Objective To construct methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG) modified gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) loaded with doxorubicin (DOX) AuNPs-mPEG@DOX in order to reduce the toxicity and side effects of DOX. Methods AuNPs-mPEG@DOX was prepared and characterized by Z-Average, Zeta potential and UV-Vis spectroscopy. The impact of thiol-linked DOX (HS-DOX) at various dosage concentrations on the drug adsorption rate and drug loading of AuNPs-mPEG@DOX was investigated. Furthermore, a HPLC method was developed to accurately determine the content of unadsorbed HS-DOX in AuNPs-mPEG@DOX. The specificity, linearity, precision, stability and average recovery of this method were thoroughly investigated. The cytotoxic effect of AuNPs-mPEG@DOX on MCF-10A and MCF-7 cells was evaluated using a CCK-8 assay. Results AuNPs-mPEG@DOX was successfully prepared with Z-Average of (46.12±0.49) nm, Zeta potential of (18.60±1.51) nm and the maximum absorption wavelength of 530 nm. An efficient HPLC method for the detection of unadsorbed HS-DOX in AuNPs-mPEG@DOX was devised. The optimal dosage concentration of HS-DOX for AuNPs-mPEG@DOX was determined to be 11.18 μg/ml, resulting in a drug adsorption rate of (9.21±2.88)% and a drug loading rate of (2.01±0.62)%. Cytotoxicity experiments demonstrated that AuNPs-mPEG@DOX significantly reduced the toxic and side effects of DOX on normal breast cells. Additionally, AuNPs-mPEG@DOX and free DOX exhibited comparable cytotoxic effects on breast tumor cells when DOX concentration was equal to or greater than 4.75 μmol/L. Conclusion AuNPs-mPEG@DOX effectively reduce the toxicity of DOX, providing a reference for future research on reducing the toxicity of AuNPs-linked drugs.

Objective: To investigate the changes of microorganisms and metabolites in joint effusion of patients with Rheumatoid arthritis(RA), Osteoarthritis(OA) and Urarthritis(UA). To provide new ideas for the study of the effect of microbiota on the pathogenesis of arthritis. Methods: Joint effusion samples were collected from 20 patients with RA, 20 patients with OA, and 20 patients with UA. 16S rRNA gene sequencing and untargeted ultra-high performance Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) were used to explore the differences in microorganisms and metabolites among the three groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to detect the correlation between effusion microbiota and metabolites. Results: There were differences in microbial diversity and microbiota composition among the three groups. Combined with VIP>1 from OPLS-DA andP<0.05 from two-tailed Students t-test, 45 differential metabolites(Between RA and OA groups), 38 differential metabolites(Between UA and OA groups) and 16 differential metabolites(Between RA and UA groups), were identified. GO analysis and KEGG pathway analysis showed that the differential metabolic pathways among the three groups were mainly concentrated in citric acid cycle(TCA cycle), nucleotide metabolism, amino acid metabolism and glycolysis pathway. Correlation analysis of joint effusion microbiota and metabolites suggested that bacteria enriched in the three groups of joint effusion, such asPrevotella,Clostridium ruminosus,Prevotellaceae＿UCG-001, were related to many key metabolites such as lysozyme, uric acid, glucose, and L-glutamine. Conclusion This study shows that there are a variety of bacterial flora in joint cavity effusion of RA, OA, and UA patients, and the differential metabolites produced by them are involved in the pathogenesis of the three types of arthritis by affecting a variety of metabolic pathways.

Objective To investigate effect of salidroside on the function and activation of rheumatoid arthritis fi-broblast-like synoviocyte (HFLS-RA) by regulating the miR-20 a-5 p/tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-2 (TIMP2) axis.Methods HFLS-RA cells were used as the research object.HFLS-RA cells were separated into control group, tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) group, salidroside group, inhibitor NC group, miR-20a-5p inhibi-tor group, salidroside+mimic NC group, and salidroside+miR-20a-5p mimic group.qRT-PCR was applied to de-tect the expression of miR-20a-5p in HFLS-RA cells;enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was applied to detect the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in the supernatant of HFLS-RA cells; cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) method and 5-ethynyl-2 '-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining were applied to detect HFLS-RA cell prolifera-tion;scratch experiment was applied to detect HFLS-RA cell migration;Western blot was applied to detect the ex-pression of TIMP2, CyclinD1, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 proteins in HFLS-RA cells;double lucifer-ase was applied to verify the relationship between miR-20a-5p and TIMP2.Results Compared with the control group, the expression of miR-20a-5p, the levels of IL-1β and IL-6, OD450 value, EdU positive cell rate, scratch healing rate, and the expression of CyclinD1 and MMP-9 proteins in the TNF-α group increased, the expression of TIMP2 protein decreased (P<0.05);compared with the TNF-α group, the expression of miR-20a-5p, the levels of IL-1β and IL-6, OD450 value, EdU positive cell rate, scratch healing rate, and CyclinD1 and MMP-9 proteins expression decreased, the expression of TIMP2 protein increased in salidroside group (P<0.05); compared with the TNF-α group and inhibitor NC group, the expression of miR-20a-5p, the levels of IL-1β and IL-6, OD450 val-ue, EdU positive cell rate, scratch healing rate, and the expression of CyclinD1 and MMP-9 proteins in the miR-20a-5p inhibitor group decreased, the expression of TIMP2 protein increased (P<0.05);compared with the sali-droside group and the salidroside+mimic NC group, the expression of miR-20a-5p, the levels of IL-1β and IL-6, OD450 value, EdU positive cell rate, scratch healing rate, and the expression of CyclinD1 and MMP-9 proteins in the salidroside+miR-20a-5p mimic group increased, the expression of TIMP2 protein decreased (P <0.05).There was a targeted regulatory relationship between miR-20a-5p and TIMP2.Conclusion Salidroside may inhibit TNF-α-induced HFLS-RA cell proliferation, migration and inflammatory response by regulating miR-20a-5p/TIMP2 .

Objective:To explore the specific role and molecular mechanism of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) in promoting the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and radioresistance.Methods:The Gene Expression Profile Data Dynamic Analysis (GEPIA) database was used to analyze the expression differences of the Oct4 gene in different types of tumor tissues and their corresponding adjacent normal tissues. The clinical data and surgical resection tissue specimens of 196 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received surgery combined with radiotherapy at Henan Provincial Chest Hospital from January 2013 to May 2022 were collected. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of Oct4 protein in the tumor and adjacent tissues. The lentiviral packaging system was used to construct esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines that up-regulated or down-regulated Oct4. The cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the cell proliferation ability, the scratch test was used to detect the cell migration ability, and the clone formation test was used to detect the cell radiosensitivity. Immunofluorescence experiment was used to detect DNA damage level, and Western blot was used to detect the expressions of Oct4, human phosphorylated histone (γ-H2AX), E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, and zinc finger E box binding homology box 1 (ZEB1).Results:The analysis of GEPIA database showed that the expression level of Oct4 mRNA in esophageal carcinoma was higher than that in paracancerous tissues. The expression level of Oct4 protein in tumor tissues was 78.35±1.42, which was higher than that in adjacent tissues (16.27±0.49). The survival time of patients with a high expression of Oct4 was significantly shorter than that of patients with a low expression of Oct4 (25.40 and 47.00 months). Compared with the control group, the proliferation ability of KYSE510 cells in the Oct4 up-regulated group was enhanced after 72-h culture, and the cell migration ability of these cells was also enhanced, with the migration rate being (41.67±1.20)% vs (23.67±1.86)% after 24-h culture. The radiosensitivity of cells in this group decreased, with the radiosensitivity enhancement ratio being 0.69±0.06 vs 1.00±0.02. After radiotherapy, the expressions of γ-H2AX and E-cadherin decreased, while the expressions of ZEB1, vimentin and N-cadherin increased. Compared with the control group, the proliferation ability of KYSE150 cells in the Oct4 down-regulated groups 1 and 2 decreased (absorbance being 2.51±0.17, 2.38±0.16, and 3.33±0.07, respectively, P＜0.01) after 72-h culture, and the migration ability also decreased, with the migration rate being (13.33±0.88)%, (13.00±1.00)%, and (40.33±2.03)%, respectively (all P＜0.001), after 24-h culture. The radiosensitivity was enhanced, with the radiosensitivity enhancement ratio being 1.34±0.11,1.24±0.07, and 1.00±0.02, respectively (all P＜0.05). After radiotherapy, the expressions of γ-H2AX and E-cadherin increased, while the expressions of ZEB1, vimentin and N-cadherin decreased. Compared with the control group, the proliferation ability of KYSE510 cells in the ZEB1 down-regulated group decreased [absorbance being 1.33±0.15 vs 1.81±0.16 ( P=0.002)] after 72-h culture. The radiosensitivity was enhanced, with the radiosensitivity enhancement ratio being 1.37±0.11 vs 1.00±0.01 ( P=0.037), and after radiotherapy the expression of γ-H2AX increased. Conclusion:Oct4 is involved in the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, which promotes the proliferation, migration, and radioresistance of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective:To explore the specific role and molecular mechanism of octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct4) in promoting the progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and radioresistance.Methods:The Gene Expression Profile Data Dynamic Analysis (GEPIA) database was used to analyze the expression differences of the Oct4 gene in different types of tumor tissues and their corresponding adjacent normal tissues. The clinical data and surgical resection tissue specimens of 196 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who received surgery combined with radiotherapy at Henan Provincial Chest Hospital from January 2013 to May 2022 were collected. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of Oct4 protein in the tumor and adjacent tissues. The lentiviral packaging system was used to construct esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines that up-regulated or down-regulated Oct4. The cell counting kit 8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the cell proliferation ability, the scratch test was used to detect the cell migration ability, and the clone formation test was used to detect the cell radiosensitivity. Immunofluorescence experiment was used to detect DNA damage level, and Western blot was used to detect the expressions of Oct4, human phosphorylated histone (γ-H2AX), E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, and zinc finger E box binding homology box 1 (ZEB1).Results:The analysis of GEPIA database showed that the expression level of Oct4 mRNA in esophageal carcinoma was higher than that in paracancerous tissues. The expression level of Oct4 protein in tumor tissues was 78.35±1.42, which was higher than that in adjacent tissues (16.27±0.49). The survival time of patients with a high expression of Oct4 was significantly shorter than that of patients with a low expression of Oct4 (25.40 and 47.00 months). Compared with the control group, the proliferation ability of KYSE510 cells in the Oct4 up-regulated group was enhanced after 72-h culture, and the cell migration ability of these cells was also enhanced, with the migration rate being (41.67±1.20)% vs (23.67±1.86)% after 24-h culture. The radiosensitivity of cells in this group decreased, with the radiosensitivity enhancement ratio being 0.69±0.06 vs 1.00±0.02. After radiotherapy, the expressions of γ-H2AX and E-cadherin decreased, while the expressions of ZEB1, vimentin and N-cadherin increased. Compared with the control group, the proliferation ability of KYSE150 cells in the Oct4 down-regulated groups 1 and 2 decreased (absorbance being 2.51±0.17, 2.38±0.16, and 3.33±0.07, respectively, P＜0.01) after 72-h culture, and the migration ability also decreased, with the migration rate being (13.33±0.88)%, (13.00±1.00)%, and (40.33±2.03)%, respectively (all P＜0.001), after 24-h culture. The radiosensitivity was enhanced, with the radiosensitivity enhancement ratio being 1.34±0.11,1.24±0.07, and 1.00±0.02, respectively (all P＜0.05). After radiotherapy, the expressions of γ-H2AX and E-cadherin increased, while the expressions of ZEB1, vimentin and N-cadherin decreased. Compared with the control group, the proliferation ability of KYSE510 cells in the ZEB1 down-regulated group decreased [absorbance being 1.33±0.15 vs 1.81±0.16 ( P=0.002)] after 72-h culture. The radiosensitivity was enhanced, with the radiosensitivity enhancement ratio being 1.37±0.11 vs 1.00±0.01 ( P=0.037), and after radiotherapy the expression of γ-H2AX increased. Conclusion:Oct4 is involved in the regulation of epithelial-mesenchymal transformation of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, which promotes the proliferation, migration, and radioresistance of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective To establish a detection method for the determination of tetrodotoxin (TTX) in sustained-release microspheres. Methods The HPLC separation of tetrodotoxin was performed on an Agilent ZORBAX SB-C₁₈ column (4.6mm×150mm,5 μm) with acetonitrile, 8mmol/L sodium heptane sulfonate containing 0.005% TFA (5:95) (pH 4.0) as the mobile phase. The flow rate was 1.0 ml/min. The UV detection wavelength was 200 nm and the column temperature was 30 °C. Results The method had good specificity and linearity of TTX in the concentration range of 1−20 μg/ml. The intra-day precision, inter-day precision, stability and repeatability of the method were good, and the average recoveries were found between 98.0% and 102.0%. Conclusion This study established an HPLC method which was suitable for the determination of tetrodotoxin sustained-release microspheres. The method is accurate and reliable within the applicable range, with strong specificity, which could lead to quantitative detection.

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a neurotoxin found in puffer fish and other marine organisms. It has been used as an inhibitor of voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs), which could selectively bind to the α-subunit on the outer vestibule of VGSCs, preventing sodium ions from entering the channel, resulting in pharmacological activities. As a typical sodium channel blocker, TTX shows a significant analgesic effect. TTX could selectively block Na⁺ channels without affecting other ion channels, therefore it could reduce the probability of adverse reactions caused by commonly used antiarrhythmic drugs. In addition, TTX has a significant role in detoxification and prevention of renal failure, so TTX has great potential as a medicine. The structure and physicochemical properties, mechanism of action, pharmacological activities and preparations of tetrodotoxin have been reviewed in this paper, so as to provide a general support for the evaluation of its druggability and application in the field of pharmacy.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), one of the dominating constituents of tumor microenvironment, are important contributors to cancer progression and treatment resistance. Therefore, regulation of TAMs polarization from M2 phenotype towards M1 phenotype has emerged as a new strategy for tumor immunotherapy. Herein, we successfully initiated antitumor immunotherapy by inhibiting TAMs M2 polarization via autophagy intervention with polyethylene glycol-conjugated gold nanoparticles (PEG-AuNPs). PEG-AuNPs suppressed TAMs M2 polarization in both in vitro and in vivo models, elicited antitumor immunotherapy and inhibited subcutaneous tumor growth in mice. As demonstrated by the mRFP-GFP-LC3 assay and analyzing the autophagy-related proteins (LC3, beclin1 and P62), PEG-AuNPs induced autophagic flux inhibition in TAMs, which is attributed to the PEG-AuNPs induced lysosome alkalization and membrane permeabilization. Besides, TAMs were prone to polarize towards M2 phenotype following autophagy activation, whereas inhibition of autophagic flux could reduce the M2 polarization of TAMs. Our results revealed a mechanism underlying PEG-AuNPs induced antitumor immunotherapy, where PEG-AuNPs reduce TAMs M2 polarization via induction of lysosome dysfunction and autophagic flux inhibition. This study elucidated the biological effects of nanomaterials on TAMs polarization and provided insight into harnessing the intrinsic immunomodulation capacity of nanomaterials for effective cancer treatment.

Objective:To investigate the clinical value of Rotarex ? S in debulking the femoropopliteal calcified lesion. Methods:The data of 5 patients with femoropopliteal calcified lesions treated with Rotarex ? S combined with drug balloon treatment admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University from March 2020 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The success rate and complications of all operations were recorded. CT software was used to compare the effective lumen area of the target lesion area before and after surgery in all cases, and the ischemic grade of the affected limb before and after surgery was recorded in all patients. Results:All 5 femoropopliteal calcified lesions were successfully treated with Rotarex ? S debulking followed with drug-coated balloon angioplasty without flow-limited dissections, vascular perforation and distal embolizations, with a success rate of 100%. The effective lumen area for calcified lesions were increased 9-15.11 mm 2 (median: 13 mm 2). The Rutherford classifications were improved from R 2-4 to R 1-2. Conclusions:Femoropopliteal calcified lesion debulking with Rotarex ? S was safe and effective.

Nanomaterials, with the advantages of unique microstructure, have been widely used in the fields of material manufacturing, microelectronics and computer technology, medicine and health, environment and energy. Compared with traditional hemostatic materials, nanomaterials can improve the bioavailability and stability of traditional hemostatic drugs to a certain extent, enhance the controlled and targeted release of drugs, which lay a good foundation for the development of new-style modern hemostatic nanomaterials. This paper reviews the advanced design and application progress of various nanomaterials in hemostasis, such as liposomes, nanoparticles, self-assembled nano peptides, nanofibers, etc. Finally, the challenges and prospects of hemostatic nanomaterials are briefly described.