OBJECTIVE To prepare polyethylene glycol （PEG）-modified flower lactose （FL） loaded Curcumin （Cur） solid lipid nanoparticle （SLN） inhalable micropowder （referred to as “PEG-Cur-FL”）. METHODS PEG-Cur-FL was prepared by the solvent emulsification diffusion low-temperature solidification method， and its encapsulation efficiency， drug loading capacity， powder properties， aerodynamic particle size， in vitro deposition properties， and in vitro release characteristics were characterized. The mice were divided into Cur-SLN-FL （unmodified with PEG） group and PEG-Cur-FL group， with 55 mice in each group. Both groups of mice were given a single inhalation of 5 mg/kg （calculated as Cur） of the corresponding drug micropowder through an air tube. At 0.25， 0.5， 1， 2， 4， 6， 8， 12， 24， 48 and 72 hours after administration， eyeballs were removed to collect blood and tracheal， lung， liver and kidney tissues were separated. The mass concentration of Cur in mouse plasma and various tissue samples was measured， and the tissue distribution and retention of the drug were analyzed. RESULTS The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading capacity of PEG-Cur-FL were （86.2±1.8）% and （4.2±0.2）%， respectively； the bulk density and tap density were （0.24±0.01） g/cm3 and （0.30±0.01） g/cm3， respectively； the aerodynamic particle size was （2.74±0.64） μm； the in vitro effective site deposition rate （secondary drug deposition rate） was （45.07±2.79）%. Compared with Cur raw materials， Cur-SLN- FL and PEG-Cur-FL had sustained release effects under both leakage and non-leakage conditions， and PEG-Cur-FL had a smoother sustained release in artificial lung fluid， with release characteristics consistent with the Weibull model. The results of in vivo distribution showed that the drug concentration in the lung tissue of PEG-Cur-FL group was significantly lower than that of Cur- SLN-FL group during the same period after 1 hour of administration， while the drug concentration in the lung tissue at 4 to 48 hours was significantly higher than that of Cur-SLN-FL group during the same period （P＜0.05）； the plasma drug concentrations of the PEG-Cur-FL group at all time points from 0.25 to 12 hours were significantly lower than those of the Cur-SLN-FL group during the same period （P＜0.05）， and the drug concentrations in liver and kidney tissues were also lower than those of the Cur-SLN-FL group during the same period （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS PEG-Cur-FL is prepared successfully； the inhalable micropowder has good inhalability and release performance； after administration through the trachea， the effective concentration of Cur in lung tissue can be increased， while reducing its plasma drug concentration and drug distribution concentration in non-target organs.

The circadian clock plays a critical role in regulating various physiological processes, including gene expression, metabolic regulation, immune response, and the sleep-wake cycle in living organisms. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are crucial regulatory mechanisms to maintain the precise oscillation of the circadian clock. By modulating the stability, activity, cell localization and protein-protein interactions of core clock proteins, PTMs enable these proteins to respond dynamically to environmental and intracellular changes, thereby sustaining the periodic oscillations of the circadian clock. Different types of PTMs exert their effects through distincting molecular mechanisms, collectively ensuring the proper function of the circadian system. This review systematically summarized several major types of PTMs, including phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, SUMOylation and oxidative modification, and overviewed their roles in regulating the core clock proteins and the associated pathways, with the goals of providing a theoretical foundation for the deeper understanding of clock mechanisms and the treatment of diseases associated with circadian disruption.
Protein Processing, Post-Translational/physiology* ; Circadian Rhythm/physiology* ; Humans ; Animals ; CLOCK Proteins/physiology* ; Circadian Clocks/physiology* ; Phosphorylation ; Acetylation ; Ubiquitination ; Sumoylation

OBJECTIVE: To detect and analyze the expression and clinical significance of long non-coding RNA tyrosine kinase non-catalytic region adaptor protein 1-antisense RNA1 (NCK1-AS1) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: 89 AML patients and 23 healthy controls were included from the People's Hospital Affiliated to Jiangsu University. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression levels of NCK1-AS1 and NCK1 in bone marrow samples. The relationship between the expression of NCK1-AS1 and the clinical characteristics of patients were analyzed, as well as the correlation between NCK1-AS1 and NCK1. RESULTS: The expression level of NCK1-AS1 in all AML, non-M3 AML and cytogenetically normal AML (CN-AML) patients was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). In non-M3 AML, patients with high NCK1-AS1 expression had a significantly lower hemoglobin level than those with low NCK1-AS1 expression (P =0.036), furthermore, NCK1-AS1 ^high patients had shorter overall survival than NCK1-AS1^low patients (P =0.0378). Multivariate analysis showed that NCK1-AS1 expression was an independent adverse factor in patients with non-M3 AML ( HR =2.392, 95% CI :1.089-5.255, P =0.030). In addition, NCK1 expression was also significantly upregulated in all AML, non-M3 AML and CN-AML patients compared with controls (P < 0.01, P < 0.01, P < 0.001, respectively). There was a certain correlation between NCK1-AS1 and NCK1 expression (r =0.37, P =0.0058). CONCLUSION High expression of NCK1-AS1 in AML indicates poor prognosis of AML patients.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics* ; RNA, Long Noncoding/genetics* ; Oncogene Proteins/genetics* ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics* ; Prognosis ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Clinical Relevance

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality based on the 10-year population-based multicenter prospective study. METHODS: A general population-based multicenter prospective study was conducted at four sites in rural China between 2013 and 2023. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models and restricted cubic spline analyses were used to assess the association between BMI and mortality. Stratified analyses were performed based on the individual characteristics of the participants. RESULTS: Overall, 19,107 participants with a sum of 163,095 person-years were included and 1,910 participants died. The underweight (< 18.5 kg/m ²) presented an increase in all-cause mortality (adjusted hazards ratio [ aHR] = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [ CI]: 1.66-2.41), while overweight (≥ 24.0 to < 28.0 kg/m ²) and obesity (≥ 28.0 kg/m ²) presented a decrease with an aHR of 0.61 (95% CI: 0.52-0.73) and 0.51 (95% CI: 0.37-0.70), respectively. Overweight ( aHR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.67-0.86) and mild obesity ( aHR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.59-0.87) had a positive impact on mortality in people older than 60 years. All-cause mortality decreased rapidly until reaching a BMI of 25.7 kg/m ² ( aHR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) and increased slightly above that value, indicating a U-shaped association. The beneficial impact of being overweight on mortality was robust in most subgroups and sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION This study provides additional evidence that overweight and mild obesity may be inversely related to the risk of death in individuals older than 60 years. Therefore, it is essential to consider age differences when formulating health and weight management strategies.
Humans ; Body Mass Index ; China/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data* ; Aged ; Follow-Up Studies ; Adult ; Mortality ; Cause of Death ; Obesity/mortality* ; Overweight/mortality*

The incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) continues to rise, and there are no effective drugs to treat it. The immune microenvironment plays an important role in the development of ICC and is currently a research hotspot. Icaritin (ICA) is an innovative traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. It is considered to have potential immunoregulatory and anti-tumor effects, which is potentially consistent with the understanding of "Fuzheng" in the treatment of tumor in traditional Chinese medicine. However, whether ICA can be used to treat ICC has not been reported. Therefore, in this study, sgp19/kRas, an in situ ICC mouse model with intact immune system, was selected to evaluate the efficacy of ICA in the treatment of ICC in vivo for the first time, and the effects of ICA on the tumor immune microenvironment of ICC mice were analyzed by flow cytometry. This experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Capital Medical University (approval number: AEEI-2023-138). In this study, sgp19/kRas ICC mouse model was treated with oral gavage of 100 mg·kg^-1 ICA. We found that ICA significantly inhibited tumor growth and tumor cell proliferation in the sgp19/kRas ICC mouse model after 3 weeks of treatment. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that ICA treatment markedly reduced the proportion of M2 macrophages and increased the number of CD3⁺CD4⁺ T cells. In vitro experiments demonstrated that ICA promoted macrophage polarization towards the M1 phenotype while inhibiting polarization towards the M2 phenotype. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis suggested that ICA enhanced Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) expression, influencing macrophage nitric oxide metabolism synthesis pathways and receptor-related activities, thereby regulating macrophage polarization. In summary, this study demonstrates that ICA treatment significantly delays tumor progression in sgp19/kRas ICC mouse models. Mechanistically, ICA may achieve its anti-ICC effects by upregulating TLR9 receptor expression levels, promoting macrophage polarization towards the M1 phenotype, and altering the tumor immune microenvironment.

The phenomenon of bacterial drug resistance is becoming more and more serious. Natural products, as an important resource for drug discovery, can play a role by regulating protein post-translational modifications related to bacterial infection and inflammatory responses. This provides a valuable compound library for the research and development of new antibacterial drugs. In this present research, dioscin and diosgenin were isolated and identified from Dioscorea nipponica Rhizoma, which both exhibited antibacterial activities, with stronger inhibitory on Gram-positive bacteria (G⁺) than Gram-negative bacteria (G^-). Compared these two compounds, diosgenin showed stronger antibacterial activity than dioscin. In vivo experiments confirmed that diosgenin provided better protection against MRSA-induced sepsis in mice compared to dioscin, which could significantly improve survival rates, reduce bacterial colony counts in infected organs, alleviate pathological damage, and decrease inflammatory cytokine levels in mice. The in vivo study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the PLA Air Force Military Medical University (Grant No. 20230188). Network pharmacology results also revealed that diosgenin could target inflammatory pathways, exerting dual antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities during bacterial infection therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the combination of chemotherapy with staged Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) therapy could enhance health-related quality of life (QoL) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and prolong the time before deterioration of lung cancer symptoms, in comparison to chemotherapy alone. METHODS: A prospective, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial was conducted from December 14, 2017 to August 28, 2020. A total of 180 patients with stage I B-IIIA NSCLC from 5 hospitals in Shanghai were randomly divided into chemotherapy combined with CHM (chemo+CHM) group (120 cases) or chemotherapy combined with placebo (chemo+placebo) group (60 cases) using stratified blocking randomization. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality-of-Life-Core 30 Scale (QLQ-C30) was used to evaluate the patient-reported outcomes (PROs) during postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed in the safety analysis. RESULTS: Out of the total 180 patients, 173 patients (116 in the chemo+CHM group and 57 in the chemo+placebo group) were included in the PRO analyses. The initial mean QLQ-C30 Global Health Status (GHS)/QoL scores at baseline were 57.16 ± 1.64 and 57.67 ± 2.25 for the two respective groups (P>0.05). Compared with baseline, the chemo+CHM group had an improvement in EORTC QLQ-C30 GHS/QoL score at week 18 [least squares mean (LSM) change 17.83, 95% confidence interval (CI) 14.29 to 21.38]. Conversely, the chemo+placebo group had a decrease in the score (LSM change -13.67, 95% CI -22.70 to -4.63). A significant between-group difference in the LSM GHS/QoL score was observed, amounting to 31.63 points (95% CI 25.61 to 37.64, P<0.001). The similar trends were observed in physical functioning, fatigue and appetite loss. At week 18, patients in the chemo+CHM group had a higher proportion of improvement or stabilization in GHS/QoL functional and symptom scores compared to chemo+placebo group (P<0.001). The median time to deterioration was longer in the chemo+CHM group for GHS/QoL score [hazard ratio (HR)=0.33, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.48, P<0.0010], physical functioning (HR=0.43, 95% CI 0.25 to 0.75, P=0.0005), fatigue (HR=0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.72, P<0.0001) and appetite loss (HR=0.65, 95% CI 0.42 to 1.00, P=0.0215). The incidence of AEs was lower in the chemo+CHM group than in the chemo+placebo group (9.83% vs. 15.79%, P=0.52). CONCLUSION The staged CHM therapy could help improve the PROs of postoperative patients with early-stage NSCLC during adjuvant chemotherapy, which is worthy of further clinical research. (Registry No. NCT03372694).
Humans ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/surgery* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms/pathology* ; Double-Blind Method ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Patient Reported Outcome Measures ; Quality of Life ; Aged ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies

This study explores the effect of total flavonoids of Rhododendra simsii(TFR) on middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)-induced cerebral injury in rats and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) injury in PC12 cells and the underlying mechanism. The MCAO method was used to induce focal ischemic cerebral injury in rats. Male SD rats were randomized into sham group, model group, and TFR group. After MCAO, TFR(60 mg·kg~(-1)) was administered for 3 days. The content of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α), interleukin-1(IL-1), and interleukin-6(IL-6) in serum was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). The pathological changes of brain tissue and cerebral infarction were observed based on hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining and 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride(TTC) staining. RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein levels of calcium release-activated calcium channel modulator 1(ORAI1), stromal interaction molecule 1(STIM1), stromal intera-ction molecule 2(STIM2), protein kinase B(PKB), and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase 3(caspase-3) in brain tissues. The OGD/R method was employed to induce injury in PC12 cells. Cells were randomized into the normal group, model group, gene silencing group, TFR(30 μg·mL~(-1)) group, and TFR(30 μg·mL~(-1))+gene overexpression plasmid group. Intracellular Ca~(2+) concentration and apoptosis rate of PC12 cells were measured by laser scanning confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. The effect of STIM-ORAI-regulated store-operated calcium entry(SOCE) pathway on TFR was explored based on gene silencing and gene overexpression techniques. The results showed that TFR significantly alleviated the histopathological damage of brains in MCAO rats after 3 days of admini-stration, reduced the contents of TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6 in the serum, down-regulated the expression of ORAI1, STIM1, STIM2, and caspase-3 genes, and up-regulated the expression of PKB gene in brain tissues of MCAO rats. TFR significantly decreased OGD/R induced Ca~(2+) overload and apoptosis in PC12 cells. However, it induced TFR-like effect by ORAI1, STIM1 and STIM2 genes silencing. However, overexpression of these genes significantly blocked the effect of TFR in reducing Ca~(2+) overload and apoptosis in PC12 cells. In summary, in the early stage of focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and OGD/R-induced injury in PC12 cells TFR attenuates ischemic brain injury by inhibiting the STIM-ORAI-regulated SOCE pathway and reducing Ca~(2+) overload and inflammatory factor expression, and apoptosis.
Animals ; Male ; Rats ; Apoptosis ; Brain Ischemia/metabolism* ; Caspase 3 ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukin-6 ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury/metabolism* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Flavonoids/pharmacology* ; Rhododendron/chemistry*

OBJECTIVE To study the tissue distribution characteristics of curcumin solid lipid nanoparticles （Cur-SLN） in rats. METHODS Cur-SLN was prepared with microemulsion. SD rats were randomly divided into Cur raw material group and Cur- SLN group， with 45 rats in each group. The rats of two groups were injected with the corresponding drugs （by Cur， 25 mg/kg） by single intravenous injection. The heart， lung， kidney and liver tisse were separated at 0.25， 0.5， 1， 2， 4， 6， 8， 12 and 24 h after administration. The contents of Cur in different tissues were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography method. Their tissue distribution was analyzed. RESULTS The linear range of detected mass concentration of Cur in heart， lung， kidney and liver tissues were 0.064 75-129.50， 0.064 75-64.75， 0.064 75-129.50， 0.064 75-129.50 μg/mL， respectively （all r＞0.99）. The lower limits of quantitation were all 0.064 75 μg/mL， and the limit of detection were all 0.012 95 μg/mL. The intra-day and inter-day precision， accuracy and extraction recovery were in line with the requirements of quantitative analysis. Compared with Cur raw material group， the contents of Cur in heart， kidney， lung （at each time point of 0.25-24 h） and liver tissue （at each time point of 0.25-1 h， 12-24 h） of samples were significantly increased in the Cur-SLN group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， while the contents of Cur in liver tissue （at each time point of 2-8 h） were significantly decreased （P＜0.01）. CONCLUSIONS After Cur was prepared into solid lipid nanoparticles， its distribution in heart， kidney and lung tissues is increased.

Objective: To summarize the pathological diagnosis, clinical features, treatment methods and outcomes of pediatric-type follicular lymphoma (PTFL). Methods: Clinical data including the pathology, clinical features, treatment methods, and follow-up results of 9 PTFL patients admitted to Henan Cancer Hospital from February 2017 to February 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The age of onset in 9 children was 6 to 18 years, all the patients were males. The clinical manifestation was local painless lymph node enlargement in the head and neck, with a stage of Ⅰ-Ⅱ. The histomorphological characteristics of PTFL were similar to those of classic follicular lymphoma (FL). The germinal center of most follicles were enlarged, the mantle zone disappeared, centroblasts were easily visible, and the histological grade were mostly grade Ⅲ, which may be accompanied by the "starry sky" phenomenon. Monoclonal peaks can be seen in B cell clonal rearrangements (BCR). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) showed CD20 positive, CD10 positive, Bcl-6 positive, Bcl-2 negative, C-myc negative, and Ki-67 was 70%-95%. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test was negative for t (14, 18), Bcl-2 translocation, and C-myc translocation. Six cases underwent surgical resection, and 3 cases underwent surgical resection combined with chemotherapy. Up to February 2023, with a follow-up time of 45 to 72 months, all children survived without any recurrence and were in a complete remission state. Conclusions: PTFL is mainly characterized by adolescent male onset, with early clinical manifestations and pathological manifestations of high-level histological status, high proliferation index, and lack of t (14; 18)/Bcl-2 translocation and Bcl-2 expression. It is mainly treated by localized surgical excision and has a good prognosis.
Child ; Adolescent ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Lymphoma, Follicular/pathology* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell/pathology* ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Retrospective Studies ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics*