Objective:To investigate the effects of warming needle combined with pelvic floor muscle massage on clinical symptoms,quality of life(QOL),and sex hormone levels in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH).Methods:A total of 140 patients diagnosed with BPH were randomly divided into a control group,a warming needle group,a massage group,and a combined treatment group,with 35 patients in each group.The control group was given oral finasteride tablets for treatment.In addition to oral finasteride tablets,the warming needle group was given warming needle treatment,the massage group was given pelvic floor muscle massage,and the combined treatment group was given both warming needle and pelvic floor muscle massage.After two treatment courses,the total effective rate was compared among the four groups,and changes in such clinical indicators as international prostate symptom score(I-PSS),QOL score,total prostate volume(TPV),testosterone(T),estradiol(E2),luteinizing hormone(LH),and prostate-specific antigen(PSA)were observed.Results:The differences in the total effective rate among the four groups indicated statistical significance(P<0.05),and the combined treatment group showed a significantly higher effective rate than the other three groups(P<0.05).After treatment,the I-PSS,QOL score,TPV,and serum levels of T,E2,LH,and PSA in all four groups improved compared to those before treatment(P<0.05),and the extent of improvement in the combined treatment group was significantly greater than that in the other three groups(P<0.05).Conclusion:Oral finasteride tablets,warming needle,and pelvic floor muscle massage can all improve the I-PSS,QOL score,TPV,and serum levels of T,E2,LH,and PSA in patients with BPH,and the combination of the three therapies demonstrates the most significant effect.

Objective:To investigate the effects of warming needle combined with pelvic floor muscle massage on clinical symptoms,quality of life(QOL),and sex hormone levels in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH).Methods:A total of 140 patients diagnosed with BPH were randomly divided into a control group,a warming needle group,a massage group,and a combined treatment group,with 35 patients in each group.The control group was given oral finasteride tablets for treatment.In addition to oral finasteride tablets,the warming needle group was given warming needle treatment,the massage group was given pelvic floor muscle massage,and the combined treatment group was given both warming needle and pelvic floor muscle massage.After two treatment courses,the total effective rate was compared among the four groups,and changes in such clinical indicators as international prostate symptom score(I-PSS),QOL score,total prostate volume(TPV),testosterone(T),estradiol(E2),luteinizing hormone(LH),and prostate-specific antigen(PSA)were observed.Results:The differences in the total effective rate among the four groups indicated statistical significance(P<0.05),and the combined treatment group showed a significantly higher effective rate than the other three groups(P<0.05).After treatment,the I-PSS,QOL score,TPV,and serum levels of T,E2,LH,and PSA in all four groups improved compared to those before treatment(P<0.05),and the extent of improvement in the combined treatment group was significantly greater than that in the other three groups(P<0.05).Conclusion:Oral finasteride tablets,warming needle,and pelvic floor muscle massage can all improve the I-PSS,QOL score,TPV,and serum levels of T,E2,LH,and PSA in patients with BPH,and the combination of the three therapies demonstrates the most significant effect.

Objective:To elucidate the quasispecies variation of 3′ half-length genome in HIV-1 CRF103_01B-infected patients in Beijing using single genome amplification (SGA).Methods:This study enrolled six CRF103_01B-infected patients who were diagnosed during a drug resistance monitoring for newly diagnosed cases or newly treated cases with antiviral therapy in Beijing from 2017 to 2020. RNA was extracted from their plasma samples, and 3′ end of cDNA was diluted by serial dilution method after reverse transcription. Nested PCR was used to amplify the 3′ half-length genome sequences of HIV-1 quasispecies. MEGA 11 was used to construct Neighbor-Joining (NJ) tree and calculate the intrahost genetic distance. Genetic variation in HIV-1 quasispecies was visualized by online Highlighter tool. BootScan analysis was performed using Simplot 3.5 software to analyze inter-quasispecies recombination. Virus tropism was predicted by online Geno2pheno tool.Results:Among the six CRF103_01B-infected patients, five were men who have sex with men. A total of 144 3′ half-length genome SGA sequences (19-36 sequences/case) were obtained. The NJ tree based on the 3′ half-length genome of HIV-1 quasispecies revealed different degrees of genetic diversity. The HIV-1 quasispecies in BL4748-00 case of acute infection has the least variation with the intrahost distance of 0.002±0.000, showing genetic homogeneity. The quasispecies sequences from BL4981-00, BL3150-00 and BL3558-00 cases formed at least three subclusters, respectively, with different evolutionary directions, and their intrahost distance ranked from 0.031±0.004 to 0.016±0.002 (BL3150-00>BL3558-00>BL4981-00). The quasispecies sequences from the couple BL3022-00 (female) and BL3023-00 clustered into a large monophyletic cluster (bootstrap value=100%), and the intrahost distance of the latter (0.025±0.003) was higher than that of the former (0.019±0.002). Inter-quasispecies recombination was observed in BL3558-00 case. The quasispecies from the six patients were CCR5-tropic viruses.Conclusions:The diversity of quasispecies variation in CRF103_01B-infected patients is related to disease progress. Genetic homogeneity is observed in acute HIV infection, while multiple evolutionary directions are detected in chronic infection. Co-infection or superinfection cases are not found, but there are recombination events among quasispecies in some cases.

Objective To study expression and prognostic value of Shugoshin-1(SGOL1)in lung adenocarcinoma by bioinformatics method.Methods Expression profile data and clinical data of lung adenocarcinoma and normal tissues were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database,and expression difference and clinical correlation analysis of SGOL1 were performed.R package"pROC"was used to plot receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curves to evaluate accuracy of SGOL1 expression in predicting clinical diagnosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients.Effects of SGOL1 expression on prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma patients were evaluated by R package"survival","survminer"and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis.By searching Tumor Immune Single-Cell Hub and TIMER2.0 databases,expression distribution of SGOL1 in lung adenocarcinoma and its relationship with immune cell infiltration were analyzed,functional enrichment analysis of SGOL1 and its co-expression was performed by using LinkedOmics database.Search tool for the retrieval of interaction gene/proteins was used to construct a protein-protein interaction network for SGOL1.Results Compared with normal tissues,expression level of SGOL1 in tumor tissues was significantly upregulated(P<0.001).Compared with paracancer tissues,expression level of SGOL1 in tumor tissues was significantly upregulated(P<0.001).In different clinical and pathological stages of lung adenocarcinoma,compared with stage Ⅰ,expression levels of SGOL1 in stages Ⅱ,Ⅲ and Ⅳ were significantly higher(P<0.05).ROC curve showed that SGOL1 had a good diagnostic efficiency in lung adenocarcinom patients,with area under the curve of 0.959(95%CI:0.942-0.975).Overall survival,disease specific survival,disease-free survival and progression free interval of high expression group of SGOL1 were significantly shorter than those of low expression group of SGOL1(P<0.05).Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that clinical stage(HR=1.629,P<0.001)and SGOL1 expression level(HR=1.447,P=0.002)were associated with poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients.It can be used as an independent risk factor for the prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma patients.Expression level of SGOL1 was negatively correlated with infiltration level of B cells,CD4+T cells and dendritic cells(P<0.05).Expression level of SGOL1 was positively correlated with infiltration level of macrophages,CD8+T cells and neutrophils(P<0.05).Enrichment analysis showed that SGOL1 may play role in mitosis,cell cycle,p53 signaling pathway and amino acid metabolism pathways.Analysis of protein-protein interaction network suggests that SGOL1 was closely related to multiple molecules such as CBX1,PPP2CA,PPP2R5C,CDCA8,ESPL1,PPP2R1A,BUB1,PPP2R5A,SGO2,CDC20,etc.Conclusion SGOL1 is highly expressed in lung adenocarcinoma tissues,and it is associated with poorer prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients.SGOL1 can be used as one of prognostic biomarkers for lung adenocarcinoma patients.

Objective To explore the clinical value of models based on clinical features and enhanced MRI radiomics for predicting the occurrence of post-acute pancreatitis diabetes mellitus(PPDM-A).Methods A retrospective selection of 161 acute pancreatitis(AP)patients was conducted,comprising 99 in the non-PPDM-A group and 62 in the PPDM-A group.They were randomly divided into training set and test set in a ratio of 7∶3.Region of interest(ROI)were delineated and radiomics features were extracted on the late arterial phase MRI images.Optimal radiomics features were selected by maximum relevance and minimum redundancy(mRMR)and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO).Support vector machine(SVM)was used to develop three predictive models.The efficacy of the models in predicting PPDM-A was evaluated,the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drawn,and the DeLong test was employed to assess the difference in predictive capability among the models.Results In the training set,the area under the curve(AUC)of the clinical model,radiomics model,and combined model were 0.702,0.810 and 0.901,respectively,and in the test set were 0.678,0.797 and 0.830,respectively.The DeLong test revealed a statistically significant difference in the predictive capability of the combined model compared to the clinical model both in the training and test sets(training set:P＜0.001;test set:P=0.019).Conclusion The combined model based on clinical features and enhanced MRI radiomics features demonstrates good predictive effi-cacy and can provide valuable insights for clinical interventions aimed at preventing PPDM-A.

Objective: Cervical cancer (CC) is a serious gynecologic health issue for women worldwide.Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been well-documented in controlling malignant behavior of various cancer cells. The role of lncRNA STARD7-AS1 in regulating CC cell proliferation and autophagy and its possible mechanism were investigated in this work. Methods: RNA expression and protein levels were quantified by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The location of STARD7-AS1 in CC cells was examined using subcellular fraction assays. Cell Counting Kit-8 assays and colony forming assays were performed to measure CC cell viability and proliferation.Autophagy in CC cells was evaluated using macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) staining and transmission electron microscopy. The binding between microRNA (miR)-31-5p and STARD7-AS1 (or thioredoxin-interacting protein [TXNIP]) was determined by performing luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down or RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Results: STARD7-AS1 overexpression significantly suppressed CC cell viability and proliferation while notably inducing autophagy. STARD7-AS1 upregulated TXNIP expression via interaction with miR-31-5p. In addition, the effects of STARD7-AS1 on CC cell proliferation and autophagy were reversed by TXNIP silencing. The suppressive effect of STARD7-AS1 overexpression on phosphorylated levels of mTOR and S6K1 was countervailed by TXNIP deficiency. Conclusion In conclusion, lncRNA STARD7-AS1 inhibits CC cell proliferation and promotes cell autophagy by targeting the miR-31-5p/TXNIP axis to inactivate the mTOR signaling.

Objective: Cervical cancer (CC) is a serious gynecologic health issue for women worldwide.Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been well-documented in controlling malignant behavior of various cancer cells. The role of lncRNA STARD7-AS1 in regulating CC cell proliferation and autophagy and its possible mechanism were investigated in this work. Methods: RNA expression and protein levels were quantified by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The location of STARD7-AS1 in CC cells was examined using subcellular fraction assays. Cell Counting Kit-8 assays and colony forming assays were performed to measure CC cell viability and proliferation.Autophagy in CC cells was evaluated using macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) staining and transmission electron microscopy. The binding between microRNA (miR)-31-5p and STARD7-AS1 (or thioredoxin-interacting protein [TXNIP]) was determined by performing luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down or RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Results: STARD7-AS1 overexpression significantly suppressed CC cell viability and proliferation while notably inducing autophagy. STARD7-AS1 upregulated TXNIP expression via interaction with miR-31-5p. In addition, the effects of STARD7-AS1 on CC cell proliferation and autophagy were reversed by TXNIP silencing. The suppressive effect of STARD7-AS1 overexpression on phosphorylated levels of mTOR and S6K1 was countervailed by TXNIP deficiency. Conclusion In conclusion, lncRNA STARD7-AS1 inhibits CC cell proliferation and promotes cell autophagy by targeting the miR-31-5p/TXNIP axis to inactivate the mTOR signaling.

Objective: Cervical cancer (CC) is a serious gynecologic health issue for women worldwide.Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has been well-documented in controlling malignant behavior of various cancer cells. The role of lncRNA STARD7-AS1 in regulating CC cell proliferation and autophagy and its possible mechanism were investigated in this work. Methods: RNA expression and protein levels were quantified by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The location of STARD7-AS1 in CC cells was examined using subcellular fraction assays. Cell Counting Kit-8 assays and colony forming assays were performed to measure CC cell viability and proliferation.Autophagy in CC cells was evaluated using macrophage-derived chemokine (MDC) staining and transmission electron microscopy. The binding between microRNA (miR)-31-5p and STARD7-AS1 (or thioredoxin-interacting protein [TXNIP]) was determined by performing luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down or RNA immunoprecipitation assays. Results: STARD7-AS1 overexpression significantly suppressed CC cell viability and proliferation while notably inducing autophagy. STARD7-AS1 upregulated TXNIP expression via interaction with miR-31-5p. In addition, the effects of STARD7-AS1 on CC cell proliferation and autophagy were reversed by TXNIP silencing. The suppressive effect of STARD7-AS1 overexpression on phosphorylated levels of mTOR and S6K1 was countervailed by TXNIP deficiency. Conclusion In conclusion, lncRNA STARD7-AS1 inhibits CC cell proliferation and promotes cell autophagy by targeting the miR-31-5p/TXNIP axis to inactivate the mTOR signaling.

Objective To investigate whether the extracts of Patrinia heterophylla(MTH)inhibits the activation of macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS)in vitro and the inflammatory response induced in vivo by suppressing the nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB)signaling pathway.Methods Cellular studies:RAW264.7 cells were divided into 6 groups:control group,LPS group,LPS+Dexamethasone(DEX)group and LPS+MTH(low,medium,high dose)groups.The LPS group,LPS+DEX and LPS+MTH group were induced with a final concentration of 100 ng/ml LPS.While the LPS+DEX group was additionally treated with 5.0 ng/ml DEX,the LPS+MTH group was additionally treated with MTH(final concentrations of 0.1,0.2 and 0.4 mg/ml).The cell activity was detected using CCK-8 assay,cell invasion was detected using Transwell assay,cell apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry,and interleukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-17(IL-17)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,respectively.The expression and secretion levels of nitric oxide(NO)in cells were detected by Griess assay,total reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels were detected by flow cytometry.The phosphorylation level of p65 and inhibitor of κB(IκB)were detected by protein immunoblotting assay.The transcriptional activity was detection by luciferase reporter gene assay.Animal studies:50 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups,10 per group,namely the control group,LPS group,LPS+DEX group,LPS+MTH low-dose group(6 g/kg)and LPS+MTH high-dose group(24 g/kg).LPS was injected into the lungs of rats,and the groups were orally administered at 36 h,24 h,12 h before modeling,and 12 h,24 h after modeling.12 h after the last administration,bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected,and the IL-6,IL-17,TNF-α and NF-κB signaling pathway-related indicators in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were measured.Results Cellular studies:Compared with the control group,the cell activity,invasion,apoptosis,IL-6,IL-17 and TNF-α mRNA and protein,NO,ROS,phosphorylation level of P536 protein S536 site and IκB protein S32 site and transcription activity of NF-κB had significantly increased in the LPS group(all P＜0.05).Compared with the LPS group,the cell activity,invasion,IL-6,IL-17,and TNF-αmRNA and protein,NO,ROS,phosphorylation level of P536 protein S536 site and IκB protein S32 site and transcription activity of NF-κB had significantly decreased in 3 LPS+MTH groups(all P＜0.05),and apoptosis was significantly increased in 3 LPS+MTH groups(all P＜0.05).All of which showed a dose-dependent trend of MTH.Animal studies:Compared with the control group,the LPS group showed a significant increase in IL-6,IL-17,TNF-α and phosphorylation levels of p65 protein at S536 site and IκB protein at S32 site(all P＜0.05).Compared with the LPS group,the 2 LPS+MTH groups showed a significant decrease in IL-6,IL-17,TNF-α and phosphorylation levels of p65 protein at S536 site and IκB protein at S32 site(all P＜0.05).These indicators showed a dose-dependent trend with MTH.Conclusion MTH can inhibit the activation of mouse macrophage RAW264.7 induced by LPS and the inflammatory response in the lungs of rats induced by LPS,which may be related to the inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate whether the extracts of Patrinia heterophylla(MTH)inhibits the activation of macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS)in vitro and the inflammatory response induced in vivo by suppressing the nuclear factor kappa B(NF-κB)signaling pathway.Methods Cellular studies:RAW264.7 cells were divided into 6 groups:control group,LPS group,LPS+Dexamethasone(DEX)group and LPS+MTH(low,medium,high dose)groups.The LPS group,LPS+DEX and LPS+MTH group were induced with a final concentration of 100 ng/ml LPS.While the LPS+DEX group was additionally treated with 5.0 ng/ml DEX,the LPS+MTH group was additionally treated with MTH(final concentrations of 0.1,0.2 and 0.4 mg/ml).The cell activity was detected using CCK-8 assay,cell invasion was detected using Transwell assay,cell apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry,and interleukin-6(IL-6),interleukin-17(IL-17)and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)were detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,respectively.The expression and secretion levels of nitric oxide(NO)in cells were detected by Griess assay,total reactive oxygen species(ROS)levels were detected by flow cytometry.The phosphorylation level of p65 and inhibitor of κB(IκB)were detected by protein immunoblotting assay.The transcriptional activity was detection by luciferase reporter gene assay.Animal studies:50 rats were randomly divided into 5 groups,10 per group,namely the control group,LPS group,LPS+DEX group,LPS+MTH low-dose group(6 g/kg)and LPS+MTH high-dose group(24 g/kg).LPS was injected into the lungs of rats,and the groups were orally administered at 36 h,24 h,12 h before modeling,and 12 h,24 h after modeling.12 h after the last administration,bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was collected,and the IL-6,IL-17,TNF-α and NF-κB signaling pathway-related indicators in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were measured.Results Cellular studies:Compared with the control group,the cell activity,invasion,apoptosis,IL-6,IL-17 and TNF-α mRNA and protein,NO,ROS,phosphorylation level of P536 protein S536 site and IκB protein S32 site and transcription activity of NF-κB had significantly increased in the LPS group(all P＜0.05).Compared with the LPS group,the cell activity,invasion,IL-6,IL-17,and TNF-αmRNA and protein,NO,ROS,phosphorylation level of P536 protein S536 site and IκB protein S32 site and transcription activity of NF-κB had significantly decreased in 3 LPS+MTH groups(all P＜0.05),and apoptosis was significantly increased in 3 LPS+MTH groups(all P＜0.05).All of which showed a dose-dependent trend of MTH.Animal studies:Compared with the control group,the LPS group showed a significant increase in IL-6,IL-17,TNF-α and phosphorylation levels of p65 protein at S536 site and IκB protein at S32 site(all P＜0.05).Compared with the LPS group,the 2 LPS+MTH groups showed a significant decrease in IL-6,IL-17,TNF-α and phosphorylation levels of p65 protein at S536 site and IκB protein at S32 site(all P＜0.05).These indicators showed a dose-dependent trend with MTH.Conclusion MTH can inhibit the activation of mouse macrophage RAW264.7 induced by LPS and the inflammatory response in the lungs of rats induced by LPS,which may be related to the inhibition of the NF-κB signaling pathway.