Temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis (TMJ-OA) is a common disease often accompanied by pain, seriously affecting physical and mental health of patients. Abnormal innervation at the osteochondral junction has been considered as a predominant origin of arthralgia, while the specific mechanism mediating pain remains unclear. To investigate the underlying mechanism of TMJ-OA pain, an abnormal joint loading model was used to induce TMJ-OA pain. We found that during the development of TMJ-OA, the increased innervation of sympathetic nerve of subchondral bone precedes that of sensory nerves. Furthermore, these two types of nerves are spatially closely associated. Additionally, it was discovered that activation of sympathetic neural signals promotes osteoarthritic pain in mice, whereas blocking these signals effectively alleviates pain. In vitro experiments also confirmed that norepinephrine released by sympathetic neurons promotes the activation and axonal growth of sensory neurons. Moreover, we also discovered that through releasing norepinephrine, regional sympathetic nerves of subchondral bone were found to regulate growth and activation of local sensory nerves synergistically with other pain regulators. This study identified the role of regional sympathetic nerves in mediating pain in TMJ-OA. It sheds light on a new mechanism of abnormal innervation at the osteochondral junction and the regional crosstalk between peripheral nerves, providing a potential target for treating TMJ-OA pain.
Animals ; Osteoarthritis/physiopathology* ; Mice ; Sympathetic Nervous System/physiopathology* ; Temporomandibular Joint Disorders/physiopathology* ; Arthralgia ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; Disease Models, Animal ; Norepinephrine ; Male ; Temporomandibular Joint/physiopathology* ; Pain Measurement

Hypoxemia is a common pathological state characterized by low oxygen saturation in the blood. This condition compromises mucosal barrier integrity particularly in the gut and oral cavity. However, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. This study used periodontitis as a model to investigate the role of platelet activation in oral mucosal immunopathology under hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia upregulated methyltransferase-like protein 4 (METTL4) expression in platelets, resulting in N⁶-methyladenine modification of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). This modification impaired mitochondrial transcriptional factor A-dependent cytosolic mtDNA degradation, leading to cytosolic mtDNA accumulation. Excess cytosolic mt-DNA aberrantly activated the cGAS-STING pathway in platelets. This resulted in excessive platelet activation and neutrophil extracellular trap formation that ultimately exacerbated periodontitis. Targeting platelet METTL4 and its downstream pathways offers a potential strategy for managing oral mucosa immunopathology. Further research is needed to examine its broader implications for mucosal inflammation under hypoxic conditions.
DNA, Mitochondrial/metabolism* ; Mouth Mucosa/pathology* ; Hypoxia/immunology* ; Methyltransferases/metabolism* ; Blood Platelets/metabolism* ; Animals ; Periodontitis/immunology* ; Humans ; Platelet Activation ; Mice

[摘 要] 目的：检测circSMRCA5在非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC）组织和细胞中的表达，以及其在NSCLC发生发展中的潜在功能和机制。方法：用qPCR法检测circSMARCA5在NSCLC组织中的表达。使用慢病毒转染法将circSMARCA5过表达质粒和对照质粒pLC5分别转染人肺癌A549和H1975细胞。采用qPCR法检测稳定转染细胞中circSMARCA5的表达水平。通过CCK-8、克隆形成、细胞周期和异种移植瘤实验检测circSMARCA5过表达对A549和H1975细胞生物学行为的影响。通过转录组测序、KEGG和GO富集分析，确定circSMARCA5可能的靶基因。分别构建circSMARCA5过表达A549、Lewis细胞BABL/c裸鼠和免疫正常的C57小鼠皮下移植瘤模型，观察circSMARCA5对裸鼠皮下移植瘤生长的影响，流式细胞术检测对Lewis细胞移植瘤组织中Treg细胞水平的影响。结果：circSMARCA5在NSCLC组织中呈高表达（P<0.01）。过表达circSMARCA5可以在体外促进NSCLC细胞的增殖（P<0.05，P<0.01）。体内实验中，circSMARCA5可以促进裸鼠皮下移植瘤的生长（P<0.01）。机制上，经KEGG和GO富集分析，确定C-C趋化因子配体5（CCL5）为circSMARCA5的下游靶基因。过表达circSMARCA5组A549和H1975细胞中CCL5的表达量增加（均P<0.05）。circSMARCA5介导的CCL5上调促进了免疫正常的C57小鼠皮下移植瘤的生长。C57小鼠皮下移植瘤制备成的单细胞悬液行流式细胞术检测显示，circSMARCA5过表达组的Treg细胞比例高于对照组[（3.1±0.5）% vs （1.0±0.1）%，P<0.05]。结论：circSMARCA5在NSCLC组织中呈高表达，其可能通过CCL5将Treg细胞招募到肿瘤中，导致肿瘤的免疫逃逸，促进NSCLC的进展。

Objective:To investigate the value of a 5-point predictive score based on unenhanced CT combined with blood glucose detection for predicting short-term prognosis in patients with spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage.Methods:A total of 102 patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage who received treatment in Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital from March 2020 to March 2022 were included in this study and analyzed retrospectively. Blood glucose level was measured and BAT score was used to evaluate hematoma enlargement. After 30 days, Glasgow Outcome Scale was used to evaluate the prognosis of patients. The relationships between blood glucose and BAT score, and between blood glucose and BAT score and prognosis were analyzed. The value of blood glucose and BAT score for predicting short-term prognosis was analyzed.Results:The Glasgow Outcome Scale results showed that among the 102 patients, 24 patients (23.53%) had poor prognosis. The BAT score and blood glucose level in patients with poor prognosis were (3.13 ± 0.68) points and (11.58 ± 2.30) mmol/L, respectively, which were significantly higher than (2.40 ± 0.59) points and (8.88 ± 1.71) mmol/L in patients with good prognosis ( t = 5.10, 5.30, both P < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis showed that in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, blood glucose level was positively correlated with BAT score ( r = 0.43, P < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis showed that in patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage, blood glucose level and BAT level were positively correlated with prognosis ( r = 0.42, 0.47, both P < 0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the area under the curve plotted for BAT score combined with blood glucose level for predicting short-term prognosis was 0.874, which was significantly greater than the area under the curve plotted for BAT score alone for predicting short-term prognosis ( Z = 2.54, P < 0.05). Conclusion:A large proportion of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage have a poor prognosis. The patients with a poor prognosis have higher blood glucose levels and BAT scores than those with good prognosis. Blood glucose and BAT score have a high value for predicting the prognosis of patients with spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage.

Objective:To investigate the gene transcription level changes in the amygdala of social isolation rearing models of schizophrenia to determine the pathogenic genes and their related pathways of schizophrenia.Methods:A total of 29 3-week-old SPF C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into control group ( n=16) and model group ( n=13); 4 mice were raised in each transparent mouse cage in the control group, and 1 mouse was raised in each transparent mouse cage in the model group; mice in each cage could see their surrounding mice but could not touch each other. Mice in both groups were fed for 4 weeks and then subjected to open field experiment, pre-pulse inhibition experiment and new object recognition experiment within one week. After the experiment, mice were sacrificed by spinal dislocation, and the amygdala was taken for transcriptome sequencing. The topGO software was used for gene ontology (GO) functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was performed using KEGG database. Results:(1) Animal experiment: compared with the control group, the model group had significantly increased movement distance in the open field experiment ([1 239.20±106.35] m vs. [1 845.53±143.65] m, t=3.464, P=0.002), significantly decreased activity time in the central region 5 min before experiment ([13.15±1.41] s vs. [8.47±1.19]) s, t=2.464, P=0.020). Compared with the control group, the model group had significantly lower percentage of deficient prepulse inhibition (PPI) of 78 dB ([22.28±1.53] % vs. [14.59±2.75] %, t=2.629, P=0.013), and deficient PPI of 88 dB ([32.83±3.39] % vs. [18.44±3.07] %, t=3.081, P=0.005). Compared with the control group, the model group had significantly decreased ratio of time exploring new objects/time exploring former objects ([80.5±2.2]% vs. [71.0±3.6]%, t=2.356, P=0.026). (2) Bioinformatics analysis: a total of 96 DEGs were found, of which 42 were with up-regulated expressions ( Th, Crlf1, etc.), and 54 were with down-regulated expressions ( Prkcd, etc.). Th and Crlf1 were positively correlated ( r=0.940, P=0.018). GO enrichment results suggested that DEGs were enriched in projection function of plasma membrane boundary cells, neuronal differentiation, and cell apoptosis. KEGG enrichment results suggested that DEGs were enriched in WNT signaling pathway, apoptosis pathway and tyrosine metabolism pathway. Protein network interaction analysis suggested that Wnt6, Tcf712, Pitx2, Tcf7 and Cd4 were key proteins. Conclusion:DEGs such as Th, Prkcd, Lrrc74b, Fadd, Wnt6, Ror2, Notum, and Tcf7l2, and their related signaling pathways may be related to schizophrenia in the amygdala of social isolation rearing mice.

Early distinction of bipolar disorder (BD) from major depressive disorder (MDD) is difficult since no tools are available to estimate the risk of BD. In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a model of oxidative stress injury for predicting BD. Data were collected from 1252 BD and 1359 MDD patients, including 64 MDD patients identified as converting to BD from 2009 through 2018. 30 variables from a randomly-selected subsample of 1827 (70%) patients were used to develop the model, including age, sex, oxidative stress markers (uric acid, bilirubin, albumin, and prealbumin), sex hormones, cytokines, thyroid and liver function, and glycolipid metabolism. Univariate analyses and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator were applied for data dimension reduction and variable selection. Multivariable logistic regression was used to construct a model for predicting bipolar disorder by oxidative stress biomarkers (BIOS) on a nomogram. Internal validation was assessed in the remaining 784 patients (30%), and independent external validation was done with data from 3797 matched patients from five other hospitals in China. 10 predictors, mainly oxidative stress markers, were shown on the nomogram. The BIOS model showed good discrimination in the training sample, with an AUC of 75.1% (95% CI: 72.9%-77.3%), sensitivity of 0.66, and specificity of 0.73. The discrimination was good both in internal validation (AUC 72.1%, 68.6%-75.6%) and external validation (AUC 65.7%, 63.9%-67.5%). In this study, we developed a nomogram centered on oxidative stress injury, which could help in the individualized prediction of BD. For better real-world practice, a set of measurements, especially on oxidative stress markers, should be emphasized using big data in psychiatry.
Biomarkers/metabolism* ; Bipolar Disorder/metabolism* ; Depressive Disorder, Major/diagnosis* ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Oxidative Stress

Objective:This study is to investigate the predictive value of serum levels of TIMP-2 and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7(IGFBP7) in patients with DCD(donation after cardiac death) kidney transplantation.Methods:A prospective research design was used to select DCD kidney transplant patients admitted to the Li Huili Hospital of Ningbo University from January 2018 to October 2020.Inclusion criteria: ①Complete data; ②There were no serious complications affecting the function of the transplanted kidney in the early postoperative period.Exclusion criteria: ①Incomplete data; ②Patients were unable or unwilling to cooperate with the study; ③Severe complications affecting the function of the transplanted kidney occurred early after the operation.The ELASE method was used to quantitatively detect the serum TIMP-2 and IGFBP7 levels at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 hours and 7 days after renal transplantation, and monitor the serum creatinine values during the same period and 21 days after the operation. According to the occurrence of DGF, the measured values of TIMP-2 and IGFBP7 at different time points and their product's ability to predict the occurrence of DGF after kidney transplantation were analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of TIMP-2 and IGFBP7 for DGF.Results:A total of 33 patients were enrolled, 7 patients (21.2%) in the DGF group and 26 patients (78.8%) in the non-DGF group. Between the two groups, the donor glomerular filtration rate were [98.5(15.8-132.5)ml/(min·1.73m 2) and 79.1(60.6-102.5)ml/(min·1.73m 2)], recipient gender (male/female: 3/4 cases and 10/16 cases), recipient age [48(34-56) Years old and 45(23-61) years old], the recipient's preoperative creatinine [1114.0(731.4-1293.0)μmol/L and 858.4(657.6-1051.9)μmol/L], the recipient's preoperative urea nitrogen [15.0(13.2-19.6)mmol/L and 17.3(13.6-20.9)mmol/L], receptor preoperative albumin [43.5(38.5-45.3)mmol/L and 41.2(37.5-46.1) mmol/L], recipient dialysis method [hemodialysis/peritoneal dialysis: 3/4 cases and 9/17 cases], warm ischemia time [6(5-7) and 5(4-6) min, there was no statistically significant difference] ( P>0.05). The values of serum IGFBP7 and TIMP-2×IGFBP7 in the DGF group were higher than those in the non-DGF group at all time points ( F=15.753, P=0.040; F=13.000, P=0.024), while serum TIMP-2 was not significant between the two groups difference ( F=1.157, P=0.075). For the diagnostic value of DGF, the AUC of serum IGFBP7 at 48 h after surgery was 0.863 (95% CI 0.696-1.000, P=0.004). When 5.97 ng/ml was used as the cut-off value, the sensitivity was 85.7% and the specificity was 80.8 %. The AUC of TIMP-2×IGFBP7 at 48 hours after surgery was 0.819 (95% CI 0.641-0.996, P=0.011). When 62.06(ng/ml) 2 was used as the cutoff value, the sensitivity was 71.4% and the specificity was 80.8%.There was no statistical difference in the area under the curve between the two ( P>0.05). There were differences in the dynamic trend of serum IGFBP7 and creatinine in the DGF group. Serum IGFBP7 at 7 days after surgery was positively correlated with creatinine at 21 days after surgery. Conclusion:Serum IGFBP7 and TIMP-2×IGFBP7 could predict the occurrence of DGF after DCD donor kidney surgery. The predictive value changes with time. Among them, 48h and 7d after surgery are the most valuable. However, serum TIMP-2 has not been found to have predictive value in this study.

Objective:To explore the predictive values of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP-2) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) in donor sera and lavage fluid on delayed graft function (DGF) in donation after circulatory death (DCD) kidney transplant recipients.Methods:A total of 33 eligible kidney donors and 33 corresponding recipients were recruited. Preoperative serum and renal perfusion fluid samples of donors were collected to determine the levels of TIMP-2 and IGFBP7. Patients were grouped according to whether DGF occurred after kidney transplantation and measured indicators analyzed. Independent sample t test was utilized for comparing the groups with normal distribution measurement data. And χ2 test was employed for comparing the groups with normal distribution counting data and Mann-Whitney test for comparing the groups with non-normal distribution measurement data. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and area under curve (AUC) were used for evaluating the diagnostic efficacy of indicators. Results:In donor-DGF group, lavage fluid TIMP-2, product of lavage fluid TIMP-2 and IGFBP7 (TIMP-2×IGFBP7), serum IGFBP7 and product of serum TIMP-2 and IGFBP7 (TIMP-2×IGFBP7) were higher than those in donor-non-DGF group ( P<0.05). The AUC of TIMP-2, TIMP-2×IGFBP7, serum IGFBP7 and serum TIMP-2×IGFBP7 in the diagnosis of DGF were 0.753 (95%CI 0.546~0.959), 0.747 (95%CI 0.510~0.984), 0.824 (95%CI 0.615~1.000) and 0.852 (95%CI 0.660~1.000) respectively. Conclusions:Donor serum IGFBP7, donor serum TIMP-2×IGFBP7, lavage fluid TIMP-2 and lavage fluid TIMP-2×IGFBP7 may be used for predicting the occurrence of early DGF after kidney transplantation. Among them, serum TIMP-2×IGFBP7 has the highest diagnostic efficiency and may be an excellent predictor of DGF occurrence.

Objective:To analyze the antibody level of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) in Chinese patients with primary membrane nephropathy (PMN) and its correlation with clinical indicators, and to explore more suitable cut-off value for Chinese patients.Methods:All hospitalized patients with renal biopsy at Peking University People's Hospital from January to August 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. According to the primary disease, patients were divided into PMN group (including patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy and atypical membranous nephropathy of unknown cause) and control group (other pathological types, including secondary membranous nephropathy patients). Their clinical and pathological characteristics were analyzed, and the level of serum PLA2R antibodies was detected using the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation between PMN patients' blood anti-PLA2R antibody level and clinical indicators. The risk factors of PMN were analyzed by logistic regression model, and the optimal cut-off value of PMN was analyzed by ROC curve.Results:A total of 354 patients were included in this study, including 114 patients in PMN group and 240 patients in control group. The age of PMN group was (51.7±14.1) years old and the ratio of male to female was 2.2∶1. The median concentration of PLA2R antibody in PMN group was 16.87 RU/ml [inter-quartile range ( IQR) 1.88-57.26], which was significantly higher than that in control group (1.43 RU/ml, IQR 1.20-1.62, P<0.001). In PMN group, the concentration of anti-PLA2R antibody was correlated with the 24-hour urine protein ration ( r=0.278, P=0.003) and urine erythrocyte ( r=0.190, P=0.043), but not with serum albumin ( r=-0.149, P=0.114) and serum creatinine ( r=0.136, P=0.149). The ROC curve showed that the sensitivity of distinguishing PMN from other diseases was 69.3% (95% CI 60.3%-77.0%), the specificity was 92.9%(95% CI 89.0%-95.5%), and the area under the curve was 0.859(95% CI 0.813-0.905) when the cut-off value was set as 2.28 RU/ml, which was significantly better than the cut-off value of 20.00 RU/ml (the sensitivity/specificity was 46.5%/97.5%) and 14.00 RU/ml (the sensitivity/specificity was 53.5%/97.1%). Conclusions:PLA2R antibody is one of the main pathogenic antibodies of PMN. In China, it is recommended to lower its cut-off value to 2.28 RU/ml, which can improve the sensitivity of distinguishing PMN from other pathological types without reducing specificity.

Background and objectives:Hepatic steatosis and inflammation are key characteristics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD).However,whether and how hepatic steatosis and liver inflammation are differentially regulated remains to be elucidated.Considering that disruption of 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-biphosphatase 3(Pfkfb3/iPfk2)dissociates fat deposition and inflammation,the present study examined a role for Pfkfb3/iPfk2 in hematopoietic cells in regulating hepatic steatosis and inflammation in mice. Methods:Pfkfb3-disrupted(Pfkfb3+-)mice and wild-type(WT)littermates were fed a high-fat diet(HFD)and examined for NAFLD phenotype.Also,bone marrow cells isolated from Pfkfb3+/-mice and WT mice were differentiated into macrophages for analysis of macrophage activation status and for bone marrow transplantation(BMT)to generate chimeric(WT/BMT-Pfkfb3+/-)mice in which Pfkfb3 was disrupted only in hematopoietic cells and control chimeric(WT/BMT-WT)mice.The latter were also fed an HFD and examined for NAFLD phenotype.In vitro,hepatocytes were co-cultured with bone marrow-derived macrophages and examined for hepatocyte fat deposition and proinflammatory responses.Results:After the feeding period,HFD-fed Pfkfb3+/-mice displayed increased severity of liver inflam-mation in the absence of hepatic steatosis compared with HFD-fed WT mice.When inflammatory activation was analyzed,Pfkfb3+/-macrophages revealed increased proinflammatory activation and decreased anti-proinflammatory activation.When NAFLD phenotype was analyzed in the chimeric mice,WT/BMT-Pfkfb3+/-mice displayed increases in the severity of HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and inflammation compared with WT/BMT-WT mice.At the cellular level,hepatocytes co-cultured with Pfkfb3+/-macrophages revealed increased fat deposition and proinflammatory responses compared with hepatocytes co-cultured with WT macrophages. Conclusions:Pfkfb3 disruption only in hematopoietic cells exacerbates HFD-induced hepatic steatosis and inflammation whereas the Pfkfb3/iPfk2 in nonhematopoietic cells appeared to be needed for HFD feeding to induce hepatic steatosis.As such,the Pfkfb3/iPfk2 plays a unique role in regulating NAFLD pathophysiology.