Pulpitis is a common infective oral disease in clinical situations. The regulatory mechanisms of immune defense in pulpitis are still being investigated. Osteomodulin (OMD) is a small leucine-rich proteoglycan family member distributed in bones and teeth. It is a bioactive protein that promotes osteogenesis and suppresses the apoptosis of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). In this study, the role of OMD in pulpitis and the OMD-induced regulatory mechanism were investigated. The OMD expression in normal and inflamed human pulp tissues was detected via immunofluorescence staining. Intriguingly, the OMD expression decreased in the inflammatory infiltration area of pulpitis specimens. The cellular experiments demonstrated that recombined human OMD could resist the detrimental effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation. A conditional Omd knockout mouse model with pulpal inflammation was established. LPS-induced inflammatory impairment significantly increased in conditional Omd knockout mice, whereas OMD administration exhibited a protective effect against pulpitis. Mechanistically, the transcriptome alterations of OMD overexpression showed significant enrichment in the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Interleukin-1 receptor 1 (IL1R1), a vital membrane receptor activating the NF-κB pathway, was significantly downregulated in OMD-overexpressing hDPSCs. Additionally, the interaction between OMD and IL1R1 was verified using co-immunoprecipitation and molecular docking. In vivo, excessive pulpal inflammation in Omd-deficient mice was rescued using an IL1R antagonist. Overall, OMD played a protective role in the inflammatory response via the IL1R1/NF-κB signaling pathway. OMD may optimize the immunomodulatory functions of hDPSCs and can be used for regenerative endodontics.
Pulpitis/metabolism* ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Animals ; Signal Transduction ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Dental Pulp/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Lipopolysaccharides

This study aims to establish BHK-21 stable cell lines expressing APN from four species(human,pig,dog,and cat),the APN fragments were amplified from pEGFP-C1-APN plasmids of the four species stored in the laboratory to generate the recombinant plasmids pcDNA4.0-APN.Af-ter the recombinant plasmids were transfected into BHK-21 cells,the stable BHK-21 cell lines ex-pressing the APNs were selected by two rounds of limited dilution.The constructed BHK-21 cell lines were identified by indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA),and their susceptibility to PD-CoV and TGEV was tested for these four cell lines.Virus infection experiments revealed that PD-CoV infected cells expressing human,pig,and dog APNs,while it did not infect cells expressing cat APN.Simultaneously,TGEV infected cells expressing pig,dog,and cat APNs,but did not infect cells expressing human APN.The results suggest that the risk of cross-species infection for different coronaviruses and the established cell line can be used effectively to evaluate the virus in-fection.The findings also revealed that PDCoV has the potential risk of cross-species infection of human and dog,and TGEV has the potential risk of cross-species infection of dog and cat.These results provide a basis for the prevention and control strategy of coronaviruses.

Background and Aims:Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy(LPD)has become a preferred approach for periampullary tumors,yet delayed gastric emptying(DGE)remains a frequent complication that hampers postoperative recovery.The nasojejunal feeding tube(NJT)is commonly used for early enteral nutrition,but its impact on DGE is controversial.This study aimed to evaluate whether intraoperative NJT placement increases the risk of DGE after LPD and to assess its influence on postoperative recovery outcomes.Methods:A retrospective cohort of 319 patients who underwent LPD at Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from April 2017 to November 2023 was analyzed.Patients were divided into two groups based on intraoperative NJT placement(NJT group,n=200;non-NJT group,n=119).The incidence of DGE and postoperative outcomes were compared.Multivariate logistic regression and propensity score matching(PSM)were performed to identify independent risk factors for DGE.Results:The incidence of grade B/C DGE was significantly higher in the NJT group than in the non-NJT group(36.5%vs.21.8%,P=0.006).NJT placement was associated with longer postoperative hospital stay and higher hospitalization costs(both P<0.05).Multivariate analysis revealed intraoperative NJT placement(OR=1.960,95%CI=1.142-3.363,P=0.015)and intraoperative blood loss>400 mL(OR=1.921,95%CI=1.155-3.194,P=0.012)as independent risk factors for DGE.These findings were consistent after PSM.Conclusions:Prophylactic intraoperative NJT placement confers no additional benefit for postoperative recovery after LPD and is associated with a higher risk of DGE,prolonged hospitalization,and increased medical costs.Routine NJT placement should therefore be avoided,and individualized strategies should be adopted to minimize postoperative complications and enhance recovery.

Objective:To explore the effects of Baduanjin and brisk walking on the sleep quality among fe-male college students.Methods:Ninety female college students with poor sleep quality[Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)≥ 8]were recruited randomly assigned to Baduanjin,brisk walking,and control groups,with 30 par-ticipants in each.The Baduanjin and brisk walking groups participated in 10-week intervention(five 45-minute ses-sions per week),while the control group did not receive any intervention.Baseline and post-intervention assessments were conducted using the PSQI,a lung capacity test,echocardiography,and the Fatigue Scale(FS-14).Results:Af-ter 10 weeks,participants in both the Baduanjin and brisk walking groups got significantly lower PSQI and FS-14 total scores compared to baseline(Ps＜0.001).Cardiopulmonary function indicators,including stroke volume(SV),forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1.0),the vital capacity-to-body mass index(VC/W),and maximum voluntary ventilation per minute(MVV),also significantly improved(Ps＜0.001).Furthermore,the Baduanjin group had significantly lower PSQI and FS-14 scores than both the brisk walking and control groups(P＜0.001),along with superior improvements in cardiopulmonary function(P＜0.001).Conclusion:This study in-dicates that Baduanjin is particularly effective in improving sleep quality,cardiopulmonary function,and reducing fatigue among female college students,showing advantages over brisk walking.

Objective:To explore the effects of Baduanjin and brisk walking on the sleep quality among fe-male college students.Methods:Ninety female college students with poor sleep quality[Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI)≥ 8]were recruited randomly assigned to Baduanjin,brisk walking,and control groups,with 30 par-ticipants in each.The Baduanjin and brisk walking groups participated in 10-week intervention(five 45-minute ses-sions per week),while the control group did not receive any intervention.Baseline and post-intervention assessments were conducted using the PSQI,a lung capacity test,echocardiography,and the Fatigue Scale(FS-14).Results:Af-ter 10 weeks,participants in both the Baduanjin and brisk walking groups got significantly lower PSQI and FS-14 total scores compared to baseline(Ps＜0.001).Cardiopulmonary function indicators,including stroke volume(SV),forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1.0),the vital capacity-to-body mass index(VC/W),and maximum voluntary ventilation per minute(MVV),also significantly improved(Ps＜0.001).Furthermore,the Baduanjin group had significantly lower PSQI and FS-14 scores than both the brisk walking and control groups(P＜0.001),along with superior improvements in cardiopulmonary function(P＜0.001).Conclusion:This study in-dicates that Baduanjin is particularly effective in improving sleep quality,cardiopulmonary function,and reducing fatigue among female college students,showing advantages over brisk walking.

Background and Aims:Laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy(LPD)has become a preferred approach for periampullary tumors,yet delayed gastric emptying(DGE)remains a frequent complication that hampers postoperative recovery.The nasojejunal feeding tube(NJT)is commonly used for early enteral nutrition,but its impact on DGE is controversial.This study aimed to evaluate whether intraoperative NJT placement increases the risk of DGE after LPD and to assess its influence on postoperative recovery outcomes.Methods:A retrospective cohort of 319 patients who underwent LPD at Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from April 2017 to November 2023 was analyzed.Patients were divided into two groups based on intraoperative NJT placement(NJT group,n=200;non-NJT group,n=119).The incidence of DGE and postoperative outcomes were compared.Multivariate logistic regression and propensity score matching(PSM)were performed to identify independent risk factors for DGE.Results:The incidence of grade B/C DGE was significantly higher in the NJT group than in the non-NJT group(36.5%vs.21.8%,P=0.006).NJT placement was associated with longer postoperative hospital stay and higher hospitalization costs(both P<0.05).Multivariate analysis revealed intraoperative NJT placement(OR=1.960,95%CI=1.142-3.363,P=0.015)and intraoperative blood loss>400 mL(OR=1.921,95%CI=1.155-3.194,P=0.012)as independent risk factors for DGE.These findings were consistent after PSM.Conclusions:Prophylactic intraoperative NJT placement confers no additional benefit for postoperative recovery after LPD and is associated with a higher risk of DGE,prolonged hospitalization,and increased medical costs.Routine NJT placement should therefore be avoided,and individualized strategies should be adopted to minimize postoperative complications and enhance recovery.

This study aims to establish BHK-21 stable cell lines expressing APN from four species(human,pig,dog,and cat),the APN fragments were amplified from pEGFP-C1-APN plasmids of the four species stored in the laboratory to generate the recombinant plasmids pcDNA4.0-APN.Af-ter the recombinant plasmids were transfected into BHK-21 cells,the stable BHK-21 cell lines ex-pressing the APNs were selected by two rounds of limited dilution.The constructed BHK-21 cell lines were identified by indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA),and their susceptibility to PD-CoV and TGEV was tested for these four cell lines.Virus infection experiments revealed that PD-CoV infected cells expressing human,pig,and dog APNs,while it did not infect cells expressing cat APN.Simultaneously,TGEV infected cells expressing pig,dog,and cat APNs,but did not infect cells expressing human APN.The results suggest that the risk of cross-species infection for different coronaviruses and the established cell line can be used effectively to evaluate the virus in-fection.The findings also revealed that PDCoV has the potential risk of cross-species infection of human and dog,and TGEV has the potential risk of cross-species infection of dog and cat.These results provide a basis for the prevention and control strategy of coronaviruses.

Objective:To screen genetic and epigenetic expression differences associated with pulmonary embolism through integrated bioinformatics analysis.Methods:Four patients with pulmonary embolism and healthy physical examination in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University in 2019 were selected as the research objects, using high-throughput sequencing technologies and methylation chip technology to detect, screening and integrated peripheral blood difference genomes and the epigenome data to identify the pathogenesis of pulmonary embolism caused by methylation of drive and differentially expressed genes, GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were performed.Results:Coexpression analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression data between the pulmonary embolism group and the healthy control group showed that differential methylation in the upstream region of genes was negatively correlated with gene expression. Among them, 8 significantly methylated genes in the upstream region of genes were screened out, and independent sample t-test and Pearson correlation analysis were done. In the pulmonary embolism group, there were 6 significant methylated genes of TSS1500, namely TSPO2, C1QA, AQP1, TNFSF9, MIA and STAB1, and the differential expression multiple log2FC of corresponding genes was 1.298, 1.629, 1.024, 2.746, 2.539, 1.060, respectively. The correlation between gene expression and gene methylation were -0.908, -0.900, -0.824, -0.784, -0.783, -0.779, respectively, and the methylation differences between the two groups were -0.049, -0.053, -0.048, -0.057, -0.050, respectively. -0.053 ( P < 0.05). There were three significantly methylated genes in the TSS200 region, namely TSPO2, SLC9A, and SIGLEC1. The gene expression differential multiple log2FC was 1.298, -2.252, and 1.866, respectively. The correlation between gene expression and gene methylation was -0.860, -0.774, and -0.739, respectively. The methylation difference between the two groups was -0.051, 0.027, -0.048 ( P < 0.05). In the pulmonary embolism group, 7 genes, including TSPO2, C1QA, AQP1, TNFSF9, MIA, STAB1 and SIGLEC1, showed hypomethylation and high expression in the TSS region. SLC9A3 gene showed high methylation and low expression. In the analysis of GO function, significant enrichment was obtained in complement activation, immune response and activation protein cascade. In the KEGG signaling pathway, the immune system, bacterial infection, and signaling molecules and interactions are significantly enriched, thereby regulating the occurrence of pulmonary embolism. Conclusions:Based on the combined analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression, a new idea of the occurrence and development of pulmonary embolism has been found, which can be further studied in the future.

Background::Abnormal lipids are strong predictors of cardiovascular disease in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, the potential associations of insulin resistance (IR) and beta-cell function (BCF) with abnormal lipids in newly diagnosed T1DM or T2DM patients are not fully understood.Methods::A cross-sectional survey of 15,928 participants was conducted. Homeostasis model assessment and postprandial C-peptide levels were used to estimate IR and BCF. A restricted cubic spline (RCS) nested in binary logistic regression was used to examine the associations of IR and BCF with abnormal lipids.Results::High triglyceride (TG), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) accounted for 49.7%, 47.8%, and 59.2% of the participants, respectively. In multivariable analysis, high IR was associated with an increased risk of high TGs ( P for trend <0.001) in T1DM and is associated with an elevated risk of high TG and low HDL-C (all P for trend <0.01) in T2DM. Low BCF was not associated with risks of dyslipidemia in patients with T1DM or T2DM after adjustment for potential confounders. Conclusion::High IR had different associations with the risk of dyslipidemia in newly diagnosed T1DM and T2DM patients, suggesting that early treatment that improves IR may benefit abnormal lipid metabolism.

Objective: To explore the relationship between serum complement 1q (C1q) and C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein 1 (CTRP1) levels in patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD) and their clinical value. Methods: Case-control study.115 patients with CHD who were hospitalized in the Department of Cardiology of Ningxia Medical University General Hospital from January 2018 to November 2018 were selected as the case group, including 72 males and 43 females, aged 35-82 years, average (59.96±9.49) years old. There were three subgroups: stable angina group (SAP, n=12), unstable angina group (UA, n=69), and acute myocardial infarction group (AMI, n=34). The control group was selected from 43 healthy subjects in the same period, including 21 males and 22 females, aged 23-71 years, with an average of (45.00±10.66) years old. Serum C1q and CTRP1 levels were tested by immunoturbidimetry and ELISA, and other biochemical indicators such as triglyceride (TG) and total cholesterol (CHOL) were detected.Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the influence of various factors on C1q level. ROC curve and area under the curve (AUC) to explore the diagnostic value of C1q and CTRP1. Results: The C1q level in the CHD group (184.06±31.05) mg/L was higher than that in the control group (122.22±28.18) mg/L (t=-11.405, P<0.001). The AMI group (192.80±34.08) mg/L was significantly higher than the SAP group (169.17±27.13) mg/L (t=-2.328, P=0.021).The CTRP1 level in the CHD group [241.85(79.38)] ng/ml was lower than that in healthy control group [292.7(67.64)] ng/ml (Z=-3.64, P<0.001). Group B with higher Gensini score (t=3.672, P<0.001) and group C (t=2.529, P=0.013) had higher C1q levels than group A.After adjusting for the effects of age, sex and other indicators, C1q levels were correlated with HDL-C (β=-0.582, P<0.001),CHOL (β=0.384,P<0.001) and systolic blood pressure (β=0.142,P=0.038). The ROC curve shows that when the CHD is diagnosed, the sensitivity of C1q level >150.82 mg/L is 87%,the specificity is 88.4%, and the AUC is 0.942. The corresponding sensitivity and specificity of CTRP1 <281.80 ng/ml are 76.5% and 60.5% respectively, and the AUC is 0.688. The AUC obtained by combined predictors was 0.944, and the sensitivity and specificity were 89.6% and 86.0% respectively. When AMI is diagnosed, C1q level >178.3 mg/L, corresponding sensitivity and specificity are 70.6% and 66.1%, the AUC is 0.726, CTRP1 has no diagnostic value. Conclusions Serum C1q levels in patients with CHD are elevated, and AMI patients are higher than SAP patients; C1q may be a potential marker reflecting the severity of coronary artery disease; there is no significant correlation between serum C1q and CTRP1 in CHD patients.