Tooth pulpitis is a prevalent oral disorder. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of pulpitis and developing effective treatment strategies hold great significance. Ferroptosis has recently emerged as a new form of cell death, but the role of ferroptosis in pulpitis remains largely unknown. In our study, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was used to identify cellular heterogeneity between 3 pulpitis tissue and 3 healthy pulp tissue, and explored ferroptosis occurrence in pulpitis tissue and inflamed dental pulp cells (DPCs). In scRNA-seq, 40 231 cells (Pulpitis: 17 814; Healthy pulp: 22 417) were captured, and visualized into 12 distinct cell clusters. Differentially expressed ferroptosis-related genes (DE-FRGs) were almost presented in each cluster in pulpitis vs healthy pulp. ROS and Fe²⁺ levels significantly rose, and immunohistochemistry showed low expression of GPX4 and high expression of PTGS2 in pulpitis. In LPS-stimulated DPCs, thymosin α1 increased the expression of GPX4 and FTL, and decreased expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and Fe²⁺ levels. In rat pulpitis models, both prothymosin α (PTMA, precursor of thymosin α1) gelatin sponge placed at the hole of pulp (LPS-P(gs)) and PTMA injection in pulp (LPS-P(i)) significantly reduced infiltration of inflammatory cells and expression of PTGS2, and increased the expression of GPX4. In RNA sequencing, the expression of DE-FRGs were reversed when thymosin α1 were added in LPS-stimulated DPCs. Collectively, single-cell atlas reveals cellular heterogeneity between pulpitis and healthy pulp, and ferroptosis occurrence in pulpitis. Thymosin α1 may reduce ferroptosis in DPCs to alleviate pulpitis and thus potentially has the ability to treat pulpitis.
Ferroptosis/drug effects* ; Dental Pulp/drug effects* ; Animals ; Pulpitis/pathology* ; Rats ; Thymalfasin/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Male ; Thymosin/pharmacology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To analyze the clinical,pathological and CT features of mediastinal carcinoid so as to improve the diagnostic accuracy.Methods The clinical,pathological and imaging data of 4 patients with mediastinal carcinoid were analyzed retrospectively.Results All 4 patients were elderly male,in which 3 cases had elevated serum neuron specific enolase(NSE)before operation and other one was not examined.All tumors were atypical carcinoid with Ki-67 expression of 5％-25％and positive expression of Syn,CD56,CK and CgA.The CT showed the lateral mass on the left(n=3)or both(n=1)sides of the anterior mediastinum,3 of which grew along the vascular space and could not be clearly demarcated from the pericardium and cardiovascular system.The lesions were large with irregular shape in 3 cases and round shape in 1 case,with heterogeneous density in 3 cases and homogeneous density in 1 case,with intratumoral calcification in 2 cases.Contrast enhanced CT showed the lesions with mild or moderate progressive enhancement,3 of which had supplying vessels from internal thoracic artery.The enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes were found in 3 cases and bone metastasis was in 1 case.Conclusion Mediastinal carcinoid is more common in elderly male,usually with elevated serum NSE.CT shows lateral mass in the anterior mediastinum with heterogeneous density,intratumoral calcification,mild or moderate progressive enhancement,and supplying vessels from internal thoracic artery.The larger lesion is indistinguishable from the adjacent lung tissue and cardiovascular system,usually with intrathoracic and extrathoracic lymph node metastasis.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has become an essential method in psychiatric disorders. However, many problems occurred in clinical application. This article interpreted the Association Standard T/CMEAS 011-2023'Operating Specifications for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Clinical Applications on Psychiatric Disorders′ released by the Chinese Medicine Education Association. The main content included a range of applications, normative references, terms and definitions, site specifications, equipment specifications, ability specifications of rTMS operators and rTMS process specifications.This article provided suggestions for clinical applications of rTMS on psychiatric disorders.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has become an essential method in psychiatric disorders. However, many problems occurred in clinical application. This article interpreted the Association Standard T/CMEAS 011-2023'Operating Specifications for Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Clinical Applications on Psychiatric Disorders′ released by the Chinese Medicine Education Association. The main content included a range of applications, normative references, terms and definitions, site specifications, equipment specifications, ability specifications of rTMS operators and rTMS process specifications.This article provided suggestions for clinical applications of rTMS on psychiatric disorders.

Objective: Primary and secondary school students in a unique stage of development, has a unique psychological age characteristics, their mental health screening should be appropriate for their psychological development characteristics. The contents of Middle School Students Mental Health Scale (MSSMHS) were explored and revised, and the reliability and validity of the revised scale were tested. Methods: The middle school and high school students in Shiyan city of Hubei province were selected by random cluster sampling, and the revised mental health scale for middle school students was used to investigate. The 57 items of the original scale were revised, and SPSS25.0 statistical software was used for statistical analysis of the data. Cronbach's Alpha coefficient under Alpha was used to test the reliability of the scale. Factor analysis was used for structural validity analysis. Results: The results of factor analysis, correlation analysis and internal consistency coefficient showed that the revised scale had high reliability, and its validity also met the requirements of psychological measurement. Conclusion The revised content of "MSSMHS" reasonably avoids cultural taboos and sensitive words of "suicide", and has good reliability and validity, which is worth popularizing in the practice of psychological assessment of middle school students.

Objective:To investigate the effects of biologics on psychological status and quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 42 hospitals in 22 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) from September 2021 to May 2022. General clinical information and the use of biologics were obtained from adult patients diagnosed with IBD who voluntarily participated in the study. Psychological status was evaluated using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ) assessment tools. Counts were analyzed via the Chi-square test, and datasets that were not normally distributed were analyzed via nonparametric tests. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 2 478 valid questionnaires were collected. The GAD-7 score of the biologics group was significantly lower than that of the non-use group [6 (2, 9) vs. 7 (3, 10), Z=-3.49, P<0.001]. IBDQ scores [183 (158, 204) vs. 178 (152, 198), Z=-4.11, P<0.001], intestinal symptom scores [61 (52, 67) vs. 58 (49, 65), Z=-5.41, P<0.001], systemic symptom scores [28 (24, 32) vs. 27 (23, 31), Z=-2.37, P=0.018], emotional ability scores [69 (58, 77) vs. 67 (56, 75), Z=-3.58, P<0.001] and social ability scores [26 (22, 29) vs. 25 (22, 29), Z=-2.52, P=0.012] in the biologics group were significantly higher than in the non-use group. GAD-7 scores [5 (2, 9) vs. 6 (3, 10), Z=-3.50, P<0.001] and PSQI scores [6 (4, 9) vs. 6 (4, 9), Z=-2.55, P=0.011] were significantly lower in the group using infliximab than in the group not using it. IBDQ scores were significantly higher in patients using vedolizumab than in those not using it [186 (159, 205) vs. 181 (155, 201), Z=-2.32, P=0.021] and were also significantly higher in the group treated with adalimumab than in the group not treated with adalimumab [187 (159, 209) vs. 181 (155, 201), Z=-2.16, P=0.030]. However, ustekinumab had no significant effect on any of the scores. Conclusion:The use of biologics is strongly associated with improvements in anxiety status and quality of life in IBD patients.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the diagnostic value of portable monitor device (PMD) in potential obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients.

METHODSAll patients met the inclusion criteria were asked to finish the questionniar and underwent anthropometric measurements, and then completed polysomnography (PSG) test and PMD test simultaneously. The correlation between AHI-PMD and AHI-PSG, between MinSaO2-PMD and MinSaO2-PSG were analyzed by Spearman analysis. T test was used to compare the correlation coefficient between the two groups; ROC analysis was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of PMD in diagnosis of OSAHS, and got the Cut-off value between moderate and severe OSAHS and mild OSAHS.

RESULTSThrough PSG test, of all the 111 cases, including 4 simple snoring cases, accounting for 3.6%, OSAHS patients with 107 cases, accounting for 96.4% which including 11 patients (9.9%) with mild, 17 patients (15.3%) with moderate, 79 patients (71.2%) with severe. The correlation of AHI-PMD and AHI-PSG between moderate and severe OSAHS patients was stronger than simple snoring and mild OSAHS patients. The coefficient test between the two groups was statistically significant (P=0.026). The correlation of MinSaO2-PMD and MinSaO2-PSG was statistically significant (P<0.001), the correlation of MinSaO2-PMD and MinSaO2-PSG between moderate and severe OSAHS group and snoring and mild OSAHS group was not statistically significant (P=0.270). A statistically significant correlation between AHI-PMD and AHI-PSG was found (P<0.001). PMD had a sensitivity and specificity of 96.9% and 86.7%, respectively (AUC=0.990, 95%CI 0.970-1.000). The cut-off value between moderate and severe OSAHS and mild OSAHS was AHI-PMD≥12 times/h.

CONCLUSIONPMD had a satisfactory sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing and judging the severity of moderate and severe OSAHS.

The glutamate transporter EAAT 2 ( rodent nomencla-ture GLT-1:glutamate transporter 1), which is a predominantly astroglial glutamate transporter in the hippocampus and the pre-frontal cortex , is responsible for the majority of extracellular glu-tamate uptake .The glutamate transporter EAAT 2 can decrease the high levels of glutamate in the synaptic cleft , avoiding gluta-matergic excitotoxicity to damage the glial cells and neurons . Currently, the transporter EAAT2 has become a research hotspot of depression .This article aims to summarize roles of glutamate transporter EAAT2 in the occurrence and treatment of depres-sion.

Objective To investigate the effects of ceftriaxone on depressive-like behavior and changes of hippocampal glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) in C57 mice depression model,and to further explore the molecular mechanism of ceftriaxone on antidepressant action.Methods Thirty male C57 mice were randomly divided into control group(group A,n=10),CUS group(group B,n=10) and CUS+ceftriaxone group(group C,n=10).The mice of the CUS group and the CUS+ceftriaxone group were subjected to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) for 2 sessions per day for 21 days.Then,the mice of the CUS+ceftriaxone group were given ceftriaxone for 21 days.Behavioral changes were assessed by the sucrose preference test and open field test.The GLT-1 protein levels in the hippocampus were detected by Western blot analysis at the end of the ceftriaxone treatment.Results (1) Compared with the control group,the percentage of sucrose preference,the total traveled distance,the moved velocity,and the frequencies of rearing of the CUS group were significantly decreased(P＜0.05) at the 21 days.However,the percentage of sucrose preference ((78.74 ± 3.54) ％),the total traveled distance ((6818.35 ± 505.14) cm),the moved velocity((12.36±0.89) cm/s),and the frequencies of rearing(58.20±4.05) of the CUS+ceftriaxone group at the end of the ceftriaxone treatment were improved significantly compared with the CUS group ((59.46 ± 2.75) ％,(2931.71±271.89) cm,(5.84±0.42) cm/s,(26.20±2.62),P＜0.05).(2) Western blot analysis indicated significant reductions of the GLT-1 protein levels in the hippocampus of CUS group (versus the control mice:P ＜0.05),and chronic ceftriaxone treatment reversed the CUS-induced decrease in the GLT-1 levels(P＜0.05).Conclusion Ceftriaxone might significantly improve depressive-like behavior in C57 mice depression model.Chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) could down-regulate the GLT-1 protein levels in the hippocampus,which are reversed by ceftriaxone.These results further support the notion enhanced expression of the GLT-1 protcin can be molecular mechanism of ceftriaxone on antidepressant action.

Aim To investigate the effects of fluoxe-tine on the changes of of protein levels of GLT-1 in pre-frontal cortex in rat depression model, and to further explore the molecular mechanism of antidepressant ac-tion of fluoxetine. Methods Sixty male SD rats were randomly assigned into three groups: control group, chronic unpredictable stress ( CUS) group, and CUS+fluoxetine group. The rats of CUS group and CUS+flu-oxetine group were subjected to CUS for 2 sessions per day for 35 days. Then, the rats of the CUS+fluoxetine group were given fluoxetine for 28 days. Behavioral changes were assessed by the sucrose preference and open field tests. The GLT-1 protein levels in the pre-frontal cortex were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis at the end of the fluoxetine treatment. Results ( 1 ) Compared with the control group,sucrose preference, total traveling distance, ve-locity and frequencies of rearing were reduced in the CUS group ( P < 0. 01 ) . These behavioral changes could be reversed after 28 day fluoxetine treatment. (2 ) Immunohistochemistry assay indicated weak im-munoreactivity for GLT-1 in the prefrontal cortex of CUS group ( versus the control rats: P <0. 01 ); the immunoreactivity for GLT-1 of the fluoxetine-treated rats was significantly up-regulated compared with the CUS group rats ( P<0. 01 ) . ( 3 ) Western blot analy-sis indicated significant reductions of GLT-1 in the pre-frontal cortex of CUS group ( versus the control rats:P<0. 01 ) , and chronic fluoxetine treatment reversed the CUS-induced decrease in GLT-1 levels ( P <0. 01 ) . Conclusions Chronic unpredictable stress ( CUS ) could down-regulate the GLT-1 protein levels in the prefrontal cortex, which is reversed by fluoxe-tine. These results further support the notion that en-hanced expression of the GLT-1 protein could be mo-lecular mechanism of fluoxetine antidepressant effect.