Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of plasma exchange (PE) in thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis (MG), thereby to provide theoretical support for its application in the treatment of thymoma-associated MG. Methods: A total of 133 patients with thymoma-associated MG admitted from January 2018 to September 2024 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were matched using propensity score to reduce selection bias, yielding 22 matched pairs for both PE group (n=22) and non-PE group (n=22). Patient characteristics including gender, age of disease onset, course of disease, history of thymoma resection, clinical absolute scores [clinical absolute scores (CAS) and clinical relative scores (CRS)], and synchronized immunotherapy regimen of the two groups were analyzed. The CAS scores before and after treatment were compared between the two groups, and the CRS was used to assess the treatment efficiency. Safety of the two treatment regimens were also compared. Continuous variables were compared using the t-test or ANOVA, while categorical data were compared by the chi-square test. Results: A total of 133 patients were included and divided into two groups according to whether they underwent plasma exchange treatment: the PE group (n=22) and the non-PE group (n=111). To exclude bias caused by large difference in the number of cases between the two groups, we performed propensity score matching. After matching, the number of cases in both groups was 22. There was no significant difference in baseline clinical characteristics between the two groups (P>0.05), including gender, age of onset, duration of disease course, history of thymectomy and baseline CAS score before treatment. Compared to the non-PE group, patients in the PE group showed more significant improvement in CAS score (5.09±1.95 vs 3.59±1.50, P<0.05) and a higher CRS score (75.00% vs 50.00%, P<0.001). Compared to the non-PE group, PE group had significantly longer ICU stay, longer hospital stay and higher hospitalization cost (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in adverse events between the two groups during treatment (P>0.05). During long-term follow-up, both the PE and non-PE groups showed relatively low 1-, 3-, and 5-year recurrence rate, with no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: This study indicates that plasma exchange has clear value in the treatment of patients with thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis. It can not only significantly improve patients' muscle strength to alleviate motor dysfunction and enhance quality of life, but also does not significantly increase the incidence of adverse reactions. Therefore, it can be regarded as one of the preferred treatment options that achieve a "balance between efficacy and safety" for such patients, and provides an important basis for optimizing treatment strategies, improving prognosis, and promoting the application of subsequent treatment regimens.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the independent risk factors of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) complicated with bladder stones, and construct a nomogram prediction model for clinical progression of bladder stones in patients with BPH. METHODS: The clinical data of 368 BPH patients who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to January 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients with BPH were divided into group 1 (with bladder stones, n=94) and group 2 (without bladder stones, n=274). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the independent risk factors of bladder stones in patients with BPH. A nomogram model was developed, and the areas under the ROC curve and calibration curve were calculated to assess the accuracy of clinical application. RESULTS: Logistic analysis showed that age (HR:1.075,95%CI:1.032 to 1.120), hypertension (HR:2.801,95%CI:1.520 to 5.161), blood uric acid (HR:1.006,95%CI:1.002 to 1.010), intravesical prostatic protrusion (HR:1.189,95%CI1.119 to 1.264）, prostatic urethral angel（HR:1.127,95%CI:1.078to 1.178）were independent risk factors for bladder stones in patients with BPH. The discrimination of the nomogram model based on independent risk factors to predict the occurrence of bladder stones in patients with BPH was 0.874. CONCLUSION The nomogram model can predict the risk of bladder stones in BPH patients with good differentiation and calibration, which is a good guide for clinical work on BPH patients with high risk of bladder stones.
Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Hyperplasia/complications* ; Nomograms ; Urinary Bladder Calculi/etiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Aged ; Logistic Models ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic potential of pseudolaric acid B (PAB) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its underlying molecular mechanism in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice (n=32) were fed either a normal chow diet (NCD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks. The HFD mice were divided into 3 groups according to a simple random method, including HFD, PAB low-dose [10 mg/(kg·d), PAB-L], and PAB high-dose [20 mg/(kg·d), PAB-H] groups. After 8 weeks of treatment, glucose metabolism and insulin resistance were assessed by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT). Biochemical assays were used to measure the serum and cellular levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). White adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT) and liver tissue were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining or Oil Red O staining to observe the alterations in adipose tissue and liver injury. PharmMapper and DisGeNet were used to predict the NAFLD-related PAB targets. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) pathway involvement was suggested by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and search tool Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) analyses. Luciferase reporter assay, cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and drug affinity responsive target stability assay (DARTS) were conducted to confirm direct binding of PAB with PPARα. Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to further validate target engagement. RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to assess the downstream genes and proteins expression, and validated by PPARα inhibitor MK886. RESULTS: PAB significantly reduced serum TC, TG, LDL-C, AST, and ALT levels, and increased HDL-C level in HFD mice (P<0.01). Target prediction analysis indicated a significant correlation between PAB and PPARα pathway. PAB direct target binding with PPARα was confirmed through luciferase reporter assay, CETSA, and DARTS (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The target engagement between PAB and PPARα protein was further confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations and the top 3 amino acid residues, LEU321, MET355, and PHE273 showed the most significant changes in mutational energy. Subsequently, PAB upregulated the genes expressions involved in lipid metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis downstream of PPARα (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Significantly, the PPARα inhibitor MK886 effectively reversed the lipid-lowering and PPARα activation properties of PAB (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION PAB mitigates lipid accumulation, ameliorates liver damage, and improves mitochondrial biogenesis by binding with PPARα, thus presenting a potential candidate for pharmaceutical development in the treatment of NAFLD.
Animals ; PPAR alpha/metabolism* ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/pathology* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Lipid Metabolism/drug effects* ; Diterpenes/therapeutic use* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Diet, High-Fat ; Humans ; Mice ; Liver/metabolism* ; Insulin Resistance ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Molecular Docking Simulation

Ischemic stroke (IS) is a globally life-threatening disease. Presently, few therapeutic medicines are available for treating IS, and rt-PA is the only drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. In fact, many agents showing excellent neuroprotection but no blood flow-improving activity in animals have not achieved ideal clinical efficacy, while thrombolytic drugs only improving blood flow without neuroprotection have limited their wider application. To address these challenges and meet the huge unmet clinical need, we have designed and identified a novel compound AAPB with dual effects of neuroprotection and cerebral blood flow improvement. AAPB significantly reduced cerebral infarction and neural function deficit in tMCAO rats, pMCAO rats, and IS rhesus monkeys, as well as displayed exceptional safety profiles and excellent pharmacokinetic properties in rats and dogs. AAPB has now entered phase I of clinical trials fighting IS in China.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection frequently develop central nervous system damage, yet the mechanisms driving this pathology remain unclear. This study investigated the primary pathways and key factors underlying brain tissue damage induced by the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant (lineage B.1.351). METHODS: K18-hACE2 and C57BL/6 mice were intranasally infected with the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant. Viral replication, pathological phenotypes, and brain transcriptomes were analyzed. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was performed to identify altered pathways. Expression changes of host genes were verified using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. RESULTS: Pathological alterations were observed in the lungs of both mouse strains. However, only K18-hACE2 mice exhibited elevated viral RNA loads and infectious titers in the brain at 3 days post-infection, accompanied by neuropathological injury and weight loss. GO analysis of infected K18-hACE2 brain tissue revealed significant dysregulation of genes associated with innate immunity and antiviral defense responses, including type I interferons, pro-inflammatory cytokines, Toll-like receptor signaling components, and interferon-stimulated genes. Neuroinflammation was evident, alongside activation of apoptotic and pyroptotic pathways. Furthermore, altered neural cell marker expression suggested viral-induced neuroglial activation, resulting in caspase 4 and lipocalin 2 release and disruption of neuronal molecular networks. CONCLUSION These findings elucidate mechanisms of neuropathogenicity associated with the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant and highlight therapeutic targets to mitigate COVID-19-related neurological dysfunction.
Animals ; COVID-19/genetics* ; Mice ; Brain/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; SARS-CoV-2/physiology* ; Pyroptosis ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Transcriptome ; Male ; Female

MADS-box protein family are important transcriptional regulatory factors in plant growth and development. The AGAMOUS 12 (AGL12) subfamily is believed to play an important regulatory role in the process of plant flowering transition. To explore the potential mechanism of AGL12 subfamily involved in regulating the flower development of Lonicera macranthoides, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), prokaryotic expression and yeast two-hybrid techniques were used to analyze the expression pattern, protein expression, and protein-protein interaction pattern of LmAGL12 based on transcriptome data. The results showed that the LmAGL12 gene contains a 603 bp open reading frame (ORF), encoding 200 amino acids, and the encoded protein was stable and hydrophilic without a transmembrane region and signal peptide. Through homologous sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, it was confirmed that LmAGL12 protein belongs to the MADS-box protein family and is closely related to the AGL12 protein of Heracleum sosnowskyi and Daucus carota subsp. sativus. The LmAGL12 gene was cloned into prokaryotic expression vector pET-28a and the recombinant constructs were transformed into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3), which inducing the target protein successfully. The yeast two-hybrid results showed that LmAGL12 protein interacts with LmSVP protein, LmSOC1 protein and LmAP1 protein, respectively. The qRT-PCR results showed that LmAGL12 gene were differentially expressed in different development stages of flower bud, stem, and leaves of 'Longhua' and 'Baiyun' in L. macranthoides. The LmAGL12 gene showed the highest expression level in the middle stage of the 'Longhua' floral bud; For the 'Baiyun' variety, the relative expression level of LmAGL12 gene is the highest in the stem. This study cloned the LmAGL12 gene in L. macranthoides and analyzed it expression for the first time, enriching the research on flower organ development and providing a research basis for further exploring the molecular mechanisms of long bud stage and non-unfolded corolla in L. macranthoides, as well as for variety improvement.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of sleep deprivation on the expression of sirtuin 6 (SIRT6) in the cerebellum of immature mice.Methods:Fifty SPF healthy male C57BL/6 mice, aged 4 weeks, weighing 14-16 g, were divided into 2 groups ( n=25 each) using a random number table method: control group (Con group) and sleep deprivation group (SD group). The chronic sleep deprivation model was prepared by using the multi-platform water environment method, with 20 h of sleep deprivation per day for 10 consecutive days. After sleep deprivation, a balance beam experiment was performed to test the balance and coordination ability of mice. The mice were sacrificed after anesthesia and cerebellar lobular IV-VI (4-6 cb) tissues were taken for microscopic examination of the ultrastructure (with a transmission electron microscope) and for determination of the dendritic spine density of cerebellar 4-6cb Purkinje neurons (by Golgi staining), co-expression of SIRT6 and Calbindin D-28k (CbD-28k) and expression of glucose transporter Glut3 of cerebellar 4-6cb (by immunofluorescence staining). Results:Compared with group Con, the duration of passage through the balance beam was significantly prolonged, and the number of posterior foot slips was increased, the synaptic gap of cerebellar 4-6cb neurons was increased, the thickness of postsynaptic density was increased, the density of dendritic spines of Purkinje cells and the number of positive cells co-expressing SIRT6 and CbD-28k were decreased, and the expression of Glut3 was down-regulated in group SD ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism by which sleep deprivation decreases the abilities of balance and coordination is related to down-regulating SIRT6 expression in cerebellar Purkinje cells and decreasing neuronal glucose metabolism, thus damaging the synaptic plasticity of cerebellum in immature mice.

The whole developing history of the in-flight bladder relief device for US fighter pilots from the first generation to the third generation was introduced.The optimized design of the third-generation product was described in terms of male use and female use.It's pointed out the US Air Force developed the in-flight bladder relief device with the mode of integration and innovation,the idea closely following the troops'needs and the key technology upgrading thought introducing the newest achievements,and references were provided for the technical improvement of this type of device for the PLA.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(6):71-76]

Aim To investigate the enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity of GanoExtra in combination with cyclophosphamide(CTX)on inhibiting lung metastasis and immune function in mice.Methods The CCK-8 method was used to verify the cytotoxic effects of Gano-Extra on MCF-7 and 4T1 tumor cells.In vivo experi-ment,a mouse model of lung metastasis of breast canc-er was established by injecting 4T1 tumor cells into the tail vein,which was divided into four groups including 4T1 model group,CTX group,GanoExtra group and GanoExtra+CTX group.The control group was set.After 21 days,the mice were euthanized under anes-thesia,and the body weight of the mice was recorded.Average lung index and spleen index were calculated.The mouse spleen lymphocyte transformation experi-ment was used to determine the activity of spleen cells.The NK cell activity assay was used to determine the activity of NK cells.Blood cells were determined in mouse blood samples.Flow cytometry was used to de-termine the levels of CD4+and CD8+T cells in blood samples.ELISA was used to measure the levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum.HE staining was used to ob-serve the pathological morphological changes in tumors and various tissues;and CFSE staining was used to de-termine the proliferative effect of GanoExtra on CD8+cells.Results In vitro GanoExtra at 50 mg·L-1 sig-nificantly inhibited the activity of MCF-7 and 4T1 tumor cells.In the breast cancer pulmonary metastasis model,compared with the model group,the spleen in-dex and blood WBCs content were significantly re-duced,while the activity of NK cells,spleen cells,and the proportion of RBCs,CD 3+and CD 8+T cells in the blood were significantly increased.At the end of the treatment,compared with the CTX group,the number of lung metastases and lung index of the Gano-Extra+CTX group were significantly reduced,and the levels of HGB,CD8+cells,IL-6,and TNF-α in the blood of mice were significantly increased.GanoExtra at 10 mg·L-1 significantly promoted the proliferation of CD8+T cells in vitro.Conclusions GanoExtra can enhance the inhibitory effect of CTX on tumor metasta-sis,alleviate adverse reactions such as splenomegaly and pulmonary enlargement caused by CTX,and have a health-promoting function of promoting the prolifera-tion of CD8+T cells to enhance the immune efficacy of the body.

A prokaryotic expression vector for the mutant diphtheria toxin CRM197 was constructed and expressed in Esch-erichia coli cells.Anti-CRM197 antibody concentrations were detected in serum samples of healthy volunteers.The crm 197 gene was codon-optimized in E.coli and cloned into the plasmid pET28a(+)under optimized expression conditions.CRM197 was purified using Ni-NTA spin columns and ion exchange chromatography,and confirmed by western blot analysis.The puri-fied CRM197 was used to detect specific anti-CRM197 antibody levels in serum samples of different age groups.The results showed that soluble codon-optimized CRM197 was successfully expressed under optimized expression conditions.The purity of CRM197 was more than 95％,as determined with Ni-NTA spin columns and ion exchange chromatography,consistent with the single specific bands obtained by western blot analysis and detection of serum levels of the anti-CRM197 antibody.Collec-tively,these results confirmed that the proposed expression strategy achieved high-yield production of soluble CRM197,al-though high levels in human serum may affect evaluation of immune interactions with glycan-CRM197 conjugates for applica-tion as a diagnostic antigen.The diphtheria mutant toxin CRM197 is used in many conjugate vaccines.The synthetic crm 197 gene with codon optimization in pET28a was transformed into E.coli Origami B(DE3)cells.CRM197 was induced by isopro-pyl β-d-1-thiogalactopyranoside and high level accumulation of soluble CRM197 was purified using Ni-NTA spin columns and ion exchange chromatography.The purity of the final prepara-tion reached 95％.CRM197 was used to detect the concentra-tions of the anti-CRM197 antibody in serum samples of healthy volunteers of different ages.The proposed expression strategy yielded high production of CRM197,which could interfere with evaluations of induced immune interactions by glycan-CRM197 conjugates and prohibit application as a diagnostic antigen.