MicroRNA(miRNA),an important type of non-coding RNAs existing widely in viruses and eukaryotes,regulate gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.Recent studies have demonstrated that plant miRNAs could enter microorganisms,animals and human bodies to affect their physiological and pathological processes by cross-kingdom regulation of gene expression.This review summarized the current knowledge of cross-kingdom regulation of gene expression by plant miRNAs,introduced the research progress in intervention of human diseases with plant miRNAs,including anti-virus,anti-tumor,anti-inflammation,immune regulation,anti-fatigue,anti-fibrosis,vascular protection,nerve protection,etc.,and analyzed the reasons why plant miRNAs remain stable in vivo and in vitro and the underlying mechanisms how they regulate human gene expression.Furthermore,the impact of cross-kingdom regulation by plant miRNAs on exploring new active ingredients of traditional Chinese herbs and elucidating their pharmacology were evaluated.Finally,"constructing the complex regulatory network of traditional Chinese medicine miRNAs in human body"and"exploring new mechanisms of gene expression regulation by traditional Chinese medicine miRNAs"were pointed out,which were two scientific problems worthy of further investigation.

BACKGROUND:The extracellular matrix is a complex network structure,which not only builds physical support for tissue cells,but also plays an important regulatory role in cell survival,proliferation,and death.Abnormal changes in the biochemical and biomechanical properties of the extracellular matrix can significantly affect the proliferation,migration,immune evasion,and treatment resistance of tumor cells.Stiffness is an important mechanical property of the extracellular matrix,and abnormalities in matrix stiffness are closely related to tumor progression.OBJECTIVE:By reviewing the mechanism of extracellular matrix sclerosis,the impact of high stiffness matrix on tumor progression,and the latest research progress in the treatment of cancer based on reducing matrix stiffness,to deeply understand the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix,improve the understanding of the complex mechanism of tumor progression,and provide new ideas and directions for tumor treatment.METHODS:"Extracellular matrix function,extracellular matrix stiffness,collagen deposition cross-linking,extracellular matrix stiffness therapy,immunotherapy"were used as the search terms in Chinese and English.Relevant literature published from January 2016 to June 2024 was searched in CNKI,PubMed,and WanFang databases,and 80 articles were finally included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Deposition and excessive cross-linking of collagen and elastin in the extracellular matrix leads to matrix remodeling,which in turn increases matrix stiffness.This sclerosis activates pro-cancer signaling pathways such as cyclin-D1,Rho/ROCK,p-PXN-Rac1-YAP,and STAT3/p-STAT3,promotes malignant behaviors such as cancer cell proliferation,metastasis,tumor microangiogenesis and immune escape,and accelerates tumor progression.(2)Reducing the deposition and cross-linking of matrix proteins can reduce matrix stiffness,which cannot only inhibit the activation of multiple cancer-promoting signaling pathways,but also enhance the penetration and delivery of drugs at tumor sites,which is a new strategy for cancer treatment.(3)At present,drugs based on matrix degradation to reduce tumor stiffness are under development,and a few drugs have entered the clinical trial stage,which are expected to provide a new powerful weapon for tumor treatment.

MicroRNA(miRNA),an important type of non-coding RNAs existing widely in viruses and eukaryotes,regulate gene expression at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.Recent studies have demonstrated that plant miRNAs could enter microorganisms,animals and human bodies to affect their physiological and pathological processes by cross-kingdom regulation of gene expression.This review summarized the current knowledge of cross-kingdom regulation of gene expression by plant miRNAs,introduced the research progress in intervention of human diseases with plant miRNAs,including anti-virus,anti-tumor,anti-inflammation,immune regulation,anti-fatigue,anti-fibrosis,vascular protection,nerve protection,etc.,and analyzed the reasons why plant miRNAs remain stable in vivo and in vitro and the underlying mechanisms how they regulate human gene expression.Furthermore,the impact of cross-kingdom regulation by plant miRNAs on exploring new active ingredients of traditional Chinese herbs and elucidating their pharmacology were evaluated.Finally,"constructing the complex regulatory network of traditional Chinese medicine miRNAs in human body"and"exploring new mechanisms of gene expression regulation by traditional Chinese medicine miRNAs"were pointed out,which were two scientific problems worthy of further investigation.

BACKGROUND:The extracellular matrix is a complex network structure,which not only builds physical support for tissue cells,but also plays an important regulatory role in cell survival,proliferation,and death.Abnormal changes in the biochemical and biomechanical properties of the extracellular matrix can significantly affect the proliferation,migration,immune evasion,and treatment resistance of tumor cells.Stiffness is an important mechanical property of the extracellular matrix,and abnormalities in matrix stiffness are closely related to tumor progression.OBJECTIVE:By reviewing the mechanism of extracellular matrix sclerosis,the impact of high stiffness matrix on tumor progression,and the latest research progress in the treatment of cancer based on reducing matrix stiffness,to deeply understand the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix,improve the understanding of the complex mechanism of tumor progression,and provide new ideas and directions for tumor treatment.METHODS:"Extracellular matrix function,extracellular matrix stiffness,collagen deposition cross-linking,extracellular matrix stiffness therapy,immunotherapy"were used as the search terms in Chinese and English.Relevant literature published from January 2016 to June 2024 was searched in CNKI,PubMed,and WanFang databases,and 80 articles were finally included for review.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Deposition and excessive cross-linking of collagen and elastin in the extracellular matrix leads to matrix remodeling,which in turn increases matrix stiffness.This sclerosis activates pro-cancer signaling pathways such as cyclin-D1,Rho/ROCK,p-PXN-Rac1-YAP,and STAT3/p-STAT3,promotes malignant behaviors such as cancer cell proliferation,metastasis,tumor microangiogenesis and immune escape,and accelerates tumor progression.(2)Reducing the deposition and cross-linking of matrix proteins can reduce matrix stiffness,which cannot only inhibit the activation of multiple cancer-promoting signaling pathways,but also enhance the penetration and delivery of drugs at tumor sites,which is a new strategy for cancer treatment.(3)At present,drugs based on matrix degradation to reduce tumor stiffness are under development,and a few drugs have entered the clinical trial stage,which are expected to provide a new powerful weapon for tumor treatment.

Objective:To explore the molecular mechanism of dexmedetomidine(Dex)protecting ischemia/reperfusion(I/R)myocardium.Methods:Wild type mice were grouped into control(Control)group,sham operation(Sham)group,WT I/R group,WT Dex group,and Dectin-1 knock out mice were grouped into KO I/R group and KO Dex group in the in vivo study(n=6).TTC stain-ing was used to determine the myocardial infarction area(%)of the above six groups of mice.HE staining and pathological analyze was used to determine the myocardial injury.Serum TNF-α,IL-6 and IL-10 levels in mice were detected by ELISA.Flow cytometry(FCM)was used to count and sort of infiltrating M2 macrophages and neutrophils in myocardium.qPCR assay was used to determine the Dectin-1 mRNA expression in the above sorted cells.Results:TTC results showed that there was no myocardial infarction in the mice of Control group and Sham group.Compared with the WT I/R group,the infarct volume was significantly lower in WT Dex group,KO I/R group and KO Dex group(P<0.05).Compared with the KO I/R group,the infarct volume was reduced in KO Dex group(P<0.05).The results of HE staining showed that the myocardial fibers of the WT I/R group of mice were disorderly arranged,with a large number of broken myocardial fibers,while the myocardial fibers of the WT Dex group,KO I/R group and KO Dex group of mice had a little breakage,the structural damage was not significant,and the myocardial arrangement was relatively neat.The degree of myocardi-al injury of mice in KO Dex group were less than that in KO I/R group mice.ELISA results showed that compared with Sham group,the serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels of the mice in WT I/R group were significantly increased,and the IL-10 level was significantly de-creased.Compared with WT I/R group,serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels of the mice in WT Dex group and KO I/R group were significant-ly decreased,and IL-10 level was significantly increased.Compared with KO I/R group,the serum TNF-α and IL-6 levels of the mice in KO Dex group were significantly decreased,and the IL-10 level was significantly increased(P<0.05).FCM cell counting results showed that compared with Sham group,a large number of M2 macrophages and neutrophils were infiltrated in the myocardium of WT I/R group of mice(P<0.05).Compared with WT I/R group,the M2 macrophages and neutrophils infiltrated in the myocardium were significantly decreased in WT Dex group,KO I/R group and KO Dex group of mice(P<0.05).While there was no significant differ-ence between the KO I/R group and the KO Dex group mice(P>0.05).qPCR results showed that compared with Sham group,the ex-pression level of Dectin-1 mRNA in the myocardial infiltrated M2 macrophages and neutrophils were significantly up-regulated in WT I/R group of mice(P<0.05).While compared with WT I/R group,the expression level of Dectin-1 mRNA in Dex group of mice was sig-nificantly lower(P<0.05).Mice in KO I/R group and KO Dex group did not express Dectin-1.Conclusion:The protective mecha-nisms of Dex preconditioning on I/R injured myocardium involves reducing the infiltrating number of M2 macrophages and neutrophils in myocardium after I/R injury,which may be achieved by inhibiting the expression of Dectin-1.

Objective:To investigate the effect of urethral plate reconstruction and tubular urethroplasty (a modified Koyanagi procedure) on voiding function and pain factors in children with hypospadias.Methods:A total of 80 children with hypospadias who were treated at Hangzhou Children's Hospital between January 2019 and December 2020 were included in this study. These children were divided into a study group and a control group, with 40 children in each group. The study group underwent modified Koyanagi surgery, while the control group received traditional urethral orifice basal vessel flap urethroplasty. The operative indicators and complications of hypospadias were compared between the two groups. Changes in pain factor levels were analyzed before and 3 days after surgery. Therapeutic effects and changes in voiding function were evaluated 12 months after surgery.Results:The intraoperative blood loss in the study group [(24.53 ± 7.84) mL] was significantly less than that in the control group [(43.12 ± 14.35) mL), while the postoperative length of hospital stay [(6.52 ± 1.03) days, t = 7.19, P < 0.05] in the study group was significantly shorter than that in the control group [(7.84 ± 1.26) days, t = 5.13, P < 0.05]. The surgical time in the study group [(132.42 ± 16.56) minutes] was significantly longer than that in the control group [(114.35 ± 17.48) minutes, t = 4.74, P < 0.05). The incidence of complications in the study group [7.50% (3/40)] was significantly lower than that in the control group [22.50% (10/40), χ2 = 5.54, P = 0.019]. At 3 days after surgery, the serum levels of substance P [(147.92 ± 18.98) μg/L], neuropeptide Y [(74.34 ± 5.65) mg/L], and prostaglandin E 2 [(138.28 ± 21.45) ng/L] in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group [(189.47 ± 21.25) μg/L, (93.51 ± 6.58) mg/L, (179.95 ± 24.34) ng/L, t = 9.22, 13.97, 8.10, all P < 0.05]. At 12 months after surgery, the cure rate in the study group was significantly higher than that in the control group [90.00% (36/40) vs. 70.00% (28/40), χ2 = 5.00, P = 0.025]. At 12 months after surgery, the study group had a higher postoperative urine output [(140.92 ± 12.84) mL] than the control group [(133.27 ± 10.32) mL], with a higher average urine flow rate [(8.54 ± 0.38) mL/s] and a higher maximum urine flow rate [(12.76 ± 1.32) mL/s] than the control group [(7.95 ± 0.47) mL/s, (11.54 ± 1.28) mL/s]. All differences were statistically significant ( t = 2.93, 6.17, 4.19, all P < 0.05). Conclusion:The modified Koyanagi procedure has a significant therapeutic effect on hypospadias in children and can significantly improve their voiding function and inhibit the release of pain factors.

The incidence of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fracture (OTLVF) in the elderly is gradually increasing. The kyphotic deformity caused by various factors has become an important characteristic of OTLVF and has received increasing attention. Its clinical manifestations include pain, delayed nerve damage, sagittal imbalance, etc. Currently, the definition and diagnosis of OTLVF with kyphotic deformity in the elderly are still unclear. Although there are many treatment options, they are controversial. Existing guidelines or consensuses pay little attention to this type of fracture with kyphotic deformity. To this end, the Lumbar Education Working Group of the Spine Branch of the Chinese Medicine Education Association and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized the experts in the relevant fields to jointly develop Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebral fractures with kyphotic deformity in the elderly ( version 2024), based on evidence-based medical advancements and the principles of scientificity, practicality, and advanced nature, which provided 18 recommendations to standardize the clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly will seriously reduce their quality of life and life expectancy. For osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly, spinal reconstruction is necessary, which should comprehensively consider factors such as the physical condition, fracture type, clinical characteristics and osteoporosis degree. While there lacks relevant clinical norms or guidelines on selection of spinal reconstruction strategies. In order to standardize the concept of spinal reconstruction for osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly, based on the principles of scientificity, practicality and progressiveness, the authors formulated the Clinical guideline for spinal reconstruction of osteoporotic thoracolumbar fracture in elderly patients ( version 2022), in which suggestions based on evidence of evidence-based medicine were put forward upon 10 important issues related to the fracture classification, non-operative treatment strategies and surgical treatment strategies in spinal reconstruction after osteoporosis thoracolumbar fracture in the elderly, hoping to provide a reference for clinical treatment.

Objective To explore the incidence of pain flare (PF) in spine metastasis stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) or hypofractionated radiotherapy (HF) and the prophylactical effect of dexamethasone. Methods Sixty-five patients were treated with spine metastasis SBRT and randomly divided into control group (SBRT or HF, n=32) and treatment group (SBRT or HF and 4.5 mg dexamethasone, n=33). The brief pain inventory (BPI) was used to score the pain before, during and after treatment. PF was recorded and compared between two groups. Results The incidence of PF was 24.6% in all patients (control group: 37.5%, treatment group: 12.1%, P=0.018). PF in both group occurred in d1-2, accounting for 62.5% in all PF (control group: 66.7%, treatment group: 50%, P=0.551). The incidences of PF in control group were 66.7% and 33.3% for three and ten fractions scheme, respectively (P=0.001). However, the incidences of PF in treatment group were 50% and 50% for three and ten fractions scheme, respectively (P=0.643). Conclusion Oral dexamethasone has an excellent efficacy in prevention and treatment of PF in spine metastasis SBRT or HF, with significantly decreased incidence of PF. A phase Ⅲ clinical trial is required to finalize the optimal dose and schedule.

Objective: To identify the characteristics including clinical features and pulmonary computed tomography (CT) features of heart failure and novel coronavirus pneumonia(COVID-19). Methods: This study was a retrospective study. A total of 7 patients with Heart failure and 12 patients with COVID-19 in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University between December 1, 2019 and February 15, 2020 were enrolled. The baseline clinical and imaging features of the two groups were statistically analyzed. Results: There was no significant difference in age and sex between the two groups, but the incidence of epidemiological contact history, fever or respiratory symptoms in the COVID-19 group was significantly higher than that in the heart failure group (12/12 vs. 2/7, P=0.001; 12/12 vs. 4/7, P<0.001). While the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and impaired cardiac function was significantly less than that of the heart failure group(2/12 vs.7/7, P<0.001; 0/12 vs.7/7, P<0.001). For imaging features, both groups had ground-glass opacity and thickening of interlobular septum, but the ratio of central and gradient distribution was higher in patients with heart failure than that in patients with COVID-19 (4/7 vs. 1/12, P=0.04). In heart failure group, the ratio of the expansion of small pulmonary veins was also higher (3/7 vs. 0, P=0.013), and the lung lesions can be significantly improved after effective anti-heart failure treatment. Besides, there are more disease with rounded morphology in COVID-19 (9/12 vs. 2/7, P=0.048) . Conclusions More patients with COVID-19 have epidemiological history and fever or respiratory symptoms. There are significant differences in chest CT features, such as enlargement of pulmonary veins, lesions distribution and morphology between heart failure and COVID-19.