Background Arsenic, cobalt, barium, and other individual metal exposure have been confirmed to be associated with the incidence of kidney stones. However, there are few studies on the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones, especially in occupational groups. Objective To investigate the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones in an occupational population from a metal smelting plant. Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect sociodemographic characteristics, medical history, and lifestyle information of 1158 mixed metal-exposed workers in a metal smelting plant in Guangdong Province from July 2021 to January 2022. Midstream morning urine samples were collected from the workers, the concentrations of 18 metals including lithium, vanadium, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, selenium, strontium, molybdenum, cadmium, cesium, barium, tungsten, titanium, and lead were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and the urinary mercury levels were measured by cold atomic absorption spectroscopy. Based on predetermined inclusion criteria, a total of 919 mixed metal-exposed workers were included in the study, including 117 workers in the kidney stone group and 802 workers in the non-kidney stone group. With a detection rate of urinary metals greater than 80% as entry criterion, 16 eligible metals were finally included for further analysis. Parametric or non-parametric methods were used to compare the differences between continuous or categorical variables of the non-kidney stone group and the kidney stone group. Logistic regression models were constructed to explore the association between individual metal exposures and kidney stones. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression models were used to evaluate the association between mixed metal exposure and kidney stones, as well as the weights of each metal on kidney stones. Then Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to explore the overall effect of mixed metal exposure on renal calculi and the potential interactions between metals. Results We found that there were significant differences in sex, age, length of service, and body mass Index (BMI) between the non-kidney stone group and the kidney stone group (P<0.05). The urinary concentrations of molybdenum and barium in the kidney stone group were higher than those in the non-kidney stone group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). The logistic regression models demonstrated that urinary cobalt, arsenic, molybdenum, and barium were positively correlated with the risk of kidney stones (P_trend<0.05). The WQS regression models showed that the mixed exposure to vanadium, cobalt, arsenic, molybdenum, and barium was positively associated with the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05). Among them, molybdenum, arsenic, and barium accounted for 0.391, 0.337, and 0.154, respectively. The BKMR results revealed a positive association between metal mixture exposure and the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05). When other metals were fixed at the 25th, 50th, or 75th percentile, arsenic, molybdenum, cobalt, and barium exhibited significant positive effects on the risk of kidney stones (P<0.05), while vanadium showed a significant negative effect (P<0.05). The interaction analysis demonstrated interactions between barium and cobalt, as well as between vanadium and cobalt (P<0.05). Conclusion In the occupational population of this smelter, occupational mixed metal exposure could increase the risk of kidney stones, and the main metals are molybdenum, arsenic, barium, and cobalt.

Objective To investigate the potential of a two-component model combining T2 and diffusion weighted imaging(T2-DWI)in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.Methods Thirty-two prostate cancer patients and twenty prostatic hyperplasia patients underwent combined T2-DWI,with TE values set at 50 ms and 70 ms and b values at 50 s/mm2 and 800 s/mm2,respectively.This provided four measurements for each voxel.The signal fractions were calculated from the slow component(SFslow)extracted from the two-component model of T2-DWI,which was fitted with two free parameters.The results were compared with the traditional single exponential apparent diffusion coefficient(ADC)model.Results A significant difference was observed between SFslow(0.77±0.14 vs 0.35±0.10)and ADC[(0.91±0.24)μm2/ms vs(1.98±0.32)μm2/ms]in region of interest(ROI)between peripheral zone tumors and normal prostate tissue(P＜0.001).No significant difference was found between SFslow(0.75±0.13 vs 0.68±0.11)and ADC[(0.88±0.18)μm2/ms vs(0.97±0.13)μm2/ms]in ROI between non-peripheral zone tumors and prostatic hyperplasia.The area under the curve(AUC)of the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)for distinguishing tumors from prostate voxels was 0.962 for two-component SFslow and 0.940 for single exponential ADC models.The Spearman correlation coefficients between tumor SFslow and ADC with Gleason scores were 0.631 and-0.558,respectively.Conclusion SF estimation based on T2-DWI two-component model can effectively differentiate tumors from normal prostate tissue,showing potential in diagnosing prostate cancer.

miR-135 is a highly conserved miRNA in mammals and includes miR-135a and miR-135b.Recent studies have shown that miR-135b is a key regulatory factor in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.It is involved in regulating the pathological process of myocardial infarction,myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury,cardiac hypertrophy,atrial fibrillation,diabetic cardiomyopathy,atherosclerosis,pulmonary hyperten-sion,cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury,Parkinson's disease,and Alzheimer's disease.Obviously,miR-135b is an emerging player in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases and is expected to be an important target for the treatment of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.However,the crucial role of miR-135b in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases and its underlying mechanism of action has not been reviewed.Therefore,in this review,we aimed to comprehensively summarize the role of miR-135b and the signaling pathway mediated by miR-135b in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases.Drugs targeting miR-135b for the treatment of diseases and related patents,highlighting the importance of this target and its utility as a therapeutic target for cardio-cerebrovascular diseases,have been discussed.

Objective:To predict and analyze the T/B combined epitope of EM10 protein in Echinococcus multilocularis, and identify the expressed products of the biosynthetic EM10 multi epitopes. Methods:The gene-related information of EM10 protein was obtained through NCBI GenBank public database. Bioinformatics technique was used to predict and analyze the T/B binding epitopes of EM10 protein. The prokaryotic expession recombinant plasmid pET30a-EM10 (epitope) was synthesized, and transformed into host bacteria Ecoli. BL21 (DE3). The expression of EM10 recombinant multi-epitope protein was identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blotting after induced expression by isopropyl thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG). Results:The total length of EM10 gene was 1 759 bp (GenBank registration number: U05573), and its protein amino acid sequence (GenBank registration number: AAA50580.1) was 559 amino acids. By using Phyre software for homology modeling, the tertiary structure of EM10 protein was obtained, and the T/B combined epitope of EM10 protein was successfully predicted, the dominant epitope was located at 46 - 61, 133 - 183, 239 - 255 and 442 - 475 amino acid sites. The (GGGGS)n linker sequence was used to connect the epitopes to form an EM10 recombinant multi-epitope protein with a total of 206 amino acid. The size of the DNA fragment was 618 bp and the relative molecular weight of the protein was 22.66 × 10 3. The prokaryotic expession recombinant plasmid was validated by enzyme digestion, the results showed that the plasmid size was between 5 000 and 6 000 bp, which was consistent with the length of the constructed plasmid (5 854 bp). SDS-PAGE showed that the target protein was expressed in the supernatant induced by IPTG at 37 ℃ and the effect was the best. The relative molecular weight of the protein was 22.66 × 10 3 by Western blotting, which was consistent with the constructed plasmid. Conclusions:The combined epitope of EM10 T/B is successfully designed and predicted using bioinformatics technology. A prokaryotic expression recombinant plasmid is constructed, the expression of EM10 recombinant multi-epitope protein is verified through experiments, providing an experimental basis for the construction of an EM10 dominant epitope diagnostic kit.

Background Occupational exposure to lead, cadmium, or arsenic is a potential risk factor for blood pressure elevation. Current studies mainly focus on the relationship between a single metal and blood pressure. However, mixed metal exposure often exists in the actual working environment, and the interactive effects of polymetallic interactions on blood pressure and the dose-effect relationship remain unclear yet. Objective To explore the influence proportion of occupational exposure to lead, cadmium, or arsenic on blood pressure and their interactive effects. Methods From January to December 2021, workers from a smelter in southern China were selected. Demographic characteristics, height, weight, and blood pressure of workers were collected through questionnaire and physical examination. At the same time, their urine samples were collected and the levels of urinary lead, urinary cadmium, and urinary arsenic were detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and corrected by urinary creatinine (Cr). Linear regression and logistic regression were used to analyze the relationship between urinary lead, cadmium, and arsenic and blood pressure. Weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression was applied to evaluate the dose-effect relationship between urinary lead, cadmium, and arsenic exposures and blood pressure and the effect weight of each metal on blood pressure. Generalized linear regression and additive/multiplicative scaling were used to identify interactive effects of the three metals on blood pressure. Results A total of 1075 workers were included in this study, with a mean age of (44.68±5.11) years and mean working seniority of (24.66±5.23) years. There were 891 males (88.9%) and 184 were females (17.1%); 24.7% workers were drinkers and 45.7% workers were smokers; 302 workers (28.1%) reported hypertension and 37 of them were taking antihypertensive drugs. The P₅₀ (P₂₅, P₇₅) levels of urinary lead, urinary cadmium, and urinary arsenic were 6.11 (3.71, 11.08), 3.88 (2.68, 5.44), and 26.04 (19.99, 35.11) μg·g⁻¹, respectively. After adjusting for gender, age, working seniority, body mass index, smoking, drinking, and the usage of antihypertensive drugs, systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased by 0.772 and 0.418 mmHg respectively for 10% increase in lead, cadmium, and arsenic mixed exposure. Urinary cadmium, among the three single exposures, had the greatest effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight (w)=0.523 and 0.551 respectively. The interaction of urinary lead and urinary cadmium was positively correlated with the occurrence of hypertension, multiplicative interaction OR (OR_int)=1.88 (95%CI: 1.09, 3.63), attributable proportion due to interaction (AP)=1.19 (95%CI: 0.40, 8.18). Conclusion This study shows that mixed exposure to lead, cadmium, and arsenic has a positive relationship with blood pressure, in which cadmium plays a major role. Co-exposure to lead and cadmium has a positive interactive effect on hypertension development and systolic blood pressure elevation.

Objective: To investigate the effect of combined exposure to four heavy metals (lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury) on early kidney injury in occupational population. Methods: A total of 384 workers exposed to combined heavy metals in a non-ferrous metal smelting plant in Guangdong Province were selected as the research subjects using judgment sampling method. The levels of blood lead, urinary cadmium and urinary arsenic were detacted by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, while urinary mercury levels were measured using cold atomic absorption spectroscopy (acidic tin chloride reduction method). The levels of biomarkers such as urinary β₂-microglobulin (β₂-MG), kidney injury molecule-1 (Kim-1) and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Spearman correlation analysis, linear regression, weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were used to analyze the association between the exposure to the four heavy metals and early kidney injury biomarkers. Results: The median of blood lead, urinary cadmium, urinary arsenic and urinary mercury were 0.47 μmol/L and 4.450, 27.790 and 0.520 μg/gCr, respectively. The median of urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL were 62.960, 1.130 and 18.150 μg/gCr, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that urinary levels of β₂-MG, Kim-1, and NGAL were weakly correlated with blood lead and urinary mercury levels (all P<0.01), but not correlated with urinary cadmium and urinary arsenic (all P>0.05). The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that urinary mercury was positively correlated with urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL (all P<0.01), urinary arsenic was positively correlated with urinary β₂-MG level (P<0.01), and blood lead was negatively correlated with urinary β₂-MG and Kim-1 (all P<0.05). The WQS regression analysis showed that the combined effect of the four heavy metals was positively correlated with urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL (all P<0.01), with mercury having the highest impact and lead the lowest. BKMR model analysis showed the increasing trend in urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL with the increasing levels of the combined exposure to the four heavy metals. Urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL decreased when urinary mercury level increased from the 25th percentile to the 75th percentile and the other metals were correspondingly fixed at a certain level. When the blood exposure levels of other metals remained at the corresponding median levels, urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL levels were positively correlated with urinary arsenic level, but no significant linear dose-response relationship was observed with the other three heavy metals. Conclusion: sLead, arsenic, and mercury are independently associated with early kidney injury biomarkers in occupational population from non-ferrous metal smelting. The four heavy metals had positive combined effects on urinary β₂-MG, Kim-1 and NGAL, with mercury having the greatest impact.

OBJECTIVE to explore the material basis and potential molecular mechanism of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen- Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma in the treatment of insomnia using network pharmacology and molecular docking, and establish insomnia mouse model by p-chlorophenylalanine(PCPA) for verification in vivo.METHODS Firstly, the chemical constituents of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen and Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma were collected through TCMSP database and the potential active constituents were screened. The genes related of insomnia were obtained from GeneCards, OMIM and TTD databases, and the intersection targets of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma and insomnia diseases were obtained. Then the network map of Chinese medicine-compound-target-disease was constructed in Cytoscape 3.6.1 software. The protein interaction network diagram was established in the STRING database. Functional enrichment analysis of target GO and KEGG pathways were performed using the DAVID database. Then the molecular docking technology was used for preliminary verification. The 60 male ICR mice were randomly divided into normal group, model group, high, medium and low dose groups(8.0, 4.0, 2.0 g·kg-1) and diazepam group(3 mg·kg-1). In addition to the normal group, PCPA(30 mg·mL-1) was intraperitoneally injected on the first and second days to establish the insomnia model. Then the drug was administered continuously for 7 d, and the normal group and the model group were given the same volume of normal saline. The sleep latency and duration of mice induced by the upper threshold dose of pentobarbital sodium(55 mg·kg-1), vertical and horizontal scores in the behavioral open-field experiment, open arm entry(OE%) and open arm time(OT%) of elevated cross maze were determined. HE staining was used to observe the hypothalamic histopathological situation. Serum levels of TNF-α and CASP3 were detected by ELISA. Finally, Western blotting was used to detect the expression of AKT1, p-AKT1 protein in the hypothalamus of the mice in each group. RESULTS The potential active components of Ziziphi Spinosae Semen and Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma were 9 and 5, and the common targets with insomnia were 34. A total of 160 GO items were obtained through GO enrichment analysis. KEGG pathway analysis found that the signaling pathway was mainly related to inflammatory signaling pathway, among which AKT1, CASP3 and TNF were the key targets. The results of molecular docking showed that the selected compounds had high binding activity with the key targets. Animal experiment results showed that the Ziziphi Spinosae Semen-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma for insomnia could significantly shorten the model mice sleep latency, prolong sleep duration, reduce the vertical and horizontal score, improve the OE% and OT%, restore the hypothalamus pathological tissue damage, significantly reduce the content of TNF-α and CASP3, raise the level of AKT1 protein expression in the tissue of the hypothalamus. CONCLUSION Ziziphi Spinosae Semen-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizoma can regulate TNF signaling pathway by acting on TNF-α, CASP3, AKT1, p-AKT1 and other targets to treat insomnia.

Objective:To investigate the effects of hyperuricemia on the prognosis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) using propensity score matching (PSM) method.Methods:IgAN patients proven by biopsy were included. PSM was used to match patients. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis, and Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the effects of hyperuricemia on IgAN prognosis. Primary outcome events were defined as death, or end-stage renal disease (dialysis, transplantation), or a decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) greater than 40%. Renal outcome was defined as end-stage renal disease (dialysis, transplantation), or a decrease in eGFR greater than 40%.Results:A total of 1 454 IgAN patients were included in this study, including 850 females and 604 males. Uric acid level was (368.26±92.87) μmol/L in the males, and (277.23±92.71) μmol/L in the females. The median follow-up time was 85.00(56.10, 106.33) months. During the follow-up period, a total of 134 patients reached the primary outcome events, including 5 deaths, 24 dialysis patients, 5 kidney transplant patients, and 100 patients with eGFR decreased by more than 40%. After 1∶1 matching, 131 males and 159 females in the hyperuricemia group were successfully matched with 131 males and 159 females in the normal uric acid group, and there was no significant statistical difference in each parameter in baseline between the hyperuricemia group and normal uric acid group after matching. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that either before or after matching, the incidence of primary outcome events in male or female patients with hyperuricemia was higher than those with normal uric acid, but there was no statistically significant difference in incidence of primary outcome events between female hyperuricemia group and female normal uric acid group after matching (Log-rank test, χ2=3.586, P=0.058). Cox proportional hazard regression model showed that, in the pre-match fully adjusted model, the hazard ratio ( HR) of entering primary outcome events was 2.29-fold (95% CI 1.27-4.11, P=0.006) for men with hyperuricemia and 1.85-fold (95% CI 1.01-3.37, P=0.045) for women with hyperuricemia compared with those with normal uric acid. In the post-match fully adjusted model, the HR of entering primary outcome events was 2.41-fold (95% CI 1.18-4.93, P=0.016) for men with hyperuricemia and 1.83-fold (95% CI 0.91-3.67, P=0.091) for women with hyperuricemia compared with those with normal uric acid. In the pre-match fully adjusted model, the HR of entering renal outcome events was 2.68-fold (95% CI 1.47-4.88, P=0.001) for men with hyperuricemia and 1.81-fold (95% CI 0.99-3.33, P=0.056) for women with hyperuricemia compared with those with normal uric acid. In the post-match fully adjusted model, the HR of entering renal outcome events was 2.89-fold (95% CI 1.36-6.15, P=0.006) for men with hyperuricemia and 1.81-fold (95% CI 0.88-3.72, P=0.106) for women with hyperuricemia compared with those with normal uric acid. Conclusion:Hyperuricemia may be associated with IgAN progression, and it has a more significant effect on male IgAN patients.

BACKGROUND: To explore the osteogenic and angiogenic potential of human vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (hVEGF165) gene-transfected canine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) combined with coral hydroxyapatite (CHA) scaffold. METHODS: We constructed a lentiviral vector and transfected canine BMSCs with the best multiplicity of infection. Osteogenesis was induced in the transfected groups (GFP-BMSCs group and hVEGF-BMSCs group) and non-transfected group (BMSCs group), followed by the evaluation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and alizarin red S staining. Cells from the three groups were co-cultured with CHA granules, respectively to obtain the tissue-engineered bone. MTT assay and fluorescence microscopy were employed to assess cell proliferation and adhesion. The expression of osteogenic and angiogenic related genes and proteins were evaluated at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days post osteoinduction in cell culture alone and cell co-culture with CHA, respectively using RT-PCR and ELISA. RESULTS: The hVEGF165 gene was transfected into BMSCs successfully. Higher ALP activity and more calcified nodules were found in the hVEGF-BMSCs group than in the control groups (p < 0.001). Cells attached and proliferated in CHA particles. Both cells cultured alone and cells co-culture with CHA expressed more osteogenic and angiogenic related genes and proteins in the hVEGF-BMSCs group compared to the GFP-BMSCs and BMSCs groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION High expression of hVEGF165 in BMSCs potentially promote the osteogenic potential of BMSCs, and synergically drive the expression of other osteogenic and angiogenic factors. hVEGF-BMSCs co-cultured with CHA expressed more osteogenic and angiogenic related factors, creating a favorable microenvironment for osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Also, the findings have allowed for the construction of a CHA-hVEGF-BMSCs tissue-engineered bone.

BACKGROUND: To explore the osteogenic and angiogenic potential of human vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (hVEGF165) gene-transfected canine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) combined with coral hydroxyapatite (CHA) scaffold. METHODS: We constructed a lentiviral vector and transfected canine BMSCs with the best multiplicity of infection. Osteogenesis was induced in the transfected groups (GFP-BMSCs group and hVEGF-BMSCs group) and non-transfected group (BMSCs group), followed by the evaluation of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and alizarin red S staining. Cells from the three groups were co-cultured with CHA granules, respectively to obtain the tissue-engineered bone. MTT assay and fluorescence microscopy were employed to assess cell proliferation and adhesion. The expression of osteogenic and angiogenic related genes and proteins were evaluated at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days post osteoinduction in cell culture alone and cell co-culture with CHA, respectively using RT-PCR and ELISA. RESULTS: The hVEGF165 gene was transfected into BMSCs successfully. Higher ALP activity and more calcified nodules were found in the hVEGF-BMSCs group than in the control groups (p < 0.001). Cells attached and proliferated in CHA particles. Both cells cultured alone and cells co-culture with CHA expressed more osteogenic and angiogenic related genes and proteins in the hVEGF-BMSCs group compared to the GFP-BMSCs and BMSCs groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION High expression of hVEGF165 in BMSCs potentially promote the osteogenic potential of BMSCs, and synergically drive the expression of other osteogenic and angiogenic factors. hVEGF-BMSCs co-cultured with CHA expressed more osteogenic and angiogenic related factors, creating a favorable microenvironment for osteogenesis and angiogenesis. Also, the findings have allowed for the construction of a CHA-hVEGF-BMSCs tissue-engineered bone.