Objective: To explore the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of ectopic thyroid gland in the parotid gland area, and to provide clinical ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of ectopic thyroid gland. Methods: A case of a normal thyroid gland with ectopic thyroid gland tissue in the parotid gland area in the neck was reported. The male patient was 20 years old. The chief complaint was the discovery of a painless mass gradually increasing under the left earlobe for one month. Clinical examination showed obvious bulging of the tissue under the left earlobe. A strip-shaped mass approximately 3.0 cm long could be palpated. It was soft in texture, with a clear boundary, and located under the skin. The skin was pale red and of normal temperature. The body position movement test was negative. Color Doppler ultrasound of the thyroid gland in the neck showed that the shape and size of the thyroid gland were normal. CT images of the head and neck showed a band-like soft tissue density shadow at the area of the parotid gland behind and below the left earlobe, with a clear boundary. The CT value was approximately 30 HU, and further enhancement yielded no additional findings. The admitting diagnosis was a mass in the left parotid gland area. The tumor was incised using a conventional surgical method for the parotid gland area. During the operation, it was found that the tumor was located under the skin, and the contents were bright-red granulomatous tissue without a capsule and adhesive to the skin tissue. The parotid gland capsule was not involved. After the tumor was completely scraped off, intermittent suturing was performed. The resected tumor was sent for pathological examination. A retrospective analysis of the diagnosis and treatment of this type of case was conducted in combination with a literature review. Results: The wound of the patient failed to heal in the first stage after the operation. By applying iodoform gauze for pressurized dressing changed weekly, the wound gradually healed about 2 months later. The postoperative pathological report showed an ectopic thyroid gland in the left parotid gland area. The results of the literature review indicate that ectopic thyroid glands can be partial or complete. In the former, normal thyroid gland tissue exists in the neck, and some thyroid gland tissue appears in other locations, mostly at the base of the tongue and mediastinum. In the latter, the thyroid gland in the neck is absent. Both can present with abnormal thyroid gland function and local compression symptoms, and the symptoms are more obvious in patients with a complete ectopic thyroid gland. Ectopic thyroid glands are mainly diagnosed and differentiated through physical examination and imaging examination. Ectopic thyroid glands occurring subcutaneously in the parotid gland area are extremely rare. Physicians should design personalized treatment plans based on clinical examinations and surgical indications. Conclusion A subcutaneous ectopic thyroid gland in the parotid gland area is rare. For ectopic thyroid gland surgery, a reasonable surgical plan should be designed considering the patient's aesthetic needs and prognosis. Puncture biopsy should be performed when necessary to formulate the surgical plan.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the regulatory effects of Aurora-A in regulating proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of cervical cancer cells and the role of actin-related protein 2/3 complex subunit 4 (ARPC4) in mediating its effects. METHODS: The plasmids pCDH-NC, pCDH-Aurora-A, and shRNA-ARPC4 were used for inducing Aurora-A overexpression or ARPC4 knockdown in HeLa cells. The cells were divided into vector group, Aurora-A overexpression group, Aurora-A overexpression+ARPC4 knockdown group, and Aurora-A overexpression+NF‑κBp65 inhibitor group and transfected with the corresponding plasmids. The proliferation, colony-forming ability, migration and invasion of the treated Hela cells was evaluated using EdU immunofluorescence assay, crystal violet staining, scratch assay, Transwell assay, and Matrigel assay. Western blotting was performed to detect the changes in cellular expressions of EMT-related proteins and expression levels of NF-κBp65 and ARPC4. RESULTS: The expression of ARPC4 was significantly decreased in HeLa cells with Aurora-A knockdown and increased in Aurora-A-overexpressing cells. Aurora-A overexpression obviously promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of HeLa cells, and these effects was significantly antagonized by ARPC4 knockdown. In Aurora-A-overexpressing cells, the phosphorylation level of NF-κBp65 and the expression level of ARPC4 were increased significantly, and application of the NF‑κBp65 inhibitor obviously lowered the expression level of ARPC4. CONCLUSIONS Aurora-A overexpression upregulates the expression of ARPC4 by activating the NF-κBp65 signaling pathway, thereby promoting migration, invasion and EMT of HeLa cells.
Humans ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Female ; HeLa Cells ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Signal Transduction ; Cell Movement ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Cell Proliferation ; Aurora Kinase A/metabolism* ; Transcription Factor RelA/metabolism* ; Neoplasm Metastasis

Tumor cells can escape the surveillance and attack of the immune system, namely immune escape. In recent years, regulatory B (Breg) cell have attracted much attention in researches about tumor immunity. Breg cell plays an important role in tumor immune escape by secreted various cytokines. Mechanistic progress has been made in this field, which provides more targets and ideas for tumor clinical treatment. However, the phenotypic classification of Breg cells and its complex mechanism in tumor immunity still need to be systematically analyzed.

BACKGROUND:Traditional bone tissue engineering techniques for treating critical bone defects suffer from low osteogenic efficiency and poor safety.Gene-enhanced bone tissue engineering grafts constructed with non-viral nanoparticles have attracted widespread attention from scholars both domestically and internationally due to their higher osteogenic rates and safety,leading to extensive research in this field.OBJECTIVE:To review new technologies,methods,and challenges in the research of nanoparticles in gene therapy for bone tissue engineering,aiming to provide a reference for research on gene therapy mediated by nanoparticles in bone tissue engineering.METHODS:The first author searched PubMed,Web of Science,and CNKI.The Chinese and English search terms were"bone defect repair,bone tissue engineering,gene delivery,nanoparticles,non-viral gene vector,sustained release technology,sequential release,targeted delivery."Finally,84 articles were included for summary.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Targeted gene delivery at various physiological stages of bone defect healing can significantly enhance bone repair efficacy.In the early inflammatory stage,delivering anti-inflammatory genes via nanoparticles to regulate the inflammatory response lays the foundation for subsequent bone healing.During the angiogenesis phase,local delivery of vascularization target genes aids in forming a highly organized vascular system,significantly accelerating bone healing.As vascularization progresses,neural re-innervation of the bone begins;at this stage,delivering functional genes promoting nerve regeneration facilitates neuro-osteogenic regeneration.During the osteogenic phase,constructing nanoparticle-bone gene complexes directly enhances the efficiency of bone formation on scaffold and in vivo.(2)Non-viral nanocarriers such as various organic and inorganic nanoparticles,metal-organic frameworks,and exosomes show immense potential in gene therapy for bone tissue engineering.Each of these carriers has its unique advantages and limitations.Therefore,in practical applications,selection of the appropriate type primarily depends on factors such as gene transfection efficiency,biocompatibility,and osteogenic properties.(3)To comprehensively improve the efficiency of gene delivery,the gene transfection efficiency of nanocarriers is mainly enhanced through various functional designs,including enhancing the temporal regulation ability such as slow release and multi-gene delivery sequence,enhancing the spatial targeting ability of bone tissue and osteoblast-related cells,enhancing the transmembrane transport efficiency and nuclear targeting ability.(4)Numerous challenges need to be overcome in order to further promote the clinical application of nanoparticle-mediated gene therapy for bone tissue engineering,including improving gene transfection efficiency of organic carriers,reducing biosafety risks of inorganic carriers,optimizing the production process of new types of nanocarriers,and promoting interactions between other physiological processes and osteogenesis.These are also research hotspots and trends of gene therapy for bone tissue engineering in the future.

BACKGROUND:Traditional bone tissue engineering techniques for treating critical bone defects suffer from low osteogenic efficiency and poor safety.Gene-enhanced bone tissue engineering grafts constructed with non-viral nanoparticles have attracted widespread attention from scholars both domestically and internationally due to their higher osteogenic rates and safety,leading to extensive research in this field.OBJECTIVE:To review new technologies,methods,and challenges in the research of nanoparticles in gene therapy for bone tissue engineering,aiming to provide a reference for research on gene therapy mediated by nanoparticles in bone tissue engineering.METHODS:The first author searched PubMed,Web of Science,and CNKI.The Chinese and English search terms were"bone defect repair,bone tissue engineering,gene delivery,nanoparticles,non-viral gene vector,sustained release technology,sequential release,targeted delivery."Finally,84 articles were included for summary.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Targeted gene delivery at various physiological stages of bone defect healing can significantly enhance bone repair efficacy.In the early inflammatory stage,delivering anti-inflammatory genes via nanoparticles to regulate the inflammatory response lays the foundation for subsequent bone healing.During the angiogenesis phase,local delivery of vascularization target genes aids in forming a highly organized vascular system,significantly accelerating bone healing.As vascularization progresses,neural re-innervation of the bone begins;at this stage,delivering functional genes promoting nerve regeneration facilitates neuro-osteogenic regeneration.During the osteogenic phase,constructing nanoparticle-bone gene complexes directly enhances the efficiency of bone formation on scaffold and in vivo.(2)Non-viral nanocarriers such as various organic and inorganic nanoparticles,metal-organic frameworks,and exosomes show immense potential in gene therapy for bone tissue engineering.Each of these carriers has its unique advantages and limitations.Therefore,in practical applications,selection of the appropriate type primarily depends on factors such as gene transfection efficiency,biocompatibility,and osteogenic properties.(3)To comprehensively improve the efficiency of gene delivery,the gene transfection efficiency of nanocarriers is mainly enhanced through various functional designs,including enhancing the temporal regulation ability such as slow release and multi-gene delivery sequence,enhancing the spatial targeting ability of bone tissue and osteoblast-related cells,enhancing the transmembrane transport efficiency and nuclear targeting ability.(4)Numerous challenges need to be overcome in order to further promote the clinical application of nanoparticle-mediated gene therapy for bone tissue engineering,including improving gene transfection efficiency of organic carriers,reducing biosafety risks of inorganic carriers,optimizing the production process of new types of nanocarriers,and promoting interactions between other physiological processes and osteogenesis.These are also research hotspots and trends of gene therapy for bone tissue engineering in the future.

BACKGROUND:Due to the mechanical properties,unstable drug release,single function and other problems of pure hydrogel materials,in recent years,researchers have prepared a variety of metal organic frameworks-based hydrogel materials by introducing metal organic frameworks into hydrogel,and showed great potential in the field of soft and hard tissue regeneration. OBJECTIVE:To classify the metal organic frameworks-based hydrogel materials based on how metal organic frameworks enhance the properties of hydrogel and further summarize its recent research in the field of soft and hard tissue regeneration,in order to provide ideas and theoretical supports for the subsequent in-depth research on synthesis mechanism and clinical application of the composite material. METHODS:Using"metal organic frameworks,hydrogels,tissue engineering,tissue,bone regeneration,bone,wound"as English and Chinese search terms,we searched Web of Science,PubMed,CNKI,and Wanfang databases.The search period ranged from January 2000 to August 2023.By reading the titles and abstracts,the repetitive studies and unrelated literature of Chinese and English literature were excluded.After the literature quality evaluation,73 articles were included for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Metal organic frameworks-based hydrogel materials effectively solve the problems of poor mechanical properties,unstable drug release and single function of pure hydrogel.(2)Metal organic frameworks enhance the capacity of repair and regeneration by strengthening the cross-linking of hydrogel,the drug delivery capacity of hydrogel and the multifunction of hydrogel.(3)In terms of hard tissue repair,it has shown good repair effects in animal models of diseases such as bone defects,osteoarthritis,and cartilage defects,suggesting potential application prospects in clinical repair.(4)In terms of soft tissue regeneration,it has the capacities of hemostasis,antibacterial,inflammatory state regulation,oxidative stress state regulation,promoting angiogenesis and other functions,effectively improving the microenvironment of various complex wounds and promoting soft tissue regeneration.(5)Although metal organic frameworks-based hydrogels have many excellent properties,they are still in the initial stage and there are some urgent problems to be solved in the process of clinical transformation,such as the cytotoxicity of metal organic frameworks and large-scale synthesis of metal organic frameworks.(6)With further research,metal organic frameworks-based hydrogels have broad application prospects in the field of soft and hard tissue repair.

Objective:To examine the impact of sleep quality on cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment(MCI)and explore the potential mediating role of depression.Methods:Using a cross-sectional design, we conducted an on-site questionnaire survey among 310 elderly individuals with MCI in Haishu District, Ningbo City from April to June 2021.Out of the 310 questionnaires collected, 299 were deemed valid.The survey encompassed gathering basic demographic information of the participants, as well as administering the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire Depression Scale, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Scale.Results:The cognitive functions of patients with MCI were found to be positively related to their education level( F=3.89, P<0.05).The correlation analysis indicated that sleep quality was positively correlated with depression( r=0.40, P<0.01)and negatively correlated with cognitive function( r=-0.22, P<0.01).Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was observed between depression and cognitive function( r=-0.20, P<0.01).The mediation analysis revealed that depression played a role in mediating the influence of sleep quality on cognitive function, with a mediation effect of -0.02(95% CI: -0.03--0.01). Conclusions:The cognitive function of elderly individuals with MCI can be significantly affected by sleep quality, with depression playing a mediating role.

Objective:To probe into the potential prognostic value of lymphocyte subsets in gastric cancer.Methods:This study included patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer from Aug 2014 to Dec 2016. The immunological differences was analyzed in different infiltration patterns. The overall survival of patients was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier method and Log-rank test. COX regression was performed to assess independent prognostic factors of the patients, and finally constructed nomogram.Results:The median number of peripheral CD4 and CD19 cells in infiltration pattern c was 750 (94-2 504) cells/μl and 186 (17-820) cells/μl; the median number of peripheral CD4 and CD19 cells in infiltration pattern a was 802 (203-2 071) cells/μl and 213 (5-948) cells/μl, the number of peripheral CD4,CD19 cells in infiltration pattern c was lower than that in infiltration pattern a, with statistically significant differences (CD4: Z=-3.061, P=0.002; CD19: Z=-2.016 , P=0.044). CD19 lymphocytes ( P=0.023) were associated with infiltration pattern a, CD8 lymphocytes ( P=0.027) were associated with infiltration pattern b, and CD4 lymphocytes ( P=0.026) were independent risk factors associated with the prognosis of infiltration pattern c. A nomogram can be constructed to evaluate the prognosis of patients. Conclusion:There are differences in the number of peripheral lymphocyte subsets in patients with different INF types. A nomogram can be constructed from lymphocyte subsets and clinicopathological features to assess patient prognosis.

Objective:To investigate the expression differences of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) in sperm cells with different DNA fragmentation index (DFI).Methods:Male patients who visited the Center of Reproductive Medicine of the Changhai Hospital Affiliated to Naval Medical University from October 2021 to August 2022 were included in the study. According to the DFI value, they were divided into <15%, 15%-30% and >30%, which were denoted as normal DFI group ( n=48), critical DFI group ( n=40) and increased DFI group ( n=48). The relative expression levels of sncRNAs in sperm cells of 3 groups were compared. The correlation between differential sncRNAs and sperm motility was analyzed. Results:There were no significant differences in age and sperm concentration among the three groups (all P>0.05). The sperm motility in the increased DFI group [(30.36±4.75)%] was lower than that in the normal DFI group [(63.38±9.56)%, P<0.001] and the critical DFI group [(56.50±5.87)%, P=0.034]. Compared with the other two groups, the relative expression levels of Glu-CTC-40-10 and SeC-TCA-37-4 in the increased DFI group decreased, while the relative expression levels of Gly-GCC, iMet-CAT-18-18, and hsa-miR-151a-5p increased, with statistical significances (all P<0.001). Spearman correlation analysis showed that Glu-CTC-40-10, SeC-TCA-37-4 were positively correlated with sperm motility ( r=0.384, P<0.001; r=0.441, P<0.001), and Gly-GCC, iMet-CAT-18-18 and hsa-miR-151a-5p were negatively correlated with sperm motility ( r=-0.437, P<0.001; r=-0.423, P<0.001; r=-0.515, P<0.001). Conclusion:Compared with semen with normal DFI, sncRNAs are differentially expressed in semen with critical and elevated DFI, which may be related to the molecular mechanism of DFI formation. SncRNAs have the potential to be used as biological markers of male infertility.

Objective:To investigate the expression differences of small non-coding RNAs (sncRNAs) in sperm cells with different DNA fragmentation index (DFI).Methods:Male patients who visited the Center of Reproductive Medicine of the Changhai Hospital Affiliated to Naval Medical University from October 2021 to August 2022 were included in the study. According to the DFI value, they were divided into <15%, 15%-30% and >30%, which were denoted as normal DFI group ( n=48), critical DFI group ( n=40) and increased DFI group ( n=48). The relative expression levels of sncRNAs in sperm cells of 3 groups were compared. The correlation between differential sncRNAs and sperm motility was analyzed. Results:There were no significant differences in age and sperm concentration among the three groups (all P>0.05). The sperm motility in the increased DFI group [(30.36±4.75)%] was lower than that in the normal DFI group [(63.38±9.56)%, P<0.001] and the critical DFI group [(56.50±5.87)%, P=0.034]. Compared with the other two groups, the relative expression levels of Glu-CTC-40-10 and SeC-TCA-37-4 in the increased DFI group decreased, while the relative expression levels of Gly-GCC, iMet-CAT-18-18, and hsa-miR-151a-5p increased, with statistical significances (all P<0.001). Spearman correlation analysis showed that Glu-CTC-40-10, SeC-TCA-37-4 were positively correlated with sperm motility ( r=0.384, P<0.001; r=0.441, P<0.001), and Gly-GCC, iMet-CAT-18-18 and hsa-miR-151a-5p were negatively correlated with sperm motility ( r=-0.437, P<0.001; r=-0.423, P<0.001; r=-0.515, P<0.001). Conclusion:Compared with semen with normal DFI, sncRNAs are differentially expressed in semen with critical and elevated DFI, which may be related to the molecular mechanism of DFI formation. SncRNAs have the potential to be used as biological markers of male infertility.