[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2022.03.002.].

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) acts as a damage-associated molecular pattern to activate the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling in macrophages, promoting tissue inflammation. However, its role in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear. Macrophage-specific Sting1 knockout mice were used to validate STING's pathological role in AMI. Cardiac and liver mtDNA were used to activate macrophages in co-culture systems with cardiomyocytes to assess fibrosis and hypertrophy. Panaxatriol saponin (PTS) was tested for its ability to block mtDNA-driven macrophage activation and subsequent cardiomyocyte damage. STING-PTS binding ability was analyzed. AMI rats received PTS to evaluate its effects on myocardial inflammation and ventricular remodeling. In vivo, macrophage-specific Sting1 knockout reduced myocardial inflammation and injury after AMI. In vitro, mtDNA-activated macrophages induced cardiomyocyte fibrosis and hypertrophy through STING signaling. PTS suppressed mtDNA-driven macrophage activation by directly binding STING, thereby blocking inflammatory cascades. In AMI rats, PTS treatment attenuated acute inflammation and reversed ventricular remodeling. These findings establish the mtDNA-STING axis in macrophages as a critical driver of post-AMI inflammation and identify pharmacological STING inhibition with PTS as a promising therapeutic strategy. The study bridges genetic validation with translational applications, highlighting macrophage STING as a novel target for ischemic heart disease management.

AIM:To investigate the modulatory role of E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase ITCH in Alzheimer disease(AD)-like pathology through the thioredoxin-interacting protein(TXNIP)-nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)signaling pathway using both in vivo and in vitro experimental models.METHODS:(1)Ten 5×FAD(AD model)mice and 10 wild-type(WT)mice at 2-,4-and 6-month-old were randomly allocated into AD and WT groups.Amyloid β-protein(Aβ)plaque burden in the brain was detected by thioflavin-S and immunofluorescence staining,with the latter method additionally applied to assess TXNIP protein expression.The protein levels of ITCH and TXNIP were determined by Western blot,while their interaction was verified by co-immunoprecipitation.(2)Mouse mi-croglia BV2 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide(LPS)were used to construct neuroinflammation model,and were di-vided into control(CON)group and LPS+ATP treatment group.The BV2 cells stimulated by Aβ were used to construct AD inflammation model.According to the different treatment time,they were divided into CON,and 12,24 and 48 h treatment groups.Western blot was used to evaluate the expression of ITCH,TXNIP,and NLRP3 inflammasome compo-nents(NLRP3 and caspase-1)as well as the downstream IL-1β.Adenovirus-mediated ITCH overexpression(OE-ITCH)in Aβ-stimulated BV2 cells comprised three experimental groups:negative control group,Aβ oligomer stimulation group,and OE-ITCH group,with subsequent immunoblotting of inflammatory mediators.RESULTS:The deposition of Aβ plaques in the cortex and hippocampus of 5×FAD transgenic mice exhibited an age-dependent progression(P<0.01).Compared with WT mice,the levels of TXNIP protein increased synchronously,and the levels of ubiquitin ligase ITCH was significantly down-regulated(P<0.05).Co-immunoprecipitation confirmed the interaction between ITCH and TXNIP proteins in the brain of 2-and 4-month-old 5×FAD mice,which exhibited marked attenuation by 4 months of age.In BV2 microglial models,Aβ/LPS stimulation provoked significant ITCH suppression,concurrently up-regulating TXNIP,core NLRP3 inflammasome components(NLRP3 and caspase-1),and downstream IL-1β(P<0.05).Overexpression of ITCH significantly inhibited Aβ-induced activation of TXNIP and NLRP3 and therelated inflammatory factors in BV2 cells.CONCLUSION:The results of in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that ITCH protein exerts effects against AD-like pathology by inhibiting the expression of TXNIP-NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Lens injury is an important etiological factor in the reduction of visual function following ocular trauma.Currently, there are no clear standards for the classification of lens injury, and comprehensive diagnostic tools are lacking.This deficiency leads to numerous controversies and challenges in critical areas, such as diagnosis and preoperative evalution, timing of surgery, surgical strategy, and assessment of postoperative prognosis.Tomographic imaging technology, such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, optical coherence tomography, has introduced a new dimension to the evaluation of lens injury, which is crucial for assessing the transparency, texture, location, morphology, and integrity of the lens, as well as the zonules and nearby intraocular structures.However, the use of tomographic imaging technology is somewhat limited due to the limitations of relying on a single method.With the ongoing advancement of imaging technologies and the rapid development of big data and artificial intelligence, tomographic imaging will become an increasingly essential tool in the future management of lens injury.Our expert group reviewed the epidemiological characteristics and classification of lens injury and the major challenges currently faced in the diagnosis and treatment of lens injury, and provided expert recommendations mainly focusing on the application, shortcomings and limitations of current tomographic imaging technology in the diagnosis and treatment of lens injury, and future development directions.

Lens injury is an important etiological factor in the reduction of visual function following ocular trauma.Currently, there are no clear standards for the classification of lens injury, and comprehensive diagnostic tools are lacking.This deficiency leads to numerous controversies and challenges in critical areas, such as diagnosis and preoperative evalution, timing of surgery, surgical strategy, and assessment of postoperative prognosis.Tomographic imaging technology, such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, optical coherence tomography, has introduced a new dimension to the evaluation of lens injury, which is crucial for assessing the transparency, texture, location, morphology, and integrity of the lens, as well as the zonules and nearby intraocular structures.However, the use of tomographic imaging technology is somewhat limited due to the limitations of relying on a single method.With the ongoing advancement of imaging technologies and the rapid development of big data and artificial intelligence, tomographic imaging will become an increasingly essential tool in the future management of lens injury.Our expert group reviewed the epidemiological characteristics and classification of lens injury and the major challenges currently faced in the diagnosis and treatment of lens injury, and provided expert recommendations mainly focusing on the application, shortcomings and limitations of current tomographic imaging technology in the diagnosis and treatment of lens injury, and future development directions.

AIM:To investigate the modulatory role of E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase ITCH in Alzheimer disease(AD)-like pathology through the thioredoxin-interacting protein(TXNIP)-nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)signaling pathway using both in vivo and in vitro experimental models.METHODS:(1)Ten 5×FAD(AD model)mice and 10 wild-type(WT)mice at 2-,4-and 6-month-old were randomly allocated into AD and WT groups.Amyloid β-protein(Aβ)plaque burden in the brain was detected by thioflavin-S and immunofluorescence staining,with the latter method additionally applied to assess TXNIP protein expression.The protein levels of ITCH and TXNIP were determined by Western blot,while their interaction was verified by co-immunoprecipitation.(2)Mouse mi-croglia BV2 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide(LPS)were used to construct neuroinflammation model,and were di-vided into control(CON)group and LPS+ATP treatment group.The BV2 cells stimulated by Aβ were used to construct AD inflammation model.According to the different treatment time,they were divided into CON,and 12,24 and 48 h treatment groups.Western blot was used to evaluate the expression of ITCH,TXNIP,and NLRP3 inflammasome compo-nents(NLRP3 and caspase-1)as well as the downstream IL-1β.Adenovirus-mediated ITCH overexpression(OE-ITCH)in Aβ-stimulated BV2 cells comprised three experimental groups:negative control group,Aβ oligomer stimulation group,and OE-ITCH group,with subsequent immunoblotting of inflammatory mediators.RESULTS:The deposition of Aβ plaques in the cortex and hippocampus of 5×FAD transgenic mice exhibited an age-dependent progression(P<0.01).Compared with WT mice,the levels of TXNIP protein increased synchronously,and the levels of ubiquitin ligase ITCH was significantly down-regulated(P<0.05).Co-immunoprecipitation confirmed the interaction between ITCH and TXNIP proteins in the brain of 2-and 4-month-old 5×FAD mice,which exhibited marked attenuation by 4 months of age.In BV2 microglial models,Aβ/LPS stimulation provoked significant ITCH suppression,concurrently up-regulating TXNIP,core NLRP3 inflammasome components(NLRP3 and caspase-1),and downstream IL-1β(P<0.05).Overexpression of ITCH significantly inhibited Aβ-induced activation of TXNIP and NLRP3 and therelated inflammatory factors in BV2 cells.CONCLUSION:The results of in vitro and in vivo experiments showed that ITCH protein exerts effects against AD-like pathology by inhibiting the expression of TXNIP-NLRP3 signaling pathway.

Aim To investigate whether SIRT6 overexpression inhibits angiotensin Ⅱ(Ang Ⅱ)-induced cardio-myocyte apoptosis by activating adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase/nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase-1(AMPK/Nrf2/HO-1)signaling pathway.Methods The experiment was divided into 4 groups:control group,AngⅡ group,Ang Ⅱ+SIRT6 group,Ang Ⅱ+empty vector(EV)group.The mRNA level of SIRT6 was detected by RT-PCR.The cell activity was measured by MTT assay.The cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cy-tometry.SIRT6,cardiomyocyte apoptosis related proteins(Bax,cleaved Caspase-3,Bcl-2),DNA damage related pro-teins(γ-H2AX,p-ATM),AMPK/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway related proteins(p-AMPK,Nrf2,HO-1)were measured by Western blot.The reactive oxygen species(ROS)content was determined by DCFH-DA staining.The changes of the above indexes among the groups were observed.Results Compared with control group,the mRNA and protein ex-pression levels of SIRT6 and cell activity were significantly decreased in Ang Ⅱ group.Apoptosis rate,the expressions of Bax,cleaved Caspase-3 were increased,and the expression of Bcl-2 was decreased.The expressions of γ-H2AX and p-ATM were increased,and the expressions of p-AMPK,Nrf2,HO-1 were decreased.The activity of ROS was increased(P＜0.01).Compared with Ang Ⅱ+EV group,the expression of SIRT6 and cell activity were significantly increased in Ang Ⅱ+SIRT6 group.Apoptosis rate,the expressions of Bax and cleaved Caspase-3 were decreased,and the expression of Bcl-2 was increased.The expressions of γ-H2AX and p-ATM were decreased,the expressions of p-AMPK,Nrf2,HO-1 were increased.The activity of ROS was decreased(P＜0.01).Conclusion SIRT6 overexpression inhibits Ang Ⅱ-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis through activation of AMPK/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Objective:To compare the diagnostic performance of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) and prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) PET/CT in detecting pelvic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer.Methods:This is a retrospective case series study. A retrospective analysis was conducted on the data of 115 prostate cancer patients who underwent both mpMRI and PSMA PET/CT before undergoing radical prostatectomy and extended pelvic lymph node dissection at the Department of Urology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, between March 2020 and September 2023. The age ( M(IQR)) was 67(10) years (range: 45 to 84 years), and the body mass index was 24(4) kg/m 2 (range: 18 to 30 kg/m 2). Pathological and imaging data were obtained from the patients. Lymph node pathology results were used as the gold standard to evaluate the diagnostic performance of mpMRI and PSMA PET/CT for detecting pelvic lymph node metastasis in PCa through diagnostic evaluation tests. Comparisons between groups were performed using independent samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, or χ2 test. Results:The positive rate for detecting pelvic lymph node metastasis was 18.3% (21/115) with mpMRI and 25.2% (29/115) with PSMA PET/CT. The pathological positive rate for lymph nodes was 28.7% (33/115). In patient-based analysis, the diagnostic sensitivity of PSMA PET/CT was significantly higher than that of mpMRI (63.6% vs. 30.3%, χ2=7.36, P=0.007). In lesion-based analysis, both the sensitivity and positive predictive value of PSMA PET/CT were significantly higher than those of mpMRI (sensitivity: 68.0% vs. 21.6%, χ2=42.20, P<0.01; positive predictive value: 50.0% vs. 23.1%, χ2=7.54, P=0.006). Conclusions:PSMA PET/CT and mpMRI both demonstrates good specificity in predicting pelvic lymph node metastasis in prostate cancer. However, PSMA PET/CT is significantly superior to mpMRI in terms of sensitivity and the detection rate of pathologically positive lymph nodes.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the damage effect and mechanisms of cyclophosphamide(CTX)and its active metabolite derivative 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide(4-HC)to human neuroblas-toma SH-SY5Y cells.METHODS SH-SY5Y cells were treated with CTX[0(cell control),0.01,0.1,1,5,10,20,40 and 80 mmol·L-1]and 4-HC[0(cell control),0.01,0.1,1,5,10,20,40 and 80 μmol·L-1]for 48 h.Cell confluence and morphology were observed by the IncuCyte ZOOM system.Cell viability was assessed by CCK-8 assay.Lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)release was measured by LDH assay kit.SH-SY5Y cells were treated with CTX(0,1,5,10 and 20 mmol·L-1)and 4-HC(0,1,5,10 and 20 μmol·L-1)for 48 h before cell proliferation was analyzed by 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine(EdU)staining assay.Immunofluorescence was employed to assess the levels of the DNA double-strand break marker γ-H2AX and to evaluate changes in mitochondrial membrane potential.SH-SY5Y cells were treated with CTX(0,1,5 and 10 mmol·L-1)and 4-HC(0,1,5 and 10 μmol·L-1)for 48 h,and the alterations in glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation levels were analyzed using the Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer.RESULTS Compared with the cell control group,cell confluence and cell viability were significantly reduced in the CTX and 4-HC groups(P<0.01),and the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations(IC50)for CTX and 4-HC were 4.44 mmol·L-1 and 4.78 μmol·L-1,respectively.The release rate of LDH was signif-icantly increased while the percentage of EdU+cells was significantly reduced in the CTX and 4-HC groups(P<0.01).The percentage of γ-H2AX+cells was significantly increased and mitochondrial membrane potential significantly decreased in the CTX and 4-HC group(P<0.05).Treatment with CTX and 4-HC resulted in reduced levels of maximum glycolytic capacity,glycolytic reserve,maximal respi-ration,and ATP production(P<0.05).CONCLUSION CTX and 4-HC exert significant cytotoxic effects on SH-SY5Y cells by disrupting cell membrane structure,impeding cell proliferation,and reducing cell viability.The mechanisms underlying these effects may involve intracellular DNA damage,disturbance of energy metabolism and mitochondrial dysfunction.

Objective To explore the value of machine learning(ML)models based on non-contrast CT(NCCT)radiomics features for predicting the severity of acute phase traumatic brain injury(TBI).Methods Totally 600 TBI patients were retrospectively collected as observation group,other 65 TBI patients were taken as external validation set,while 50 TBI patients were prospectively enrolled as prospective validation set.Patients in observation group were divided into high-risk subgroup(n=240)and low-risk subgroup(n=360)according to Glasgow outcome scale(GOS)at discharge.The severity of acute phase TBI in observation group was assessed by doctor A and B with the same criteria,then an artificial model was established based on clinical and NCCT data at the time of first diagnosis using logistic regression(LR)method for predicting the severity of acute phase TBI.Patients in observation group were divided into training set(n=420,including 168 in high-risk subgroup and 252 in low-risk subgroup)and test set(n=180,including 72 in high-risk subgroup and 108 in low-risk subgroup)at the ratio of 7∶3.Based on NCCT of training set,radiomics features were extracted and selected,and LR,support vector machine(SVM),random forest(RF)and K-nearest neighbor(KNN)were used to establish 4 ML models.The efficacies of the above models were validated in test set,external validation set(including 34 cases of high-risk and 31 cases of low-risk TBI)and prospective validation set(including 21 cases of high-risk and 29 cases of low-risk TBI),respectively.Results The area under the curve(AUC)of doctor A and B for evaluating the severity of acute phase TBI in observation group was 0.606 and 0.771,respectively,of artificial model was 0.824.Based on NCCT in training set,6 optimal radiomics features were selected to construct LR,SVM,RF and KNN ML models,with AUC of 0.983,0.971,0.970 and 0.984 in test set,respectively,while the AUC of artificial model was 0.708.The AUC of LR,SVM,RF,KNN ML models and artificial model in external validation set was 0.879,0.881,0.984,0.863 and 0.733,while in prospective validation set was 0.984,0.873,0.982,0.897 and 0.704,respectively.Conclusion ML models based on CT radiomics could effectively predict the severity of acute phase TBI.