivariate analysis showed that Ki-67,B symptoms,MIPI score,and Ann Arbor stage were independent prognostic factors affecting patients'OS.The second-line treatment regimen was an independent prognostic factor affecting patients'PFS.Conclusions:The chemotherapy regimen containing BTK inhibitors can effectively improve the efficacy and prolong the PFS of R/R MCL patients.Ki-67,B symptoms,MIPI score,and Ann Arbor stage are independent prognostic factors for R/R MCL patients.