OBJECTIVE To study the improvement effects and potential mechanisms of water extract from Chrysanthemum morifolium on skeletal muscle atrophy in rats after ischemic stroke. METHODS Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham operation group， model group， ATP group （10 mg/kg）， C. morifolium water extract high-dose and low-dose groups （1.08， 0.54 g/kg）. Except for sham operation group， ischemic stroke models were induced in rats from the other groups using middle cerebral artery occlusion. Starting from the first day after surgery， rats in each group were given corresponding drug/normal saline intragastrically， once a day， for consecutive 7 days. On the 7th day post-surgery， the rats’ body weights were measured， and their motor functions were evaluated， including Longa scores， exercise distance， grip strength； the electrophysiological signals of the skeletal muscles in rats were measured； the pathological morphology of the soleus muscle in rats was observed； the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in serum and soleus muscle were measured； the expressions of proteins related to TNF-α/c-Jun N- terminal kinase （JNK）/mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway in the soleus muscle were determined. RESULTS Compared with sham operation group， the body weight， grip strength and exercise distance of rats were decreased/ shortened significantly （P＜0.01）； additionally， there was a notable reduction in the interpeak value of skeletal muscle electrophysiology （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Longa score， as well as the levels of TNF-α in serum and soleus muscle， and the expression levels of TNF-α， phosphorylated JNK， phosphorylated MAPK， muscle ring-finger protein-1， and muscle atrophy Fbox- 1 protein in the soleus muscle， were all significantly elevated （P＜0.01）. The skeletal muscle cells of the soleus muscle in the model group showed significant atrophy， with a markedly decreased cross-sectional area （P＜0.01）. Compared with the model group， the levels of the aforementioned indicators were significantly reversed in C. morifolium water extract groups （P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01）， and the skeletal muscle cells of the soleus muscle were markedly enlarged. CONCLUSIONS C. morifolium water extract can improve skeletal muscle atrophy in rats after ischemic stroke， the mechanism of which may be associated with suppressing the activation of the TNF- α/JNK/MAPK E-mail：19932015@cdutcm.edu.cn signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo observe the clinical efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） triple therapy in the treatment of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis （SBP） with damp-heat stagnation and toxin-blood stasis syndrome in liver cirrhosis patients， and to explore its potential mechanisms of action. MethodsEighty-six patients were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group， with 43 patients in each group. Both groups received standard western medicine treatment， while the experimental group additionally received TCM triple therapy， including oral Qingre Liangxue Jiedu Decoction （清热凉血解毒汤）， retention enema with Dachengi Decoction （大承气汤）， and abdominal application of Qingre Zhitong Lishui Fomulation （清热止痛利水方） with lotus leaf. Both groups were treated for 2 weeks. Before and after treatment， various indicators were measured， such as TCM syndrome scores， ascites volume measured by abdominal ultrasound， liver function indicators including total bilirubin （TBIL）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and albumin （ALB）， infection markers， including neutrophil percentage （NEUT%）， C-reactive protein （CRP）， and procalcitonin （PCT）， inflammatory factors， such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-ɑ）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， and interleukin-10 （IL-10）， intestinal mucosal barrier function markers， including endotoxin （ET）， diamine oxidase （DAO）， D-lactic acid （D-Lac）， occludin， and zonula occludens-1 （ZO-1）， and peritoneal polymorphonuclear （PMN） cell counts at 72 hours post-treatment. ResultsA total of 82 patients were included in the final analysis， with 41 patients in each group. The total effective rate for TCM syndrome in the experimental group was 92.68% （38/41）， which was significantly higher than the 80.49% （33/41） in the control group （P＜0.05）. Compared with pre-treatment values， both groups showed significant reductions in TCM syndrome scores， ascites volume， TBIL， ALT， AST， NEUT%， CRP， PCT， TNF-α， IL-6， ET， DAO， D-Lac， Occludin， and ZO-1， with an increase in IL-10 levels and a decrease in PMN count in ascites 72 hours post-treatment （P＜0.05）. Furthermore， the experimental group outperformed the control group in all the above indicators after treatment （P＜0.05）. The disappearance time of fever and abdominal pain was shorter in the experimental group than in the control group （P＜0.01）. There were no significant changes in routine urine and stool tests， renal function， electrolytes， or electrocardiogram in either group compared with pre-treatment values. ConclusionTCM triple therapy in addition to western medicine routine treatment could significantly improves clinical symptoms in patients with liver cirrhosis and SBP with damp-heat stagnation and toxin-blood stasis syndrome， alleviates liver inflammation， improves liver function， accelerates the resolution of ascites， and increases clinical efficacy. The potential mechanism may be related to the regulation of the inflammatory response and the promotion of intestinal mucosal barrier repair.

BACKGROUND: P16 inactivation is frequently accompanied by telomerase reverse transcriptase ( TERT ) amplification in human cancer genomes. P16 inactivation by DNA methylation often occurs automatically during immortalization of normal cells by TERT . However, direct evidence remains to be obtained to support the causal effect of epigenetic changes, such as P16 methylation, on cancer development. This study aimed to provide experimental evidence that P16 methylation directly drives cancer development. METHODS: A zinc finger protein-based P16 -specific DNA methyltransferase (P16-Dnmt) vector containing a "Tet-On" switch was used to induce extensive methylation of P16 CpG islands in normal human fibroblast CCD-18Co cells. Battery assays were used to evaluate cell immortalization and transformation throughout their lifespan. Cell subcloning and DNA barcoding were used to track the diversity of cell evolution. RESULTS: Leaking P16-Dnmt expression (without doxycycline-induction) could specifically inactivate P16 expression by DNA methylation. P16 methylation only promoted proliferation and prolonged lifespan but did not induce immortalization of CCD-18Co cells. Notably, cell immortalization, loss of contact inhibition, and anchorage-independent growth were always prevalent in P16-Dnmt&TERT cells, indicating cell transformation. In contrast, almost all TERT cells died in the replicative crisis. Only a few TERT cells recovered from the crisis, in which spontaneous P16 inactivation by DNA methylation occurred. Furthermore, the subclone formation capacity of P16-Dnmt&TERT cells was two-fold that of TERT cells. DNA barcoding analysis showed that the diversity of the P16-Dnmt&TERT cell population was much greater than that of the TERT cell population. CONCLUSION P16 methylation drives TERT -mediated immortalization and transformation of normal human cells that may contribute to cancer development.
Humans ; Telomerase/genetics* ; DNA Methylation/physiology* ; Fibroblasts/cytology* ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16/metabolism* ; Cell Line ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/genetics*

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the association of CHMP2B expression level of with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CRCC) and the possible role of CHMP2B in tumorigenesis and progression of CRCC. METHODS: RNAseq data of CRCC were downloaded from the TCGA database for analysis of CHMP2B expression levels in tumor and adjacent tissues and their correlation with clinicopathological characteristics of the patients. Survival outcomes of the patients with high and low CHMP2B expressions were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier model, and the COX risk regression model was used for identifying the prognostic factors of the patients. The correlation between CHMP2B expression and immune infiltration, its co-expressed genes, and the effect of CHMP2B gene mutations on immunotherapy responses, and its immunohistochemical expression in CRCC and normal tissues were analyzed. Clinical samples of CRCC were collected to examine CHMP2B expressions using RT-PCR, and cell experiment was carried out to test the effect of CHMP2B overexpression on biological behaviors of CRCC cells. RESULTS: CHMP2B was significantly under-expressed in renal cancer tissues, and its overexpression obviously inhibited the proliferation of CRCC cells in vitro. CHMP2B expression level was significantly correlated with age, gender, lymph node metastasis, and tumor stage, and the patients with low CHMP2B expression had poor survival outcomes. Enrichment and co-expression gene analyses suggested that CHMP2B was mainly involved in viral outgrowth, necrotic apoptosis, endocytosis, and immune-regulatory processes in kidney cancer. CONCLUSIONS CHMP2B is lowly expressed in renal cancer tissues to affect tumor progression and tumor immune processes, and may serve as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for CRCC.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/metabolism* ; Kidney Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation ; Prognosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Male ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic

ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation between mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) body constitution types in the elderly, and to provide an evidence for the control of cognitive impairment in the elderly. MethodsThe elderly aged 65 and above who participated in the community physical examinations in a community of Changning District, Shanghai were selected as the research subjects. The cognitive function was assessed by using the Clock Drawing Test combined with the Ascertain Dementia 8-item Questionnaire (AD8), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE). The diagnostic criteria for MCI was identified based on the 2018 Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Dementia and Cognitive Disorders, along with the assessment results and clinical history information. The current investigation method was used to collect the basic information and the prevalence of chronic disease of the subjects through questionnaire inquiries. The elderly subjects’ ability to take care of themselves was evaluated based on the Elderly Self⁃Care Ability Evaluation Scale, while the TCM body constitution types were determined based on the Chinese Medicine Health Care Management Service Specification. The association of the detection rate of MCI with gender, education level, history of chronic disease and TCM body constitution types were analyzed lastly. ResultsA total of 2 351 elderly people were investigated, including 1 037 males and 1 314 females, with an average age of (74.11±6.15) years. 174 subjects, accounting for 7.40%, were identified with MCI. The highest detection rate of MCI in the elderly are those with a Qi stagnation constitution (10.8%), followed by those with a dampness-heat constitution (9.1%) and a Qi deficiency constitution (8.4%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that advanced age, lower educational level, a history of tuberculosis, and TCM constitutions such as dampness-heat, Qi stagnation, and Qi deficiency were the potential risk factors for MCI. ConclusionThere is a significant association between TCM constitution types such as dampness-heat, Qi stagnation, and Qi deficiency with MCI. TCM techniques can be integrated into the health management services for the elderly population, and targeted interventions can be provided to those with imbalanced constitution types so as to reduce the risk of MCI.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of a new type of "firebreak" drainage with skin preservation in the treatment of Fournier's gangrene.Methods:This technique is suitable for patients with perianal necrotizing fasciitis who can tolerate surgery without large area of skin blackness and necrosis. Procedure and key points: (1) The dividing line between inflammatory tissue and normal tissue was determined according to imaging examination and intraoperative exploration; (2) The abscess cavity was cut along the most obvious part of the abscess fluctuation, with a long diameter of 3~4 cm and a short diameter of 1~2 cm; (3) Necrotic tissue was discreetly separated and removed from the main incision to the outer edge of the infection. A fusiform incision was made every 3 to 5 cm, with a long diameter of 2 to 3 cm and a short diameter of 1 cm, and discreetly separated until the normal tissue, and a hose was hung between the adjacent incisions for drainage. (4) Each adjacent edge cut between the stealth separation and hanging hose drainage, forming a "firebreak"; (5) Rinse the wound repeatedly; (6) If the infection invades the rectum, colostomy is performed as required. The case data of 11 patients with perianal necrotizing fasciitis admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine from July 2019 to February 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were treated with emergency surgical debridement by "firebreak" drainage with skin preservation.Results:All 11 cases were cured with 100%. One case underwent multiple operations. The hospitalization time was 11-46 days, with an average of 22 days. The wound healing time was 28-75 days, with an average of 43 days. Except for 1 patient with trauma, all the other patients had no significant anal function injury after surgery. All the 11 patients recovered and were discharged from hospital with a median follow-up of 136 (115-413) days.Conclusions:The "firebreak" drainage based on skin preservation has the advantages of less trauma and faster recovery, and do not cause obvious anal function damage.

Objective:To explore the association between self-control and the co-occurrence of depres-sive symptoms and overweight or obesity from adolescence to early adulthood in the Chinese population,and to provide a scientific basis for personalized interventions targeting individuals with different risks in the future.Methods:From a prospective cohort study that lasted for 10 years:The China family panel studies(CFPS),a total of 608 children and adolescents meeting the following inclusion and exclusion criteria were included as study subjects:(1)Aged 10 to 19 years,at normal weight according to Chinese standards,and without depressive symptom in 2010;(2)Had self-control scores,and with at least two measurements of depressive symptoms and body mass index(BMI)between 2010 and 2020;(3)The only one or the youngest child and adolescent from each family.The co-occurrence of depressive symp-toms and overweight or obesity was defined in three ways:Both of the average level of standardized scores of depressive symptoms and BMI Z-scores across multiple measurements over time were at a high level,or both of the trajectories of depressive symptoms and BMI over time based on the latent classification trajec-tory model(LCTM)belonging to the"risk-type",or individuals had depressive symptoms and over-weight/obesity at the last follow-up survey.The multinomial Logistic regression model was used to examine the association between standardized scores of self-control and the co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and overweight or obesity.Results:The score of self-control was associated with the co-occur-rence of depressive symptoms and overweight or obesity when using healthy individuals as the reference group after adjusting for age(years),gender(male/female),area(urban/rural),weekly physical ac-tivity duration(high/low),parental education level(college or above/high school or below),parental weight status(overweight or obese or not),and parental depressive symptoms(with depressive symptoms or not),regardless of the definition of the risk population.Specifically,the risk of co-occurrence of de-pressive symptoms and overweight or obesity was reduced by 33％(95％CI:14％to 48％,based on the average level across multiple measurements over time)to 78％(95％CI:6％to 95％,based on the joint trajectories of depressive symptoms and BMI over time)per 1-standard deviation(1-SD)increase in self-control score.In addition,the risk of depressive-symptom-dominant and overweight-or-obesity-dominant was reduced by 25％(95％CI:4％to 42％,only based on the average level across multiple measure-ments over time)and 21％(95％CI:1％to 37％,only based on the joint trajectories of depressive symptoms and BMI over time)per 1-SD increase in self-control score,respectively.The results from sen-sitivity analysis that defined individuals'weight status according to World Health Organization(WHO)standards were consistent with our main findings.Conclusion:Individuals with higher self-control scores from adolescence to early adulthood have a lower risk of co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and over-weight or obesity,suggesting that personalized interventions for co-occurrence of depressive symptoms and overweight or obesity can be carried out based on self-control scores in the future.

Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)is a group of chronic non-specific intestinal inflammatory diseases with unclear etiology.Its pathogenesis may be related to the intestinal immune imbalance caused by the interaction of multiple factors such as environment,genetics and intestinal microecology.Macrophages,as an important component of the immune system,can maintain a balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-in-flammatory responses in the intestine.Macrophages can be divided into two polarization types:classical activa-tion(Ml)and alternative activation(M2)according to the different phenotypes and cytokines secreted by macrophages.The polarization of macrophages plays a key role in the subside of intestinal inflammation and the healing of mucosa.In the intestinal immune system of IBD,the imbalance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory factors caused by macrophage polarization imbalance can lead to sustained progression of intestinal mucosal inflammation and impairment of barrier function,playing a key role in IBD.The changes in macrophage polarization levels may affect the therapeutic effect of IBD.Therefore,targeting macrophage po-larization may be an important target for the treatment of IBD.This article summarizes the role of intestinal macrophage polarization in IBD and the impact of regulating macrophage polarization in IBD treatment to pro-vide reference for studying the new treatment methods for IBD.

Objective To explore the research hotspots on systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)in pregnancy based on the bibliometric analysis of the related articles published from 2018 to 2023 and provide di-rections for the future research in this field.Methods PubMed,Web of Science,and Embase were searched for the articles on SLE in pregnancy that were published from January 1,2018 to December 31,2023.VOSviewer was used to visualize the high-frequency keywords in the selected articles.Results A total of 266 articles were selected,from which 25 high-frequency keywords were extracted.The bibliometric analysis showed that the available studies about SLE in pregnancy mainly focused on maternal complications,maternal and fetal outcomes,and medica-tions.The studies were limited regarding the predictors,autoimmunity,immunotherapy,and long-term outcomes of offspring.Conclusion Maternal complications,maternal and fetal outcomes,and medications are currently hotspots in the research on SLE in pregnancy,while predictors,autoimmunity,immunotherapy,and long-term outcomes of offspring may become future research directions.

Purpose The clinical and dual-layer detector spectral CT(DLCT)features of epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR)mutation and anaplastic lymphoma kinase(ALK)rearrangement of lung adenocarcinoma were studied by DLCT multi-parameter imaging to explore a non-invasive prediction method for clinical diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma gene expression.Materials and Methods A total of 98 cases of lung adenocarcinoma diagnosed by pathology in Gansu Provincial Hospital were prospectively collected from August 2020 to March 2022.Clinical parameters(gender,age,lesion morphology,number,mediastinal lymph node metastasis,EGFR and ALK mutations status)and DLCT parameters including slope of the spectrum curve of the arteriovenous phase(λHUA,λHUv),the standard iodine concentration of the arteriovenous phase(NICA,NICv),the 40 keV single-energy CT value of the arteriovenous phase(CTA 40 keV,CTv 40 keV),the active atomic number of the arteriovenous phases were collected,respectively.According to the expression of EGFR and ALK,all patients were divided into three groups:EGFR mutant group[EGFR(+)],ALK rearrangement group[ALK(+)],EGFR/ALK both negative group[EGFR/ALK(-)].Clinical and DLCT parameters of each group were analyzed.Results There were statistical difference in gender between the EGFR(+)group and EGFR/ALK(-)group(x2=11.010,P＜0.05).There were statistical differences in lesion morphology among the three groups(x2=12.858,P＜0.05).The value of CTv 40 keV in the EGFR(+)group was significantly higher than that in EGFR/ALK(-)group(t=1.997,P＜0.05),and the NICv in the ALK(+)group was significantly lower than that in EGFR/ALK(-)group(t=2.155,P＜0.05).The λHUv,NICv,CTv 40 keV of EGFR(+)group were significantly higher than those of ALK(+)group(t=2.613,3.149,3.218,all P＜0.05).The sensitivity and specifiicity to identify EGFR(+)and EGFR/ALK(-)adenocarcinoma were 62.7％and 70.0％,the area under curve(AUC)was 0.634(95％CI 0.516-0.756)when the CTv 40 keV value was 141.070 Hu.The sensitivity and specificity to identify ALK(+)and EGFR/ALK(-)adenocarcinoma were 76.7％and 64.2％,the AUC was 0.706(95％CI 0.536-0.853)when NICv value was 0.287.The sensitivity to identify EGFR(+)and ALK(+)adenocarcinoma were 70.6％,64.7％,72.5％and the specificity was 76.5％,76.5％,82.4％,respectively,the AUC was 0.734(95％CI 0.606-0.829),0.751(95％CI 0.610-0.832),0.773(95％CI 0.649-0.861)when the values of λHUv,NICv and CTv 40 keV were 1.335,0.320 and 132.350,respectively.Delong test showed that the AUC of CTv 40 keV and λHUv was statistically different(Z=2.327,P＜0.05),and the AUC of CTv 40 keV was 0.773.Conclusion The gender,lesion morphology and DLCT parameters(λHUv,CTv 40 keV,NICv)of lung adenocarcinoma have certain predictive value for EGFR and ALK genetic expression,which can help clinical judgment of lung adenocarcinoma gene mutation pattern.