BACKGROUND:The extracellular-regulated protein kinase 5(ERK5)signaling protein is essential for the survival of organisms,and resveratrol can promote osteoblast proliferation through various pathways.However,whether resveratrol can regulate osteoblast function through the ERK5 signaling protein needs further verification. OBJECTIVE:To explore the regulatory effect of ERK5 on the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells and related secreted proteins,and to further verify whether resveratrol can complete the above process by activating ERK5. METHODS:Mouse MC3T3-E1 preosteoblasts were treated with complete culture medium,XMD8-92(an ERK5 inhibitor),epidermal growth factor(an ERK5 activator),resveratrol alone,XMD8-92+EGF,and resveratrol+XMD8-92,respectively.Western blot assay was used to detect the expression of ERK5 and p-ERK5 proteins,proliferation-related proteins Cyclin D1,CDK4 and PCNA,and osteoblast-secreted proteins osteoprotegerin and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand in MC3T3-E1 cells of each group.The fluorescence intensity of ERK5,osteoprotegerin and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand in each group was detected by cell immunofluorescence staining,and cell proliferation was detected by EdU staining,respectively.The appropriate concentration and time of resveratrol intervention in MC3T3-E1 cells were determined by cell morphology observation and cell counting kit-8 assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The activation of ERK5 signaling protein could effectively promote the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells,up-regulate the osteoprotegerin/receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand ratio.The appropriate concentration and time for resveratrol intervention in MC3T3-E1 cells was 5 μmol/L and 24 hours,respectively.Resveratrol could activate ERK5 signaling protein,thereby promoting osteoblast proliferation and up-regulating the osteoprotegerin/RANKL ratio.All these results indicate that resveratrol can promote the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells and up-regulate the osteoprotegerin/RANKL ratio by activating the ERK5 signaling protein.

Urinary incontinence is a common complication following robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). Urethral length has been identified as a factor affecting postoperative continence recovery. In this meta-analysis, we examined the association between use of the maximal urethral length preservation (MULP) technique and postoperative urinary continence in patients undergoing RARP. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library up to December 31, 2023. The quality of the literature was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to synthesize data and calculate the odds ratio (OR) from eligible studies on continence and MULP. Six studies involving 1869 patients met the eligibility criteria. MULP was positively associated with both early continence (1 month after RARP; Z = 3.62, P = 0.003, OR = 3.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.68-5.73) and late continence (12 months after RARP; Z = 2.34, P = 0.019, OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.13-3.90). Oncological outcomes indicated that MULP did not increase the overall positive surgical margin rate or the positive surgical margin status at the prostate apex (both P > 0.05). In conclusion, the use of the MULP technique in RARP significantly improved both early and late postoperative continence outcomes without compromising oncological outcomes.
Humans ; Prostatectomy/adverse effects* ; Robotic Surgical Procedures/methods* ; Male ; Urethra/surgery* ; Urinary Incontinence/prevention & control* ; Postoperative Complications/etiology* ; Prostatic Neoplasms/surgery* ; Organ Sparing Treatments/methods*

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical significance of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in response evaluation and relapse monitoring for patients with primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). METHODS: The clinical characteristics, efficacy and survival of 38 PMBCL patients in our hospital from January 2010 to April 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. The ctDNA monitoring was conducted by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS). RESULTS: Among the 38 patients, 26 cases were female, and 32 cases were diagnosed with Ann Arbor stage I-II. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate and progression-free survival (PFS) rate were 74.7% and 61.7%, respectively. Males and those with high aaIPI scores (3 points) had a relatively poor prognosis. The NGS results of 23 patients showed that STAT6 (65.2%), SOCS1 (56.5%), and TNFAIP3 (56.5%) were the most common mutated genes. Patients with stable disease (SD)/progressive disease (PD) exhibited enrichment in cell cycle, FoxO, and TNF signaling pathways. A total of 29 patients underwent end-of-treatment PET/CT (EOT PET/CT), and 16 of them received ctDNA monitoring with 12 negative. Among 6 patients with EOT PET/CT positive (Deauville 4), 4 underwent ctDNA monitoring, and 3 of them were negative, being still in continuous remission without any subsequent anti-tumor therapy. CONCLUSION CtDNA may be combined with PET/CT to assess efficacy, monitor relapse, and guide treatment of PMBCL.
Humans ; Circulating Tumor DNA/blood* ; Female ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Prognosis ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/genetics* ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Mutation

Osteoporosis is a prevalent skeletal condition characterized by reduced bone mass and strength, leading to increased fragility. Buqi-Tongluo (BQTL) decoction, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescription, has yet to be fully evaluated for its potential in treating bone diseases such as osteoporosis. To investigate the mechanism by which BQTL decoction inhibits osteoclast differentiation in vitro and validate these findings through in vivo experiments. We employed MTS assays to assess the potential proliferative or toxic effects of BQTL on bone marrow macrophages (BMMs) at various concentrations. TRAcP experiments were conducted to examine BQTL's impact on osteoclast differentiation. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses were utilized to evaluate the relative expression levels of osteoclast-specific genes and proteins under BQTL stimulation. Finally, in vivo experiments were performed using an osteoporosis model to further validate the in vitro findings. This study revealed that BQTL suppressed receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast resorption activity in vitro in a dose-dependent manner without observable cytotoxicity. The inhibitory effects of BQTL on osteoclast formation and function were attributed to the downregulation of NFATc1 and c-fos activity, primarily through attenuation of the MAPK, NF-κB, and Calcineurin signaling pathways. BQTL's inhibitory capacity was further examined in vivo using an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model, demonstrating a strong protective effect against bone loss. BQTL may serve as an effective therapeutic TCM for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and the alleviation of bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency and related conditions.
Animals ; NFATC Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Ovariectomy ; Osteoclasts/metabolism* ; Female ; Osteogenesis/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; NF-kappa B/genetics* ; Osteoporosis/genetics* ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Bone Resorption/genetics* ; Cell Differentiation/drug effects* ; Humans ; RANK Ligand/metabolism* ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/genetics* ; Transcription Factors

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection represents a significant global health challenge. Current therapeutic options, such as interferon and nucleoside analogues (NAs), are limited by issues including long-term medication toxicity, the virus's propensity to develop drug resistance, and the inability to eradicate covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA). Core protein allosteric modulators (CpAMs), as an emerging class of anti-HBV drugs, target HBcAg to interfere with capsid assembly. This not only blocks viral nucleocapsid formation and inhibits viral replication but also indirectly destabilizes the cccDNA pool, while exhibiting a relatively high genetic barrier to resistance. This article systematically evaluates HBV drug resistance to CpAMs and proposes anti-resistance strategies, including the combination of nucleoside analogues with CpAMs, enhancing protein-drug interactions, targeting HBcAg degradation, designing multi-target inhibitors, and employing combination therapy. Looking ahead, the integration of structural biology, computational chemistry, and immunotherapy will offer innovative approaches for developing novel, highly effective, and low-resistance inhibitors, thereby advancing the functional cure of hepatitis B.

Objective : To investigate the effects of cinnamaldehyde(CA) on the growth, metastasis and apoptosis of human endometriosis(EMs) cells and to explore whether the mechanism is related to ribosomal protein S7(RPS7) expression. Methods : Endometriosis cells were divided into control group, CA group, sh-NC group, CA+sh-RPS7 group. Effects of CA on cell growth in human endometriotic cells were determined using Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8) and colony formation assay. Effects of CA on cell metastasis were performed by motility assay and Transwell assay. Effects of CA on cell apoptosis were evaluated by Hoechst 33258 staining and flow cytometry. Meanwhile, the levels of PCNA, E-cadherin, Vimentin, Bax and Bcl-2 were evaluated using Western blot in human endometriotic cells with treatment CA. The expression of RPS7 was detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot assay. The RPS7 overexpression of human endometriotic cells was established by cell transfection. CA-mediated effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis were determined by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry in human endometriotic cells with RPS7 overexpression. Results : CA repressed cell growth as well as down-regulated PCNA. The half inhibitory concentration(IC50) value was 53.60 μmol/L after 24 h treatment, and colony formation rate was 25.32%. Additionally, CA inhibited metastasis which was associated with downregulated Vimentin and upregulated E-cadherin. The relative migration rates were 35% and 29% as well as invasion rate was 40%. Further, CA induced apoptosis by cell cycle G2/M phase arrest and cell apoptosis rate was 25.1%, which related to the up-regulation of of Bax and the down-regulation of Bcl-2. CA inhibited the expression of RPS7 and overexpression of RPS7 promoted cell proliferation and suppressed apoptosis in CA-mediated cells. Conclusion CA inhibits cell growth, metastasis, and induces cell apoptosis by downregulating the expression of RPS7.

Objective To understand the molecular characteristics of Streptomycin(SM)resistance in multidrug-resistant tuberculosis(MDR-TB)in Jiangxi Province,and to explore the relationship between SM resistant genes(rpsL,rrs and gidB)mutations and SM resistant phenotypes in Beijing genotype TB.Methods 106 non-replicated MDR-TB isolates were collected from Gaoxin Branch of The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University and Jiangxi Provincial Chest Hospital from January to December 2021,and tested for drug-resistance phenotypes,whether they were Beijing genotype or not and the characteristics of rpsL,rrs and gidB gene mutations.Chi-square test was performed to determine whether rpsL,rrs and gidB mutations were related to genotypes and drug-resistance phenotypes.Results Among 106 cases of MDR-TB,76 cases were resistant to SM.A total of 58 cases had rpsL 43A>G mutation,8 cases had 88A>G mutation,5 cases had rrs mutation,and 3 cases had gidB mutation.Statistical analysis showed that the coincidence rate of gene mutation and phenotypic drug-resistance detection was 89.6%,and the specificity and sensitivity were 86.7%and 90.8%,respectively.The isolated rate of Beijing genotype TB was 88.7%,and the drug-resistant gene mutations were mainly concentrated in rpsL and rrs,while the drug-resistant mutations of non-Beijing genotype were mainly concentrated in gidB;in addition,Beijing genotype bacteria were more prone to gene mutations(P = 0.013),but there was no difference in phenotypic drug-resistance.Conclusions Mutations in rpsL,rrs,and gidB genes have a good coincidence rate with phenotypic drug-resistance,and molecular biology can be used to detect directly drug-resistance genes to predict bacterial resistance;TB genotypes are strongly associated with streptomycin resistance characteristics.

Acute kidney injury （AKI） is a clinical syndrome characterized by a rapid decline in renal function over a short period due to various etiologic factors. If left untreated， AKI can progress to chronic kidney disease （CKD） or even end-stage renal disease （ESRD）. Although continuous renal replacement therapy （CRRT） can manage severe AKI， effective pharmacological treatments for AKI remain largely unavailable. Chinese medicine， with its multi-target and multi-pathway approaches， has accumulated substantial theoretical and practical knowledge in treating AKI and related complications. Rehmanniae Radix is a commonly used Chinese medicinal， known for its functions in clearing heat， cooling blood， nourishing yin， and promoting fluid production. The primary active ingredients of Rehmanniae Radix include catalpol， acteoside， and aucubin. In this study， we summarized recent research on the effect of the active ingredients of Rehmanniae Radix in preventing and treating AKI. We found that the key mechanisms underlying its anti-AKI effects include amelioration of inflammation， alleviation of oxidative stress， and inhibition of apoptosis. Additionally， the antifibrotic properties of the active ingredients of Rehmanniae Radix suggest its potential in slowing CKD progression. We reviewed the mechanisms of Rehmanniae Radix in treating AKI and its antifibrotic effects to provide a scientific basis for developing new AKI drugs， promoting the utilization of Rehmanniae Radix resources， and reducing the transition from AKI to CKD.

[Objective]To analyze the value of grey-scale reversed T1-weighted(rT1)MRI in the detection of structur-al lesions of the sacroiliac joint(SIJ)in patients with axial spondyloarthritis(ax-SpA).[Methods]Fifty-two ax-SpA pa-tients who underwent both MRI and CT in our hospital within a week from February 2020 to December 2022 were retrospec-tively included.Both sacral and iliac side of each SIJ on oblique coronal images were divided into anterior,middle and pos-terior portion.Two radiologists reviewed independently three groups of MRI including T1-weighted imaging(T1WI),rT1 and T1WI+rT1 images to evaluate the structural lesions like erosions,sclerosis and joint space changes in each of the 6 re-gions of the SIJ.One of the radiologist did the evaluation again one month later.CT images were scored for lesions by a third radiologist and served as the reference standard.Intra-class correlation coefficients(ICC)were calculated to test the inter-and intra-reader agreement for the assessment of SIJ lesions.A Friedman test was performed to compare the lesion results of MRI and CT image findings.We examined the diagnostic performance[accuracy,sensitivity(SE)and specifici-ty]of different groups of MRI in the detection of lesions by using diagnostic test.A McNemar test was used to compare the differences of three groups of MRI findings.[Results]CT showed erosions in 71 joints,sclerosis in 65 and joint space changes in 53.Good inter-and intra-reader agreements were found in three groups of MRI images for the assessment of le-sions,with the best agreement in T1WI+rT1.There were no difference between T1WI+rT1 and CT for the assessment of all lesions,nor between rT1 and CT for the assessment of erosions and joint space changes(P>0.05).T1WI+rT1 yielded better accuracy and SE than T1WI in detection of all lesions(Accuracy erosions:90.3%vs 76.9%;SE erosions:91.6%vs 76.1%;Accu-racy sclerosis:89.4%vs 80.8%;SE sclerosis:84.6%vs 73.9%;Accuracy joint space changes:86.5%vs 73.1%;SE joint space changes:84.9%vs 60.4%;P<0.05).rT1 yielded better accuracy and SE than T1WI in detection of erosions and joint space changes(Accuracy erosions:87.5%vs 76.9%;SE erosions:88.7%vs 76.1%;Accuracy joint space changes:85.6%vs 73.1%;SE joint space changes:83.0%vs 60.4%;P<0.05).[Conclusions]In the detection of SIJ structural lesions in ax-SpA,rT1 improves the diagnostic perfor-mance and T1WI+rT1 is more superior to others.