Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is a frequent form of skeletal muscle microdamage that occurs after high-intensity, prolonged, or unaccustomed exercise, especially exercise dominated by eccentric contractions. It is commonly characterized by delayed-onset muscle soreness, transient loss of muscle strength, local inflammation, structural disruption of myofibers, and delayed functional recovery. Although mild EIMD may serve as a stimulus for training adaptation, excessive or insufficiently recovered muscle damage can impair exercise performance, disturb training continuity, and reduce participation in physical activity. Therefore, clarifying the molecular mechanisms that underlie the initiation, amplification, and resolution of EIMD is important for optimizing athletic training, improving post-exercise recovery, and guiding evidence-based public fitness practice. Necroptosis is a regulated form of programmed cell death mediated primarily by the receptor-interacting protein kinase (RIPK) 1/RIPK3/mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) signaling axis. Recent studies have shown that necroptosis is closely involved in tissue injury, sterile inflammation, and repair remodeling. However, whether necroptosis acts as an initiating driver, a secondary damage amplifier, or an adaptive signal required for repair after EIMD remains unclear. This review aimed to summarize the potential role of necroptosis in EIMD and to establish a mechanistic framework linking regulated cell death, inflammatory amplification, immune regulation, and skeletal muscle repair. Relevant studies concerning EIMD, necroptosis, RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), inflammatory responses, immune cell recruitment, extracellular matrix remodeling, and muscle regeneration were reviewed and integrated. On this basis, the possible temporal and functional involvement of necroptosis in different phases of EIMD was analyzed. The main evidence summarized in this review suggests that EIMD is not merely a consequence of primary mechanical disruption. Instead, it develops through a dynamic sequence that includes sarcolemmal instability, calcium overload, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammatory mediator production, immune cell infiltration, necrotic tissue clearance, and regeneration-associated remodeling. Necroptosis may participate in this process through at least two interconnected mechanisms. First, in the early or progressive phase of EIMD, activation of the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling axis may promote MLKL phosphorylation and plasma membrane permeabilization, leading to the release of DAMPs such as high-mobility group box 1, ATP, mitochondrial DNA, and other intracellular components. These signals may activate innate immune pathways, amplify inflammatory cytokine production, and enhance the recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages, thereby aggravating secondary inflammation and extending muscle fiber injury. Second, during the resolution and repair phases, necroptosis-related signaling may also contribute indirectly to the formation of a regenerative microenvironment. By influencing the clearance of necrotic debris, the recruitment and phenotypic transition of immune cells, and the remodeling of extracellular matrix components, necroptosis may affect satellite cell activation, myogenic repair, and the eventual structural and functional recovery of injured skeletal muscle. Thus, the biological effect of necroptosis in EIMD may be context dependent rather than uniformly harmful. Its outcome may depend on exercise intensity, the extent of tissue damage, the timing of pathway activation, the involved cell types, inflammatory status, training background, age, and metabolic condition. In conclusion, necroptosis may represent an important molecular link between skeletal muscle injury, sterile inflammation, and tissue repair after damaging exercise. It may exert a dual role in EIMD by amplifying secondary damage while also contributing to repair coordination under appropriate temporal and microenvironmental conditions. Future studies should determine the activation pattern of RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling after different exercise protocols, identify the major cell populations undergoing necroptosis in injured skeletal muscle, and examine whether targeted modulation of necroptosis can reduce excessive inflammation without impairing necessary regenerative responses. This review provides a theoretical basis for understanding the pathogenesis of EIMD and for developing targeted strategies to improve skeletal muscle recovery after exercise-induced injury.

BACKGROUND: Arsenic trioxide (ATO) is indicated as a broad-spectrum medicine for a variety of diseases, including cancer and cardiac disease. While the role of ATO in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury (HIRI) has not been reported. Thus, the purpose of this study was to identify the effects of ATO on HIRI. METHODS: In the present study, we established a 70% hepatic warm I/R injury and partial hepatectomy (30% resection) animal models in vivo and hepatocytes anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) models in vitro with ATO pretreatment and further assessed liver function by histopathologic changes, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, cell counting kit-8, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) for extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 was transfected to evaluate the role of ERK1/2 pathway during HIRI, followed by ATO pretreatment. The dynamic process of autophagic flux and numbers of autophagosomes were detected by green fluorescent protein-monomeric red fluorescent protein-LC3 (GFP-mRFP-LC3) staining and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: A low dose of ATO (0.75 μmol/L in vitro and 1 mg/kg in vivo ) significantly reduced tissue necrosis, inflammatory infiltration, and hepatocyte apoptosis during the process of hepatic I/R. Meanwhile, ATO obviously promoted the ability of cell proliferation and liver regeneration. Mechanistically, in vitro  studies have shown that nontoxic concentrations of ATO can activate both ERK and phosphoinositide 3-kinase-serine/threonine kinase (PI3K-AKT) pathways and further induce autophagy. The hepatoprotective mechanism of ATO, at least in part, relies on the effects of ATO on the activation of autophagy, which is ERK-dependent. CONCLUSION Low, non-toxic doses of ATO can activate ERK/PI3K-AKT pathways and induce ERK-dependent autophagy in hepatocytes, protecting liver against I/R injury and accelerating hepatocyte regeneration after partial hepatectomy.
Animals ; Arsenic Trioxide ; Autophagy/physiology* ; Reperfusion Injury/prevention & control* ; Mice ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/physiology* ; Arsenicals/therapeutic use* ; Oxides/therapeutic use* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

This study aims to explore the intervention effects of isorhamnetin(Isor) on acute lung injury(ALI) and its regulatory effects on pyroptosis mediated by the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3(NLRP3)/apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD(ASC)/cysteine aspartate-specific protease-1(caspase-1) axis. In the in vivo experiments, 60 BALB/c mice were divided into five groups. Except for the control group, the other groups were administered Isor by gavage 1 hour before intratracheal instillation of LPS to induce ALI, and tissues were collected after 12 hours. In the in vitro experiments, RAW264.7 cells were divided into five groups. Except for the control group, the other groups were pretreated with Isor for 2 hours before LPS stimulation and subsequent assessments. Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe pathological changes in lung tissue, while lung swelling, protein levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF), and myeloperoxidase(MPO) levels in lung tissue were measured. Cell proliferation toxicity and viability were assessed using the cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) method. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), IL-6, IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α). Protein levels of NLRP3, ASC, cleaved caspase-1, and the N-terminal fragment of gasdermin D(GSDMD-N) were evaluated using immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and Western blot. The results showed that in the in vivo experiments, Isor significantly improved pathological damage in lung tissue, reduced lung swelling, protein levels in BALF, MPO levels in lung tissue, and levels of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α, and inhibited the high expression of the NLRP3/ASC/caspase-1 axis and the pyroptosis core gene GSDMD-N. In the in vitro experiments, the safe dose of Isor was determined through cell proliferation toxicity assays. Isor reduced cell death and inhibited the expression levels of the NLRP3/ASC/caspase-1 axis, GSDMD-N, and inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, Isor may alleviate ALI by modulating pyroptosis mediated by the NLRP3/ASC/caspase-1 axis.
Animals ; Pyroptosis/drug effects* ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics* ; Acute Lung Injury/physiopathology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Quercetin/pharmacology* ; Caspase 1/genetics* ; CARD Signaling Adaptor Proteins/genetics* ; Male ; RAW 264.7 Cells ; Humans ; Lung/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the short-and med-term clinical efficacy of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty(UKA)for the treatment of medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) in elderly patients with anterior cruciate ligament deficiency(ACLD). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 31 patients aged over 75 years old with primary medial knee OA and ACLD who underwent UKA between January 2018 and December 2022. The cohort included 12 males and 19 females, aged from 75 to 91 years with an average age of (79.56±4.54) years, with 13 left knee, 16 right knee, and 2 bilateral knees. Clinical outcomes were assessed preoperatively and at final follow-up using the visual analogue scale (VAS), Hospital for Special Surgery(HSS) score, range of motion (ROM), hip-knee-ankle angle (HKA), and tibial component posterior slope angle (TCPSA). Complications such as infection, prosthesis wear, prosthesis loosening, and dislocation were also recorded. RESULTS: All 31 patients were followed up from 12 to 63 months with an average of (28.34±10.56) months. The average postoperative TCPSA was (4.83±1.31)° ranged from 2.5° to 6.8°. At the final follow-up, there was significant improvement in VAS (3.24±0.53) vs. (6.59±0.69), HSS score (85.19±4.45) vs. (64.38±5.94), ROM (118.83±5.38)° vs. (98.85±4.08)°, and HKA (176.83±5.16)° vs. (169.57±6.28)° compared to preoperative values (P<0.05). No cases of infection, prosthesis loosening, or dislocation were reported. CONCLUSION UKA provides favorable short-and mid-term outcomes for elderly patients with medial knee OA and ACLD . However, long-term clinical efficacy needs further investigation through extended follow-up.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/methods* ; Aged ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/physiopathology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Aged, 80 and over ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries/surgery*

ObjectiveBased on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we investigated the brain activity characteristics of gross motor tasks in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and motor dysfunctions (MDs) to provide a theoretical basis for further understanding the mechanism of MDs in children with ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective. MethodsAccording to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 48 children with ASD accompanied by MDs were recruited into the ASD group and 40 children with typically developing (TD) into the TD group. The fNIRS device was used to collect the information of blood oxygen changes in the cortical motor-related brain regions during single-handed bag throwing and tiptoe walking, and the differences in brain activation and functional connectivity between the two groups of children were analyzed from the perspective of brain activation and functional connectivity. ResultsCompared to the TD group, in the object manipulative motor task (one-handed bag throwing), the ASD group showed significantly reduced activation in both left sensorimotor cortex (SMC) and right secondary visual cortex (V2) (P<0.05), whereas the right pre-motor and supplementary motor cortex (PMC&SMA) had significantly higher activation (P<0.01) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, there was a significant decrease in the strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and V2. In the body stability motor task (tiptoe walking), the ASD group had significantly higher activation in motor-related brain regions such as the DLPFC, SMC, and PMC&SMA (P<0.05) and showed bilateral brain region activity; in terms of brain functional integration, the ASD group had lower strength of brain functional connectivity (P<0.05) and was mainly associated with PMC&SMA and V2. ConclusionChildren with ASD exhibit abnormal brain functional activity characteristics specific to different gross motor tasks in object manipulative and body stability, reflecting insufficient or excessive compensatory activation of local brain regions and impaired cross-regions integration, which may be a potential reason for the poorer gross motor performance of children with ASD, and meanwhile provides data support for further unraveling the mechanisms underlying the occurrence of MDs in the context of ASD and designing targeted intervention programs from a central perspective.

Objective:To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of overweight and obesity among Chinese children aged 3-18 years from 11 provinces, antonomous regions, or municipalities.Methods:This national cross-sectional community health survey utilized a multistage stratified cluster-random sampling method to recruit 193 997 nationally representative participants from 11 provinces, autonomous regions, or municipalities between January 2017 and December 2019. All participants underwent physical examinations, and their caregivers completed questionnaires assessing participants′ dietary, lifestyle, familial, and perinatal information. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression models were employed to identify the potential risk factors.Results:The cohort comprised 193 997 children (102 178 boys, 91 819 girls),aged (10±4) years. Overall prevalence rates were 30 574(15.8%)overweight children and 17 217(8.9%) obesity children. Boys exhibited higher overweight and obesity rates than girls (17.0% (17 368/102 178) vs. 14.4% (13 206/102 178), 11.3% (11 553/91 819) vs. 6.2% (5 664/91 819), χ2=249.12,1 578.69,both P<0.001). The detection rates of obesity in Tanner stage 2 and 3 were the highest in boys and girls, with 13.4%(2 231/16 665) and 8.6%(880/10 221) respectively. Risk factors for obesity included parental overweight (paternal OR=2.34 and maternal OR=2.29), annual household income of 100 000-200 000 yuan (compared with<100 000 yuan, OR=1.04), higher paternal education (compared with below high school,high school and a college education OR=1.09,1.14), birth weight >4.0 kg (≤5 and>5 years old OR=1.74, 1.44,respectively), and western food consumption≥1 time/month (compared with<1, 1-2, 3-4,>4 times/month OR=1.36, 1.30, 1.67(≤5 years), 1.19, 1.16, 1.15 (>5 years), respectively) (all P<0.05). Conversely, coarse grain intake≥1 times/week (compared with<1 times/week, every day, 3-4, 1-2 times/week OR=0.74, 0.80, 0.71 (≤5 years), 0.75, 0.87, 0.90(>5 years), respectively, all P<0.05) was associated with reduced obesity risk. Conclusions:Obesity epidemiology in children demonstrates significant heterogeneity across age, gender, geographic regions, and pubertal stages. It is necessary to establish a personalized prevention and control strategy.

BACKGROUND: The clinical impact of post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) quantitative flow ratio (QFR) in patients treated with PCI for chronic total occlusion (CTO) was still undetermined. METHODS: All CTO vessels treated with successful anatomical PCI in patients from PANDA III trial were retrospectively measured for post-PCI QFR. The primary outcome was 2-year vessel-oriented composite endpoints (VOCEs, composite of target vessel-related cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, and ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was conducted to identify optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting the 2-year VOCEs, and all vessels were stratified by this optimal cutoff value. Cox proportional hazards models were employed to calculate the hazard ratio (HR) with 95% CI. RESULTS: Among 428 CTO vessels treated with PCI, 353 vessels (82.5%) were analyzable for post-PCI QFR. 31 VOCEs (8.7%) occurred at 2 years. Mean value of post-PCI QFR was 0.92 ± 0.13. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis shown the optimal cutoff value of post-PCI QFR for predicting 2-year VOCEs was 0.91. The incidence of 2-year VOCEs in the vessel with post-PCI QFR < 0.91 (n = 91) was significantly higher compared with the vessels with post-PCI QFR ≥ 0.91 (n = 262) (22.0% vs. 4.2%, HR = 4.98, 95% CI: 2.32-10.70). CONCLUSIONS Higher post-PCI QFR values were associated with improved prognosis in the PCI practice for coronary CTO. Achieving functionally optimal PCI results (post-PCI QFR value ≥ 0.91) tends to get better prognosis for patients with CTO lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Shexiang Tongxin Dropping Pill (STDP) in treating stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome by exercise duration and metabolic equivalents. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial enrolled stable angina patients with phlegm-heat and blood-stasis syndrome from 22 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to STDP (35 mg/pill, 6 pills per day) or placebo for 56 days. The primary outcome was the exercise duration and metabolic equivalents (METs) assessed by the standard Bruce exercise treadmill test after 56 days of treatment. The secondary outcomes included the total angina symptom score, Chinese medicine (CM) symptom scores, Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) scores, changes in ST-T on electrocardiogram and adverse events (AEs). RESULTS: This trial enrolled 309 patients, including 155 and 154 in the STDP and placebo groups, respectively. STDP significantly prolonged exercise duration with an increase of 51.0 s, compared to a decrease of 12.0 s with placebo (change rate: -11.1% vs. 3.2%, P<0.01). The increase in METs was significantly greater in the STDP group than in the placebo group (change: -0.4 vs. 0.0, change rate: -5.0% vs. 0.0%, P<0.01). The improvement of total angina symptom scores (25.0% vs. 0.0%), CM symptom scores (38.7% vs. 11.8%), reduction of nitroglycerin consumption (100.0% vs. 11.3%), and all domains of SAQ, were significantly greater with STDP than placebo (all P<0.01). The changes in Q-T intervals at 28 and 56 days from baseline were similar between the two groups (both P>0.05). Twenty-five participants (16.3%) with STDP and 16 (10.5%) with placebo experienced AEs (P=0.131), with no serious AEs observed. CONCLUSION STDP could improve exercise tolerance in patients with stable angina and phlegm-heat and blood stasis syndrome, with a favorable safety profile. (Registration No. ChiCTR-IPR-15006020).
Humans ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/adverse effects* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Angina, Stable/physiopathology* ; Aged ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome ; Placebos ; Tablets