Objective To examine the expression pattern of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1(ASK1)in the intestinal tissues of patients with Crohn's disease(CD),and analyze its mechanistic impact on intestinal epithelial barrier function and inflammatory responses.Methods Ileal tissue samples from Crohn's disease patients and healthy controls were collected.ASK1 protein level was assessed by immunohistochemistry,and its relationship with the Crohn's disease activity index(CDAI)was analyzed.A mouse model of acute colitis was constructed using TNBS,and subjected to qRT-PCR,Western blotting and immunohistochemistry for ASK1 expression,and the association between ASK1 expression and the disease activity index was examined.Lentivirus transfection was employed to create stable Caco-2 cell lines with altered ASK1 expression,and the intestinal barrier integrity and inflammation were assessed by measuring transepithelial electrical resistance(TEER),FITC-dextran leakage,and IL-6,IL-1β levels.Furthermore,the effects of ASK1 expression on Krüppel-like factor 4(KLF4)levels was examined using qRT-PCR and Western blotting.Results ASK1 was highly expressed in the ileum of CD patients and positively correlated with CDAI.In a TNBS-induced mouse model of acute colitis,ASK1 expression was up-regulated and positively correlated with DAI.Inflammation-induced ASK1 overexpression weakened the Caco-2 cell intestinal barrier,whereas ASK1 knockdown strengthened it.Moreover,ASK1 had the capability to enhance the expression of inflammatory factors.Additionally,ASK1 knockdown increased KLF4 expression,while overexpression decreased it,indicating a negative correlation between ASK1 and KLF4.Conclusion ASK1 expression is notably higher in CD and positively correlates with disease activity.ASK1 can influence intestinal barrier integrity and inflammatory factor expression,possibly through its impact on KLF4 expression.

Objective To explore the impact of change in oxygen concentration on the expression of angiopoietin-like protein 8(ANGPTL8)by endothelial cells(HPAECs)of human pulmonary artery,and the role and mecha-nism of ANGPTL8 in pulmonary hypertension(PH).Methods HPAECs were treated under hypoxic and hyperoxic conditions,and the expression level of ANGPTL8 was detected using Western blot and PCR.The changes in endo-thelial-mesenchymal transition(EndMT)and ERK signaling pathway activity were analyzed.Simultaneously,new-born rats were exposed to hyperoxia to develop a bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)model.The expression of ANGPTL8 protein and changes in the ERK signaling pathway in lung tissue were observed.Results Under hypoxic condition,the protein expression of ANGPTL8 in HPAECs was significantly increased accompanied by inhibition of the ERK signaling pathway.ANGPTL8 promoted the EndMT process induced by hypoxia(P<0.05)and silencing the expression of ANGPTL8 resulted in a partial reversal of EndMT.The protein expression of ANGPTL8 was decreased in hyperoxia-exposed HPAECs and rat lung tissues accompanied by the activation of the ERK signaling pathway(P<0.05).Conclusions ANGPTL8 is highly sensitive to the change of oxygen concentration in HPAECs and closely correlated to its expression level and to the activity of ERK signaling pathway.This result suggests that ANGPTL8 may have potential regulatory effects on the development of PH.

Objective To examine the expression pattern of apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1(ASK1)in the intestinal tissues of patients with Crohn's disease(CD),and analyze its mechanistic impact on intestinal epithelial barrier function and inflammatory responses.Methods Ileal tissue samples from Crohn's disease patients and healthy controls were collected.ASK1 protein level was assessed by immunohistochemistry,and its relationship with the Crohn's disease activity index(CDAI)was analyzed.A mouse model of acute colitis was constructed using TNBS,and subjected to qRT-PCR,Western blotting and immunohistochemistry for ASK1 expression,and the association between ASK1 expression and the disease activity index was examined.Lentivirus transfection was employed to create stable Caco-2 cell lines with altered ASK1 expression,and the intestinal barrier integrity and inflammation were assessed by measuring transepithelial electrical resistance(TEER),FITC-dextran leakage,and IL-6,IL-1β levels.Furthermore,the effects of ASK1 expression on Krüppel-like factor 4(KLF4)levels was examined using qRT-PCR and Western blotting.Results ASK1 was highly expressed in the ileum of CD patients and positively correlated with CDAI.In a TNBS-induced mouse model of acute colitis,ASK1 expression was up-regulated and positively correlated with DAI.Inflammation-induced ASK1 overexpression weakened the Caco-2 cell intestinal barrier,whereas ASK1 knockdown strengthened it.Moreover,ASK1 had the capability to enhance the expression of inflammatory factors.Additionally,ASK1 knockdown increased KLF4 expression,while overexpression decreased it,indicating a negative correlation between ASK1 and KLF4.Conclusion ASK1 expression is notably higher in CD and positively correlates with disease activity.ASK1 can influence intestinal barrier integrity and inflammatory factor expression,possibly through its impact on KLF4 expression.

BACKGROUND: High temperatures are known to be associated with an increased risk of self-harm, but the influence of demographic changes and country-level indicators on the burden of heat-related self-harm remains unclear. This study examined the key factors driving changes in self-harm mortality linked to high temperatures and explored their impact at the country level. METHODS: This is an ecological study that analyzes data from the 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, the World Bank, and the Climate Research Unit (CRU) were analyzed. Decomposition analyses were used to identify key factors driving changes in high temperature-related self-harm mortality between 1990 and 2021. A panel data model assessed the impact of national indicators on heat-related self-harm mortality. RESULTS: In 2021, 14,885 deaths globally were attributed to heat-related self-harm, a 41.94% increase from 1990, with low-middle SDI regions accounting for 47.84% of these deaths. While the global death rate from heat-related self-harm declined slightly over this period, South Asia and low-middle SDI regions contributed most to the decline. However, population aging exacerbated mortality rates. Demographic and meteorological factors were also linked to heat-related self-harm. CONCLUSION The global decline in heat-related self-harm mortality is largely driven by reductions in females, low-middle SDI regions, and South Asia. However, population aging and growth in these regions have added to the mortality burden, slowing the overall decline. Factors such as population density are also associated with heat-related self-harm. Targeted measures are needed to mitigate heat-induced self-harm more effectively in future.
Humans ; Self-Injurious Behavior/etiology* ; Hot Temperature/adverse effects* ; Global Health/statistics & numerical data* ; Female ; Male ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Aged ; Young Adult ; Adolescent

BACKGROUND:Subepithelial connective tissue grafts are generally considered as the gold standard for soft tissue augmentation.However,it needs a second surgical site,which will prolong the surgical time and increase patients'pain. OBJECTIVE:To compare the histological and thickness changes of attached gingiva following grafting with different soft tissue substitutes in the labial region of the cuspids. METHODS:In three Beagle dogs,attached gingival augmentation was performed with double-layer allogeneic acellular dermal matrix membrane(AADM),bovine-derived acellular dermal matrices(BADM)combined with concentrated growth factor membrane or BADM combined with collagen sponge.Thickness of attached gingiva was measured before augmentation,and 1,2,3,and 4 months after augmentation.Histological analyses were performed after 4 months. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The mean values of attached gingival thickness and attached gingival thickness augmentation were higher in the double-layer AADM group than in the other two groups(all P<0.05)from the 1st to 4th month after surgery.At 1 month after surgery,the attached gingival thickness of the three groups increased significantly and then decreased.At 3 months after surgery,the BADM combined with collagen sponge group and the BADM combined with concentrated growth factor membrane group showed no significant difference in the attached gingival thickness of the graft area compared with that before surgery(P>0.05).At 4 months after surgery,the mean value of attached gingival thickness in the double-layer AADM group was still significantly increased compared with that before surgery(P<0.05).The value of attached gingival thickness was highest in the double-layer AADM group,followed by the BADM combined with collagen sponge group,and the lowest in the BADM combined with concentrated growth factor membrane group at 1-4 months after surgery.Histological analyses revealed that AADM was well integrated with the host gingival tissue,and new fibrous connective tissue and fibroblasts grew into the AADM.But the grafts in the other two groups were absorbed and the augmentation area was remodeled into a structure consistent with the surrounding host tissue.To conclude,AADM is superior to BADM combined with concentrated growth factor and BADM combined with collagen sponge with regard to gingival augmentation.

Objective:To analyze the influencing factors and improvement paths of the cultivation of full-time doctoral scientific and technological innovation ability in large public hospitals, and propose countermeasures and suggestions.Methods:This studyed conducted a survey and analysis of 122 doctors from Linyi People′s Hospital in Shandong Province, and completed a current situation study based on the analysis results.Results:There was no significant difference between the two groups in gender, age, degree type, professional category, discipline level, Graduate School type, job type and other indicators. There were significant differences between the two groups in scientific research topic selection ability score, project design ability score, data analysis ability score, data interpretation ability score, project approval in recent 5 years, project level, number of SCI journal papers published in recent 5 years, cumulative impact factors of SCI journal papers, and annual number of academic activities ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The hospital can improve the scientific and technological innovation ability of full-time doctors by setting up a special cultivation plan, establishing an interdisciplinary team, optimizing scientific research management services, improving the evaluation and assessment system, and improving welfare protection.

OBJECTIVE To establish a comprehensive and rapid m ethod for the a nalysis of chemical constituents as phthalides and organic acids in Angelica sinensis ，and to provide scientific reference for the quality evaluation and pharmacodynamic substance research of A. sinensis . METHODS The 70％ ethanol extract of A. sinensis was analyzed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry （UPLC-Q-TOF/MS）. The determination was performed on ACQUITY UPLC BEH-C 18 column with mobile phase consisted of 0.1％ formic acid solution- acetonitrile（gradient elution ）at the flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. The column temperature was set at 30 ℃，and sample size was 2 µL. The ion source was an electrospray ion source ，using positive ion scanning mode ，and the mass scanning range was m/z 50-1 000. Capillary voltage was 4 000 V； atomizer pressure was 35 psi；cracking voltage was 135 V and the taper hole voltage was 65 V；the temperature of dry gas was 320 ℃；the flow of dry gas was 10 L/min and the flow of sheath gas was 11 L/min；collision energy were 20 and 40 V. Qualitative Analysis 10.0 software was used to obtain the retention time of compounds ，the accurate mass number of excimer ion peaks and secondary fragments. The compounds were analyzed by comparing with the mass spectra of the reference substance ，combined with relevant literature ，mass spectrometry cleavage law and database such as Chemspider ，MassBank，PubChem. RESULTS A total of 72 compounds were identified or deduced from A. sinensis ，including 55 phthalides，13 organic acids and 4 other constituents. CONCLUSIONS The established method is rapid and accurate for the identification of chemical constituents from A. sinensis ，such as organic acids and phthalides ，which provides an efficient and rapid analytical method for the comprehensive characterization of its chemical constituents.

Objective To investigate the synergistic effect of hyperhomocystinemia (HHcy) and smoking on the incidence of Coronary heart disease. Methods A total of 22 043 subjects were enrolled from health care center. Participants were classified into two groups: Non-coronary heart disease group (control group, n = 19 410) and coronary heart disease group(n=2 633).A questionnaire survey,physical examination and blood homocysteine (Hcy)test were carried out among the participants.Results After controlling the confounding factors,multivariable Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of coronary heart disease in patients with smoking was 4.832 times higher than that of patients with normal waistline. The risk of coronary heart disease in patients with HHcy was 1.019 times higher than that of patients with normal Hcy (OR = 4.832,1.019,P < 0.05).Interaction analysis showed that the risk of patients with HHcy and smoking was 2.473 times higher than that of patients without HHcy and no-smoking.The synergy index between HHcy and smoking on the incidence of Coronary heart disease was 1.739. The pure attributable proportion due to the interaction was 42.9%. Conclusions HHcy and smoking are risk factors for coronary heart disease and there is a positive synergistic effect between HHcy and smoking on the incidence of coronary heart disease.

Objective To investigate clinicopathological features of pancreatic carcinoma with or without lymph node metastasis,and to explore the relationship between the lymph node metastasis and the prognosis of pancreatic carcinoma.Methods The clinical and follow up data of 216 patients with pancreatic carcinoma from 2001 to 2015 were retrospectively analyzed.Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival rates and plot survival curves.Results The postoperative survival time was 4-86 months,the median survival time was 19 months,and the postoperative 1,3 and 5 year survival rates were 65.1％,33.8％,20.5％,respectively.Patients with positive lymph node metastasis were with 1,3,5 year survival rates of 36.5％,12.2％,0％,those with no lymph node metastasis were with 1,3,5 year survival rates of 70.3％,38.0％,21.4％ (x2 =15.803,P ＜ 0.001).Conclusions Lymph node metastasis in patients with pancreatic cancer is worse than that without lymph node metastasis.Lymph node metastasis is one of the main prognostic factors in patients after radical resection of the pancreatic cancer.

OBJECTIVETo study the molecular mechanism of cisplatin to enhance the ability of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) in reversing multidrug resistance in vincristine-resistant human gastric cancer SGC7901/VCR cells.

METHODSMTT assay was used to measure the 50% inhibiting concentration (IC₅₀) and cell survival in SGC7901 and SGC7901/VCR cells after different treatments. SGC7901/VCR cells were treated with different concentrations of DDP, different concentrations of TRAIL alone or in combination, and then the mRNA and protein levels of several genes were determined by RT-PCR, RT-qPCR and Western-blot analysis. After targeted silencing with specific siRNA and transfection of recombinant plasmid c-myc into the SGC7901/VCR cells, the mRNA and protein levels of DR4, DR5 and c-myc were determined by RT-PCR and Western-blot analysis.

RESULTSAfter combined treatment with TRAIL and DDP of the SGC7901/VCR cells, the IC₅₀ of VCR, DDP, ADM, and 5-Fu treatment was significantly decreased compared with the control group or TRAIL-treated group (P < 0.05). After treatment with 0, 10, 50 ng/ml TRAIL in combination with 0.4 µg/ml DDP, the SGC7901/VCR cells showed significantly higher activation of caspase 3, down-regulation of DNA-PKcs/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway, and higher inhibition of MDR1(P-gp) and MRP1 than those treated with TRAIL alone (P < 0.01 for all). The mRNA and protein levels of DR4, DR5, c-myc were significantly decreased after silencing c-myc with specific siRNA in the SGC7901/VCR cells (P < 0.01 for all), and were significantly increased after transfection of recombinant plasmid c-myc into the SGC7901/VCR cells (P < 0.01 foe all). After the treatment with 10 ng/ml TRAIL, 0.25 µg/ml DDP + 10 ng/ml TRAIL and 0.5 µg/ml DDP + 10 ng/ml TRAIL, the relative expression level of c-myc protein in the SGC7901/VCR cells was 0.314 ± 0.012, 0.735 ± 0.026, and 0.876 ± 0.028, respectively, and the relative expression of cytochrome C was 0.339 ± 0.036, 0.593 ± 0.020 and 0.735 ± 0.031, respectively, and the relative expression levels of DR4, DR5, active-caspase 3 and active-caspase 9 in the SGC7901/VCR cells were also increased along with increasing DDP concentrations.

CONCLUSIONSThe activation of DNA-PKcs/Akt/GSK-3β signaling pathway and high expression of MDR1 and MRP1 play an important role in the multi-drug resistance properties of SGC7901/VCR cells. After combining with TRAIL, DDP can enhance the expression of DR4 and DR5 through up-regulating c-myc and enhancing the activation of caspase 3 and caspase 9 by facilitating mitochondrial release of cytochrome C. It may be an important molecular mechanism of DDP-induced sensitization of TRAIL to reverse the multidrug resistancein SGC7901/VCR cells.

ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 1 ; metabolism ; Antineoplastic Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Caspase 9 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Down-Regulation ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; drug effects ; Fluorouracil ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Formazans ; Genes, myc ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 ; metabolism ; Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Multidrug Resistance-Associated Proteins ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Proteins ; metabolism ; Plasmids ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; RNA, Small Interfering ; pharmacology ; Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand ; metabolism ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Tetrazolium Salts ; Transfection ; methods