ObjectiveTo investigate the mechanism by which Simiao Wan improve intestinal uric acid excretion in hyperuricemic （HUA） rats by inhibiting ferroptosis via the solute carrier family 7 member 11/glutathione peroxidase 4 （SLC7A11/GPX4） signaling pathway. MethodsForty-eight male SD rats were randomly assigned to a normal group， a model group， a low-dose Simiao Wan group （282.6 mg·kg^-1）， a high-dose Simiao Wan group （565.2 mg·kg^-1）， an etoricoxib group （5.4 mg·kg^-1）， and a ferroptosis inhibitor （Fer-1） group （2 mg·kg^-1）. Except for the normal group， rats in all other groups were intraperitoneally injected with potassium oxonate （100 mg·kg^-1） combined with intragastric administration of hypoxanthine （500 mg·kg^-1） to establish the HUA rat model. After 21 days， rats in each administration group received the corresponding dose of drug by gavage， rats in the Fer-1 group received intraperitoneal injection of Fer-1， and rats in the normal and model groups were given an equal volume of normal saline by gavage. After sampling， serum levels of uric acid （SUA）， creatinine （Cr）， and blood urea nitrogen （BUN） were measured using biochemical assays. The content of ferrous ion （Fe²⁺）， reduced glutathione （GSH）， and malondialdehyde （MDA）， as well as superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity in ileal tissues were determined. Hematoxylin and eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe the histopathological changes in the ileum， and transmission electron microscopy was used to observe mitochondrial alterations in the ileal tissue. Immunohistochemistry （IHC） and Western blot were used to detect the protein expression levels of GPX4， ferritin heavy chain 1 （FTH1）， acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 （ACSL4）， SLC7A11， and ATP-binding cassette transporter G2 （ABCG2） in ileal tissue. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） was used to determine the mRNA expression of GPX4， FTH1， ACSL4， SLC7A11， and ABCG2 in the ileal tissue. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group exhibited significantly elevated serum UA， Cr， and BUN levels （P<0.01）， significantly increased content of MDA and Fe²⁺ in ileal tissue， and significantly decreased GSH content and SOD activity （P<0.01）. HE staining showed extensive shedding of the ileal villous epithelium， disrupted and disorganized villous structure， and incomplete local tissue architecture. Transmission electron microscopy revealed reduced mitochondrial volume， decreased or even vanished cristae， indicating ultrastructural features characteristic of ferroptosis. Molecular and immunohistochemical results demonstrated that the protein and mRNA expression levels of GPX4， FTH1， SLC7A11， and ABCG2 were significantly downregulated， whereas those of ACSL4 were significantly upregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， after intervention with Simiao Wan， the serum UA， Cr， and BUN levels significantly decreased in all dose groups （P<0.05，P<0.01）， the MDA and Fe²⁺ content in ileal tissues were significantly reduced （P<0.01）， and the GSH content and SOD activity significantly increased （P<0.01）. HE staining showed that the shedding of ileal villous epithelium was markedly alleviated， the villous structure became relatively intact and regularly arranged， and local tissue damage was obviously improved. Transmission electron microscopy showed attenuated mitochondrial damage， improvement in mitochondrial shrinkage， and partial restoration of mitochondrial cristae. Molecular and immunohistochemical results showed that Simiao Wan upregulated GPX4， FTH1， SLC7A11， and ABCG2， and downregulated ACSL4 in a dose-dependent manner. In the high‑dose group， all indices improved significantly （P<0.05，P<0.01）， whereas in the low‑dose group， only improving trends were observed for FTH1， SLC7A11 mRNA， and ABCG2 protein. ConclusionSimiao Wan may inhibit ferroptosis of ileal epithelial cells by regulating the SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway， and upregulate the expression of the uric acid transporter ABCG2， thereby promoting intestinal uric acid excretion and improving HUA.

The internal structures of cells as the basic units of life are a major wonder of the microscopic world. Cellular images provide an intriguing window to help explore and understand the composition and function of these structures. Scientific imagery combined with artistic expression can further expand the potential of imaging in educational dissemination and interdisciplinary applications. This study presents an innovative diffusion model-based approach for style transfer in cellular images, combining scientific rigor with artistic expression. By leveraging training-free large-scale pre-trained diffusion models, the proposed method integrates the intricate morphological and textural features of cellular images with diverse artistic styles. Key techniques such as the inversion of denoising diffusion implicit models (DDIMs), adaptive instance normalization (AdaIN), self-attention style injection, and attention temperature scaling ensure the preservation of cellular structures while enhancing visual expressiveness. The results showcase the potential of this strategy for interdisciplinary applications, enriching both the visualization and educational dissemination of cellular imagery through compelling storytelling and aesthetic appeal.
Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods* ; Cells ; Diffusion

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of recurrent chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases. The precise etiology of IBD remains unclear, but the inappropriate immune response is considered the leading cause of IBD. More and more studies indicated that triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM) -1 have regulated multiple signaling pathways. This review will focus specifically on recent insights into the role of TREM-1 proteins in IBD development, and discuss opportunities for novel treatment approaches.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of recurrent chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases. The precise etiology of IBD remains unclear, but the inappropriate immune response is considered the leading cause of IBD. More and more studies indicated that triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells (TREM) -1 have regulated multiple signaling pathways. This review will focus specifically on recent insights into the role of TREM-1 proteins in IBD development, and discuss opportunities for novel treatment approaches.

Objective: To compare and analyze patient’s general condition, changes in laboratory parameters, and the spectrum of UGT1A1 mutations in patients with inherited non-hemolytic unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at Nanjing Second Hospital from January 2015 to July 2018 and patients’ demographic characteristics, liver function test, and UGT1A1 gene were analyzed. The categorical variable data were compared by χ ² test. The normal distribution continuous variable data were compared by t-test and the non-normal distribution continuous variable data were compared using Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Of the 51 patients with inherited non-hemolytic unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, 44 (86.3%) were Gilbert’s syndrome (GS) and seven (13.7%) were Crigler-Najjar syndrome type II (CNS- II). The male to female ratio was 2.9:1 and the average age was 36.11 ± 13.17 years. Six variant types were detected: C. -40_-39insTA, C. -3279T > G, c.211G > A (p.G71R), c.686C > A (p.P229Q), c.1091C > T (p.P364L), c.1456T > G (P.Y486D). Among them, c.211G > A accounted for 58.82% (30/51), c.-40_-39insTA accounted for 27.5% (14/51), and c.1456T > G accounted for 25.5% (13/51). The total bilirubin(TB) and unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) in CNS-II patients were significantly higher than GS patients[155.91 (130 ~ 207) vs. 38.25(29 ~ 52.15) μmol/L, U = 0, P < 0.01; 144.13 (120.8 ~ 197) vs. 30.00 (21.7 ~ 46.75) μmol/L, U = 0.00, P < 0.01, respectively]. Exon mutations of c.1091C > T and c.1456T > G were statistically significant(P < 0.01).There were no differences in age, TB, UCB, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) between the c.211G > A homozygous variants and heterozygous variants (P > 0.05). Conclusion The common pathogenic mutations of UGT1A1 gene were c.211G > A, c.-40_-39insTA, c.1456T > G. c.211G > A. The mutation has little effect on the level of total bilirubin, but c.1091C > T, c.1456T > G mutations has great influence on the level of total bilirubin.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)is an autoimmune disease leading to diarrhea,abdominal pain,and weight loss. The pathogenesis of diarrhea remains unclear,however,increasing evidence has shown that the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC)is associated with diarrhea. ENaC is crucial in the control of sodium homeostasis,extracellular fluid volume,blood pressure. This article reviewed advances in study on relationship between ENaC and IBD.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT)is the first-line treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma currently. Previous studies have shown that regression of primary tumor and metastatic lymph nodes or a decrease in body weight causes the contour of normal organs and head-and-neck to shrink during the course of radiotherapy, which may lead to underdose in primary tumor and overdose in organs at risk (OARs)and then adversely affect treatment outcomes. Replanning during the course of radiotherapy can maintain the dose to target volume and reduce the exposure of OARs, which improves outcomes in some patients. For replanning during the course of IMRT, however, the advantages have not been widely recognized and there is still a long way to go before widely accepted timing and frequency of replanning are set up. Further studies are needed to figure out how to identify patients appropriate for plan modification.

Objective To investigate the value of FDG PET-CT in the outcome assessment and prognostic evaluation for recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma (rNPC).Methods From January 2008 to December 2013,92 rNPC patients were treated in our center,who were histologically or radiologically diagnosed and re-staged according to the 2008 clinical staging system for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in China.The numbers of patients in stage Ⅰ,stage Ⅱ,stage Ⅲ,and stage Ⅳ were 8,11,39,and 34,respectively.According to the recurrent T stage (rT),the numbers of patients in rT1,rT2,rT3,and rT4 were 10,11,38,and 33,respectively.Twenty-eight patients had recurrence in the neck lymph nodes.All patients underwent pretreatment FDG PET-CT for the whole body or head/neck,and treated by radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy.The relationship of maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) and clinical factors with clinical outcomes was analyzed.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate overall survival (OS),disease-free survival (DFS),local recurrence-free survival (LRFS),regional recurrence-free survival (RRFS),and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS).The log-rank test was used for survival difference analysis and univariate prognostic analysis.The Cox model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis.Results The 3-year OS,DFS,LRFS,RRFS,and DMFS were 33.6％,32.1％,32.8％,31.8％,and 33.7％,respectively.The median SUVmax was 8.35 (2.7-21.5).The SUVmax of 7.0 was taken as the optimal cut-off value for all patients.Patients with SUVmax ≤7.0 had a significantly higher 3-year OS rate than those with SUVm ax ＞7.0 (42.0％ vs.28.3％,P=0.019).The univariate analysis revealed that patient age,SUV and rN were significantly associated with OS (P=0.023,0.019,and 0.002).The multivariate analysis showed that SUVmax and rN were significant influencing factors for OS,DFS,and DMFS (HR=1.68,P=0.045 and HR=2.23,P=0.003;HR=1.67,P=0.042 and HR=2.39,P=0.001;HR=1.77,P=0.025 and HR=2.40,P=0.001).Conclusions SUVmax may be one of the useful prognostic factors for OS,DFS,and DMFS in rNPC patients.

Objective To investigate the benefits of replanning after induction chemotherapy(IC) by analyzing the dosimetric impact of IC on intensity-modulated radiotherapy(IMRT)for locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)and the dosimetric characteristics of replanning after IC, and to provide data for the rational design of clinical radiotherapy plans. Methods 16 NPC patients underwent contrast-enhanced CT scan once before and after IC.Target volumes were delineated and the chemotherapy plans were created,defined as Plan-1 and Plan-2,respectively. Then the target structure after IC was copied to Plan-1, generating the third plan, defined as Plan-1-2. The paired t-test was used to compare the dosimetric parameters between Plan-1 and Plan-1-2 and between Plan-2 and Plan-1-2. Results Plan-1 vs. Plan-1-2:Plan-1-2 showed significantly reduced D meanof target volume compared with Plan-1(P<0.05). Plan-1-2 significantly increased D meanand D maxof the spinal cord(P<0.05),although significantly reduced D mean of the brain stem and D maxof the temporal lobes compared with Plan-1. Plan-1-2 also had significantly reduced conformity index(CI)and significantly increased homogeneity index(HI)for the target volume compared with Plan-1(P<0.05). Plan-2 vs. Plan-1-2:Compared with Plan-1-2, Plan-2 significantly increased D meanand D minof gross tumor volume(GTV)and primary GTV(P<0.05)and significantly reduced D meanof the temporal lobes and D maxand D meanof the spinal cord(P<0.05), with D max decreased to 430.48 cGy;Plan-2 had significantly increased CI and significantly reduced HI for the target volume compared with Plan-1-2(all P<0.05). Conclusions IMRT plan-1 after IC has worse dosimetric distribution,while replanning after IC has more dosimetric benefits.

Aim To explore the effect of receptor component protein(RCP)in the signal transduction of vascular smooth muscle cell(VSMC)proliferation induced by static pressure.Methods The mouse-derived vascular smooth muscle cell line(A10VSMC)was employed in the experiment.Cells were exposed to static pressure,and MTT assay was used to detect the cell viability.Western blot was used to determine the expressions of PCNA,RCP and p-Akt,RCP mRNA was tested by RT-PCR,and co-immunoprecipitation was used to test the interaction between RCP and G proteins.Results The cell viability,expressions of PCNA and RCP increased with the elevation of static pressure and reached their peaks at 120 mmHg,and after 6 hours they got a plateau.The static pressure significantly increased the level of p-Akt,meanwhile,the binding of RCP and Gαs significantly decreased.However,the binding of RCP and Gβ increased in response to static pressure after stimuli of static pressure,but Gγ was obscure.Conclusion Static pressure can induce VSMC proliferation and expression of RCP,which may involve G protein signal transduction model.