AIM:This study aims to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on hypothalamic autophagy and central leptin resistance in obese mice,and to explore the potential mechanisms.METHODS:Forty male C57BL/6J mice,aged 7 to 8 weeks,were randomly assigned to 5 groups:normal control(CON)group,high-fat diet(HFD)group,HFD+exercise(HFD+Exe)group,HFD+phosphate-buffered saline(PBS)group,and HFD+rilmenidine(autophagy ago-nist)group,with 8 mice in each group.Additionally,twelve fibronectin type Ⅲ domain-containing protein 5(Fndc5)gene(encoding irisin precursor protein)knockout(Fndc5 KO)mice were randomly allocated to Fndc5 KO+HFD group and Fndc5 KO+HFD+Exe group,with 6 mice in each group.All mice were fed for 28 weeks.The mice in CON group re-ceived a normal diet,while those in the remaining groups were provided with an HFD.The mice in HFD+Exe and Fndc5 KO+HFD+Exe groups engaged in aerobic treadmill exercise while continuing an HFD from weeks 17 to 28.The mice in HFD+PBS group received intraperitoneal injections of PBS as a control,while those in HFD+rilmenidine group received in-traperitoneal injections of rilmenidine(10 mg?kg-1?d-1),4 times a week over a total duration of 12 weeks(weeks 17 to 28).Following the intervention,serum metabolite levels,as well as concentrations of leptin and irisin,were quantified by ELISA.Morphological alterations in the liver and white adipose tissues were evaluated through oil red O staining and he-matoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Western blot was utilized to assess the hypothalamic protein levels of autophagy markers,autophagy-related protein 7(ATG7),beclin-1,microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)and p62,and leptin resistance markers,suppressor of cytokine signaling 3(SOCS3)and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B(PTP1B).RE-SULTS:Observations of mouse phenotypes indicated that HFD feeding significantly increased body weight,blood lipid content and serum leptin level(P<0.05).The results of HE and oil red O staining demonstrated that HFD feeding marked-ly promoted lipid accumulation in the liver and caused ballooning of white adipocytes.Western blot analyses revealed that HFD feeding significantly down-regulated the protein levels of ATG7,beclin-1 and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-I,but up-regulated the pro-tein level of p62(P<0.05),thus reducing cellular autophagy capacity.Furthermore,HFD feeding elevated the protein levels of leptin resistance markers SOCS3 and PTP1B(P<0.05).Aerobic exercise and autophagy agonist were found to partially reverse these changes,enhancing cellular autophagy capacity and alleviating leptin resistance.However,these effects were diminished after knockout of Fndc5 gene,further substantiating the role of irisin in exercise-mediated en-hancement of cellular autophagy and attenuation of leptin resistance.CONCLUSION:Aerobic exercise alleviates hypo-thalamic autophagy defect and central leptin resistance in obese mice,which may be associated with exercise-induced irisin.

AIM:This study aims to investigate the effects of aerobic exercise on hypothalamic autophagy and central leptin resistance in obese mice,and to explore the potential mechanisms.METHODS:Forty male C57BL/6J mice,aged 7 to 8 weeks,were randomly assigned to 5 groups:normal control(CON)group,high-fat diet(HFD)group,HFD+exercise(HFD+Exe)group,HFD+phosphate-buffered saline(PBS)group,and HFD+rilmenidine(autophagy ago-nist)group,with 8 mice in each group.Additionally,twelve fibronectin type Ⅲ domain-containing protein 5(Fndc5)gene(encoding irisin precursor protein)knockout(Fndc5 KO)mice were randomly allocated to Fndc5 KO+HFD group and Fndc5 KO+HFD+Exe group,with 6 mice in each group.All mice were fed for 28 weeks.The mice in CON group re-ceived a normal diet,while those in the remaining groups were provided with an HFD.The mice in HFD+Exe and Fndc5 KO+HFD+Exe groups engaged in aerobic treadmill exercise while continuing an HFD from weeks 17 to 28.The mice in HFD+PBS group received intraperitoneal injections of PBS as a control,while those in HFD+rilmenidine group received in-traperitoneal injections of rilmenidine(10 mg?kg-1?d-1),4 times a week over a total duration of 12 weeks(weeks 17 to 28).Following the intervention,serum metabolite levels,as well as concentrations of leptin and irisin,were quantified by ELISA.Morphological alterations in the liver and white adipose tissues were evaluated through oil red O staining and he-matoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Western blot was utilized to assess the hypothalamic protein levels of autophagy markers,autophagy-related protein 7(ATG7),beclin-1,microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)and p62,and leptin resistance markers,suppressor of cytokine signaling 3(SOCS3)and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B(PTP1B).RE-SULTS:Observations of mouse phenotypes indicated that HFD feeding significantly increased body weight,blood lipid content and serum leptin level(P<0.05).The results of HE and oil red O staining demonstrated that HFD feeding marked-ly promoted lipid accumulation in the liver and caused ballooning of white adipocytes.Western blot analyses revealed that HFD feeding significantly down-regulated the protein levels of ATG7,beclin-1 and LC3-Ⅱ/LC3-I,but up-regulated the pro-tein level of p62(P<0.05),thus reducing cellular autophagy capacity.Furthermore,HFD feeding elevated the protein levels of leptin resistance markers SOCS3 and PTP1B(P<0.05).Aerobic exercise and autophagy agonist were found to partially reverse these changes,enhancing cellular autophagy capacity and alleviating leptin resistance.However,these effects were diminished after knockout of Fndc5 gene,further substantiating the role of irisin in exercise-mediated en-hancement of cellular autophagy and attenuation of leptin resistance.CONCLUSION:Aerobic exercise alleviates hypo-thalamic autophagy defect and central leptin resistance in obese mice,which may be associated with exercise-induced irisin.

Moyamoya disease (MMD) is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a steno-occlusive internal carotid artery and compensatory vascular network formation. Although the precise pathogenic mechanism remains elusive, genetic association studies have identified RNF213 as the principal susceptibility gene for MMD, with the single nucleotide polymorphism p.R4810K recognized as the founder variant predominantly in the Asian populations. Distinct genotype-phenotype correlations are observable in RNF213-related MMD. The clinical manifestations linked to p.R4810K bear commonalities within Asian cohort, including familial predisposition, earlier age of onset, ischemic episodes, and involvement of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA). However, despite these shared phenotypic characteristics, there is significant heterogeneity in RNF213-related MMD presentations. This diversity manifests as variations across ethnic groups, inconsistent clinical symptoms and prognosis, and occurrence of other vasculopathies involving RNF213. This heterogeneity, in conjunction with the observed low disease penetrance of RNF213 mutations, suggests that the presence of these mutations may not be sufficient to cause MMD, underscoring the potential influence of other genetic or environmental factors. Although the current research might not have fully identified these additional contributors, experimental evidence points toward the involvement of RNF213 in angiogenesis, lipid metabolism, and the immune response. Future research is required to unveil the molecular mechanisms and identify the factors that synergize with RNF213 in the pathogenesis of MMD.

Objective:To explore the effects of early debridement and conservative eschar removal followed by wound coverage with acellular dermal matrix (ADM), i.e., early surgery, in the treatment of children with deep burns.Methods:This study was a retrospective cohort study. From January 2017 to December 2022, 278 deep burned hospitalized children aged 1-7 years who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to Central Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University. According to the differences in treatment processes, 134 children who underwent early surgery+routine dressing change were enrolled in eschar removal+dressing change group (77 males and 57 females, aged 1 (1, 2) years), and 144 children who underwent only routine dressing change were enrolled in dressing change alone group (90 males and 54 females, aged 1 (1, 2) years). Fifty-one children without full-thickness burns in eschar removal+dressing change group were enrolled in eschar removal+dressing change group 1 (26 males and 25 females, aged 1 (1, 2) years), and 57 cases of the 83 children with full-thickness burns who did not undergo autologous skin grafting at the same time of early surgery (namely early skin grafting) in eschar removal+dressing change group were included in eschar removal+dressing change group 2 (37 males and 20 females, aged 1 (1, 2) years). Seventy-six children without full-thickness burns in dressing change alone group were included in dressing change alone group 1 (51 males and 25 females, aged 1 (1, 3) years), and 68 children with full-thickness burns in dressing change alone group were included in dressing change alone group 2 (39 males and 29 females, aged 1 (1, 2) years). For deep partial-thickness burn wounds and small full-thickness burn wounds in eschar removal+dressing change group, the eschar removal was performed on the basis of retaining a thin layer of denatured dermis so as to preserve the healthy tissue of the wound base, and ADM was applied to all wounds externally after eschar removal. For larger full-thickness burn wounds in this group, especially those located in the functional part of joints, eschar removal to the plane layer of viable tissue and early autologous skin grafting was needed. When the superficial wounds of children healed or tended to heal, the residual wounds were evaluated, and elective autologous skin grafting was performed if it was difficult to heal within 14 days. The healing time, intervention healing time, times of operation/dressing change, and times of intervention operation/dressing change in children with deep partial-thickness burn wounds of children in eschar removal+dressing change group, dressing change alone group, eschar removal+dressing change group 1, and dressing change alone group 1 were recorded. At the last follow-up (follow-up period was set to 7-12 months), the modified Vancouver scar scale (mVSS) scores of the most severe area of scar hyperplasia of healed deep partial-thickness burn wounds of 54 children in eschar removal+dressing change group and 48 children in dressing change alone group were recorded. The healing time and times of operation/dressing change of all burn wounds of children in eschar removal+dressing change group and dressing change alone group, and the healing time and times of operation/dressing change of full-thickness burn wounds of children in eschar removal+dressing change group 2 and dressing change alone group 2 were recorded. The incidences of wound infection, sepsis, fever, and fever after 5 days of burns in children of eschar removal+dressing change group and dressing change alone group during wound healing.Results:Compared with those in dressing change alone group, the healing time and intervention healing time were significantly shortened, and the times of operation/dressing change and times of intervention operation/dressing change were significantly reduced in children with deep partial-thickness burn wounds in eschar removal+dressing change group (with Z values of -11.00, -11.33, -12.64, and -11.65, respectively, P<0.05). Compared with those in dressing change alone group 1, the healing time and intervention healing time were significantly shortened, and the times of operation/dressing change and times of intervention operation/dressing change were significantly reduced in children with deep partial-thickness burn wounds in eschar removal+dressing change group 1 (with Z values of 6.57, 6.46, 8.04, and 6.57, respectively, P<0.05). At the last follow-up, the mVSS score of the most severe scar hyperplasia area of healed deep partial-thickness burn wounds of 54 children in eschar removal+dressing change group was 4.00 (3.00,5.00), which was significantly lower than 6.50 (5.00,7.00) of 48 children in dressing change alone group ( Z =-4.67, P<0.05).Compared with those in dressing change alone group, the healing time was significantly shortened, and times of operation/dressing change was significantly reduced in all burn wounds in eschar removal+dressing change group (with Z values of -5.20 and -6.34, respectively, P<0.05). Compared with those in dressing change alone group 2, the healing time was significantly shortened, and times of operation/dressing change was significantly reduced in full-thickness burn wounds in eschar removal+dressing change group 2 (with Z values of -5.22 and -5.73, respectively, P<0.05). During wound healing, the probabilities of fever and fever after 5 days of burns in children of eschar removal+dressing change group were significantly lower than those in dressing change alone group (with χ2 values of 4.13 and 3.91, respectively, P<0.05); only 1 child in dressing change alone group developed sepsis, and there was no statistically significant difference in the wound infection rate of children in the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:For children with deep burns, early surgery, and early skin grafting or elective autologous skin grafting as needed, have better short-term and long-term effects than those without early surgery.