Stem-leaf saponins from Panax notoginseng (SLSP) comprise numerous PPD-type saponins with diverse pharmacological properties; however, their role in Parkinson's disease (PD), characterized by microglia-mediated neuroinflammation, remains unclear. This study evaluated the effects of SLSP on suppressing microglia-driven neuroinflammation in experimental PD models, including the 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPTP)-induced mouse model and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated BV-2 microglia. Our findings revealed that SLSP mitigated behavioral impairments and excessive microglial activation in models of PD, including MPTP-treated mice. Additionally, SLSP inhibited the upregulation of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and attenuated the phosphorylation of PI3K, protein kinase B (AKT), nuclear factor-κB (NFκB), and inhibitor of NFκB protein α (IκBα) both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, SLSP suppressed the production of inflammatory markers such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) in LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. Notably, the P2Y2R agonist partially reversed the inhibitory effects of SLSP in LPS-treated BV-2 cells. These results suggest that SLSP inhibit microglia-mediated neuroinflammation in experimental PD models, likely through the P2Y2R/PI3K/AKT/NFκB signaling pathway. These novel findings indicate that SLSP may offer therapeutic potential for PD by attenuating microglia-mediated neuroinflammation.
Animals ; Panax notoginseng/chemistry* ; Saponins/pharmacology* ; Microglia/immunology* ; Mice ; NF-kappa B/immunology* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/immunology* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Male ; Parkinson Disease/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Disease Models, Animal ; Plant Leaves/chemistry* ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/drug therapy* ; Humans

Objective To explore the mechanism of TPT1-AS1 targeting miR-324/TWIST1 axis to regulate the proliferation, invasion, migration and angiogenesis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) cells, thereby affecting ovarian cancer (OC) progression. Methods RT-qPCR was used to detect the expression of TPT1-AS1 and miR-324 in 29 OC lesions and adjacent tissue samples. The two OC cell models of TPT1-AS1 overexpression and miRNA324 knockdown were constructed, and the cell proliferation, invasion and migration abilities were detected by CCK-8, Transwell^TM and scratch test. Western blot analysis was used to detect the protein expression levels of TWIST1, epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin), Vimentin, and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in OC cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and RNA pull-down experiments were used to verify the interaction between TPT1-AS1 and miR-324. Immunohistochemistry and Targetscan bioinformatics analysis were used to verify the negative regulatory role of miR-324 in the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. Results The TPT1-AS1 expression was significantly higher in OC tissues than that in para-cancerous tissues, while the miR-324 expression was significantly lower. In SKOV3 cells with TPT1-AS1 overexpression, the miR-324 expression decreased significantly, and TPT1-AS1 was negatively correlated with miR-324. It was also found that TPT1-AS1 and miR-324 were co-expressed in OC cells, and there was a direct binding relationship between them. Down-regulation of miR-324 significantly promoted the proliferation, invasion and migration of SKOV3 cells. Further studies revealed that miR-324 had a binding site at the 3'-UTR end of the TWIST1, a key transcription factor for EMT. Inhibiting miR-324 expression increased the transcription level of TWIST1, leading to a decrease in E-cadherin protein expression and an increase in Vimentin protein expression. Additionally, the downregulation of miR-324 resulted in an increased expression level of VEGF-A protein, which in turn enhanced angiogenesis of OC. Conclusion TPT1-AS1 promotes EOC cell proliferation, invasion, migration and angiogenesis by negatively regulating the miR-324/TWIST1 axis, thus promoting the development of OC. These findings provide new potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of OC.
Humans ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Female ; Cell Movement/genetics* ; Ovarian Neoplasms/blood supply* ; Twist-Related Protein 1/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Neovascularization, Pathologic/genetics* ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial/metabolism* ; Nuclear Proteins/metabolism* ; Cell Proliferation/genetics* ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; RNA, Long Noncoding/metabolism* ; Cadherins/genetics* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/genetics* ; Vimentin/genetics* ; Angiogenesis

Lean six sigma (LSS) emphasizes patient demand-oriented, and continuously optimizing prolesses to achieve efficiency and standardization in medical services. Starting in 2021, a specialized children′s hospital (comprising one main campus and three branch campuses) introduced the LSS management method. Through define, measure, analyze, improve, and control, the hospital utilized tools such as questionnaire surveys, SIPOC models, and fishbone diagrams to identify pain points in the building of multi-campus child-friendly hospital and develop improvement measures.To address the main issues of insufficient cross-campus collaboration, significant disparities in service quality among different campuses, unclear functional positioning of each campus, and inadequate integration with social security mechanisms, the hospital implemented a " homogeneity-differentiation-coordination" management mode. The hospital implemented unified diagnosis and treatment standards and clinical pathways, carried out remote consultations and expert rotations, completed mutual recognition of examination and testing results, optimized child friendly labeling and child friendly environment, and built a " hospital-to-hospitals, hospital to medical schools, and hospital to community health centers" linkage platform, etc., to promote the standardization of diagnosis and treatment processes, clear functional positioning of the hospital area, and efficient resource allocation. Through practice, the outpatient appointment rate and patient satisfaction rate in the main hospital had increased from 86.72% and 98.64% in January December 2021 to 91.87% and 99.72% in January December 2024, respectively; The patient waiting time had been shortened from 26.54 minutes to 21.94 minutes, and the efficiency of medical treatment and service experience had been significantly improved. As of 2024, mutual recognition of 214 inspection and testing items had been achieved cross hospital campuses, forming a collaborative pattern of " main hospital leading, campuses support, and resource complementarity", and significantly improving the level of collaboration and child friendly connotation among multi-campus. This practice explored the integration path of multi-campus collaborative governance and child-friendly services, which could provide reference and inspiration for the similar hospitals.

Lean six sigma (LSS) emphasizes patient demand-oriented, and continuously optimizing prolesses to achieve efficiency and standardization in medical services. Starting in 2021, a specialized children′s hospital (comprising one main campus and three branch campuses) introduced the LSS management method. Through define, measure, analyze, improve, and control, the hospital utilized tools such as questionnaire surveys, SIPOC models, and fishbone diagrams to identify pain points in the building of multi-campus child-friendly hospital and develop improvement measures.To address the main issues of insufficient cross-campus collaboration, significant disparities in service quality among different campuses, unclear functional positioning of each campus, and inadequate integration with social security mechanisms, the hospital implemented a " homogeneity-differentiation-coordination" management mode. The hospital implemented unified diagnosis and treatment standards and clinical pathways, carried out remote consultations and expert rotations, completed mutual recognition of examination and testing results, optimized child friendly labeling and child friendly environment, and built a " hospital-to-hospitals, hospital to medical schools, and hospital to community health centers" linkage platform, etc., to promote the standardization of diagnosis and treatment processes, clear functional positioning of the hospital area, and efficient resource allocation. Through practice, the outpatient appointment rate and patient satisfaction rate in the main hospital had increased from 86.72% and 98.64% in January December 2021 to 91.87% and 99.72% in January December 2024, respectively; The patient waiting time had been shortened from 26.54 minutes to 21.94 minutes, and the efficiency of medical treatment and service experience had been significantly improved. As of 2024, mutual recognition of 214 inspection and testing items had been achieved cross hospital campuses, forming a collaborative pattern of " main hospital leading, campuses support, and resource complementarity", and significantly improving the level of collaboration and child friendly connotation among multi-campus. This practice explored the integration path of multi-campus collaborative governance and child-friendly services, which could provide reference and inspiration for the similar hospitals.

Background and purpose:Intracellular deubiquitylating enzymes,such as ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2(USP2),play a pivotal role in regulating protein degradation and cellular homeostasis by modulating protein ubiquitin deconjugation,which have been implicated in the proliferation and survival of multiple myeloma(MM)cells.Targeting the inhibition of USP2 activity in MM cells might modulate their biological behavior.This study aimed to investigate regulatory effects of the leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast sodium on USP2 in MM cells and its subsequent biological effects.Methods:An in vitro deubiquitination reaction system was established using purified USP2 protein and its substrate,the glutathione S-transferase(GST)tagged ubiquitin A-52 residue ribosomal protein fusion product(UbA52),known as GST-UbA52 protein.This system was used to characterize inhibitory effects of montelukast sodium on USP2 deubiquitinase activity.The MM cell lines MM1.S and H929 were used as in vitro models.Cellular thermal shift assay(CETSA)was subsequently employed to test interaction mode between montelukast sodium and USP2 in MM cells.Western blot assay was applied to detect expression levels of USP2 and its targeting regulators,including cell cycle supervisors cyclin D1(CCND1)and cyclin A1(CCNA1),classical signaling transducer KRAS and glucose regulated protein 78kD(GRP78),as well as apoptotic molecule C/EBP-homologous protein(CHOP)in MM1.S and H929 cells before and after the treatment with different concentrations of montelukast sodium.MM cells with either overexpression(H929-OE,MM1.S-OE)or knockdown(H929-LE,MM1.S-LE)of USP2 were generated using a lentiviral vector.Cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)and flow cytometry were utilized to detect the proliferation and apoptotic rates of H929-OE,MM1.S-OE,H929-LE and MM1.S-LE cells treated with montelukast sodium.Results:Montelukast sodium was found to inhibit USP2 mediated degradation of GST-UbA52 protein in a concentration-dependent manner,with a half inhibitory concentration(IC50)of 3.814 μmol/L.Additionally,montelukast sodium significantly enhanced the thermal stability of USP2 at temperatures of 49.1,53.2 and 56.4℃.It was also shown that montelukast sodium could down-regulate expressions of CCND1,CCNA1 and KRAS,while increase levels of GRP78 and CHOP in MM1.S and H929 cells.Furthermore,after treating with 40 μmol/L montelukast sodium for 24 h,the proliferation inhibition and apoptotic rate of H929-OE cells reached to(37.68±1.10)%and(18.99±0.26)%,while the proliferation inhibition and apoptotic rate of MM1.S-OE cells reached to(24.48±0.49)%and(33.29±0.75)%,which were significantly lower than those in H929 and MM1.S cells[H929:(57.19±1.93)%and(45.65±0.24)%;MM1.S:(50.04±0.53)%and(40.25±0.91)%;P＜0.05,n=3].Conversely,the proliferation inhibition and apoptotic rates of H929-LE and MM1.S-LE cells were significantly higher[H929-LE-1#:(80.70±1.60)%and(89.08±0.49)%;H929-LE-2#:(75.30±3.80)%and(82.41±1.07)%;MM1.S-LE-1#:(70.64±0.84)%and(67.63±0.21)%;MM1.S-LE-2#:(68.47±1.32)%and(85.90±0.18)%;P＜0.05,n=3].Conclusion:Montelukast sodium can target ubiquitin proteasome regulator USP2 and inhibit its deubiquitylating activity,which may modulate USP2 directing protein and trigger endoplasmic reticulum stress to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MM cells.

Objective:To explore the clinicopathological features of rectal neuroendocrine tumor (R-NET) G2, identify prognostic factors, and summarize treatment experience.Methods:The clinical data of patients diagnosed with R-NET G2 by pathological diagnosis admitted to Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2003 to September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The Fisher's exact test and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to analyze the association between pathological features and prognosis.Results:A total of 22 patients were enrolled in this study and 21 patients were followed up for a period of 6-98 months with a median follow-up time of 42 months. 5 patients died due to tumor progression during the follow-up period. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) of the whole group were 100.0%, 92.9%, and 69.6%, respectively. Of the 22 patients, 20 underwent surgical treatment, of which 15 underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy; 2 underwent medical treatment for liver and bone multiple metastases. The 5-year survival rates of patients with tumours ≥2 cm in length, T2-3 stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis (57.1%, 68.8%, 66.7%, and 63.6%, respectively) were shorter than those of patients with tumours <2 cm in length, T1 stage, no lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis (all 100.0%, P＜0.001). In addition, patients with liver metastases had larger primary tumor diameters and higher T-stages compared with those without distant metastasis ( P＜0.05). Conclusions:R-NET G2 has a high degree of malignancy compared with G1 and a high propensity for metastasis. Clinicians should formulate appropriate diagnostic and treatment strategies based on factors such as tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node status, presence of distant metastasis, and the location and extent of distant metastasis.

Background and purpose:Intracellular deubiquitylating enzymes,such as ubiquitin-specific peptidase 2(USP2),play a pivotal role in regulating protein degradation and cellular homeostasis by modulating protein ubiquitin deconjugation,which have been implicated in the proliferation and survival of multiple myeloma(MM)cells.Targeting the inhibition of USP2 activity in MM cells might modulate their biological behavior.This study aimed to investigate regulatory effects of the leukotriene receptor antagonist montelukast sodium on USP2 in MM cells and its subsequent biological effects.Methods:An in vitro deubiquitination reaction system was established using purified USP2 protein and its substrate,the glutathione S-transferase(GST)tagged ubiquitin A-52 residue ribosomal protein fusion product(UbA52),known as GST-UbA52 protein.This system was used to characterize inhibitory effects of montelukast sodium on USP2 deubiquitinase activity.The MM cell lines MM1.S and H929 were used as in vitro models.Cellular thermal shift assay(CETSA)was subsequently employed to test interaction mode between montelukast sodium and USP2 in MM cells.Western blot assay was applied to detect expression levels of USP2 and its targeting regulators,including cell cycle supervisors cyclin D1(CCND1)and cyclin A1(CCNA1),classical signaling transducer KRAS and glucose regulated protein 78kD(GRP78),as well as apoptotic molecule C/EBP-homologous protein(CHOP)in MM1.S and H929 cells before and after the treatment with different concentrations of montelukast sodium.MM cells with either overexpression(H929-OE,MM1.S-OE)or knockdown(H929-LE,MM1.S-LE)of USP2 were generated using a lentiviral vector.Cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)and flow cytometry were utilized to detect the proliferation and apoptotic rates of H929-OE,MM1.S-OE,H929-LE and MM1.S-LE cells treated with montelukast sodium.Results:Montelukast sodium was found to inhibit USP2 mediated degradation of GST-UbA52 protein in a concentration-dependent manner,with a half inhibitory concentration(IC50)of 3.814 μmol/L.Additionally,montelukast sodium significantly enhanced the thermal stability of USP2 at temperatures of 49.1,53.2 and 56.4℃.It was also shown that montelukast sodium could down-regulate expressions of CCND1,CCNA1 and KRAS,while increase levels of GRP78 and CHOP in MM1.S and H929 cells.Furthermore,after treating with 40 μmol/L montelukast sodium for 24 h,the proliferation inhibition and apoptotic rate of H929-OE cells reached to(37.68±1.10)%and(18.99±0.26)%,while the proliferation inhibition and apoptotic rate of MM1.S-OE cells reached to(24.48±0.49)%and(33.29±0.75)%,which were significantly lower than those in H929 and MM1.S cells[H929:(57.19±1.93)%and(45.65±0.24)%;MM1.S:(50.04±0.53)%and(40.25±0.91)%;P＜0.05,n=3].Conversely,the proliferation inhibition and apoptotic rates of H929-LE and MM1.S-LE cells were significantly higher[H929-LE-1#:(80.70±1.60)%and(89.08±0.49)%;H929-LE-2#:(75.30±3.80)%and(82.41±1.07)%;MM1.S-LE-1#:(70.64±0.84)%and(67.63±0.21)%;MM1.S-LE-2#:(68.47±1.32)%and(85.90±0.18)%;P＜0.05,n=3].Conclusion:Montelukast sodium can target ubiquitin proteasome regulator USP2 and inhibit its deubiquitylating activity,which may modulate USP2 directing protein and trigger endoplasmic reticulum stress to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MM cells.

Objective:To explore the clinicopathological features of rectal neuroendocrine tumor (R-NET) G2, identify prognostic factors, and summarize treatment experience.Methods:The clinical data of patients diagnosed with R-NET G2 by pathological diagnosis admitted to Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from January 2003 to September 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The Fisher's exact test and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to analyze the association between pathological features and prognosis.Results:A total of 22 patients were enrolled in this study and 21 patients were followed up for a period of 6-98 months with a median follow-up time of 42 months. 5 patients died due to tumor progression during the follow-up period. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) of the whole group were 100.0%, 92.9%, and 69.6%, respectively. Of the 22 patients, 20 underwent surgical treatment, of which 15 underwent postoperative adjuvant therapy; 2 underwent medical treatment for liver and bone multiple metastases. The 5-year survival rates of patients with tumours ≥2 cm in length, T2-3 stage, lymph node metastasis, and distant metastasis (57.1%, 68.8%, 66.7%, and 63.6%, respectively) were shorter than those of patients with tumours <2 cm in length, T1 stage, no lymph node metastasis, and no distant metastasis (all 100.0%, P＜0.001). In addition, patients with liver metastases had larger primary tumor diameters and higher T-stages compared with those without distant metastasis ( P＜0.05). Conclusions:R-NET G2 has a high degree of malignancy compared with G1 and a high propensity for metastasis. Clinicians should formulate appropriate diagnostic and treatment strategies based on factors such as tumor size, depth of invasion, lymph node status, presence of distant metastasis, and the location and extent of distant metastasis.

Background: Twenty-four-hour urinary free cortisol (UFC) measurement is the initial diagnostic test for Cushing’s syndrome (CS). We compared UFC determination by both direct and extraction immunoassays using Abbott Architect, Siemens Atellica Solution, and Beckman DxI800 with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). In addition, we evaluated the value of 24-hr UFC measured by six methods for diagnosing CS. Methods: Residual 24-hr urine samples of 94 CS and 246 non-CS patients were collected.A laboratory-developed LC-MS/MS method was used as reference. UFC was measured by direct assays (D) using Abbott, Siemens, and Beckman platforms and by extraction assays (E) using Siemens and Beckman platforms. Method was compared using Passing–Bablok regression and Bland–Altman plot analyses. Cut-off values for the six assays and corresponding sensitivities and specificities were calculated by ROC analysis. Results: Abbott-D, Beckman-E, Siemens-E, and Siemens-D showed strong correlations with LC-MS/MS (Spearman coefficient r = 0.965, 0.922, 0.922, and 0.897, respectively), while Beckman-D showed weaker correlation (r = 0.755). All immunoassays showed proportionally positive bias. The areas under the curve were 0.975 for Abbott-D, 0.972 for LCMS/MS, 0.966 for Siemens-E, 0.948 for Siemens-D, 0.955 for Beckman-E, and 0.877 for Beckman-D. The cut-off values varied significantly (154.8–1,321.5 nmol/24 hrs). Assay sensitivity and specificity ranged from 76.1% to 93.2% and from 93.0% to 97.1%, respectively. Conclusions Commercially available immunoassays for measuring UFC show different levels of analytical consistency compared to LC-MS/MS. Abbott-D, Siemens-E, and Beckman-E have high diagnostic accuracy for CS.

Objective:To analyze pathogenic characteristics of viral diarrhea in children aged <5 years in Hebei Province and provide reference for the prevention and control of viral diarrhea in children.Methods:Stool samples were collected from in-patients with diarrhea under five years old from sentinel hospitals in Lulong County of Hebei between 2010 and 2020. ELISA detected rotavirus antigen, and then positive samples were genotyped by semi nested reverse transcription PCR of two rounds. Calicivirus, genotyping astrovirus, and adenovirus were detected by real-time fluorescence quantification PCR. The data were analyzed by using software SPSS 20.0.Results:In 2 925 detected stool samples, 1 919 (65.61%) were positive. The positive rates of rotavirus, calicivirus, adenovirus, and astrovirus were 42.80% (1 252/2 925), 22.12% (647/2 925), 6.19% (181/2 925), 3.56% (104/2 925). Viral diarrhea was mainly caused by rotavirus infection, accounting for 59.30% (1 017/1 715) between 2010 and 2017, and by calicivirus infection accounting for 53.43% (109/204) between 2018 and 2020. The peak positive rate of rotavirus occurred in winter, with the highest rate in infants aged 12 to 17 months (52.96%,483/912). In the rotavirus positive samples, G9P[8] was mainly detected strains (58.31%,730/1 252), followed by G3P[8] (8.15%,102/1 252). The calicivirus-positive samples were mainly infected with norovirus GⅡ. Sequence analysis indicated that the main type was GⅡ.4 [P31] between 2011 and 2016 and GⅡ.3 [P12] in 2018.Conclusions:Rotavirus and calicivirus were the main pathogens causing infant diarrhea in children under five years old in Hebei from 2010 to 2020. Winter was the main epidemic season.