Objective To investigate the relationship between serum high-mobility group box-1(HMGB-1)and glucose-regulated protein-78(GRP-78)levels and the severity of coronary artery lesions and myocardial fibrosis(MF)in patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS).Methods A total of 155 ACS patients(ACS group)admitted to the hospital from January 2021 to August 2024 and 70 healthy volunteers who came to the hospital for health check ups during the same period(control group)were enrolled.ACS patients were further categorized based on the severity of coronary artery lesions(SYNTAX Ⅱ score)into mild lesion group(65 cases),moderate lesion group(51 cases),and severe lesion group(39 cases).Additionally,they were divided into the MF group(62 cases)and the non-MF group(93 cases)based on whether MF was present.Serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The correlation be-tween serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels and SYNTAX Ⅱ score was assessed using Spearman's rank correla-tion.Multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors influencing MF in ACS patients.Re-ceiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the value of serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels in diagnosing severe coronary artery lesions and MF.Results Serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels were significantly higher in the ACS group compared to the control group(P<0.05).The serum levels of HMGB-1 and GRP-78 increased sequentially in the mild,moderate,and severe lesion groups(P<0.05).Serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels were positively correlated with SYNTAX Ⅱ score(P<0.05).Serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels in the MF group were significantly higher than those in the non-MF group(P<0.05).High SYNTAX Ⅱ score,high N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide,high HMGB-1,and high GRP-78 were independent risk factors for MF in ACS patients(P<0.05).The area under the curve for the combined detec-tion of serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels for the diagnosis of severe coronary artery lesions in ACS patients was 0.887,which was larger than those of serum HMGB-1(0.803)and GRP-78(0.791)alone(P<0.05).The area under the curve of the combined detection of serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels for the diagnosis of MF in ACS patients was 0.882,which was larger than those of serum HMGB-1(0.797)and GRP-78(0.789)alone(P<0.05).Conclusion Serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels are elevated in ACS patients and are closely associated with the severity of coronary artery lesions and MF.The combined detection of serum HMGB-1 and GRP-78 levels has high value in diagnosing severe coronary artery lesions and MF in ACS patients.

Objective To explore the mechanism by which soybean isoflavone(SI)reduces calcium overload induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(I/R).Methods Forty-eight SD rats were randomized into 4 groups to receive sham operation,cerebral middle artery occlusion for 2 h followed by 24 h of reperfusion(I/R model group),or injection of adeno-associated virus carrying Frizzled-2 siRNA or empty viral vector into the lateral cerebral ventricle after modeling.Western blotting was used to examine Frizzled-2 knockdown efficiency and changes in protein expressions in the Wnt/Ca2+signaling pathway.Calcium levels and pathological changes in the ischemic penumbra(IP)were measured using calcium chromogenic assay and HE staining,respectively.Another 72 SD randomly allocated for sham operation,I/R modeling,or soy isoflavones pretreatment before modeling were examined for regional cerebral blood flow using a Doppler flowmeter,and the cerebral infarct volume was assessed using TTC staining.Pathologies in the IP area were evaluated using HE and Nissl staining,and ROS level,Ca2+level,cell apoptosis,and intracellular calcium concentration were analyzed using immunofluorescence assay or flow cytometry;the protein expressions of Wnt5a,Frizzled-2,and P-CaMK II in the IP were detected with Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.Results In rats with cerebral I/R,Frizzled-2 knockdown significantly lowered calcium concentration(P<0.001)and the expression levels of Wnt5a,Frizzled-2,and P-CaMK II in the IP area.In soy isoflavones-pretreated rats,calcium concentration,ROS and MDA levels,cell apoptosis rate,cerebral infarct volume,and expression levels of Wnt/Ca2+signaling pathway-related proteins were all significantly lower while SOD level was higher than those in rats in I/R model group.Conclusion Soy isoflavones can mitigate calcium overload in rats with cerebral I/R by inhibiting the Wnt/Ca2+signaling pathway.

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),commonly known as primary liver cancer,is a major cause of malignant tumors and cancer-related deaths in China,accounting for approximately 85％of all cancer cases in the country.Several guidelines have been used to diagnose and treat liver cancer.However,these guidelines provide a broad definition for classifying advanced liver cancer,with an emphasis on a singular approach,without considering treatment options for individual patients.Therefore,it is necessary to establish a comprehensive and practical expert consensus,specifically for China,to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of HCC using the Delphi method.The classification criteria were refined for Chinese patients with HCC,and the corresponding optimal treatment regimen recommendations were developed.These recommendations took into account various factors,including tumor characteristics,vascular tumor thrombus grade,distant metastasis,liver function status,portal hypertension,and the hepatitis B virus replication status of patients with primary HCC,along with treatment prognosis.The findings and rec-ommendations provide detailed,scientific,and reasonable individualized diagnosis and treatment strategies for clinicians.

Objective:Acoustic neuroma(AN)is a benign tumor that usually affects a patient's hearing and balance function.For the screening and diagnosis of AN,the traditional approach mainly relies on audiological examination and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI),often ignoring the importance of vestibular function assessment in the affected area.As an emerging method of vestibular function detection,video head impulse test(vHIT)has been widely used in clinic,but research on its use in AN diagnosis is relatively limited.This study aims to explore the value of vHIT in the diagnosis of AN,vestibular dysfunction assessment,and postoperative compensation establishment in unilateral AN patients undergoing unilateral AN resection through labyrinthine approach. Methods:This retrospective study was conducted on 27 AN patients who underwent unilateral AN resection via labyrinthine approach from October 2020 to March 2022 in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery,the Second Xiangya Hospital,Central South University.vHIT was performed 1 week before surgery to assess vestibular function,pure tone audiometry(PTA)was used to assess hearing level,and ear MRI was used to assess tumor size.Follow-up vHIT was conducted at 1 week,1 month,6 months,and 1 year post-surgery.The correlation of vHIT with hearing and tumor size was analyzed. Results:Preoperative vHIT showed that the posterior semicircular canal on the affected side was the most common semicircular canal with reduced vestibulo-ocular reflex(VOR)gain.There was a correlation between the VOR gain of vHIT on the affected side and the hearing level(r=-0.47,P<0.05)or tumor size(r=-0.54,P<0.01).The results of vHIT on the affected side showed that the hearing level and mean VOR gain of the anterior semicircular canal increased slightly with time,and the amplitude and saccade percentage of the dominant saccades of the 3 semicircular canals increased,while the latency time decreased,with the most obvious changes occurring 1 week post-surgery. Conclusion:vHIT can effectively monitor the changes of vestibular function in AN patients before and after surgery and has application value in assisting the diagnosis of vestibular dysfunction in AN patients.

Objective:Ménière's disease(MD)is an idiopathic inner ear disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of episodic rotational vertigo,fluctuating hearing loss,tinnitus,and a feeling of ear stuffiness.Endolymphatic sac(ES)-related surgery is used primarily in patients with MD who have failed to respond to pharmacologic therapy.Endolymphatic duct blockage(EDB)is a new procedure for the treatment of MD,and related clinical studies are still scarce.This study aims to investigate the dynamic changes in endolymphatic hydrops(EH)and the long-term surgical outcomes in MD patients undergoing EDB,and to evaluate the impact of different types of ES on the surgical efficacy. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 33 patients with refractory MD who underwent EDB.Based on the morphology of their endolymphatic sacs,patients were divided into a normal-type group(n=14)and an atrophic-type group(n=19).The frequency of vertigo symptoms,hearing,vestibular function,and the dynamic changes of gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the inner ear were compared were compared before and after surgery between the 2 groups. Results:Compared with the atrophic-type group,the patients in the normal-type group had a higher rate of complete vertigo control,better cochlear and vestibular function,and a lower endolymph to vestibule volume ratio(all P<0.05).In addition,7 patients in the normal-type group were found to have reversal of EH,while no reversal of EH was detected in the atrophic-type group after surgery. Conclusion:The response to EDB treatment varies between normal and atrophic MD patients,suggesting that the 2 pathological types of endolymphatic sacs may have different underlying mechanisms of disease.

Objective To explore the mechanism by which soybean isoflavone(SI)reduces calcium overload induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(I/R).Methods Forty-eight SD rats were randomized into 4 groups to receive sham operation,cerebral middle artery occlusion for 2 h followed by 24 h of reperfusion(I/R model group),or injection of adeno-associated virus carrying Frizzled-2 siRNA or empty viral vector into the lateral cerebral ventricle after modeling.Western blotting was used to examine Frizzled-2 knockdown efficiency and changes in protein expressions in the Wnt/Ca2+signaling pathway.Calcium levels and pathological changes in the ischemic penumbra(IP)were measured using calcium chromogenic assay and HE staining,respectively.Another 72 SD randomly allocated for sham operation,I/R modeling,or soy isoflavones pretreatment before modeling were examined for regional cerebral blood flow using a Doppler flowmeter,and the cerebral infarct volume was assessed using TTC staining.Pathologies in the IP area were evaluated using HE and Nissl staining,and ROS level,Ca2+level,cell apoptosis,and intracellular calcium concentration were analyzed using immunofluorescence assay or flow cytometry;the protein expressions of Wnt5a,Frizzled-2,and P-CaMK II in the IP were detected with Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.Results In rats with cerebral I/R,Frizzled-2 knockdown significantly lowered calcium concentration(P<0.001)and the expression levels of Wnt5a,Frizzled-2,and P-CaMK II in the IP area.In soy isoflavones-pretreated rats,calcium concentration,ROS and MDA levels,cell apoptosis rate,cerebral infarct volume,and expression levels of Wnt/Ca2+signaling pathway-related proteins were all significantly lower while SOD level was higher than those in rats in I/R model group.Conclusion Soy isoflavones can mitigate calcium overload in rats with cerebral I/R by inhibiting the Wnt/Ca2+signaling pathway.

Objective To establish a simultaneous detection approach for 34 emerging contaminants(ECs)in tap water by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS).Human health risk assessment was performed according to the detection results from 43 tap water samples.Methods Tap water samples were concentrated and extracted by solid phase extraction,and then blown to near dry by nitrogen at 40℃.The sample extracts were dissolved in methanol-water solution(95:5,VN)to 0.5 mL for analyzing.Agilent Jet Stream Electrospray Ionization(AJS ESI)and the multiple reaction monitoring(MRM)mode were performed for MS to acquire the data of 34 ECs.A database including precursor ion,product ion and retention times was established accordingly.Results The average linear correlation coefficients(r)of 34 kinds of ECs was 0.995 9.The limits of detection were 0.01～0.60 ng/L and the recoveries were between 60.7％and 119.8％.The intra-group precisions were between 0.05％～9.89％and the intra-day precisions were between 0.20％～14.40％for the spiked samples.The method was applied to analyze 43 tap water samples and a total of 15 ECs were detected.According to the results,the detection rate of caffeine was the highest(84％),and the concentration range was ND～74.42 ng/L.Among all the ECs detected,1,2,3-benzotriazole had the highest concentration(ND～361.15 ng/L),where detection rate was 44％.Humans may be exposed to these ECs by drinking the tap water.The human health risk assessments of 12 kinds of ECs were carried out,however,the estimated risk was negligible(risk quotient＜0.01).Conclusion The method is simple,highly sensitive and selective,and could meet the detection needs of ECs at trace level in tap water.There was no human health risk posed for ECs identified in 43 tap water samples analyzed by this method.

Objective Metabolomics was used to analyze the changes of metabolites in the plasma of Fenpropathrin-contaminated rats to find potential biomarkers for forensic identification of Fenpropathrin poisoning.Methods SD rats in the two experimental groups were given 20.5 mg/kg and 41 mg/kg doses of fenpropathrin respectively by gavage.The rats in the control group were given equivalent volume of normal saline.The angular vein blood of rats was collected 24 hours after gavage,and endogenous small molecule metabolites in plasma were investigated by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-TOF-MS).The data was processed by SIMCA14.1.The differential metabolites in plasma of fenpropathrin-infected rats were screened out according to the Variable Importance in Projection(VIP)and p<0.05 in the OPLS-DA model.Finally,the pathways were analyzed.Results There were significant differences in plasma metabolite levels between the control group and the experimental group,and 17 biomarkers were selected to identify whether the rats had received fenpropathrin,which mainly affected purine metabolism,Alanine,aspartate and glutamate metabolism,arginine biosynthesis,biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids and pyrimidine metabolism.Conclusion Fenpropathrin can change the composition of metabolites in rats,and the differential markers screened can provide supportive forensic evidence for cases related to deltamethrin poisoning.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of upregulation of HuR gene on the radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell Kyse450. Methods:The HuR gene of Kyse450 cells was upregulated by lentivirus. At the same time, X-ray irradiation at a dose of 6 Gy was selected as the intervention condition. Western blot and qPCR were used to detect the expression levels of protein and RNA after Kyse450 transfection, respectively. CCK8 kit was employed to determine the cell proliferation rate. Clone formation assay was adopted to evaluate the ability of cell clone formation. Wound healing experiment and the Transwell test were performed to detect changes in cell migration. Results:CCK8 assay showed that the proliferation ability of cells was enhanced after upregulation of HuR gene, and this enhancement trend was more obvious after radiation. The plate cloning experiment showed that with the increase of radiation dose, the clone formation rates were decreased in both groups, but the clone formation rate in the overexpression group was higher than that in the control group. Wound healing experiment and Transwell test demonstrated that the wound healing rate and migration ability in the overexpression group were higher than those in the control group, and the difference was more significant after radiotherapy. Western blot showed that the levels of MMP9 and MMP2 at 24 h after radiotherapy in the overexpression group were higher than those in the control group. Conclusion:The upregulation of HuR can enhance the proliferation, cloning, migration capabilities and decrease the radiosensitivity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Since its establishment 30 years ago, the discipline of metabolic engineering has developed rapidly based on its deep integration with molecular biology, systems biology and synthetic biology successively, which has greatly contributed to advancing and upgrading biotechnology industry. This review firstly analyzes the current status of academic research and China's competence in the area of metabolic engineering according to the data of papers published in SCI-indexed journals in the past 30 years. Subsequently, the article summarizes the development of systems biology methods and enabling technologies of synthetic biology and their applications in metabolic engineering in the past 10 years. Finally, the major challenges and future perspectives for the development of metabolic engineering are briefly discussed.
Biotechnology ; Industry ; Metabolic Engineering ; Synthetic Biology ; Systems Biology