BACKGROUND:The self-renewal and multi-directional differentiation of pluripotent stem cells possess the potential to revolutionize people's understanding of biology,medicine,development,and disease.Stem cells play an important role in the early stage of embryonic development,and the study of them could be beneficial to understanding of the basic principles of biological development and tissue or organ formation,exploring the potential mechanisms of various diseases,studying the repair and regeneration of damaged tissues or organs,and promoting drug discovery and personalized treatment. OBJECTIVE:To review the research progress of pluripotent stem cells,summarize and categorize the fundamental types of pluripotent stem cells,and elucidate the lineage situations of various types of pluripotent stem cells in common mammals. METHODS:PubMed,Web of Science,CNKI,and WanFang databases were searched systematically,with the keywords"pluripotent stem cells;embryonic stem cells;induced pluripotent stem cells;expanded potential stem cells;livestock pluripotent stem cells"in English and Chinese.The 99 articles related to mammalian pluripotent stem cells were systematically screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria,and then reviewed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)According to classical theory in mouse embryonic stem cell research,the pluripotent state of stem cells is divided into two forms:na?ve and primed.Na?ve state corresponds to the inner cell mass of pre-implantation embryos before attachment to the uterine wall,while primed state corresponds to the epiblast after implantation.These two states exhibit significant differences in epigenetic features,transcriptional activity,external signal dependency,and metabolic phenotype.It is later discovered that there is an intermediate state between na?ve and primed called formative pluripotency.Therefore,the pluripotency of pluripotent stem cells is a continuous developmental process rather than a unique cell state.(2)In addition to obtaining pluripotent stem cells from the inner cell mass,there are various methods and lineages for acquiring pluripotent stem cells,including embryonic germ cells established using primitive germ cells from mouse embryos,induced pluripotent stem cells created by the dedifferentiation of adult mouse and human fibroblasts with four factors—Oct3/4,Sox2,c-Myc,and Klf4;embryonic stem cell-like cell lines cultured from somatic cell nuclear transfer,parthenogenesis,neonatal or adult testicular or ovarian tissue,very small embryonic-like stem cells derived from various adult tissues and expanded pluripotent stem cells derived from pre-implantation stages.These pluripotent stem cells all share the common characteristics of continuous self-renewal,expressing core pluripotency factors and possessing the ability to differentiate into the three primary germ layers.(3)Currently,pluripotent stem cells are being used for disease modeling to study the mechanisms of various diseases and develop new drugs.Simultaneously,scientists are attempting to use pluripotent stem cells to cultivate various tissues and organs,offering new possibilities for regenerative medicine and transplantation.However,the clinical application of pluripotent stem cells faces safety challenges,including issues of cell mutations and immune rejection.Continual improvement in the methods of generating pluripotent stem cells will make them safer and more efficient for clinical applications.(4)Based on the methods of obtaining and lineage establishment of pluripotent stem cells in mice and humans,various types of pluripotent stem cells have been established in livestock,including embryonic stem cells,induced pluripotent stem cells,germ lineages of pluripotent stem cells,and expanded potential stem cells.Research on livestock pluripotent stem cells opens up new avenues for animal reproduction,breeding,genetic engineering,disease modeling,drug screening,and the conservation of endangered wildlife.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of artesunate(AS)on polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS)in mice and explore the potential mechanism primarily.Methods Twenty-five female C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into Control group,model group(PCOS group),low-and high-dose AS groups(AS15 and AS30 groups)and metformin group(Met group).In addition to the Control group,the mouse model of PCOS was established by subcutaneous injection of dehydroepiandrosterone(DHEA,60 mg/kg)following by a high-fat diet for 21 d.After modeling,AS of 15 and 30 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected into the mice of the AS 15 and AS30 groups,respectively,and 200 mg/kg Met was given to those of the Met group by gavage,once per day,for 6 weeks.ELISA was used to detect serum testosterone(T),fasting insulin(FINS),luteinizing hormone(LH)and follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH),and the LH/FSH ratio was calculated.The levels of fasting blood glucose(FBG),triglyceride(TG)and total cholesterol(TC)were detected by automatic biochemical analyzer,and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR)was calculated.The estrous cycle was observed,and HE staining was performed for pathological changes in the ovary and uterus.Immunofluorescence assay was employed to measure the expression of p-eIF2α,ATF4 and CHOP in the ovarian tissue.After steroidogenic human granulosa-like tumor cell line KGN were exposed to 100 μmol/L DHEA to simulate the hyperandrogen environment of PCOS,and then treated with 5 and 10 μg/mL AS for 24 h,the protein levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress signaling pathway was detected by Western blotting.Results Compared with the Control group,the PCOS mice had disturbed estrous cycle,polycystic changes in the ovaries,and significantly increased serum T level and LH/FSH ratio(P＜0.05),and obviously elevated HOMA-IR,TC and TG levels in terms of metabolism(P＜0.01).The expression levels of p-eIF2α,ATF4 and CHOP were notably up-regulated in the ovarian granulosa cells of PCOS mice and KGN cells after DHEA exposure(P＜0.05).Additionally,AS treatment attenuated the pathological changes of ovary and uterine expression,decreased the serum T level and the LH/FSH ratio(P＜0.05),and reduced HOMA-IR,TC and TG levels(P＜0.05)when compared with the PCOS mice.Moreover,the expression levels of p-eIF2α,ATF4 and CHOP were significantly down-regulated after AS treatment in both ovarian granulosa cells of PCOS mice and KGN cells(P＜0.05).Conclusion AS significantly improves glycolipid metabolic disorder and reproductive dysfunction in PCOS mice,which may be associated with its suppressing endoplasmic reticulum stress by inhibiting the PERK/eIF2α/ATF4/CHOP pathway.

Objective To develop a machine learning model integrating preoperative chest CT radiomic features with clinical data for predicting 5-year postoperative recurrence risk in stage Ⅰ non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)patients undergoing surgical resection.Methods A total of 217 patients with pathologically confirmed stage Ⅰ NSCLC(selected from 778 initially screened cases based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria)treated in Army Medical Center of PLA between January 2014 and December 2019 were retrospectively enrolled,including 53 recurrence cases and 164 non-recurrence cases within 5-year follow-up.They were randomly divided into a training set(n=173)and a validation set(n=44)in a ratio of 8:2.Radiomic models were established based on extracted features from tumor-dominant regions of interest(ROI)on CT images,while clinical models were developed using demographic characteristics and preoperative laboratory examinations.A combined model was further constructed by integrating both feature sets,and model performance was compared to identify the optimal predictive model.Results This study screened the features from non-contrast CT images and ultimately selected 7 radiomic features for constructing radiomic model.Among 6 machine learning algorithms,the adaptive boosting(Adaboost)model demonstrated the best overall predictive performance,with an area under the curve(AUC)of 0.866(95%CI:0.808～0.923;accuracy:0.832,specificity:0.884)in the training set and of 0.806(95%CI:0.630～0.983;accuracy:0.795,specificity:0.971)in the validation set.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses identified 4 clinical features for clinical model construction.The clinical model achieved an AUC value of 0.874(95%CI:0.821～0.928;accuracy:0.827,specificity:0.891)in the training set and 0.813(95%CI:0.677～0.948;accuracy:0.636,specificity:0.600)in the validation set.By integrating the 7 radiomic features and 4 clinical features using a feature-level fusion strategy,the combined model exhibited further improved predictive performance,with an AUC value of 0.953(95%CI:0.924～0.983;accuracy:0.884,specificity:0.860)and 0.852(95%CI:0.729～0.976;accuracy:0.682,specificity:0.629),respectively in the training set and the validation set.Conclusion The combined model integrating preoperative CT radiomic features with clinical risk factors may provide an evidence-based framework for evaluating 5-year postoperative recurrence risk in stage Ⅰ NSCLC patients.

Celastrol, a pentacyclic triterpenoid compound derived from the root of Chinese herb Tripterygium wilfordii Hook.f.,can inhibit the growth of various types of malignant tumors. However, it still has some limitations, including high toxicity, poor water solubility, and low targeting efficiency. Therefore, structural modification of celastrol has become a research hotspot in recent years. The structural modifications of celstrol reported have focused on C-20-COOH and C-2, C-3, C-6 or multiple sites of AB ring. This review provides an overview of the research progress of anti-tumor celastrol derivatives in recent years according to different structural modification sites and purposes, such as enhancing the inhibitory effect on the Hsp90-Cdc37 protein-protein interaction, and modification methods, including principles of parallelism and targeting specific sites. In addition, it briefly discusses the antitumor activity, mechanism of action, and structure-activity relationship of these derivatives, aiming to provide theoretical guidance for the discovery of new celastrol derivatives with high efficiency, low toxicity, and strong selectivity.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Yunkang oral liquid on postpartum kidney deficiency in mice. MethodPostpartum mice were randomized into model and low-dose （6 mL·kg^-1）， medium-dose （9 mL·kg^-1）， and high-dose （12 mL·kg^-1） Yunkang oral liquid groups. The mouse model of postpartum kidney deficiency was established by sleep deprivation combined with forced swimming. Another 9 female ICR mice were selected as the normal control group. The mice were administrated with Yunkang oral liquid during the period of modeling. The levels of estradiol （E₂）， progesterone （P）， follicle-stimulating hormone （FSH）， and luteinizing hormone （LH） in the serum were measured by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The morphological changes of ovaries and uterus were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， and the expression of transforming growth factor （TGF）-β and Smad2/3 was determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. ResultThe mice in the model group showed prolonged estrous cycle， reduced voluntary activity， dorsal temperature， grip strength， and bone strength， and whitening tongue coating. Compared with the model group， Yunkang oral liquid shortened the estrous cycle， increased the voluntary activity， dorsal temperature， grip strength， and bone strength， and alleviated the whitening of tongue coating. Moreover， it elevated the E₂ and P levels and lowered the FSH and LH levels in the serum， decreased ovarian follicular atresia rate， promoted uterine repair， and down-regulated the expression of TGF-β and Smad2/3 in the ovarian and uterine tissues. ConclusionYunkang oral liquid can ameliorate postpartum kidney deficiency in mice by regulating the TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway.

Alzheimer's disease(AD)is a multifactorial degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly manifests as cognitive dysfunction and loss of speech.In recent years,the zebrafish has attracted extensive attention because of its high homology with humans in terms of brain structure and function,nerve conduction,and pathogenic genes of AD.This article reviews the advantages of the zebrafish as an animal model of AD,covering topics in the pathogenesis of AD and the evaluation and screening of drugs for treatment of AD.The overall goal is to provide new insights into the pathogenesis of AD and development of novel drugs.

As a kind of traditional Chinese medicine,which has a medicinal site of rhizomes,contains rich active ingredients,mainly including steroidal saponins,flavonoids,phenols,stilbenes,organic acids and other compounds,which together give a wide range of pharmacological effects,including anti-inflammatory,antibacterial,anti-tumor,hypolipidemic,hypoglycemic,and so on.In recent years,with the continuous development of modern science and technology,the research on Smilacis chinae rhizoma has been deepening,and the pharmacological mechanism of its active ingredients has been gradually revealed.This paper reviews the research progress on the active ingredients and pharmacological effects of Smilacis chinae rhizoma over the last few years at home and abroad,in order to provide a scientific basis for further development and utilization of Smilacis chinae rhizoma,and inject new vitality into the modernization and international development of traditional Chinese medicine.

OBJECTIVES: Hyperhomocysteinaemia (Hcy) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. MicroRNA (miR)-18a-5p is closely related to cardiovascular diseases. This study aims to investigate the effects of miR-18a-5p on homocysteine (Hcy)-induced myocardial cells injury. METHODS: H9c2 cells were transfected with miR-18a-5p mimic/miR-18a-5p mimic negative control (NC) or combined with Hcy for intervention, and untreated cells were set as a control group. The transfection efficiency was verified by real-time RT-PCR, and cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to determine cell viability. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. Western blotting was performed to measure the protein levels of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-I, LC3-II, Beclin1, p62, Bax, Bcl-2, and Notch2. Dual luciferase reporter assay was used to detect the interaction of miR-18a-5p with Notch2. RESULTS: Compared with the control, treatment with Hcy or transfection with miR-18a-5p mimic alone, or combined treatment with Hcy and miR-18a-5p mimic/miR-18a-5p mimic NC significantly reduced the H9c2 cell viability, promoted apoptosis and ROS production, up-regulated the expressions of Bax and Beclin, down-regulated the expressions of Bcl-2, p62, and Notch2, and increased the ratio of LC3-II/LC3-I (all P<0.05). Compared with the combined intervention of miR-18a-5p mimic NC and Hcy group, the above indexes were more significantly changed in the combined intervention of miR-18a-5p mimic and Hcy group, and the difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (all P<0.05). There is a targeted binding between Notch2 and miR-18a-5p. CONCLUSIONS MiR-18a-5p could induce autophagy and apoptosis via increasing ROS production in cardiomyocytes, and aggravate Hcy-induced myocardial injury. Notch2 is a target of miR-18a-5p.
Apoptosis/genetics* ; Autophagy/genetics* ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Rats ; Animals ; Myocytes, Cardiac/drug effects* ; Homocysteine/adverse effects* ; Hyperhomocysteinemia

Objective:To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of TCF3-PBX1 fusion gene-positive childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).Methods:The clinical data of 1 287 newly diagnosed children with B-ALL who were admitted to five hospital in Fujian province (Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Zhangzhou Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou First Hospital Affiliated to Fujian Medical University, Nanping First Hospital of Fujian Province) from April 2011 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to the results of TCF3-PBX1 fusion gene testing, all the patients were divided into TCF3-PBX1-positive group and TCF3-PBX1-negative group. The clinical characteristics, early treatment response [minimal residual disease (MRD) at middle stage and end of induction chemotherapy] and long-term efficacy [overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS)] of the patients in both groups were compared. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. The prognostic factors of TCF3-PBX1-positive B-ALL were analyzed by using Cox proportional hazards model. Among 83 children with TCF3-PBX1-positive B-ALL, the treatment regimens, risk stratification and efficacy evaluation of 62 cases were performed by using Chinese Children's Leukemia Group (CCLG)-ALL 2008 regimen and 21 cases were performed by using Chinese Children's Cancer Group (CCCG)-ALL 2015 regimen, and the efficacy and incidence of serious adverse events (SAE) between the two groups compared.Results:Among 1 287 B-ALL patients, 83 patients (6.4%) were TCF3-PBX1-positive. The proportion of patients with initial white blood cell count (WBC)≥50×10 9/L in the TCF3-PBX1-positive group was higher than that in the TCF3-PBX1-negative group, while the proportions of patients with MRD ≥1% on induction chemotherapy day 15 or day 19, and MRD ≥0.01% on induction chemotherapy day 33 or day 46 in the TCF3-PBX1-positive group were lower than those in the TCF3-PBX1-negative group (all P < 0.05). Univariate Cox regression analysis showed that MRD ≥1% on induction chemotherapy day 15 or day 19 and TCF3-PBX1 ≥0.01% on induction chemotherapy day 33 or day 46 were risk factors for OS and EFS (all P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that MRD ≥1% on induction chemotherapy day 15 or day 19 was an independent risk factor for OS ( HR = 10.589, 95% CI 1.903-58.933, P = 0.007) and EFS ( HR = 10.218, 95% CI 2.429-42.980, P = 0.002). TCF3-PBX1≥0.01% on induction chemotherapy day 33 or day 46 was an independent risk factor for EFS ( HR = 6.058, 95% CI 1.463-25.087, P = 0.013) but not for OS ( HR = 3.550, 95% CI 0.736-17.121, P = 0.115). The 10-year EFS and OS rates of the TCF3-PBX1-positive group were 84.6% (95% CI 76.9%-93.1%) and 89.1% (95% CI 82.1%-96.6%), and the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant (both P > 0.05). Among 80 children who received standardized treatment, compared with children who were treated with CCLG-ALL 2008 regimen, the incidence of infection-related SAE was lower in children who were treated with CCCG-ALL 2015 regimen [0 (0/21) vs. 20.3% (12/59), χ2 = 5.22, P = 0.022], but there were no statistical differences in treatment-related mortality, relapse rate, EFS and OS between the two groups (all P > 0.05). Conclusions:Children with TCF3-PBX1-positive B-ALL have a good prognosis, and MRD≥1% at middle stage of induction chemotherapy and TCF3-PBX1≥0.01% at the end of induction chemotherapy may be influencing factors for poor prognosis. CCCG-ALL 2015 regimen can reduce infection-related SAE while achieving good efficacy.

Sepsis is characterized by a severe and life-threatening host immune response to polymicrobial infection accompanied by organ dysfunction.Studies on the therapeutic effect and mechanism of immunomod-ulatory drugs on the sepsis-induced hyperinflammatory or immunosuppression states of various im-mune cells remain limited.This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and underlying mechanism of artesunate(ART)on the splenic microenvironment of cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis model mice using single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)and experimental validations.The scRNA-seq analysis revealed that ART inhibited the activation of pro-inflammatory macrophages recruited during sepsis.ART could restore neutrophils'chemotaxis and immune function in the septic spleen.It inhibited the activation of T regulatory cells but promoted the cytotoxic function of natural killer cells during sepsis.ART also promoted the differentiation and activity of splenic B cells in mice with sepsis.These results indicated that ART could alleviate the inflammatory and/or immunosuppressive states of various immune cells involved in sepsis to balance the immune homeostasis within the host.Overall,this study provided a comprehensive investigation of the regulatory effect of ART on the splenic microenvironment in sepsis,thus contributing to the application of ART as adjunctive therapy for the clinical treatment of sepsis.