OBJECTIVE To explore the effect and mechanism of berberine in ameliorating asthma in mice by regulating glycolysis via the hypoxia inducible factor-1α （HIF-1α）/pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase-1 （PDHK1） pathway.METHODS Mice were randomly divided into blank control group， model group， low- and high-dose berberine groups （100， 200 mg/kg， intragastric administration）， dimethyloxalylglycine （DMOG， HIF-1α agonist） group （2 mg， intranasal instillation）， and berberine+DMOG group （intragastric administration of 200 mg/kg berberine plus intranasal instillation of 2 mg DMOG）， with 12 mice in each group. Except for the blank control group， mice in the remaining groups were subjected to ovalbumin-induced sensitization and challenge to establish the asthma model. During the challenge period， mice were given corresponding drugs or normal saline once a day for 6 consecutive days. At 24 h after the last challenge， pulmonary function and airway reactivity of mice were determined； the content of ovalbumin-specific immunoglobulin E （OVA-sIgE） in serum was detected； inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） were counted； bronchial inflammation and goblet cell hyperplasia were histologically evaluated； the levels of inflammatory cytokines [interleukin-4 （IL-4）， IL-5， IL-13]， contents of glycolytic products [lactic acid， pyruvic acid， adenosine triphosphate （ATP）]， as well as mRNA and protein expressions related to the HIF-1α/PDHK1 pathway in lung tissue were measured.RESULTS Compared with the model group， the low- and high-dose berberine groups exhibited significantly elevated or increased dynamic lung compliance， peak expiratory flow， forced vital capacity （FVC）， forced expiratory volume in 0.1 second （FEV 0.1 ）， and FEV 0.1 /FVC （ P ＜0.05）， accompanied by significantly decreased airway resistance and enhanced pause value （ P ＜0.05）. Moreover， serum OVA-sIgE content， counts of white blood cell， neutrophil， lymphocyte， monocyte， eosinophil and basophil in BALF， scores for bronchial inflammation and goblet cell hyperplasia， levels of pulmonary inflammatory cytokines and contents of glycolytic products， as well as mRNA and protein expressions of HIF-1α， PDHK1， pyruvate kinase M2 and lactate dehydrogenase A were all significantly reduced （ P ＜0.05）. DMOG pretreatment obviously reversed the protective effects of high-dose berberine in asthmatic mice （ P ＜0.05）.CONCLUSIONS Berberine can inhibit the HIF-1α/PDHK1 pathway to decrease glycolytic level， so as to ameliorate airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in asthmatic mice.

Background and aims:Studies indicate that the gut microbiota and its metabolites are involved in the progression of cardiovascular diseases,and enterohepatic circulation plays an important role in this progression.This study aims to identify potential probiotics for the treatment of unstable angina(UA)and elucidate their mechanisms of action.Methods:Initially,the gut microbiota from patients with UA and control was analyzed.To directly assess the effects of Bifidobacterium supplementation,10 patients with UA were enrolled and administered Bifidobacterium(630 mg per intake twice a day for 1 month).The fecal metagenome,serum trimethyl-amine N-oxide(TMAO)levels,and other laboratory parameters were evaluated before and after Bifido-bacterium supplementation.Results:After supplementing with Bifidobacterium for 1 month,there were statistically significant dif-ferences(P＜0.05)in TMAO,aspartate aminotransferase,total cholesterol,and low-density lipoprotein compared to before.Additionally,the abundance of Bifidobacterium longum increased significantly,although the overall abundance of Bifidobacterium did not reach statistical significance.The gut micro-biota,metabolites,and gut-liver axis are involved in the progression of UA,and potential mechanisms should be further studied.Conclusions:Metagenomic analysis demonstrated a reduced abundance of Bifidobacterium in patients with UA.Supplementation with Bifidobacterium restored gut dysbiosis and decreased circulating TMAO levels in patients with UA.This study provides evidence that Bifidobacterium may exert cardiovascular-protective effects through the gut-liver-heart axis.

Objective To examine the reliability and validity of the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised(SBQ-R)among Chinese undergraduates and to find out cut-off score for screening the risk of suicide in clinical undergraduates.Methods A total of 488 Chinese undergraduates participated in this study.Of them,366 participants were asked to complete the Chinese version of SBQ-R,Psychache Scale,and Satisfaction with Life Scale.And 45 undergraduates were re-tested after four weeks;122 undergraduates were tested by using the Suicidality Module Section of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the Chinese version of SBQ-R.Results ① The results showed that The Chinese version of SBQ-R had one factor with good fit indices.② The internal consistency reliability,split-half reliability,and one-month retest reliability of the total questionnaire were 0.76,0.79,and 0.93,respectively.③ The total score of the SBQ-R in Chinese was positively correlated with psychache but negatively correlated with satisfaction of life,indicating that the scale has good criterion-related validity.④ Receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve evaluation suggested that the cut-off score was 9 in terms of identifying the clinical undergraduates at high risk of suicide.Conclusion SBQ-R is a reliable,valid,and practical instrument to measure the risk of suicide among Chinese undergraduates.SBQ-R＞9 is the best cut-off value for screening for high suicide risk in China.

Objective To explore the relationship between perceived stress and suicidal ideation as well as the mediating effect of resilience and depression.Methods A sample of 875 college students was recruited for the study to complete a set of self-report measures of Chinese Perceived Stress Scale(CPSS),the Resiliency Scale of University Students,Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire,and Beck Depression Inventory(BDI).Results ①College students'perceived stress and depression had significantly positive correlation with their suicidal ideation,while the students'resilience had a significantly negative correlation with their perceived stress and depression.②Perceived stress did not affect suicidal ideation of the college students directly,but indirectly affected their suicidal ideation through three significant mediating pathways:the separate mediating effects of(a)resilience and(b)depression,and the serial mediating effect of(c)resilience and depression.Conclusion Resilience and depression exert a chain mediating effect between perceived stress and suicidal ideation of college students.

Background::Highly expressed in various human cancers, circular RNA Protein Kinase C Iota (circPRKCI) has been reported to play an important role in cancer development and progression. Herein, we sought to reveal the prognostic and clinical value of circPRKCI expression in diverse human cancers.Methods::We searched the Pubmed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases from inception until May 16, 2021. The relationship between circPRKCI expression and cancer patients’ survival, including overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS), was assessed by pooled hazard ratios (HR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI). The correlation between circPRKCI expression and clinical outcomes was evaluated using odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% CI. The data were analyzed by STATA software (version 12.0) or Review Manager (RevMan 5.3).Results::A total of 15 studies with 1109 patients were incorporated into our meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that high circPRKCI expression was significantly related to poor OS (HR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.61, 2.39, P <0.001) when compared with low circPRKCI expression in diverse human cancers. However, elevated circPRKCI expression was not associated with DFS (HR = 1.34, 95% CI: 0.93, 1.95, P = 0.121). Furthermore, the patient with a higher circPRKCI expression was prone to have a larger tumor size, advanced clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis, but it was not significantly correlated with age, gender, and distant metastasis. Conclusion::Elevated circPRKCI expression was correlated with worse OS and unfavorable clinical features, suggesting a novel prognostic and predictive role of circPRKCI in diverse human cancers.

Humans ; Consensus ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/therapy* ; Neuroendocrine Tumors/therapy*

Objective : To analyze the overall survival( OS) of sequential osimertinib treatment in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR) exon 20 T790M mutant advanced non⁃small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) and risk factors of the efficacy of sequential osimertinib treatment. Methods : The data of 138 advanced NSCLC patients with acquired EGFR exon 20 T790M mutation who took sequential osimertinib as second⁃line treatment. KaplanMeier variable was used for survival analysis. The Log⁃rank method was used for univariate analysis. The COX risk regression model was used for multivariate analysis. The survival status and influencing factors of patients treated with sequential osimertinib were analyzed. Results : At the last follow⁃up , 99 of the 138 patients died. Median progression free survival (PFS1)of first⁃line of first⁃ or second⁃generation epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors(EGFR⁃TKIs) was 11 months (95% CI: 10. 1 - 11. 9) ; median PFS2 of osimertinib was 10 months (95% CI: 8. 5 - 11. 5) ; The median PFS with sequential osimertinib treatment was 24 months(95% CI: 21. 7 -26. 3) , the median OS was 32 months(95% CI: 28. 9 - 35. 1) . In univariate and multivariate analysis , PFS1 was an independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS(P < 0. 001) . Conclusion Sequential osimertinib treatment for advanced NSCLC patients with acquired EGFR exon 20 T790M mutation achieved good PFS(24 months) and OS (32 months) .

Objective:To investigate the regulatory effects and mechanism of mannose-binding lectin(MBL) on autophagy during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes, and provide the feasibility for targeting autophagy to prevent obesity and related pathological conditions in natural immunity.Methods:3T3-L1 preadipocytes were cultured in vitro and induced to differentiation. Cell differentiation and lipid accumulation were analyzed by oil red O staining and CCK-8 was used to detect the effect of different concentrations of MBL (0, 1, 5, 10 μg/ml) on cell proliferation ability at different differentiation stages. Western blot was used to analyze the expression of MBL(10 μg/ml) on the key autophagy factors LC3B, Beclin1 and p62 protein at different stages of differentiation, and the changes of lipid droplet accumulation under the intervention of MBL were observed by oil red O staining. The protein and mRNA expression of autophagy key factors under the intervention of different concentrations of MBL were detected by Western blot and qRT-PCR. And autophagy flow analysis based on autophagic degradation was used to further illustrate the autophagic activity. The expression and phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase(AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin(mTOR) signaling molecules were analyzed by Western blot. Results:The results of oil red O staining showed that 3T3-L1 preadipocytes could achieve complete differentiation after 10 days of induction. CCK-8 showed that the concentration of MBL (1-10 μg/ml) in the experimental group had no effect on cell proliferation at different differentiation stages. During the differentiation of 3T3-L1 preadipocytes, Western blot and qRT-PCR showed that the expression of autophagy-related proteins and mRNA levels was enhanced in the MBL treated group, and presented a concentration-dependent relationship. Oil red O staining showed that the lipid droplets in adipocytes at different stages of differentiation are reduced to varying degrees under the intervention of MBL. Fluorescence microscopy results further confirmed that MBL enhanced the autophagy activity of adipocytes by increasing the synthesis of autophagosomes. Moreover, under the intervention of MBL, the phosphorylation level of AMPK was significantly up-regulated, while the phosphorylation level of mTOR was significantly down-regulated, also showing a concentration-dependent relationship.Conclusions:MBL accelerates the autophagy process during the differentiation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes through AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway, reduces lipid accumulation, providing a possible functional pathway for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic diseases.

Objective:To observe the expression levels of small ubiquitinated protein specific protease (SENP) 1 and small ubiquitin-related modifier protein (SUMO) 1 in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and analyze the clinical value of evaluating prognosis.Methods:The clinical data of 66 patients with DLBCL (DLBCL group) in Inner Mongolia People′s Hospital from February 2017 to October 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, and 60 cases of healthy people in the same period were selected as the healthy control group. The expression levels of SENP1 and SUMO1 were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlation between the expression levels of SENP1, SUMO1 and clinical characteristics was analyzed. The independent risk factors affecting the prognosis were analyzed by Cox multivariate analysis.Results:The SENP1 in DLBCL group was significantly higher than that in healthy control group (50.39 ± 6.86 vs. 7.47 ± 1.32), the SUMO1 in DLBCL group was significantly lower than that in healthy control group (8.84 ± 2.13 vs. 31.49 ± 5.89), and there were statistical differences ( t = 47.640 and 29.210, P<0.01). There were statistical differences in SENP1 and SUMO1 among patients with different clinical stages ( P<0.01). The expression levels of SENP1 and SUMO1 were correlated with clinical stage and international prognostic index (IPI) ( P<0.05), and were not correlated with age, gender, disease site and clinical symptoms ( P>0.05). The 3-year survival rate in patients with high SENP1 expression (30 cases) was significantly lower than that in patients with low SENP1 expression (36 cases), the 3-year survival rate in patients with high SUMO1 expression (38 cases) was significantly higher than that in patients with low SUMO1 expression (28 cases), and there were statistical differences (26.67% vs. 75.00% and 73.68% vs. 39.29%, P<0.05). Cox multivariate regression analysis result showed that clinical stage, IPI, SENP1 and SUMO1 were independent risk factors affecting the prognosis in patients with DLBCL ( HR = 1.352, 1.487, 2.048 and 3.295; 95% CI 1.180 to 1.691, 1.187 to 1.602, 2.536 to 4.023 and 2.752 to 5.325; P<0.05 or <0.01). Conclusions:In patients with DLBCL, SENP1 is highly expressed and SUMO1 is lowly expressed. The expression levels of SENP1 and SUMO1 are closely related to clinical stage and IPI in patients with DLBCL, and they are independent risk factors of the prognosis.

Objective:To explore the correlation between white matter lesions (WML) at different locations and cognitive function.Methods:The cognitive function of 68 patients with WML in Beijing Electric Power Hospital from January 2019 to May 2020 were assessed with Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), and the extent of WML were assessed with age-related white matter changes rating scale(ARWMCRs). Correlation between the ARWMCRs scores of different locations and the scores of all locations and the scores of cognitive function, as well as the relationship between the ARWMCRs scores of different locations and each subitem of cognitive function were analyzed.Results:In 68 patients with WML, the degree of lesions in different parts from heavy to light was frontal area, parietooccipital area, basal ganglia area and temporal area, and no white matter lesions were found in infratentorial area. Except the basal ganglia region, the ARWMCRs scores in other regions and the total score were negatively correlated with MoCA score, among which, the ARWMCRs score in left frontal area, right frontal area, left parietal pillow and right parietal pillow region had the strongest correlation with MoCA score( rs=- 0.388, - 0.479, -0.418, -0.502, all P<0.01).In WML patients, the left frontal area was negatively correlated with language, abstraction and orientation ( rs=- 0.479, - 0.324, - 0.288, all P<0.01).The ARWMCRs score in right frontal area was negatively correlated with visual spatial and executive function, memory, language, abstraction, and orientation ( rs=- 0.324, -0.272, -0.459, -0.382, -0.352, all P<0.05). The ARWMCRs score in left parietal occipital region was negatively correlated with visual spatial and executive function and memory ( rs =-0.287、- 0.270, all P<0.05). The ARWMCRs score in right parietal occipital region was negatively correlated with memory, language, abstraction and orientation ( rs=-0.366, -0.289, -0.260, - 0.307, all P<0.05).The ARWMCRs score in left temporal region was negatively correlated with language, abstraction and orientation ( rs=- 0.248, -0.372, - 0.608, all P<0.05).The ARWMCRs score in right temporal region was negatively correlated with abstraction and orientation ( rs=- 0.525, -0.465, all P<0.01).The ARWMCRs score in right basal ganglia was negatively correlated with orientation and memory ( rs=- 0.455, - 0.275, all P<0.01), while The ARWMCRs score in left basal ganglia was not correlated with MoCA subitems. Conclusions:The frontal area and parietal occipital area are the most serious lesions in WML patients, and the lesions in these two areas also cause the widest range of cognitive impairment.