ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism of Xiezhuo Jiedu prescription in regulating autophagy in the treatment of ulcerative colitis （UC） by bioinformatics and animal experiments. MethodsThe differentially expressed genes （DEGs） in the colonic mucosal tissue of UC patients was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus （GEO）， and those overlapped with autophagy genes were obtained as the differentially expressed autophagy-related genes （DEARGs）. DEARGs were imported into Metascape and STRING， respectively， for gene ontology/Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomics （GO/KEGG） enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction （PPI） analysis. Finally， 15 key DEARGs were obtained. The core DEARGs were obtained by least absolute shrinkage and selection operator （LASSO） regression and receiver operating characteristic curve （ROC） analysis. The CIBERSORT deconvolution algorithm was used to analyze the immunoinfiltration of UC patients and the correlations between core DEARGs and immune cells. C57BL/6J mice were assigned into a normal group and a modeling group. The mouse model of UC was established by free drinking of 2.5% dextran sulfate sodium. The modeled mice were assigned into low-， medium-， and high-dose Xiezhuo Jiedu prescription and mesalazine groups according to the random number table method and administrated with corresponding agents by gavage for 7 days. The colonic mucosal morphology was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The protein and mRNA levels of cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase 1 （Caspase-1）， cathepsin B （CTSB）， C-C motif chemokine-2 （CCL2）， CXC motif receptor 4 （CXCR4）， and hypoxia-inducing factor-1α （HIF-1α） in the colon tissue were determined by Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction， respectively. ResultsThe dataset GSE87466 was screened from GEO and interlaced with autophagy genes. After PPI analysis， LASSO regression， and ROC analysis， the core DEARGs （Caspase-1， CCL2， CTSB， and CXCR4） were obtained. The results of immunoinfiltration analysis showed that the counts of NK cells， M0 macrophages， M1 macrophages， and dendritic cells in the colonic mucosal tissue of UC patients had significant differences， and core DEARGs had significant correlations with these immune cells. This result， combined with the prediction results of network pharmacology， suggested that the HIF-1α signaling pathway may play a key role in the regulation of UC by Xiezhuo Jiedu prescription. The animal experiments showed that Xiezhuo Jiedu prescription significantly alleviated colonic mucosal inflammation in UC mice. Compared with the normal group， the model group showed up-regulated protein and mRNA levels of caspase-1， CCL2， CTSB， CXCR4， and HIF-1α， which were down-regulated after treatment with Xiezhuo Jiedu prescription or mesalazine. ConclusionCaspase-1， CCL2， CTSB， and CXCR4 are autophagy genes that are closely related to the onset of UC. Xiezhuo Jiedu prescription can down-regulate the expression of core autophagy genes to alleviate the inflammation in the colonic mucosa of mice.

Instrument separation is a critical complication during root canal therapy, impacting treatment success and long-term tooth preservation. The etiology of instrument separation is multifactorial, involving the intricate anatomy of the root canal system, instrument-related factors, and instrumentation techniques. Instrument separation can hinder thorough cleaning, shaping, and obturation of the root canal, posing challenges to successful treatment outcomes. Although retrieval of separated instrument is often feasible, it carries risks including perforation, excessive removal of tooth structure and root fractures. Effective management of separated instruments requires a comprehensive understanding of the contributing factors, meticulous preoperative assessment, and precise evaluation of the retrieval difficulty. The application of appropriate retrieval techniques is essential to minimize complications and optimize clinical outcomes. The current manuscript provides a framework for understanding the causes, risk factors, and clinical management principles of instrument separation. By integrating effective strategies, endodontists can enhance decision-making, improve endodontic treatment success and ensure the preservation of natural dentition.
Humans ; Root Canal Therapy/adverse effects* ; Consensus ; Root Canal Preparation/adverse effects*

Glutamine provides carbon and nitrogen to support the proliferation of cancer cells. However, the precise reason why cancer cells are particularly dependent on glutamine remains unclear. In this study, we report that glutamine modulates the tumor suppressor F-box and WD repeat domain-containing 7 (FBW7) to promote cancer cell proliferation and survival. Specifically, lysine 604 (K604) in the sixth of the 7 substrate-recruiting WD repeats of FBW7 undergoes glutaminylation (Gln-K604) by glutaminyl tRNA synthetase. Gln-K604 inhibits SCFFBW7-mediated degradation of c-Myc and Mcl-1, enhances glutamine utilization, and stimulates nucleotide and DNA biosynthesis through the activation of c-Myc. Additionally, Gln-K604 promotes resistance to apoptosis by activating Mcl-1. In contrast, SIRT1 deglutaminylates Gln-K604, thereby reversing its effects. Cancer cells lacking Gln-K604 exhibit overexpression of c-Myc and Mcl-1 and display resistance to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Silencing both c-MYC and MCL-1 in these cells sensitizes them to chemotherapy. These findings indicate that the glutamine-mediated signal via Gln-K604 is a key driver of cancer progression and suggest potential strategies for targeted cancer therapies based on varying Gln-K604 status.
Glutamine/metabolism* ; Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein/genetics* ; Humans ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/genetics* ; Cell Proliferation ; Signal Transduction ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; F-Box-WD Repeat-Containing Protein 7/genetics* ; Cell Survival ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Apoptosis

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

This study was performed to explore the therapeutic effect of Xiezhuo Jiedu Formula on ulcerative colitis rats and its effects on β-catenin/FOSL2/ARID5A signaling pathway and macrophage polarization.Rats of ulcerative colitis was induced and divide into control group,model group,positive group(intervention with sulfasalazine),and low,medium and high-dose groups(intervention with Xiezhuo Jiedu Fang).After 14 days of intervention,the disease activity index(DAI)and colon mucosa damage index(CDMI)were calculated and used to evaluate the state of rats.HE staining was used to observe lesion tissue;ELISA was used to detect of serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6;flow cytometry was used to detect peripheral blood M1 and M2 macrophage content;RT-PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of iNOS,CD206,and β-Catenin/FOSL2/ARID5A;immunohistochemistry was used to detect β-Catenin/FOSL2/ARID5A signaling pathway protein expression in colon tissue.Data showed that DAI score,CMDI score,and serum TNF-α and IL-6 in the low,medium,and high dose groups were significantly lower than the model group(P＜0.05).HE staining showed that the colon tissue damage and inflammatory infiltration in the low,medium,and high dose groups were slighter than those in the model group(P＜0.05).The rate of M1 type macrophages and iNOS mRNA in the low,medium,and high dose groups were significantly lower than those in the model group,while the rate of M2 type macrophages and CD206 mRNA were significantly higher than those in the model group(P＜0.05).The mRNA and protein expressions of β-catenin and FOSL2 in colon tissue of low,medium,and high dose groups were significantly higher than those of the model group,while the mRNA level and protein expression of ARID5A were significantly lower than that of the model group(P＜0.05).Taken together,Xiezhuo Jiedu formula can effectively alleviate the clinical symptoms,reduce inflammatory response,downregulate β-catenin/FOSL2/ARID5A expression,regulate macrophage polarization and promote disease recovery of ulcerative colitis in rats.

Objective:To investigate the association of exposure to PM 2.5 and its constituents during pregnancy and fetal growth and to further identify critical windows of exposure for fetal growth. Methods:We included 4 089 mother-child pairs from the Jiangsu Birth Cohort Study between January 2016 and October 2019. Data of general characteristics, clinical information, daily average PM 2.5 exposure, and its constituents during pregnancy were collected. Fetal growth parameters, including head circumference (HC), abdominal circumference (AC), and femur length (FL), were measured by ultrasound after 20 weeks of gestation, and then estimated fetal weight (EFW) was calculated. Generalized linear mixed models were adopted to examine the associations of prenatal exposure to PM 2.5 and its constituents with fetal growth. Distributed lag nonlinear models were used to identify critical exposure windows for each outcome. Results:A 10 μg/m 3 increase in PM 2.5 exposure during pregnancy was associated with a decrease of 0.025 ( β=-0.025, 95% CI: -0.048- -0.001) in HC Z-score, 0.026 ( β=-0.026, 95% CI: -0.049- -0.003) in AC Z-score, and 0.028 ( β=-0.028, 95% CI:-0.052--0.004) in EFW Z-score, along with an increased risk of 8.5% ( RR=1.085, 95% CI: 1.010-1.165) and 13.5% ( RR=1.135, 95% CI: 1.016-1.268) for undergrowth of HC and EFW, respectively. Regarding PM 2.5 constituents, prenatal exposure to black carbon, organic matter, nitrate, sulfate (SO 42-) and ammonium consistently correlated with decreased HC Z-score. SO 42- exposure was also associated with decreased FL Z-scores. In addition, we found that gestational weeks 2-5 were critical windows for HC, weeks 4-13 and 19-40 for AC, weeks 4-13 and 23-37 for FL, and weeks 4-12 and 20-40 for EFW. Conclusions:Our findings demonstrated that exposure to PM 2.5 and its constituents during pregnancy could adversely affect fetal growth and the critical windows for different fetal growth parameters are not completely consistent.

Stroke flaccid paralysis is stroke patients with abnormal physical movement function and muscle tone decline as the main performance and is a kind of common pathological state after apoplectic stroke. The longer the flaccid paralysis is, the worse the prognosis. The theory of TCM holds that stroke is mainly due to "deficiency, wind, fire, phlegm, stasis, qi", and when the pathogenic factor accumulate and block the meridians, which would cause blood stagnation, muscle and tendon damage and flaccidity, resulting in stroke paralysis. Therefore, it is necessary to set up the "Tongjing Roujin" (stimulating the muscle and nourishing the tendon) as its main treatment. Fire-needling has the effect of stimulating muscle, warming yang, nourishing tendon, and relieving pain in the treatment of stroke flaccid paralysis. It can warm yang and dissipate cold, replenish and nourish meridian qi, release muscle nodules, promote the circulation of qi and blood, and nourish all limbs and bones. Fire-needling therapy can promote the recovery of neural pathway, strengthen local metabolism, improve local muscle tension, and thus restore limb function. The high-quality clinical research, acupoint selection rules, and standardized operating techniques of fire-needling treatment for stroke flaccid paralysis need to be further deepened.

Three 2,3-diketoquinoxaline alkaloids were isolated from Heterosmilax yunnanensis Gagnep. Their structures were determined through 1D and 2D NMR, HR-ESI-MS, UV, and IR as 1-[5′-(3″-hydroxy-3″-methyl) glutaryl] ribityl-2,3-diketo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethylquinoxaline (1), 1-[2′-(3″-hydroxy-3″-methyl) glutaryl]ribityl-2,3-diketo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethylquinoxaline (2), and 1-ribityl-2,3-diketo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6,7-dimethylquinoxaline (3). Compounds 1 and 2 are novel compounds, and 3 was isolated from H. yunnanensis for the first time. The hepatoprotective activity of these three compounds was evaluated, with compound 3 showing promising hepatoprotective activity.

ObjectiveThe bioinformatics method was used to screen ferroptosis differential genes （FRGs） closely related to ulcerative colitis （UC）， and animal experiments were conducted to verify whether the mechanism of Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe in treating UC is related to the regulation of ferroptosis. MethodThe differentially expressed genes （DEGs） of colonic mucosa tissue of UC patients were obtained from the GEO database， and the intersection of the genes with ferroptosis genes was used to obtain FRGs. The core FRGs were obtained by cluster analysis， minimum absolute contraction and selection operator （LASSO） regression， and receiver operating characteristic curve （ROC） curve analysis. In animal experiments， the UC mouse model was prepared by making the mouse freely drink 2.5% dextran sodium sulfate （DSS）. Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe and mesalazine were given by gavage for seven days， and the inflammatory infiltration of colonic mucosa was observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of E3 ubiquitin ligase （FBXW7）， zinc finger protein （ZFP36）， solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11）， and Toll-like receptor 4 （TLR4） in colon tissue. The protein expression levels of FBXW7， ZFP36， SLC7A11， and TLR4 in colon tissue were detected by Western blot. ResultDataset GSE87466 was screened from the GEO database， and its intersections with the ferroptosis gene were analyzed to obtain 21 FRGs. After cluster analysis， LASSO regression， and ROC analysis， core FRGs （FBXW7， ZFP36， SLC7A11， and TLR4） were obtained. Immunoinfiltration analysis showed significant differences in the expression of initial B cells， M1 macrophages， plasma cells， and M2 macrophages in the colonic mucosa tissue of UC mice， and there was a significant correlation between core FRGs and these immune cells. Further animal experiments showed that the colonic mucosa tissue of mice in the model group was disorganized and infiltrated by a large number of inflammatory cells. The inflammation of the colonic mucosa tissue of mice in each group was relieved to varying degrees after treatment with Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe and mesalazine， while the colonic mucosa tissue of mice in the high-dose group of Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe showed almost no inflammatory changes. Compared with the normal group， the protein and mRNA expressions of FBXW7， ZFP36， SLC7A11， and TLR4 in the model group were significantly increased， and the expression of core FRGs in colonic mucosa tissue of mice in all groups was significantly down-regulated after treatment with Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe and mesalazine. ConclusionFBXW7， ZFP36， SLC7A11， and TLR4 are ferroptosis genes closely related to the pathogenesis of UC， and Xiezhuo Jiedu recipe can significantly alleviate colonic mucosa inflammation in mice by down-regulating core ferroptosis genes.

This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of Morinda officinalis iridoid glycosides (MOIG) on bone loss of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) rats, and the mechanism of osteoclast function and activity induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). RA rats were established by injecting bovin type II collagen. The Bio-ethic Committee of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University approved all experimental protocols associated with this study (IACUC-20180410-03). The collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats were administered drug by gavage for 8 weeks; the femoral trabecular micro-structure changes were observed in CIA rats by micro-CT; the LPS-induced osteoclasts model further observed the effect and mechanism of anti-inflammatory osteoporosis in vitro. The results indicated that MOIG could markedly increase bone mineral density (BMD) in CIA rats, improve trabecular micro-structure. In vitro studies demonstrated that MOIG could significantly inhibit osteoclastogensis and differentiation, suppress tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity, F-actin ring formation, TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6) recruitment, and inhibitor of nuclear factor kappa-Bα (IκBα) degradation as well as p65 phosphorylation, thereby repressing nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway activation. Subsequently, MOIG effectively inhibited osteoclast nuclear factor of activated T-cells c1 (NFATc1) and cellular oncogene Fos (c-Fos) expression, as well as bone resorption related protein activity including matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP-9) and cathepsin K (CtsK). Meanwhile, MOIG also repressed the phosphorylation expression of Janus activating kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), thereby inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation. Moreover, further studies found that MOIG could suppress glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity, and GSK-3β gene silencing could markedly inhibit oetsoclast F-actin ring formation as well as the phosphorylation expression of p65 and STAT3. Of note, compared with GSK-3β gene silencing group, there was no significant difference in the group treated with both MOIG with GSK-3β gene silencing simultaneously. Thus, the results suggested that MOIG may inhibit NF-κB signaling pathway and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway activation via regulating GSK-3β, thereby alleviating bone destruction in RA.