Objective:To determine whether spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers secondary neuroinflammation and neuronal injury in remote brain regions by impairing the drainage function of the meningeal lymphatic vessels (MLVs).Methods:Fifty-two female C57BL/6 mice were assigned with the random number table into four groups ( n=13 per group): sham group, SCI group, adeno-associated virus negative control group (negative control group), and adeno-associated virus overexpressing VEGF-C group (VEGF-C group). The sham group underwent laminectomy without spinal cord injury. In the SCI group, negative control group and VEGF-C group, T 9 contusion was made to establish the SCI models using a modified Allen′s impactor. At 4 weeks before SCI modeling, the negative control group and VEGF-C group were injected via the cisterna magna with 3 μl adeno-associated virus for negative control or adeno-associated virus for VEGF-C overexpression. At 56 days after injury, Alexa Fluor? 647 ovalbumin conjugate (OVA-647) was injected via the cisterna magna as a tracer. Two hours later, the proportion of OVA-647 in the deep cervical lymph nodes (dCLN) was detected. Immunofluorescence was performed to assess the proportion of MLVs marker lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1 (LYVE-1) and expression levels of microglial marker ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, midbrain, and thalamus across the experimental groups. ELISA was employed to quantify the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and Nissl staining was used to assess neuronal counts in these regions. Results:At 56 days after injury, the OVA-647 proportion in the dCLN was higher in the sham group than that in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.01), whereas the SCI group and negative control group showed a lower OVA-647 proportion in the dCLN than the VEGF-C group ( P<0.05). At 56 days after injury, the dural LYVE-1 proportion was higher in the sham group than that in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.01), whereas it was lower in the SCI group and negative control group than that in the VEGF-C group ( P<0.05). At 56 days after injury, the count of Iba1-positive microglia across all the above-mentioned regions was increased in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.01), compared with that in the sham group, whereas it was reduced in these regions in the VEGF-C group, compared with that in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.01). At 56 days after injury, TNF-α and IL-1β levels in these regions were both elevated in the SCI group and negative control group when compared with those in the sham group ( P<0.05), whereas they were reduced in the VEGF-C group, compared with those in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.05). At 56 days after injury, neuronal survival in the regions was decreased in the SCI group and negative control group, compared with that in the sham group ( P<0.05), whereas it was increased in the VEGF-C group, compared with that in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:SCI can induce secondary neuroinflammation and neuronal damage in remote brain regions by impairing the drainage function of MLVs.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the dynamic changes of glucocorticoid (GC) dose and the feasibility of GC discontinuation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients under the background of Chinese medicine (CM). METHODS: This multicenter retrospective cohort study included 1,196 RA patients enrolled in the China Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry of Patients with Chinese Medicine (CERTAIN) from September 1, 2019 to December 4, 2023, who initiated GC therapy. Participants were divided into the Western medicine (WM) and integrative medicine (IM, combination of CM and WM) groups based on medication regimen. Follow-up was performed at least every 3 months to assess dynamic changes in GC dose. Changes in GC dose were analyzed by generalized estimator equation, the probability of GC discontinuation was assessed using Kaplan-Meier curve, and predictors of GC discontinuation were analyzed by Cox regression. Patients with <12 months of follow-up were excluded for the sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: Among 1,196 patients (85.4% female; median age 56.4 years), 880 (73.6%) received IM. Over a median 12-month follow-up, 34.3% (410 cases) discontinued GC, with significantly higher rates in the IM group (40.8% vs. 16.1% in WM; P<0.05). GC dose declined progressively, with IM patients demonstrating faster reductions (median 3.75 mg vs. 5.00 mg in WM at 12 months; P<0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis identified age <60 years [P<0.001, hazard ratios (HR)=2.142, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.523-3.012], IM therapy (P=0.001, HR=2.175, 95% CI: 1.369-3.456), baseline GC dose ⩽7.5 mg (P=0.003, HR=1.637, 95% CI: 1.177-2.275), and absence of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs use (P=0.001, HR=2.546, 95% CI: 1.432-4.527) as significant predictors of GC discontinuation. Sensitivity analysis (545 cases) confirmed these findings. CONCLUSIONS RA patients receiving CM face difficulties in following guideline-recommended GC discontinuation protocols. IM can promote GC discontinuation and is a promising strategy to reduce GC dependency in RA management. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT05219214).
Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/drug therapy* ; Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Retrospective Studies

This study aims to isolate and culture primary rabbit spinal cord microvascular endothelial cells in vitro,providing a practical source of test cells for spinal cord injury research.Spinal cord tissue was aseptically extracted from one-month-old rabbits and processed sequentially through mincing,bovine serum albumin density gradient centrifugation,mesh filtration,and type Ⅱ collagenase digestion to ob-tain purified spinal cord microvascular segments.The microvascular segments were homogeneously mixed with an apprapriate volume of M199 complete culture medium and seeded into a culture dish for primary culture.Throughout the culture period,cell growth performance were continuously observed and recor-ded.Additionally,immunocytochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of factor Ⅷ-re-lated antigen.The results showed that after 24 hours of inoculation,a small amount of endothelial-like cells were observed to emerge from the spinal cord microvascular segments.Within 36～60 hours,the cell colonies gradually expanded and fused.After 72 hours,the cells spread across the base of the dish,forming a"cobblestone-like"monolayer.Immunocytochemical staining showed that more than 99％of the cells showed brown-red cytoplasm and were positive for factor Ⅷ-related antigen.It is these results that suggest this study has successfully established a convenient and stable primary rabbit spinal cord micro-vascular endothelial cells culture method.

Objective:To investigate the current situation and influencing factors of work ability in gynecological cancer patients, so as to provide a reference for occupational rehabilitation management of cancer patients.Methods:A total of 183 gynecological cancer patients who visited the gynecological oncology outpatient department of Women′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from November 2022 to March 2023 were selected by the convenience sampling. The General Information Questionnaire, Return-to-Work Self-efficacy Questionnaire, Social Support Rating Scale, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Quesionnaire Core 30, Work Ability Index were selected for cross-sectional investigaton. The multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of work ability in gynecological cancer patients.Results:A total of 189 questionnaires were sent out in this study, and 183 were effectively collected, with an effective recovery rate of 96.83% (183/189). The patients were (44.64 ± 7.06) years old. The scores of the patients were (27.77 ± 7.58) points on Work Ability Index, (4.72 ± 1.14) points on Return-to-Work Self-efficacy Questionnaire, (86.93 ± 23.44) points on Social Support Rating Scale, (79.46 ± 19.53) points on overall health status area and (41.23 ± 27.80) points on the field of fatigue symptoms area of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Quesionnaire Core 30. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that fatigue, comorbidities, clinical stage of disease, primary treatment, per capita monthly income of families, return-to-work self efficacy and job nature were independent influencing factors of work ability in gynecological cancer patients ( t values were -10.47-2.86, all P<0.05), which explained 67.9% of the total variance. Conclusions:Clinical medical staff should pay attention to the influencing factors that affect work ability in gynecological cancer patients, in order to take targeted occupational rehabilitation measures to improve their work ability.

This study aims to isolate and culture primary rabbit spinal cord microvascular endothelial cells in vitro,providing a practical source of test cells for spinal cord injury research.Spinal cord tissue was aseptically extracted from one-month-old rabbits and processed sequentially through mincing,bovine serum albumin density gradient centrifugation,mesh filtration,and type Ⅱ collagenase digestion to ob-tain purified spinal cord microvascular segments.The microvascular segments were homogeneously mixed with an apprapriate volume of M199 complete culture medium and seeded into a culture dish for primary culture.Throughout the culture period,cell growth performance were continuously observed and recor-ded.Additionally,immunocytochemical staining was performed to evaluate the expression of factor Ⅷ-re-lated antigen.The results showed that after 24 hours of inoculation,a small amount of endothelial-like cells were observed to emerge from the spinal cord microvascular segments.Within 36～60 hours,the cell colonies gradually expanded and fused.After 72 hours,the cells spread across the base of the dish,forming a"cobblestone-like"monolayer.Immunocytochemical staining showed that more than 99％of the cells showed brown-red cytoplasm and were positive for factor Ⅷ-related antigen.It is these results that suggest this study has successfully established a convenient and stable primary rabbit spinal cord micro-vascular endothelial cells culture method.

Objective:To investigate the current situation and influencing factors of work ability in gynecological cancer patients, so as to provide a reference for occupational rehabilitation management of cancer patients.Methods:A total of 183 gynecological cancer patients who visited the gynecological oncology outpatient department of Women′s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from November 2022 to March 2023 were selected by the convenience sampling. The General Information Questionnaire, Return-to-Work Self-efficacy Questionnaire, Social Support Rating Scale, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Quesionnaire Core 30, Work Ability Index were selected for cross-sectional investigaton. The multiple linear regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors of work ability in gynecological cancer patients.Results:A total of 189 questionnaires were sent out in this study, and 183 were effectively collected, with an effective recovery rate of 96.83% (183/189). The patients were (44.64 ± 7.06) years old. The scores of the patients were (27.77 ± 7.58) points on Work Ability Index, (4.72 ± 1.14) points on Return-to-Work Self-efficacy Questionnaire, (86.93 ± 23.44) points on Social Support Rating Scale, (79.46 ± 19.53) points on overall health status area and (41.23 ± 27.80) points on the field of fatigue symptoms area of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Quesionnaire Core 30. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that fatigue, comorbidities, clinical stage of disease, primary treatment, per capita monthly income of families, return-to-work self efficacy and job nature were independent influencing factors of work ability in gynecological cancer patients ( t values were -10.47-2.86, all P<0.05), which explained 67.9% of the total variance. Conclusions:Clinical medical staff should pay attention to the influencing factors that affect work ability in gynecological cancer patients, in order to take targeted occupational rehabilitation measures to improve their work ability.

Objective:To determine whether spinal cord injury (SCI) triggers secondary neuroinflammation and neuronal injury in remote brain regions by impairing the drainage function of the meningeal lymphatic vessels (MLVs).Methods:Fifty-two female C57BL/6 mice were assigned with the random number table into four groups ( n=13 per group): sham group, SCI group, adeno-associated virus negative control group (negative control group), and adeno-associated virus overexpressing VEGF-C group (VEGF-C group). The sham group underwent laminectomy without spinal cord injury. In the SCI group, negative control group and VEGF-C group, T 9 contusion was made to establish the SCI models using a modified Allen′s impactor. At 4 weeks before SCI modeling, the negative control group and VEGF-C group were injected via the cisterna magna with 3 μl adeno-associated virus for negative control or adeno-associated virus for VEGF-C overexpression. At 56 days after injury, Alexa Fluor? 647 ovalbumin conjugate (OVA-647) was injected via the cisterna magna as a tracer. Two hours later, the proportion of OVA-647 in the deep cervical lymph nodes (dCLN) was detected. Immunofluorescence was performed to assess the proportion of MLVs marker lymphatic vessel endothelial hyaluronan receptor-1 (LYVE-1) and expression levels of microglial marker ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, midbrain, and thalamus across the experimental groups. ELISA was employed to quantify the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and Nissl staining was used to assess neuronal counts in these regions. Results:At 56 days after injury, the OVA-647 proportion in the dCLN was higher in the sham group than that in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.01), whereas the SCI group and negative control group showed a lower OVA-647 proportion in the dCLN than the VEGF-C group ( P<0.05). At 56 days after injury, the dural LYVE-1 proportion was higher in the sham group than that in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.01), whereas it was lower in the SCI group and negative control group than that in the VEGF-C group ( P<0.05). At 56 days after injury, the count of Iba1-positive microglia across all the above-mentioned regions was increased in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.01), compared with that in the sham group, whereas it was reduced in these regions in the VEGF-C group, compared with that in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.01). At 56 days after injury, TNF-α and IL-1β levels in these regions were both elevated in the SCI group and negative control group when compared with those in the sham group ( P<0.05), whereas they were reduced in the VEGF-C group, compared with those in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.05). At 56 days after injury, neuronal survival in the regions was decreased in the SCI group and negative control group, compared with that in the sham group ( P<0.05), whereas it was increased in the VEGF-C group, compared with that in the SCI group and negative control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:SCI can induce secondary neuroinflammation and neuronal damage in remote brain regions by impairing the drainage function of MLVs.

Objective:To prepare mesenchymal stem cells with antioxidant capacity (AO-MSC ) from human umbilical cords and evaluate its cell biological properties.Methods:In control group,mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) were isolated by digesting human umbilical cord Wharton's Jelly tissues with 0.2％ collagenase Ⅱ,and the released cells were collected and cultured in an animal serum-free culture medium.In AO-MSC group,incompletely collagenase Ⅱ-digested tissue debris were allowed to adhere to flusk flat bottoms and the AO-MSC was harvested by adherent culture. The conventional digestion and culture method was used as control.MSC colony forming ability was evaluated by fibroblast colony forming assay (CFU-F).MSC proliferative capacity was evaluated by CCK-8 assay.The MSC surface markers were detected by using flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining.The adipogenic and osteogenic capacity of MSC was evaluated by multi-differentiation in vitro,and the mRNA expression of genes that control adipogenic and osteogenic differentiation was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR );Moreover,the mRNA expression of antioxidant substances such as SOD-1,GSH,GAT,and NQO1 in MSC was also evaluated by RT-qPCR.Results:The AO-MSC isolated by this strategy reached a confluence of 80％-90％ at around 18 days and grew in a swirling pattern.Flow cytometry and immunofluorescence staining assays showed that CD73,CD29,CD105,CD90 were highly expressed and CD31,CD45,HLA-DR were scarcely expressed in AO-MSC.AO-MSC exhibited stronger self-renewal and differentiation ability compared to MSC.However,the in vitro adipogenic-osteogenic capacity of MSC in the control group was stronger than that of AO-MSC.RT-qPCR assay showed that AO-MSC expressed higher mRNA levels of antioxidant substances compared to MSC.Conclusion:Human AO-MSC is successfully prepared from human umbilical cord without animal serum.

H9N2 is a low-pathogenic avian influenza subtype that has a significant impact on the global poultry industry.Since 1994,H9N2 has continuously mutated as a zoonotic pathogen in China,thus posing a severe threat to the poultry indus-try as well as human life and health.In particular,gene rearrangements and recombinations between H9N2 and other influenza viruses have increased the likelihood of avian influenza viruses crossing species barriers and infecting humans and other mam-mals,thereby posing new threats to global public health.Therefore,this article aims to provide a brief discussion of the epide-miology and vaccine research progress related to the H9N2 virus,serving as a valuable resource for safeguarding the economy of the poultry industry and global public health security.