OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of sodium valproate (VPA) in inhibiting Erastin-induced ferroptosis in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: BMSCs were isolated from bone marrow of 8-week-old Spragur Dawley rats and identified [cell surface antigens CD90, CD44, and CD45 were analyzed by flow cytometry, and osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation abilities were assessed by alizarin red S (ARS) and oil red O staining, respectively]. Cells of passage 3 were used for the Erastin-induced ferroptosis model, with different concentrations of VPA for intervention. The optimal drug concentration was determined using the cell counting kit 8 assay. The experiment was divided into 4 groups: group A, cells were cultured in osteogenic induction medium for 24 hours; group B, cells were cultured in osteogenic induction medium containing optimal concentration Erastin for 24 hours; group C, cells were cultured in osteogenic induction medium containing optimal concentration Erastin and VPA for 24 hours; group D, cells were cultured in osteogenic induction medium containing optimal concentration Erastin and VPA, and 8 μmol/L EX527 for 24 hours. The mitochondrial state of the cells was evaluated, including the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Osteogenic capacity was assessed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and ARS staining. Western blot analysis was performed to detect the expressions of osteogenic-related proteins [Runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and osteopontin (OPN)], ferroptosis-related proteins [glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1), and solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11)], and pathway-related proteins [adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)]. RESULTS: The cultured cells were identified as BMSCs. VPA inhibited Erastin-induced ferroptosis and the decline of osteogenic ability in BMSCs, acting through the activation of the AMPK/SIRT1 pathway. VPA significantly reduced the levels of ROS and MDA in Erastin-treated BMSCs and significantly increased GSH levels. Additionally, the expression levels of ferroptosis-related proteins (GPX4, FTH1, and SLC7A11) significantly decreased. VPA also upregulated the expressions of osteogenic-related proteins (RUNX2 and OPN), enhanced mineralization and osteogenic differentiation, and increased the expressions of pathway-related proteins (AMPK and SIRT1). These effects could be reversed by the SIRT1 inhibitor EX527. CONCLUSION VPA inhibits ferroptosis in BMSCs through the AMPK/SIRT1 axis and promotes osteogenesis.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Ferroptosis/drug effects* ; Animals ; Valproic Acid/pharmacology* ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sirtuin 1/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Cells, Cultured ; AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism* ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Piperazines/pharmacology* ; Bone Marrow Cells/cytology* ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects*

Objective:To investigate the effect of the combination of rituximab injection and cyclophosphamide+ hydroxydoxorubicin+ oncovin+ prednisone (CHOP) regimen on serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and β 2-microglobulin (β 2-MG) levels in patients with non Hodgkin′s lymphoma (NHL).Methods:A total of 92 NHL patients admitted to the Hematology Department of Fuyang People′s Hospital from January 2020 to May 2023 were selected and randomly divided into an observation group ( n=46) and a control group ( n=46) using a random number table method. The control group received chemotherapy intervention with CHOP regimen; The observation group received intravenous infusion of rituximab injection 1 day before the start of CHOP chemotherapy. After 6 consecutive cycles of treatment (1 cycle for 21 days), the efficacy and adverse reactions, the levels of inflammatory factors [tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6)], T lymphocytes [surface antigen differentiation cluster 4 (CD4 + ), surface antigen differentiation cluster 8 (CD8 + ), CD4/CD8, helper T cells 17 (Th17)], vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), LDH, and β2-MG of the two groups were compared after treatment. Results:The total remission rate of the observation group was 80.43%(37/46), which was higher than that of the control group, which was 60.87%(28/46), and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, TNF-α and IL-6 levels decreased, Th17 and CD8 + levels increased in both groups after treatment, and the difference was statistically significant (all P<0.05); After treatment, the TNF-α and IL-6 levels in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and Th17 levels were higher than those in the control group, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). Compared with before treatment, the LDH, β2-MG, and VEGF levels in the two groups decreased significantly after treatment (all P<0.05); After treatment, the LDH, β2-MG, and VEGF levels in the observation group were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The total incidence rates of adverse reactions in the two groups were 86.96%(40/46) and 80.43%(37/46), respectively, with no statistically significant difference ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The combination of rituximab injection and CHOP regimen for NHL treatment can effectively alleviate inflammation, improve LDH, β 2-MG, VEGF levels, and enhance efficacy. The safety is similar to using CHOP regimen alone, and it is worth promoting and applying.

Parkinson′s disease (PD) is a widely heterogeneous disorder with a broad list of motor and nonmotor manifestations. PD varies in clinical features, dominant symptoms, and rate of progression from case to case, suggesting the existence of distinct subtypes. Research on PD subtypes aims to understand this heterogeneity. This review summarized the commonly used PD subtyping solutions and discussed the challenges and future perspectives of subtyping. In future study, by designing a more standardized research and comparing the differences of these subtypes in terms of a number of putative biomarkers, that might help to better understand the underlying disease mechanisms, predict prognosis, and eventually design more efficient personalized management strategies.

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome is a clinical and radiological entity,caused by a variety of reasons.We report a case of rhabdomyolysis complicated by posterior reversible encephalopathy and suggest that giving fluids early,use of diuretics and alkalization of urine may be reasonable for patients with rhabdomyolysis.Monitoring blood pressure is noteworthy to prevent target organ damage,and if patient condition steadily deteriorates,hemodialysis should be initiated.

BACKGROUND:Chitosanase is an enzyme for efficient and special hydrolysis of chitoan, and hence its effective and stable expression with enzymatic activity wil contribute to improving gene therapeutic effect.
OBJECTIVE: To construct a chitosanase gene for the efficient and specifical hydrolysis of chitosan, and to investigate its expression inEscherichia coli and the main influencing factors of enzymatic activity.
METHODS:According to the sequences of endo-chitosanase ofAspergilus sp. CJ22-326 provided in Genbank (EU302818), primers were designed and synthesized. The Asperguilus endo-chitosanase gene was amplified by successive extension PCR. And then the recombinant pET28a-His6-CSN was constructed and expressed in
Escherichia coli BL21. Finaly the recombinant His6-CSN fusion protein was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), the western blot and dinitrosalicylic acid assay for detecting the enzyme activity of eluted His6-CSN fusion protein. The influence of different pH value and temperature on the enzyme activity of the recombinant chitosanase was investigated.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: SDS-PAGE showed that 29 kDa proteins were expressed and the western blot assay showed that His6-CSN expressed successfuly in the host. Dinitrosalicylic acid assay determined the
enzymatic activity of His6-CSN was significantly higher than that of lysozyme, but lower than that of chitosanase from Streptomyces griseus (P < 0.05). The recombinant chitosanase displayed the maximal activity at temperature of 50℃ and pH value of 6.0. There were a higher enzymatic activity remaining at pH value of 4.0-7.0 and
temperature of 30-50℃.

BACKGROUND:Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s are gaining more attention in clinical treatments. Cel viability prior to transplantation has a direct impact on clinical prognosis. Despite trypan blue staining is a widely performed procedure to assess the viability of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s, it cannot reflect the functional capacity of those cel s accurately because of some subjective factors. OBJECTIVE:To explore sensitive and accurate assay for the functions of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s. METHODS:Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s were isolated and cultured in vitro. Cultured umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s were preserved in 0.9%saline for 0, 2, 4 and 6 hours at 4 ℃. Various methods (trypan blue staining, AnnexinV-PI, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dutp nick end labeling, cel counting kit-8, live-dead assay, cel adherent assay) were used to determine the viability of post-storage umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s, and the results were compared with colony-forming efficiency, a measure of cel function. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s cultured in vitro showed a spindle shape and attached growth, the third-generation umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s were positive for CD29, CD44, CD105, and negative for CD 34 and CD 45. Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s incubated in the adipogenic and osteogenic medium were both positive. Cel viability measured with trypan blue correlated moderately with colony-forming efficiency, while the percentage of viable cel s measured with other methods correlated better with colony-forming efficiency, among which adherent assay was the most obvious. It is proved that cel adherent assay-measured viability is the most accurate indicator.

BACKGROUND:The viability of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s is often declined with the commonly used transplantation storage solution in clinics, which may influence the therapeutic effects of cel ular transplantation. However, reasons for this are stil unknown. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the role of oxidative stress in the reduction of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s viability in the storage process during clinical transplantation and to observe the effects of radical scavenger on the results. METHODS:Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s were harvested and cultured in normal saline for 0, 2, 4 and 6 hours at room temperature. Intracel ular reactive oxygen levels were detected at those time points. Antioxidant enzyme activities and levels of malondialdehyde were measured to determine the intracel ular oxidative stress levels after storage. Cel adhesion rate changes were retested after adding N-acetyl cysteine to the storage solution. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The reactive oxygen levels in human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s were increased significantly after normal saline storage and levels of malondialdehyde were increased in a time-dependent manner. Activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were al reduced. Addition of N-acetyl cysteine into the storage medium decreased the reactive oxygen levels and improved the human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s viabilities. Experimental findings indicate that, increased reactive oxygen species in human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s is one of the reasons for reduced cel viability. Adding the radical scavenger N-acetyl cysteine can improve the storage effects of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cel s.

Objective To explore the effect of integrated rehabilitation on bed-ridden and complcations of the elderly. Methods 109bed-ridden inpatients who accepted rehabilitation were designed as rehabilitation group. 100 bed-ridden inpatients who did not accept rehabilitationwere randomly elected from all the inpatients at the same time were designed as the control group. Their bed-ridden rate, complications,and Modify Barthel Index (MBI) were compared. Results The MBI impoved, and the incidence of bed-ridden and complications reducedin the rehabilitation group compared with those in the control group (P=0.00) after treatment. Conclusion Integrated rehabilitationcan effectively reduce the bed-ridden rate and complications, and improve the activity of daily living of the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Nicotine, which is a known central nervous system stimulant, appears to be the neuroprotective factor of Parkinson disease(PD). It has been reported that PD patients' symptoms such as trembling,rigor, hypokinesia are ameliorated during smoking, but its mechanism still keeps unclear.OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of nicotine on gene expression levels of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors (D1R,D2R)in striatum of rats and analyze the possible mechanism of behavioral changes of rats induced by nicotine.DESIGN:Randomized and controlled experiment.SETTING:Institute of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University.MATERIALS :Twenty-four SD rats aged at 10 weeks were chosen,weighing 180-200 g. Nicotine (Sigma),revert AidTM M-Mulv reverse transcriptase (MBI Fermentas,USA), polymerase chain reaction (RCR,Beckman),densitometric scanning imaging system (Stratagene Eagle Eye Ⅱ ,USA).METHODS :This experiment was carried out in the Laboratory of Institute of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital,Central South University from July 2001 to July 2002. These rats were divided into two groups: control group (n=12)and nicotine group(n=12). The level of D1 and D2 receptors on striatum of rats was estimated at the timepoint of thirty-minute after chronic nicotine administration (4 mg/kg per day s.c.), and the behavioral activities were also recorded at the same timepoint for thirty minutes. The functional behavioral activities recorded included: rearing up repeatedly, moving about, provoking, climbing, grooming, yawning, rotating, smelling and vomiting. At the fourteenth day, all rats were killed after thirty minutes of nicotine injection,the brains were dissected out and the region of striatum was separated immediately. Total RNA was extracted from striatum by RNeasy Total RNA Kit. PCR amplification was performed at special condition. For semi-quantitative analysis, 10 μ L of PCR products for each was examined by electrophoresis on 12 g/L agarose gel containing 0.5 mg/L ethidium bromide,and absorbance (A value) was quantitated by using densitometric scanning imaging system, thuse D1R,D2R mRNA expression were determined. Differences between means were analyzed with two-tailed student's t test.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURFS: Changes of locomotor activities and the gene mRNA expression levels of D1 R and D2R in the regions of striatum in rats.RESULTS: Totally 24 SD rats were involved in the final results.① Locomotor activities of rats become more active after 3-day nicotine administration and reach the top during 7-14 days.②The A value of total RNA ratio of A260/A280 ＞1.8, and the total RNA had no degradation with 12 g/L agarose gels electrophoresis. ③As expected, PCR amplification product lengths of D1R, D2R,βA were 350 bp, 399 bp, 218 bp respectively. A significant increase of 23% of D1R mRNA expression in the region of striatum detected in the nicotine group compared with that of control group (98.63±1.13 and 65.29±1.45 seperately,P ＜ 0.01), no difference was detected on the level of D2R mRNA expression in the same regions above (76.73±1.45 and 78.21±1.69 respectively ,P ＞ 0.05 ).CONCLUSION: Nicotine may induce changes of locomotor activities of rats by up-regulating D1R mRNA expression in striatum.

OBJECTIVETo study pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) gene mutations in Chinese patients with Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome (HSS).

METHODSPANK2 gene mutations were detected by PCR, DNA sequence analyses, restriction enzyme digestion and PCR-single strand conformation polymorphism in 5 patients, 3 unaffected family members and 51 unrelated healthy persons.

RESULTSNovel compound heterozygous PANK2 gene mutations, A803G and T1172A, in exons 3 and 5, respectively, were found in one patient. At the same time, 3 types of single nucleotide polymorphisms, -38 t>a in 5'-UTR, IVS1+42 c>a and G77C in exon 1, were confirmed; among them, -38 t>a, IVS1+42 c>a, were first reported.

CONCLUSIONPANK2 gene mutations can cause HSS in Chinese patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Base Sequence ; Child ; China ; DNA Mutational Analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Pantothenate Kinase-Associated Neurodegeneration ; genetics ; Pedigree ; Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor) ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Young Adult