BACKGROUND:Anthocyanin is one of the most important active components in Lycium ruthenicum Murr,which has antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects.CD146+human adipose-derived pericytes/perivascular cells(CD146+hAD-PCs)are the progenitors of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells,which can promote the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells in vitro.The support effect of anthocyanin in combination with CD146+hAD-PCs on umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells remains to be studied. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the supporting effect of anthocyanins in Lycium ruthenicum Murr(ALRM)combined with CD146+hAD-PCs on umbilical cord blood CD34+hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells(UCB CD34+HSPCs)in vitro. METHODS:The CCK-8 assay was used to detect the effect of different concentrations(0,200,400,600,800,1 000 mg/L)of ALRM on the proliferation of CD146+hAD-PCs.Flow cytometry was used to detect the effect of ALRM on the cell cycle of CD146+hAD-PCs.The co-culture experiments were divided into blank group,ALRM group,CD146+hAD-PCs group,and ALRM+CD146+hAD-PCs group to analyze the in vitro supporting effect of ALRM combined with CD146+hAD-PCs on UCB CD34+HSPCs.The number of expanded cells and the number of colony-forming units were compared at 1,2,and 4 weeks of co-culture.The immunophenotype of cells was detected by flow cytometry.The level of cytokines was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The cell viability of CD146+hAD-PCs was highest at an ALRM concentration of 200 mg/L,the proportion of G0/G1 phase cells decreased and the proportion of S and G2/M phase cells increased in CD146+hAD-PCs(P<0.01).(2)The change in number of UCB CD34+HSPCs cells in the ALRM+CD146+hAD-PCs group was higher than that in the ALRM group at 1,2,and 4 weeks of co-culture(all P<0.05),and higher than that in CD146+hAD-PCs group at 2 and 4 weeks of co-culture(all P<0.05).The number of cells in the ALRM group and blank group decreased gradually with the extension of co-culture time.(3)Colony forming capacity and immunophenotype analysis:The number of colony-forming units in the ALRM+CD146+hAD-PCs group was higher than that in the CD146+hAD-PCs group and ALRM group at 1 and 2 weeks of co-culture(P<0.05).The proportion of CD45+and CD34+CD33-cells in the ALRM+CD146+hAD-PCs group was higher than that in the CD146+hAD-PCs group at 1 and 2 weeks of co-culture(all P<0.01).(4)Changes in cytokines:Interleukin-2 level in the ALRM+CD146+hAD-PCs group was higher than that in the ALRM and CD146+hAD-PCs groups(P<0.05).The interleukin-3 content of the ALRM+CD146+hAD-PCs group was higher than that of the CD146+hAD-PCs group at 2 and 4 weeks(P<0.05).The expression level of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in the ALRM+CD146+hAD-PCs group was higher than that in the CD146+hAD-PCs group at 1 week,and higher than that in the ALRM group and CD146+hAD-PCs group at 2 weeks(P<0.01).Interferon-γ content in the ALRM group and ALRM+CD146+hAD-PCs group was lower than that in the CD146+hAD-PCs group at 1,2,and 4 weeks of co-culture(P<0.01).(5)Due to the absence of stromal cells in the blank group,UCB CD34+HSPCs could not be counted after 1 week of co-culture and were not subjected to immunophenotyping,colony analysis,or cytokine assays.(6)In summary,ALRM can promote the expansion of UCB CD34+HSPCs in vitro by promoting CD146+hAD-PCs proliferation and cell cycle transformation,which is of great value in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Objective To investigate the level and significance of serum suprabasin(SBSN)in patients with colorectal cancer(CRC).Methods A total of 200 patients with CRC in Nanjing Medical University Af-filiated Cancer Hospital from October 2023 to October 2024 were selected as the CRC group,200 patients with colorectal polyps were selected as the benign bowel disease(BCD)group,and 177 healthy people were selected as the control group.In addition,the serum SBSN levels of 84 CRC patients 7-10 d after surgery were collect-ed.The levels of SBSN in each group were compared,and the relationship between serum SBSN level and clin-icopathological characteristics of CRC patients was analyzed.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to ana-lyze the influencing factors of CRC.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic efficacy of serum SBSN alone and in combination with carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)and carbo-hydrate antigen 19-9(CA19-9)for CRC.Results The serum SBSN level in CRC group was significantly high-er than that in BCD group and control group(P＜0.001).Serum SBSN level in CRC patients was associated with TNM stage and lymph node metastasis(both P=0.001),but not with other clinicopathological features(P＞0.05).Serum SBSN,CEA,CA19-9 were independent risk factors for CRC(P＜0.001).ROC curve anal-ysis showed that the area under the curve(AUC)of SBSN alone in the diagnosis of CRC was 0.734,which was higher than that of CEA(0.611)and CA19-9(0.669)alone,and the AUC of the three combined diagno-sis of CRC was 0.816.The sensitivity and specificity were 70.0％and 81.4％,respectively.The serum SBSN level of CRC patients decreased after operation,and the difference was statistically significant compared with that before operation(P＜0.05).Conclusion SBSN is associated with the occurrence,metastasis and progno-sis of colorectal cancer,and has a certain clinical value in the diagnosis and prediction of colorectal cancer.Ser-um SBSN is a potential biomarker for the auxiliary diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

Objective To investigate the relationship between the levels of serum suppressor of cytokine signaling 3(SOCS3),growth differentiation factor-15(GDF-15)and liver fibrosis in patients with type 2 dia-betes mellitus(T2DM)combined with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).Methods A total of 320 patients with T2DM combined with NAFLD who were hospitalized in this hospital from May 2023 to May 2024 were selected as the study group,and another 320 patients with simple T2DM admitted during the same period were selected as the control group.The levels of serum SOCS3 and GDF-15 were determined by en-zyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between SOCS3,GDF-15 levels and liver fibrosis indicators.Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors affecting the degree of liver fibrosis.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to analyze the diagnostic value of serum SOCS3 and GDF-15 for the degree of liver fibrosis in patients.Results Compared with the control group,the levels of serum SOCS3,GDF-15,5,type Ⅲ procollagen peptide,laminin and type Ⅳ col-lagen in the study group were significantly increased(P＜0.05).There were statistically significant differ-ences in the levels of type Ⅲ procollagen peptide,laminin and type Ⅳ collagen between the mild to moderate group and the severe group(P＜0.05).Compared with the mild to moderate group,the levels of serum SOCS3 and GDF-15 in the severe group were significantly increased(P＜0.05).The results of Pearson corre-lation analysis showed that serum SOCS3 and GDF-15 in patients with T2DM combined with NAFLD were positively correlated with type Ⅲ procollagen peptide,laminin,and type Ⅳ collagen(P＜0.05).Serum SOCS3,GDF-1 5,type Ⅲ procollagen peptide,laminin and type Ⅳ collagen are risk factors affecting the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with T2DM combined with NAFLD(P＜0.05).The results of the ROC curve showed that the combined diagnosis of serum SOCS3 and GDF-15 for the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with T2DM complicated with NAFLD had the highest area under the curve(AUC),which was superior to the individual diagnosis of each(both P＜0.05),with a corresponding sensitivity of 69.08％and a specificity of 85.71％.The combined diagnosis of the degree of liver fibrosis in patients with T2DM complicated with NAFLD by serum SOCS3,GDF-15,type Ⅲ procollagen peptide,laminin,and type Ⅳ collagen had the highest AUC,which was superior to the individual diagnosis of each index(all P＜0.001),with a corresponding sensi-tivity of 89.47％and a specificity of 97.02％.Conclusion The levels of serum SOCS3 and GDF-15 are elevated in patients with T2DM combined with NAFLD,.The combined diagnosis of serum SOCS3,GDF-15,type Ⅲ procolla-gen peptide,laminin,and type Ⅳ collagen has a high value in the degree of liver fibrosis in patients.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect and mechanism of gracillin from Reineckia carnea on autophagy in non- small cell lung cancer A549 cells. METHODS Using A549 cells as subjects， the effects of different concentrations of gracillin （0.25， 0.5， 1， 2， 4 μmol/L） on the proliferation of cells were detected by CCK-8 after being treated for different time （12， 24， 48 h）. Compared with the control group without medication， the effect of gracillin （2 μmol/L） on the formation of autophagosomes in cells was observed by transmission electron microscope after 24 h of exposure. The aggregation of GFP-LC3 on autophagosome membrane was detected by GFP-LC3 plasmid transfection after being treated with gracillin （0.25， 0.5， 1， 2 μmol/L） for 24 h. Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot assay were used to detect the mRNA and protein expressions of family with sequence similarity 102 member A（FAM102A）， the expressions of autophagy-related proteins [p62， Beclin-1， microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3B （LC3B）]， and the expressions of phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway-related proteins in A549 cells after being treated with gracillin （0.25， 0.5， 1 and 2 μmol/L） for 24 h. RESULTS Gracillin significantly inhibited the proliferation of A549 cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The IC50 was 2.55 μmol/L at 24 h. After 24 h of gracillin treatment， autophagosomes with bilayer membrane structure were found in the cell cytoplasm， and GFP-LC3 green fluorescent spots on autophagosome membrane were obvious， representing an increasing trend as drug concentration. Compared with the control group， mRNA and protein expressions of FAM102A （0.5， 1， 2 μmol/L groups）， protein expression of Beclin-1 （1， 2 μmol/L groups） and LC3B-Ⅱ/LC3B-Ⅰ ratio （2 μmol/L group） were significantly increased in different concentrations of gracillin groups， while the protein expression of p62 （1， 2 μmol/L groups）， and the protein phosphorylations of Akt （1， 2 μmol/L groups） and PI3K （2 μmol/L group） were all decreased significantly （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS Gracillin can promote excessive autophagy in A549 cells by up-regulating mRNA and protein expressions of FAM102A and inhibiting PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， thus inhibiting cell proliferation.

Objective To investigate the effects of cinnamaldehyde,the main active component of cinnamon,on benzene-induced immune injury in mice and the related mechanism.Methods Forty male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the control group,model group(benzene 500 mg/kg),cinnamaldehyde low,medium and high dose groups(5,25,50 mg/kg),with 8 mice in each group.Except the control group,mice in each group were treated with benzene by intragastric administration daily to induce immune and oxidative stress damage,but the intervention group was treated with cinnamaldehyde 5 times/week for 3 weeks.After medication,peripheral blood was collected 24 h after the last gavage for blood cell count,and the changes in body weight of mice in each group were observed.The pathological structure of the spleen and thymus was observed via hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs)of mice were extracted and the amounts of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and ATP in mitochondria were measured.Plasma levels of malondialdehyde(MDA)were measured using the barbituric acid method,the activity of glutathione peroxidase(GSH-PX)in plasmawith the dithiodinitrobenzoic acid methodand the activity of total superoxide dismutase(SOD)in plasma using the hydroxylamine method.Results After exposure to benzene,the body weight of the model group became lower(P<0.05).The spleen and thymus were damaged,and the indexes of the spleen and thymus were decreased(P<0.05).Counts of peripheral white blood cells and lymphocyteswere decreased(P<0.05).The activities of GSH and SOD in plasma were decreased(P<0.05),but the content of MDA was increased(P<0.05).The amount of mitochondrial ROS in PBMC was increased,while the ATP content was decreased(P<0.05).The weight of mice increased after treatment with cinnamaldehyde.The spleen and thymus tissues recovered well,and the indexes of the spleen and thymus were increased(P<0.05).Counts of peripheral white blood cells and lymphocytesin the high dose cinnamaldehyde group were increased(P<0.05).The activities of GSH and SOD in plasma were increased,while the content of MDA was decreased(P<0.05).The amount of mitochondrial ROS in PBMC was decreased,but the ATP content was increased(P<0.05).Treatment with cinnamaldehyde could alleviate the damage to the mitochondrial function of PBMC induced by benzene in mice,and 50 mg/kg was the best dose(P<0.05).The therapeutic effect of cinnamaldehyde had a dose-response relationship.Conclusion Cinnamaldehyde can inhibit benzene-induced immune injury and oxidative stress injury in mice by delivering an antioxidant effect and improving mitochondrial enhancement of PBMC.

To research on area ossification ratio (AOR), a novel parameter for quantitatively assessing adolescent bone age by conventional ultrasonography, and evaluate the correlation between AOR and radiographic bone age.

To evaluate the correlation between ultrasound ossification ratio(OR) and exercise intensity among adolescents.

Preliminary exploration of using ultrasound to quantitatively evaluate the development of epiphyseal cartilage and analyze its correlation with bone age, based on the ultrasound findings of the long bone joint end.

Objective:To discuss the differences in eosinophil(EOS)infiltration in cervical tissue and its relationship with cervical-related diseases,and to clarify the effect of EOS on the occurrence and development of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia(CIN)and cervical cancer.Methods:The clinical data of 256 patients with cervical diseases were collected and divided into cervical cancer group(n=46,including 26 cases of squamous cell carcinoma,15 cases of adenocarcinoma,and 5 cases of adenosquamous carcinoma),chronic cervicitis group(n=50),CIN stage Ⅰ group(n=50),CIN stage Ⅱ group(n=50),CIN stage Ⅲ group(n=30),and normal group(adjacent normal cervical tissue,n=30)based on their conditions.Colposcopy was used to observe the morphology of cervical tissue of the patients in various groups;thin-layer liquid-based cytology test(TCT)was used to observe the morphology of the cervical exfoliated cells in various groups;hybrid capture-chemiluminescence method was used to detect the human papillomavirus(HPV)infection in cervical tissue of the patients in various groups;HE staining was used to observe the pathomorphology of cervical tissue of the patients in various groups;Congo red staining was used to detect the numbers of EOS infiltration in cervical tissue of the patients in various groups;Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the number of EOS infiltration and the malignancy degree of cervical cancer.Results:The cervical surface of the patients in normal group was smooth and pink,with uniformly distributed capillaries;the cervical surface of the patients in chronic cervicitis group showed red inflammatory changes,with some accompanied by Nabothian cysts and varying degrees of erosion and ulcers;the patients in CIN stage Ⅰ,CIN stage Ⅱ,and CIN stage Ⅲ groups showed epithelial ulcers,thickening,and irregular morphology,with mosaic and punctate vessels;the cervical surface of the patients in cervical cancer group showed raised areas with neoplasms and necrotic ulcers,and they were fragile and prone to bleeding.After acetic acid staining,no obvious changes of the patients in normal group were observed.The cervix of the patients in chronic cervicitis group showed slight white changes that lasted for a short time;in CIN stage Ⅰ,CIN stage Ⅱ,and CIN stage Ⅲ groups,irregular thin acetowhite epithelium with map-like borders was observed,with increasingly acetowhite reactions and larger areas as the stages advanced.The cervix of the patients in cervical cancer group showed thick acetowhite epithelium that lasted longer,with rigid and clear contours.After iodine staining,the cervix of the patients in normal group was brown,with uniform coloration;the cervix of the patients in chronic cervicitis group showed poor coloration in inflammatory lesion areas;the cervix of the patients in CIN stage Ⅰ group showed iodine coloration in metaplastic areas,while the cervix of the patients in CIN stage Ⅲ group showed poor coloration in larger lesion areas;the cervix of the patients in cervical cancer group showed irregular surfaces with cauliflower-like growth and no coloration after iodine staining,appearing orange-yellow or mustard yellow.The TCT observation results showed there were no heteromorphic cells and few inflammatory cells in cervical exfoliated cells of the patients in infiltration in normal group;there were numerous neutrophils and EOS in exfoliated cervical cells without heteromorphic cells in chronic cervicitis group.The heteromorphic binucleated cells with high nuclear-cytoplasmic ratios and deeply stained nuclei were observed in cervical exfoliated cells of the patients in CIN stage Ⅰ and CIN stage Ⅱ groups.More heteromorphic cells with high nuclear-cytoplasmic ratios and irregular nuclear membranes were showed in cervical exfoliated cells of the patients in CIN stage Ⅲ group.The cervical exfoliated cells of the patients in cervical cancer group showed large and prominent nucleoli,clustering into syncytial changes.Compared with normal group,the atypial of cervical exfoliated cells in CIN stage Ⅰ,CIN stage Ⅱ,CIN stage Ⅲ,and cervical cancer groups was increased.The hybrid capture-chemiluminescence results showed that compared with normal and chronic cervicitis groups,the numbers of HPV infection and TCT heteromorphic cells of the patients in CIN stage Ⅰ,CIN stage Ⅱ,and CIN stage Ⅲ groups were increased(P<0.05);compared with CIN stage Ⅰ,CIN stage Ⅱ,and CIN stage Ⅲ groups,the numbers of HPV infection and TCT heteromorphic cells of the patients in cervical cancer group were increased(P<0.05).The HE staining results showed normal cell morphology and structure in normal group,with infiltration of inflammation cells such as neutrophils,monocytes,macrophages,EOS,and lymphocytes;in chronic cervicitis group,the infiltration of inflammatory cells was increased;in CIN group,the cervical cells showed slightly larger nucleoli and heteromorphic cells,with inflammatory cells mainly distributing around the hetermomorphic cells;in cervical cancer group,the cervical cells showed large and deeply stained nucleoli with significant atypia,and the infiltration of inflammatory cells around the cancer cells was increased.Compared with normal group,the numbers of inflammatory cells and EOS infiltration in cervical tissue of the patients in chronic cervicitis group were increased(P<0.05),and the numbers of inflammatory cells and EOS infiltration of the patients in CIN group were increased(P<0.05);compared with chronic cervicitis group,the number of inflammatory cells and EOS infiltration of the patients in CIN group were decreased(P<0.05);compared with chronic cervicitis group and CIN group,the numbers of inflammatory cells and EOS infiltration of the patients in cervical cancer group were increased(P<0.05).The EOS in cervical cancer tissue was mainly distributed around the cancer nests;compared with CIN stage Ⅰ group,the numbers of EOS infiltration in CIN stage Ⅱ and CIN stage Ⅲ groups were increased(P<0.05);compared with CIN stage Ⅱ group,the number of EOS infiltration in CIN stage Ⅲ group was increased(P<0.05).The higher the malignancy degree of the tumor,the more EOS infiltration was observed,and the number of EOS infiltration was positively correlated with the invasion depth of cervical cancer(r=0.533 0,P<0.01).Conclusion:HPV infection and EOS infiltration play a role in promoting the and occurrence development of cervical precancerous lesions and cervical cancer.

Objective To explore the value of measuring infrapatellar fat pad(IPFP)and muscle fat fraction(FF)around the knee joint based on iterative decomposition of water and fat with echo asymmetry and least squares estimation quantification(IDEAL-IQ)quantitative technology in patients with knee osteoarthritis(KOA)for the degree of KOA.Methods A total of 106 participants were included in this study.Participants were grouped based on Kellgren-Lawrence grading(KLG),divided into no KOA group,mild KOA group and severe KOA group.The IDEAL-IQ technology was used to measure FF values of IPFP and muscles around the knee joint,the correlation between FF values and KOA was analyzed,and its value in diagnosing KOA was evaluated.Results In severe KOA group and mild KOA group can be observed in the way of lower IPFP FF values and higher FF values muscles around the knee joint.The FF values of IPFP and part of the muscles around the knee joint[vastus medialis muscle(VM),vastus lateralis muscle(VL),semimembranosus(SE),sartorius(SA),medial head of gastrocnemius muscle(Gas(media)),lateral head of gastrocnemius muscle(Gas(lateral))]were correlated with the degree of KOA(r/rs=-0.708,0.737,0.567,0.468,0.280,0.491,0.378),the area under the curve(AUC)for diagnosing KOA were 0.850,0.950,0.842,0.759,0.692,0.763,and 0.725,respectively.Conclusion IDEAL-IQ sequence can quantitatively assess fat infiltration of IPFP and muscles around the knee joint in patients with KOA,and has certain potential to predict the development and severity of KOA.