Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disorder with complex etiologies, manifests through a cascade of pathological changes before clinical symptoms become apparent. Among these early changes, alterations in the expression of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have emerged as pivotal events. In this study, we focused on the aberrant expression of ncRNAs and revealed that Lamr1-ps1, a pseudogene of the laminin receptor, significantly exacerbates early spatial learning and memory deficits in APP/PS1 mice. Through a combination of bioinformatics prediction and experimental validation, we identified the miR-29c/Bace1 pathway as a potential regulatory mechanism by which Lamr1-ps1 influences AD pathology. Importantly, augmenting the miR-29c-3p levels in mice ameliorated memory deficits, underscoring the therapeutic potential of targeting miR-29c-3p in early AD intervention. This study not only provides new insights into the role of pseudogenes in AD but also consolidates a foundational basis for considering miR-29c as a viable therapeutic target, offering a novel avenue for AD research and treatment strategies.
Animals ; Alzheimer Disease/pathology* ; Pseudogenes/genetics* ; Mice ; Memory Disorders/metabolism* ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Spatial Learning/physiology* ; Mice, Transgenic ; Presenilin-1/genetics* ; Male ; Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases/metabolism*

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a nomogram model for predicting 30-day mortality among elderly patients with sepsis-associated liver dysfunction (SALD), to identify high-risk patients and improve prognosis. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care-IV (MIMIC-IV) database for elderly patients with SALD who were first admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center between 2008 and 2019, including basic characteristics, severity scores, underlying diseases, infection foci, 24-hour vital signs, initial laboratory indicators, 24-hour complications, and prognosis related indicators. Patients were randomly assigned to training group and validation group in a ratio of 7 : 3. The training group used the LASSO regression analysis, as well as multivariate Logistic regression analysis to screen for independent risk factors for 30-day mortality. A nomogram prediction model was constructed, and receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used to evaluate the model, and validate the model using the validation cohort. RESULTS: A total of 630 elderly patients with SLAD were included in the study, including 441 in the training group and 189 in the validation group. Oxford acute severity of illness score (OASIS) for training group [odds ratio (OR) = 1.060, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was 1.034-1.086], 24-hour pulse oxygen saturation (SpO₂; OR = 0.876, 95%CI was 0.797-0.962), initial mean corpuscular volume (MCV; OR = 1.043, 95%CI was 1.009-1.077), initial red blood cell distribution width (RDW; OR = 1.237, 95%CI was 1.123-1.362), initial blood glucose (OR = 1.008, 95%CI was 1.004-1.013), and initial aspartate aminotransferase (AST; OR = 1.000, 95%CI was 1.000-1.001) were independent risk factors for 30-day mortality in patients (all P < 0.05). Based on the above variables, a nomogram model was constructed, and the ROC curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of the model in the training group was 0.757 (95%CI was 0.712-0.803), with a sensitivity of 65.05% and a specificity of 74.90%; the AUC of the model in the validation group was 0.712 (95%CI was 0.631-0.792), with a sensitivity of 58.67% and a specificity of 81.58%. The calibration curves of the training and validation groups show that both the fitted curves were close to the standard curves. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test: the training group (χ ² = 6.729, P = 0.566), the validation group (χ ² = 13.889, P = 0.085), indicating that the model can fit the observed data well. The DCA curve shows that when the threshold probability of the training group was 16% to 94% and the threshold probability of the validation group was 27% to 99%, the net benefit of the model was good. CONCLUSIONS OASIS, 24-hour SpO₂, initial MCV, initial RDW, initial blood glucose and initial AST are independent risk factors for 30-day mortality in elderly patients with SALD. The nomogram based on these six variables demonstrates good predictive performance.
Humans ; Sepsis/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; Nomograms ; Aged ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Liver Diseases/mortality* ; Intensive Care Units ; ROC Curve ; Male ; Female ; Logistic Models

Objective To explore the impact of Shexiang Baoxin Pill(SXBXP,a traditional Chinese patent medicine,broadly applied for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases)on coronary microvascular disease(CMD)and investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of muscone,a key bioactive component of the pills,in the treatment.Methods A total of 16 ob/ob mice(8 weeks old)were randomly and equally divided into an ob/ob-SXBXP group and a ob/ob-Control group,receiving 10 mg/kg·d SXBXP or PBS via oral gavage,and another 8 wild-type mice with the same genetic background(WT group)were subjected as a negative control group.Cell model of CMD was established based on mouse coronary microvascular endothelial cells(MCMEC)under ischemia and hypoxic(HI)condition,and the cells were further treated with 20 μg/mL SXBXP(HI+SX)and 30 μmol/L muscone(HI+Muscone),respectively.Echocardiography was carried out for coronary flow reserve(CFR)and left ventricular function,and laser speckle imaging was applied to evaluate myocardial blood flow(MBF).Microvascular density in the heart was evaluated with CD31 immunofluorescence staining.The expression levels of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells of both mouse and cell models were detected by immunofluorescence staining and Western blot analysis.The proliferation and angiogenesis of MCMEC were observed by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine staining and angiogenesis experiments.Results In the ob/ob-Control group of mice,the levels of CFR,MBF,and cardiac microvascular density were significantly lower than those in the WT group(P<0.05),and these indicators were significantly improved in the ob/ob-SXBXP group when compared with the ob/ob-Control group(P<0.05),which indicates that SXBXP improves the CMD phenotype.The expression level of VEGF in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells was significantly lower in the ob/ob-Control mice than the WT mice(P<0.05),while the level in the ob/ob-SXBXP group was significantly higher than that in the ob/ob-Control group(P<0.05),illustrating that SXBXP may ameliorate CMD through VEGF-mediated microvascular angiogenesis.In vitro experiments further revealed that the VEGF expression level and the proliferation and angiogenesis abilities in MCMEC were significantly lower in the HI group than the cells under the normoxia control condition(P<0.05).Both SXBXP and muscone treatment resulted in enhanced expression of VEGF and improved proliferative and angiogenesis abilities of MCMEC(P<0.05).These results suggest that muscone could improve CMD by VEGF-mediated microvascular angiogenesis.Conclusion SXBXP can improve CMD.Muscone,as a key component of SXBXP,promotes microvascular angiogenesis by inducing the expression of VEGF,then enhances myocardial perfusion,and consequently alleviates CMD.

Objective : To construct a humanized mouse model of the interleukin-9 receptor(IL-9R) coding DNA sequence(CDS) gene and to verify the genotype and IL-9R expression in mice. Methods : The CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology was used to replace the exon 2-7 fragment of the il-9r gene in mouse embryonic stem cells with the corresponding human IL-9R sequence. After verifying the completion of the gene fragment replacement, tetraploid embryos were constructed and microinjected back into the oviducts of surrogate mice. Through surrogacy by female mice, homozygous humanized mice were obtained. DNA was extracted from the homozygous humanized mice IL-9R CDS gene, and their genotypes were identified by agarose gel electrophoresis after PCR amplification. Western blot was used to detect the expression of IL-9R in the spleen and thymus of homozygous humanized mice with either wild-type(WT) or IL-9R gene humanization. Results : Gel electrophoresis after PCR amplification showed that mice with only a 1 805 bp band amplified using WT primers were wild-type, while mice with 2 553 bp and 2 340 bp bands amplified using 5KI and 3KI primers, respectively, were homozygous humanized mice with IL-9R CDS gene. Western blot results indicated that the tissues of homozygous humanized mice model with IL-9R CDS gene expressed IL-9R significantly. Conclusion The humanized mouse model with IL-9R CDS gene has been successfully constructed and characterized.

ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of different diagnostic criteria on the short-term prognosis of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure （ACLF）. MethodsA total of 115 ACLF patients who were hospitalized in Department of Gastroenterology， The Second Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University， from January 2018 to January 2022 were enrolled， and all patients received internal medical treatment combined with artificial liver therapy. According to the guidelines， the patients were divided into CMA guideline group （Diagnostic and treatment guidelines for liver failure by Chinese Medical Association）（n=100）， APASL guideline group （Consensus statements of Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver）（n=94）， and EASL guideline group （Criteria proposed by European Association for the Study of the Liver）（n=36）. The above three guidelines were compared in terms of 90-day mortality rate. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comprision of continuous date between groups； the chi-square test was used for comprision of categorical date between groups. The receiver operating characteristic （ROC） curve of related variables. ResultsThe 90-day mortality rate was 50.0% in the CMA guideline group， 51.1% in the APASL guideline group， and 77.8% in the EASL guideline group， and the EASL guideline group had a significantly higher 90-day mortality rate than the CMA guideline group （χ²=8.351， P=0.004） and the APASL guideline group （χ²=7.650， P=0.006）. EASL guideline had a sensitivity of 22.2% and a specificity of 92.3% in predicting the risk of short-term mortality， with an area under the ROC curve was 0.576. ConclusionACLF patients who meet EASL guideline tend to have a worse short-term prognosis， and this guideline may help to identify patients at a relatively high risk of short-term death.

Objective:To explore the effects of embodied emotion priming on attentional bias of individuals with depression tendency.Methods:From June to December 2018, a total of 91 college students with depression tendency were recruited to participate in the experiment.A 3(embodied emotion priming: positive priming, negative priming and no priming) × 2 (emotional face: happy and sad) mixed design was adopted to measure the attentional bias of individuals with depression tendency using the dot probe paradigm. SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used for repeated measurement analysis of variance.Results:In terms of attentional bias, the interaction effect between embodied emotion priming types and emotional faces was significant ( F(2, 88)=5.97, P=0.004, ηp2=0.119). Further simple effect analysis showed that, under the happy-face condition, participants' attentional bias reaction time(△RT) was significantly higher when primed with embodied positive emotion than those primed with embodied negative emotion((14.30±18.23)ms, (-6.53±38.17)ms, P<0.05). The participants' attentional bias △RT was significantly lower when primed with embodied negative emotion than participants with no priming ((-6.53±38.17)ms, (9.16±30.62)ms, P<0.05). Under the sad-face condition, the participants' attentional bias △RT was significantly higher when primed with embodied negative emotion((28.22±35.33)ms) than participants primed with embodied positive emotion((11.71±29.24)ms, P<0.05) and no priming ((7.63±30.60)ms, P<0.05). Conclusion:Embodied emotion priming can affect the attentional bias of individuals with depression tendency.

Objective:To explore the oxidative stress of cerebral white matter lesion (WML) and normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) with in vivo proton exchange rate (k ex) MRI on relapse-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. Methods:Clinical and imaging data of 37 patients (case group) with RRMS patients of Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology were analyzed retrospectively from November 2018 to November 2021, including 11 males and 26 females aged 18-41 (29±7) years. Another 22 age-matched healthy volunteers (control group) were recruited for the same period, including 4 males and 18 females aged 23-44 years with a median age of 25 (24, 28.25) years. All subjects received conventional MR protocols and chemical exchange saturation transfer imaging. The manifestation of WML on the k ex map and T 1WI images were assessed while the k ex values of WML, NAWM and normal white matter (NWM) of control group were quantitatively evaluated. Student′s t test was used to compare the k ex difference of WML and NAWM in the case group, NAWM in the case group and NWM in the control group, low-signal and isosignal WML in T 1WI. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation of the k ex values of WML with patients′ expanded disability status scale (EDSS) score. Results:A total of 272 WML were found in the 37 RRMS patients, and 25.4% (69/272) were T 1-hypointense. The k ex value of WML in the case group [(932±108) s -1] was higher than that of NAWM [(771±26) s -1], and the difference was statistically significant ( t=8.95, P<0.001); the k ex value of NAWM in the case group [(771±26) s -1 ] was higher than that of NWM [(745±26) s -1] in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant ( t=3.96, P<0.001). The k ex value [(1 039±110) s -1] of WML with low signal at T 1WI was higher than that of WML with equal signal [(895±79) s -1], with a statistically significant difference ( t=9.78, P<0.001). Correlation analysis showed that the k ex value of WML in the case group was positively correlated with the EDSS score ( r=0.54, P<0.001). Conclusions:The elevated k ex values of WML and NAWM reflect the cerebral oxidative stress of RRMS patients and are positively correlated to the severity of tissue damage, which suggests the role of oxidative stress in RRMS lesion formation and brain atrophy.

OBJECTIVE To explore the difference in th e mechanis m of baicalein and wogonin inhibiting the energy metabolism of hepatoma cells. METHODS Human hepatoma HepG 2 cells were divided into blank control group （without medicine），different dose groups of baicalein and wogonin （1.25，2.5，5，10 and 20 μmol/L）. The effects of baicalein and wogonin on the viability of HepG 2 cells were detected by MTT assay. HepG 2 cells were divided into blank control group （without medicine），baicalein group and wogonin group. After administration ，the concentration of ATP in cell was detected by enhanced ATP kit. The levels of cell glycolysis and mitochondrial energy metabolism were evaluated by glycolysis and mitochondrial pressure test kit ；the affinity of baicalein and wogonin with key enzymes of energy metabolism was predicted by molecular docking ，and the key enzymes of energy metabolism with high affinity were screened ；the expression of key enzymes of energy metabolism was detected by Western blot. RESULTS Within the dose range of 2.5-20 μmol/L，the half inhibitory concentrations of baicalein and wogonin were 12.84 and 24.09 μmol/L；baicalein 1.25 μmol/L and wogonin 2.5 μmol/L had no effect on cell viability ，so it was selected as the dosage for subsequent experiments. Compared with blank control group ，the concentration of ATP in HepG 2 cells decreased significantly in baicalein group and wogonin group （P＜0.05）；the inhibitory effects on basic acidification rate of HepG 2 cells in wogonin group were significantly stronger than those of baicalein group （P＜0.05），but there was no significant difference between them on the basic oxygen consumption rate （P＞0.05）；baicalein had strong binding to pyruvate kinase M 2 and mitochondrial enzyme complexes Ⅰ（CⅠ），C Ⅱ and C Ⅳ，while wogonin only had strong binding to pyruvate kinase M 2； wogonin could significantly down-regulate the protein expressions of hexokinase ，phosphofructokinase，pyruvate kinase M 2，CⅠ， C Ⅱ and C Ⅳ（P＜0.05），but there was no statistical significance in the effect of baicalein on the regulation of these enzymes （P＞ 0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Both baicalein and wogonin can inhibit the energy metabolism of hepatoma HepG 2 cells，but the mechanism is different ：the effect of baicalein is related to the activity of key enzymes ，while the effect of wogonin is related to the inhibition of the expression of key enzymes of energy metabolism.

OBJECTIVE：To establish the method for the content de termination of 17 quality markers in Dahuang zhechong pills（DHZCP）. METHODS ：HPLC method was adopted to determine the contents of 17 quality markers in 10 batches of DHZCP ， such as allantoin ，hypoxanthine，salidroside，hydroxypaeoniflorin，glycyrrhizin，isoglycyrrhizin，baicalin，p-methoxyphenylacetic acid，wogonin，cinnamic acid ，apigenin，naringin，norwogonin，aloe emodin ，rhein，chrysin，emodin. The determination was performed on Kromasil 100-5-C18（250 mm × 4.6 mm，5 μm）column with mobile phase consisted of 0.1％ phosphoric acid solution-acetonitrile （gradient elution ） at the flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The column temperature was 30 ℃ ，the detection wavelength was 210 nm and the sample size was 20 μ L. RESULTS：The linear range of above 17 quality markers were 5.74-183.53，6.51-208.24，4.30-137.65，4.60-147.06，4.12-131.76，4.25-135.88，6.31-201.76，4.60-147.06，1.94-62.06，4.47- 142.94，0.69-22.06，2.29-73.24，2.33-74.41，1.42-45.29，6.65-212.94，1.11-35.44 and 1.47-47.06 μg/mL，respectively（all R2≥ 0.999 0）. RSDs of precision ，repeatability，stability and durability tests were all less than 2％（n＝6）；average recovery of 17 quality markers ranged from 96.31％ to 101.73％，and the RSDs were less than 3％（n＝6）. CONCLUSIONS ：The method is simple， rapid，speific，specise，reproducible，stable，accurate and durable ，and can be used for improving the quality standard of DHZCP.

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of myoglobin (Mb) for the prognosis of sepsis related chronic critical illness (CCI).Methods:Retrospective study was conducted on septic patients with the length of ICU stay equal or greater than 14 days, and sepsis-related organ failure assessment (SOFA) score equal or greater than 2 on the 14th day in ICU in the First Department of Critical Care Medicine at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2017 to March 2020. Patients′ clinical and laboratory data were collected on the 1st and 14th day in ICU. The survival on day 28 in ICU was recorded. According to the myoglobin levels on day 1 and day 14, all subjects were divided into myoglobin elevation group and decline group. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to compare the cumulative survival rate at day 28. Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the independent risk factors of mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the prognostic value of myoglobin.Results:A total of 131 patients with sepsis related CCI were recruited, including 58 patients in the elevation group and 73 in the decline group. The Mb level in elevation group on day 1 was significantly lower than that in decline group [172.40(59.99, 430.53) μg/L vs. 413.60(184.40, 1 328.50) μg/L, Z=3.749, P=0.000], and the Mb level on day 14 was the opposite change in two groups [483.65(230.38, 1 471.75)μg/L in elevation group vs. 132.20(76.86, 274.35)μg/L in decline group, Z=5.595, P=0.000]. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that the 28-day cumulative survival rate of the elevation group was significantly lower than that of decline group (χ2=7.051, P=0.008). Cox ratio regression analysis suggested that elevated myoglobin was an independent risk factor for 28-day mortality in septic patients with CCI ( OR=2.534, 95% CI 1.212-5.295, P=0.013). ROC curve analysis suggested that the sensitivity of myoglobin elevation in predicting mortality related to CCI within 28 days was 64.5%, and the specificity was 32.0% with area under the curve(AUC) 0.661(95% CI 0.550-0.773, P=0.007) and Jorden Index was 0.325. Conclusion:Elevated myoglobin, an independent risk factor for mortality within 28 days in ICU, can predict the prognosis of sepsis related chronic critical illness.