Objective:To evaluate the effect of Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) on the inflammatory responses of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in septic mice and the role of circACTA2.Methods:In vivo experiment Eighty-one healthy male C57BL/6 mice, aged 6-8 weeks, were divided into 3 groups ( n=27 each) by a random number table method: sham operation group, sepsis group and Sal B group. Sepsis model was developed by cecal ligation and puncture. After sucessful preparation of the model, Sal B 7 mg/kg/d was intraperitoneally injected once a day for 2 consecutive days in Sal B group. Twenty mice in each group were randomly selected to measure systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP) and whole blood lactic acid (Lac) and to record the survival within 7 days after developing the model. Seven mice in each group were randomly selected at 48 h after developing the model, and the arterial vascular tissues were collected for determination of the expression of interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) (by immunofluorescence staining), expression of IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and IL-6 protein and mRNA (by Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, respectively), and expression of circACTA2 (by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction). Cell experiment Mouse VSMCs were cultured and divided into 6 groups ( n=3 each) by a random number table method: control group (C group), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group, Sal B group, si-circACTA2+ C group, si-circACTA2+ LPS group, and si-circACTA2+ Sal B group. The cells were incubated for 24 h with LPS (final concentration 1 μg/ml) in LPS group and with LPS (final concentration 1 μg/ml) and Sal B (final concentration 5 μmol/L) in Sal B group. VSMCs were transfected with si-circACTA2 only in si-circACTA2+ C group. At 24 h after transfection of si-circACTA2 into VSMCs, the cells were incubated with LPS (final concentration 1 μg/ml) in si-circACTA2+ LPS group and with LPS (final concentration 1 μg/ml) and Sal B (final concentration 5 μmol/L) for 24 h in si-circACTA2+ Sal B group. The expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 protein and mRNA was detected using Western blot and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and the expression of circACTA2 was determined by the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results:In vivo experiment Compared with sham operation group, SBP, DBP and MAP were significantly decreased, the concentrations of whole blood Lac were increased, 7-day survival rate was decreased, the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 protein and mRNA in arterial vascular tissues was up-regulated, circACTA2 expression was down-regulated ( P<0.05), and the fluorescence of IL-1β was enhanced in sepsis group. Compared with sepsis group, SBP, DBP and MAP were significantly increased, whole blood Lac concentrations were decreased, 7-day survival rate was increased, the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 protein and mRNA in arterial vascular tissues was down-regulated, the expression of circACTA2 was up-regulated ( P<0.05), and the fluorescence of IL-1β was weakened in Sal B group. Cell experiment Compared with group C, the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 protein and mRNA was significantly up-regulated, and the expression of circACTA2 was down-regulated in LPS group ( P<0.05). Compared with LPS group, the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 protein and mRNA was significantly down-regulated, and the expression of circACTA2 was up-regulated in Sal B group ( P<0.05). Compared with si-circACTA2+ C group, the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 protein and mRNA was significantly up-regulated in si-circACTA2+ LPS group ( P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the expression of IL-1β, TNF-α and IL-6 protein and mRNA between si-circACTA2+ LPS group and si-circACTA2+ Sal B group ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Sal B can reduce the inflammatory responses of VSMCs, and the mechanism may be related to promoting the expression of circACTA2 in septic mice.

Objective To develop a deep learning method for volumetric assessment of traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage(TICH)using the Trans-UNet model and to compare its performance with traditional formula-based methods.Methods CT data from 141 TICH patients admitted to Army Medical Center of PLA between May 2018 and May 2023 were collected.A deep learning method based on the Trans-UNet model was established.Manual delineation via picture archiving and communication system(PACS)was served as the gold standard for comparing the accuracy,consistency,and time efficiency of our method against 10 different formula-based methods for measuring the amount of TICH.Results The median volume of TICH,as manual delineation via PACS,was 1.167 mL,with a median measurement time of 135 s per patient.The median percentage error in volume between the deep learning method and manual delineation via PACS was 3.59％.Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.999(P＜0.001),and a median measurement time was only 4.38 s per patient.In contrast,in the formula-based methods,the lowest median percentage error in volume was 16.451％,the highest Spearman correlation coefficient was 0.986(P＜0.001),and the lowest median measurement time was 20 s for a single patient.The statistical differences were observed in percentage error in volume and measurement time between the 2 types of methods(all P＜0.001).Conclusion Our developed deep learning method for volumetric assessment of TICH is superior to the formula-based methods in terms of measurement accuracy and time efficiency.

AIM:To explore the impact of Delta-like ligand 3(DLL3)on the progression of prostate cancer(Pca)and to elucidate its potential molecular mechanisms.METHODS:Overexpression and interference plasmids of DLL3 gene were constructed,and the effects of DLL3 on the proliferation,migration and invasion of Pca cells were as-sessed.Tumorigenesis assay was employed to determine whether DLL3 influenced the proliferation of PC-3 cells in vivo.The impact of DLL3 on epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)and mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling was investigated through Western blotting.RESULTS:Overexpression of DLL3 significantly enhanced the proliferation,migration,invasion and EMT processes of Pca cells compared with empty vector group and blank control group(P＜0.05).Conversely,knockdown of DLL3 expression yielded opposite effects(P＜0.05).Moreover,up-regulation of DLL3 promoted tumor growth in the nude mouse xenograft model(P＜0.05).Further investigation demonstrated that DLL3 up-regulation led to increases in the levels of MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins.Interestingly,MAPK inhibitor effec-tively reduced the proliferation,migration and invasion of Pca cells caused by DLL3 overexpression(P＜0.05).CON-CLUSION:DLL3 promotes the proliferation,migration and invasion of Pca through the MAPK pathway.

Objective:To investigate the physical and mental experience, treatment compliance and use barriers of patients with insomnia in using digital cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (dCBT-I) in order to provide qualitative evidence for the development and application optimization of the dCBT-I technology paradigm.Methods:From July to November 2021, a semi-structured interview outline was used to conduct in-depth interviews with the dCBT-I users ( n=10) to record their original feelings about the use of dCBT-I. Interpretative phenomenology's text analysis was used to explore the participants' experience and cognition of dCBT-I. Results:Text analysis and key information calibration were carried out on the verbatim transcripts of semi-structured interview recordings, and three core themes were extracted, namely stickiness factor, use barrier and optimization direction, as well as eight sub-themes, namely professionalism, accessibility, benefit experience, difficulty in task execution, instruction generalization, difficulty in software operation, enrich treatment content and personalized guidance.Conclusion:The present study showed that participants were receptive to the dCBT-I intervention and would be benefited from it.However, dCBT-I still needs to be optimized and improved to reduce the operating difficulty and explore more appropriate timing of manual intervention.

N6-Methyladenosine (m⁶A) is the most abundant internal modification in eukaryotic mRNA, playing critical role in various bioprocesses. Like other epigenetic modifications, m⁶A modification can be catalyzed by the methyltransferase complex and erased dynamically to maintain cells homeostasis. Up to now, only two m⁶A demethylases have been reported, fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) and alkylation protein AlkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5), involving in a wide range of mRNA biological progress, including mRNA shearing, export, metabolism and stability. Furthermore, they participate in many significantly biological signaling pathway, and contribute to the progress and development of cancer along with other diseases. In this review, we focus on the studies about structure, inhibitors development and biological function of FTO and ALKBH5.

The new ultrasound device, automated breast ultrasound (ABUS), has the advantages of repeatable reading of standardized whole breast images, and can separate ultrasound scanning and diagnosis. ABUS is more suitable for breast ultrasound training. This study compared the breast ultrasound imaging training model with ABUS diagnosis practice as the core and the traditional breast ultrasound imaging training model with handhold ultrasound operation and diagnosis as the core, and found that the new training model with ABUS diagnosis practice as the core had a short training period. The diagnostic level of doctors have improved rapidly, and the new training model could efficiently train more technically qualified ultrasound doctors for breast disease.

Objective:To explore the effect of iron overload on the cognitive function of rats and its possible internal mechanism.Methods:Thirty 8-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats of SPF degree were randomly divided into 2 groups, iron overload group(IO group) and control group(Sham group), with 15 in each group.The rats in IO group were injected intraperitoneally iron dextran(100 mg/(kg·d)) for 28 days.The cognitive function of rats was detected by Morris water maze method. Western blot method was used to detect the expression of TfR1 and autophagy-related protein p-AMPK, LC3 and Beclin1 in the hippocampus of rats. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the expression of LC3 and Beclin1 in the hippocampus of rats. HE staining was used to observe the morphological changes of neurons in the hippocampus. Transmission electron microscopy was used to observe the number of autophagosomes and the morphology of endoplasmic reticulum in hippocampus.The software of SPSS 20.0 was used for repeated measurement ANOVA and t-test. Results:Morris water maze test showed that there were significant interaction between the group factor and training time factor of escape latency( F=3.55, P<0.01). And the simple effect analysis showed that compared with the Sham group((28.09±18.41)s, (21.42±15.53)s, (16.96±8.35)s, (10.24±3.75)s), the average escape latency of rats(2nd-5th day) in IO group((56.68±30.65)s, (58.21±36.09)s, (36.58±13.54)s, (27.29±14.30)s )were significantly longer ( t=8.57, 6.81, 9.51, 7.12, P<0.01). The platform was removed on 6th day of the space exploration experiment, compared with the Sham group ((41.89±3.89)%), the percentage of time spent in the target quadrant of IO group ((25.46±3.56)%) was significantly decreased( t=24.06, P<0.01). Western blot showed that the relative expression levels of (TfR1 (2.10±0.48), p-AMPK (0.74±0.10), LC3 (1.11±0.40), Beclin1 (1.05±0.20)) in IO group in the hippocampus of the rats were significantly higher than those of the Sham group(TfR1(0.11±0.18), p-AMPK(0.19±0.02), LC3(0.22±0.11), Beclin1(0.17±0.02))( t=1.58, 14.58, 10.06, 20.65, P<0.01)). HE staining showed that compared with the Sham group, the neuron in the hippocampus of the IO group were sparsely arranged, morphologically irregular, and the number of the neurons was significantly reduced. Transmission electron microscopy showed that compared with the Sham group, the number of autophagosomes in the hippocampus of IO group was increased. Conclusion:Iron overload may exert its neurotoxic effect by increasing the level of autophagy in the hippocampus, causing cognitive dysfunction.

Thyroid cancer is the most common head and neck malignant tumor, and its incidence is increasing year by year. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the mechanism of the occurrence and development of thyroid cancer, and develop the diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets of thyroid cancer, so as to improve the curative effect of thyroid cancer and prolong the survival time of patients. The previous study has found that long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) DANCR has abnormal high expression in thyroid cancer, which could promote the expression of leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) by affecting miRNA-185-5p and transcription factor SMARCB1, and indirectly participate in autophagy and regulate the development of thyroid cancer. LncRNA DANCR is expected to become a new target for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer. This paper introduces the possible regulatory mechanism of lncRNA DANCR in thyroid cancer, and provides new ideas for the basic research and clinical diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer.

Objective:To explore the effect of auricular point pressing pill combined with rhubarb acupoint application on intestinal preparation and prevention of adverse events in colonoscopy.Methods:A total of 220 patients who met the inclusion criteria from May 2019 to February 2020 were randomly divided into 4 groups, 55 in each group. The control group was only given compound polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder. The auricular plaster group was combined with auricular point pressing pill on the basis of the control group. The acupoint sticking group was combined with rhubarb acupoint application on the basis of the control group. The combination group was combined with auricular point pressing pill and rhubarb acupoint application on the basis of the control group. The quality of bowel preparation was evaluated by Boston Bowel Preparation Scale(BBPS), and the adverse events such as perianal discomfort, defecation discomfort, abdominal pain and abdominal distension were observed.Results:After treatment, there was significant difference in BBPS score among the four groups ( F=3.038, P=0.030). The BBPS score in the acupoint sticking group (7.45 ± 1.20 vs. 6.78 ± 1.32) and combination group (7.26 ± 1.11 vs. 6.78 ± 1.32) were significantly higher than those in the control group( P<0.05). After treatment, there were significant differences in abdominal pain and abdominal distension scores among the four groups ( F=2.947, 5.879, P=0.034, 0.001). The scores of perianal discomfort (0.07 ± 0.38 vs. 0.44 ± 1.07), defecation discomfort (0.40 ± 0.81 vs. 0.87 ± 1.32) and abdominal pain (0.93 ± 1.32 vs. 1.69 ± 1.61) in the combination group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( P<0.05), and the abdominal distension score (1.05 ± 1.00 vs. 1.64 ± 0.95) in the acupoint sticking was significantly lower than that of the control group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Auricular combined with rhubarb powder acupoint application can improve the quality of bowel preparation and reduce intestinal adverse reactions. It can be used with polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder for the intestinal preparation process.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the application value of CT-based radiomics features for the ascending and descending types of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: A total of 217 NPC patients (48 ascending type and 169 descending type), who obtained CT images before radiotherapy in Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University from February 2015 to October 2017, were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were randomly divided into a training set (=153) and a test set (=64). Gross tumor volume in the nasopharynx (GTVnx) was selected as regions of interest (ROI) and was analyzed by radiomics. A total of 1 300 radiomics features were extracted via IBEX. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression was performed to choose the significant features. Support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) classifiers were built and verified. RESULTS: Six features were selected by the LASSO from 1 300 radiomics features. Compared with SVM classifier, RF classifier showed better classification performance. The area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.989, 0.941, 1.000, and 0.924, respectively for the training set; 0.994, 0.937, 1.000, and 0.924, respectively for the validation set. CONCLUSIONS CT-based radiomics features possess great potential in differentiating ascending and descending NPC. It provides a certain basis for accurate medical treatment of NPC, and may affect the treatment strategy of NPC in the future.
Humans ; Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity