The aim of this investigation was to determine the optimal storage medium for testicular hypothermic transportation and identify the ideal concentration for the application of the protective agent 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA). Furthermore, this study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of the protective effects of 5-ALA. First, we collected and stored mouse testicular fragments in different media, including Hank's balanced salt solution (HBSS; n = 5), Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium/Nutrient Mixture F-12 (DMEM/F12; n = 5), and alpha-minimum essential medium (αMEM; n = 5). Storage of testicular tissue in HBSS preserved the integrity of testicular morphology better than that in the DMEM/F12 group ( P < 0.05) and the αMEM group ( P < 0.01). Testicular fragments were subsequently placed in HBSS with various concentrations of 5-ALA (0 [control], 1 mmol l -1 , 2 mmol l -1 , and 5 mmol l -1 ) to determine the most effective concentration of 5-ALA. The 2 mmol l -1 5-ALA group ( n = 3) presented the highest positive rate of spermatogonial stem cells compared with those in the control, 1 mmol l -1 , and 5 mmol l -1 5-ALA groups. Finally, the tissue fragments were preserved in HBSS with control ( n = 3) and 2 mmol l -1 5-ALA ( n = 3) under low-temperature conditions. A comparative analysis was performed against fresh testes ( n = 3) to elucidate the underlying mechanism of 5-ALA. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) for WikiPathways revealed that the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway was downregulated in the 2 mmol l -1 5-ALA group compared with that in the control group (normalized enrichment score [NES] = -1.57, false discovery rate [FDR] = 0.229, and P = 0.019). In conclusion, these data suggest that using 2 mmol l -1 5-ALA in HBSS effectively protected the viability of spermatogonial stem cells upon hypothermic transportation.
Male ; Animals ; Testis/cytology* ; Aminolevulinic Acid/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Organ Preservation/methods* ; Organ Preservation Solutions/pharmacology* ; Cryopreservation/methods*

Objective: Patients with late life depression sometimes refuse to receive electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) owing to its adverse reactions. To alleviate patient’s resistance, a novel ECT stimulation strategy named mixed-strategy ECT (msECT) was designed in which patients are administered conventional ECT during the first three sessions, followed by low energy stimulation during the subsequent sessions. However, whether low energy electrical stimulation in the subsequent stage of therapy affect its efficacy and reduce adverse reactions in patients with late life depression remains unknown. To explore differences between msECT and regular ECT(RECT) with respect to clinical efficacy and side effects Methods: This randomized, controlled trial was conducted from 2019 to 2021 on 60 patients with late life depression who were randomly assigned to two groups: RECT or msECT. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to compare the two stimulation strategies regarding their efficacy and side effects on cognition. Chi-squared test was used to compare side effects in the two strategies. Results: In the intent-to-treat group, the GEE model suggested no differences between-group difference in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 score over time (Wald χ2=7.275, p=0.064), whereas the comparison of side effects in the two strategies favored msECT (Wald χ2=8.463, p=0.015) as fewer patients had adverse events during the second phase of treatment with msECT (χ2 =13.467, p=0.004). Conclusion msECT presents its similar efficacy to RECT. msECT may have milder side effects on cognition.

Oral submucous fibrosis(OSF)is a chronic and inflammatory mucosal disease caused by betel quid chewing,which belongs to oral potentially malignant disorders.Abnormal fibroblast differentiation leading to disordered collagen metabolism is the core process underlying OSF development.The epithelium,which is the first line of defense against the external environment,can convert external signals into pathological signals and participate in the remodeling of the fibrotic microenvironment.However,the specific mechanisms by which the epithelium drives fibroblast differentiation remain unclear.In this study,we found that Arecoline-exposed epithelium communicated with the fibrotic microenvironment by secreting exosomes.MiR-17-5p was encapsulated in epithelial cell-derived exosomes and absorbed by fibroblasts,where it promoted cell secretion,contraction,migration and fibrogenic marker(α-SMA and collagen type I)expression.The underlying molecular mechanism involved miR-17-5p targeting Smad7 and suppressing the degradation of TGF-β receptor 1(TGFBR1)through the E3 ubiquitination ligase WWP1,thus facilitating downstream TGF-β pathway signaling.Treatment of fibroblasts with an inhibitor of miR-17-5p reversed the contraction and migration phenotypes induced by epithelial-derived exosomes.Exosomal miR-17-5p was confirmed to function as a key regulator of the phenotypic transformation of fibroblasts.In conclusion,we demonstrated that Arecoline triggers aberrant epithelium-fibroblast crosstalk and identified that epithelial cell-derived miR-17-5p mediates fibroblast differentiation through the classical TGF-β fibrotic pathway,which provided a new perspective and strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of OSF.

Oral submucous fibrosis(OSF)is a chronic and inflammatory mucosal disease caused by betel quid chewing,which belongs to oral potentially malignant disorders.Abnormal fibroblast differentiation leading to disordered collagen metabolism is the core process underlying OSF development.The epithelium,which is the first line of defense against the external environment,can convert external signals into pathological signals and participate in the remodeling of the fibrotic microenvironment.However,the specific mechanisms by which the epithelium drives fibroblast differentiation remain unclear.In this study,we found that Arecoline-exposed epithelium communicated with the fibrotic microenvironment by secreting exosomes.MiR-17-5p was encapsulated in epithelial cell-derived exosomes and absorbed by fibroblasts,where it promoted cell secretion,contraction,migration and fibrogenic marker(α-SMA and collagen type I)expression.The underlying molecular mechanism involved miR-17-5p targeting Smad7 and suppressing the degradation of TGF-β receptor 1(TGFBR1)through the E3 ubiquitination ligase WWP1,thus facilitating downstream TGF-β pathway signaling.Treatment of fibroblasts with an inhibitor of miR-17-5p reversed the contraction and migration phenotypes induced by epithelial-derived exosomes.Exosomal miR-17-5p was confirmed to function as a key regulator of the phenotypic transformation of fibroblasts.In conclusion,we demonstrated that Arecoline triggers aberrant epithelium-fibroblast crosstalk and identified that epithelial cell-derived miR-17-5p mediates fibroblast differentiation through the classical TGF-β fibrotic pathway,which provided a new perspective and strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of OSF.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the incidence and potential influence factors that contribute to chronic post-surgical pain (CPSP) in elderly patients with urinary tract tumors who underwent laparoscopic procedures. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to collect the clinical data of 182 elderly patients with urinary tract tumors who were ≥65 years and underwent laparoscopic surgery from October 2021 to March 2022 in Peking University Third Hospital. The patients'demographic information, medical history and the severity of postoperative pain were collected. Telephone follow-ups were made 6 months after surgery, and the patients' CPSP conditions were recorded. The diagnostic criteria of CPSP were referred to the definition made by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP): (1) Pain that developed or increased in intensity after surgical procedure and persisted for at least 3 months after surgery; (2) Pain that localized to the surgical field or projected to the innervation territory of a nerve situated around the surgical area; (3) Pain due to pre-existing pain conditions or infections and malignancy was excluded. The patients were divided into two groups based on CPSP diagnosis. Risk factors that predisposed the patients to CPSP were identified using univariate analysis. A multivariate Logistic regression model using back-forward method was designed, including both variables that significantly associated with CPSP in the univariate analysis (P < 0.1), and the variables that were considered to have significant clinical impact on the outcome. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixteen patients with urinary tract tumors who had undergone laparoscopic surgery were included, of whom, 34 (15.7%) were excluded from the study. For the remaining 182 patients, the average age was (72.6±5.2) years, with 146 males and 36 females. The incidence of CPSP at the end of 6 months was 31.9% (58/182). Multiva-riate regression analysis revealed that age ≥75 years (OR=0.29, 95% CI: 0.12-0.73, P=0.008) was the protecting factors for postoperative chronic pain in the elderly patients with urinary tract tumors undergoing surgical treatment, while renal cancer (compared with other types of urinary tract tumors) (OR=3.68, 95% CI: 1.58-8.58, P=0.003), and the 24 h postoperative moderate to severe pain (OR=2.57, 95% CI: 1.14-5.83, P=0.024) were the independent risk factors affecting CPSP. CONCLUSION Age < 75 years, renal cancer and the 24 h postoperative moderate to severe pain are influence factors of the occurrence of CPSP after laparoscopic surgery in elderly patients with urinary tract tumors. Optimum postoperative multimodal analgesia strategies are suggested to prevent the occurrence of CPSP.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Chronic Pain/diagnosis* ; Laparoscopy/adverse effects* ; Pain, Postoperative/etiology* ; Kidney Neoplasms/complications* ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/complications* ; Risk Factors

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the main cause of clinical treatment failure and poor prognosis in cancer. Targeting P-glycoprotein (P-gp) has been regarded as an effective strategy to overcome MDR. In this work, we reported our preclinical studies of the triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-based compound WS-716 as a highly potent, specific, and orally active P-gp inhibitor. Through direct binding to P-gp, WS-716 inhibited efflux function of P-gp and specifically reversed P-gp-mediated MDR to paclitaxel (PTX) in multiple resistant cell lines, without changing its expression or subcellular localization. WS-716 and PTX synergistically inhibited formation of colony and 3D spheroid, induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase in resistant SW620/Ad300 cells. In addition, WS-716 displayed minimal effect on the drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P4503A4 (CYP3A4). Importantly, WS-716 increased sensitivity of both pre-clinically and clinically derived MDR tumors to PTX in vivo with the T/C value of 29.7% in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. Relative to PTX treatment alone, combination of WS-716 and PTX caused no obvious adverse reactions. Taken together, our preclinical studies revealed therapeutic promise of WS-716 against MDR cancer, the promising data warrant its further development for cancer therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the method of measuring root volume with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) three-dimensional reconstruction technology, and to study root length and root volume of upper and lower central incisors in patients with skeletal Class Ⅲ malocclusion treated by surgical orthodontic treatment. METHODS: Twenty patients with skeletal Class Ⅲ malocclusion undergoing surgical orthodontic treatment were selected. CBCT data at three time points, before decompensation treatment (T0), after decompensation treatment (before orthognathic surgery, T1), and the end of post-operative orthodontic treatment (T2) were collected. Three-dimensional reconstruction technology was used to measure the root length and root volume of the upper and lower central incisors (including total root volume, cervical root and apical root), calculate the percentage of reduction volume, and measure the distance of tooth movement after orthodontic treatment. Data were statistically analyzed by SPSS 20.0 software. Least significant difference (LSD) method was used for pair comparison between the groups subject to normal distribution, and non-parametric test was used for comparison between the groups not subject to normal distribution. The differences of root length and root volume of upper and lower incisors were compared, and the characteristics of root absorption were analyzed. RESULTS: Root length and root volume of the upper and lower central incisors were reduced during the surgical orthodontic treatment (P < 0.05) in cases. Both the root volume of cervical root and apical root were significantly reduced (P < 0.05), the reduction of apical root was more significant. The percentage of root volume reduction of the upper central incisor was (30.51±23.23)%, and lower central incisor (23.24±11.96)%. Compared with the upper central incisor, the root volume reduction amount and percentage of the lower central incisor were smaller, and apical root volume reduction of the upper central incisor was greater than that of the lower central incisor, which was statistically significant (P < 0.05). During pre-surgical orthodontic treatment, maxillary central incisor palatal moving was in a controlled tipping manner, and the mandibular central incisor tipped labially. CONCLUSION In patients with skeletal Class Ⅲ malocclusion, root length and total root volume of upper and lower central incisors decreased during surgical orthodontic treatment. Root volume measurement indicated that the cervical root also had root resorption. The difference in root resorption of the upper and lower central incisors might be related to the distance and direction of teeth movement. CBCT three-dimensional reconstruction will compensate for the limitation of root length measurement in evaluating root resorption.
Cone-Beam Computed Tomography/methods* ; Humans ; Incisor/diagnostic imaging* ; Malocclusion, Angle Class III/surgery* ; Maxilla/surgery* ; Root Resorption/etiology*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between drug treatment and outcomes in patients with late-onset severe pneumonia (LOSP) after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the effects of the initiation time of treatment drugs, especially antiviral drugs and glucocorticoids on the clinical outcomes in 82 patients between January 2016 and August 2021 who developed LOSP after allo-SCT in Peking University People's Hospital. Univariate analysis was performed by Mann-Whitney U test and χ² test, and multivariate analysis was performed by Logistic regression. When multiple groups (n>2) were involved in the χ² test, Bonferroni correction was used for the level of significance test. RESULTS: Of all 82 patients in this study, the median onset time of LOSP was 220 d (93-813 d) after transplantation, and the 60-day survival rate was 58.5% (48/82). The median improvement time of the survival patients was 18 d (7-44 d), while the median death time of the died patients was 22 d (2-53 d). Multivariate analysis showed that the initiation time of antiviral drugs from the onset of LOSP (< 10 d vs. ≥10 d, P=0.012), and the initiation time of glucocorticoids from antiviral drugs (< 10 d vs. ≥10 d, P=0.027) were the factors affecting the final outcome of the patients with LOSP at the end of 60 d. According to the above results, LOSP patients were divided into four subgroups: group A (antiviral drugs < 10 d, glucocorticoids ≥10 d), group B (antiviral drugs < 10 d, glucocorticoids < 10 d), group C (antiviral drugs ≥10 d, glucocorticoids ≥10 d) and group D (antiviral drugs ≥10 d, glucocorticoids < 10 d), the 60-day survival rates were 91.7%, 56.8%, 50.0% and 21.4%, respectively. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that in patients who developed LOSP after allo-SCT, the initiation time of antiviral drugs and glucocorticoids were associated with the prognosis of LOSP, and the survival rate was highest in patients who received antiviral drugs early and glucocorticoids later. It suggested that for patients with LOSP of unknown etiology should be highly suspicious of the possibility of a secondary hyperimmune response to viral infection.
Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/methods* ; Humans ; Pneumonia/etiology* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Homologous/adverse effects*

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the efficacy of Shengmai San in patients with cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified by searching China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase Databases from the inceptions until December 2020. The Cochrane Handbook was used to evaluate the risk of bias in the included studies. Data analysis was conducted using RevMan 5.3 software. RESULTS: Totally 19 RCTs with 2,331 participants were included in this review. Results showed that in improving arrhythmia (13 RCTs, n=1,877, RR=0.37, 95%CI 0.25 to 0.52, P<0.00001), the treatment group was superior to the control group. In terms of reducing left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (LVEDD, 2 RCTs, n=128, MD=-0.79, 95%CI -0.93 to -0.65, P<0.00001) and left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVESD, 2 RCTs, n=128, MD=-0.58, 95%CI -0.82 to -0.35, P<0.00001), the treatment group was also better than the control group. In reducing myocardial enzymes such as creatine kinase (CK) [(3 RCTs, n=256, SMD=-0.80, 95%CI -1.16 to -0.44, P<0.0001), (2 RCTs, n=126, SMD=-0.62, 95%CI -0.98 to -0.26, P=0.0007)], the treatment group was superior to the control group. CONCLUSION Shengmai San has a positive effect on the treatment of cardiotoxicity from anthracyclines. However, in the future, it is still necessary to conduct high-quality RCTs to verify its efficacy.
Anthracyclines/adverse effects* ; Cardiotoxicity/etiology* ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Humans

In the past 37 years, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) has undergone various major transmission routes in China, with the world most complex co-circulating HIV-1 subtypes, even the prevalence is still low. In response to the first epidemic outbreak of HIV in injecting drug users and the second one by illegal commercial blood collection, China issued the Anti-Drug Law and launched the Blood Donation Act and nationwide nucleic acid testing, which has avoided 98,232 to 211,200 estimated infections and almost ended the blood product-related infection. China has been providing free antiretroviral therapy (ART) since 2003, which covered >80% of the identified patients and achieved a viral suppression rate of 91%. To bend the curve of increasing the disease burden of HIV and finally end the epidemic, China should consider constraining HIV spread through sexual transmission, narrowing the gaps in identifying HIV cases, and the long-term effectiveness and safety of ART in the future.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/prevention & control* ; China/epidemiology* ; Disease Outbreaks ; HIV Infections/prevention & control* ; Humans ; Prevalence