BACKGROUND:In recent years,increasing studies have focused on the abnormal proliferation and differentiation of acinous cells in the meibomian gland,suggesting that this process is closely related to the occurrence and development of dry eye.Structural and functional abnormalities such as blockage of the lumen of the meibomian gland and atrophy of the glands can cause or exacerbate dry eye.Therefore,the study of changes in the meibomian glands in dry eyes is important for understanding the pathogenesis of dry eyes in depth and finding new targets for the treatment and prevention of dry eyes. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the changes of the meibomian gland in a mouse model of aqueous deficient dry eyes. METHODS:Thirty-two female C57/B6 mice at 6-8 weeks were selected and randomly divided into experimental and control groups with 16 mice in each group.The mice in the experimental group were constructed by removing both the extra-orbital and intra-orbital lacrimal glands,while those in the control group were not treated.After 2 weeks of normal feeding,the corneal changes of both groups were observed under a slit lamp,and the tear secretion of both groups was measured.The meibomian glands of the two groups of mice were removed after decapitation.The changes in the gross morphology of the meibomian glands were observed and the meibomian glands were made into frozen sections.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the structure of the meibomian glands,oil red staining was used to evaluate the function of the meibomian glands,and immunofluorescence staining and RT-qPCR were used to observe the expression of cytokeratin 14,Ki67 and abnormally differentiated small proline-rich protein 1B in the meibomian glands of mice. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Two weeks after modeling,lamellar defects were seen in the corneas of the experimental mice,and neovascularization of the limbal corneal was generated and invaded the central cornea.(2)Tear secretion volume was significantly reduced in the experimental group compared with the control group(P<0.05).Microscopic findings showed that the ducts of the meibomian glands in the experimental group were interrupted and atrophied,and their arrangement was disorganized.Hematoxylin-eosin staining results showed a significant increase in lipid vacuoles in the meibomian glands of the experimental mice compared with the control group.Lipid deposition was seen in oil red staining in the experimental group.Immunofluorescence and RT-qPCR results showed a significant increase in the expression of cytokeratin 14,Ki67 and small proline-rich protein 1B in the meibomian glands of mice in the experimental group compared with the control group(P<0.05).To conclude,aqueous deficient dry eye can lead to compensatory hypertrophy,increased proliferation,and abnormal lipid metabolism in the meibomian gland,as well as abnormal differentiation of the meibomian gland.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Objective:To investigate the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on reducing residual lymph node metastasis in patients with gastric cancer.Methods:The cohort of this retrospective study comprised patients from Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who had undergone systemic treatment prior to gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy and had achieved Grade 1 primary tumor regression (TRG1) from January 2014 to December 2023. After exclusion of patients who had undergone preoperative radiotherapy, data of 58 patients (Nanfang Hospital: 46; First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University: 12) were analyzed. These patients were allocated to preoperative chemotherapy (Chemotherapy group, N=36 cases) and preoperative immunotherapy plus chemotherapy groups (Immunotherapy group, N=22 cases). There were no significant differences between these groups in sex, age, body mass index, diabetes, tumor location, pathological type, Lauren classification, tumor differentiation, pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, mismatch repair protein status, number of preoperative treatment cycles, or duration of preoperative treatment (all P>0.05). The primary outcome measure was postoperative lymph node downstaging. Secondary outcomes included postoperative depth of invasion by tumor, number of lymph nodes examined, and factors affecting residual lymph node metastasis status. Results:Lymph node downstaging was achieved significantly more often in the Immunotherapy group than the Chemotherapy group (pN0: 90.9% [20/22] vs. 61.1% [22/36]; pN1: 4.5% [1/22] vs. 36.1% [13/36]; pN2: 4.5% [1/22) vs. 0; pN3: 0 vs. 2.8% [1/36], Z=-2.315, P=0.021). There were no significant difference between the two groups in number of lymph nodes examined (40.5±16.3 vs. 40.8±17.5, t=0.076, P=0.940) or postoperative depth of invasion by primary tumor (pT1a: 50.0% [11/22] vs. 30.6% [11/36]; pT1b: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 19.4% [7/36]; pT2: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 13.9% [5/36]; pT3: 13.6% [3/22] vs. 25.0% [9/36]; pT4a: 9.1% [2/22] vs. 11.1% [4/36], Z=-1.331, P=0.183). Univariate analysis revealed that both preoperative treatment regimens were associated with residual lymph node metastasis status in patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (χ 2=6.070, P=0.014). Multivariate analysis incorporated the following factors: pretreatment depth of invasion by primary tumor, pretreatment lymph node stage, pretreatment clinical stage, number of preoperative treatment cycles, and preoperative treatment duration. We found that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy administered preoperatively was an independent protective factor for reducing residual lymph node metastases in study patients whose primary tumor regression was TRG1 (OR=0.147, 95%CI: 0.026–0.828, P=0.030). Conclusion:Compared with preoperative chemotherapy alone, a combination of preoperative immunotherapy and chemotherapy achieved greater reduction of residual lymph node metastases in the study patients who achieved TRG1 tumor regression in their primary lesions.

Objective To investigate the involvement of calmodulin(CaM)in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease(AD)and the mechanism by which CaM binds to amyloid-β(Aβ).Methods The hub genes expressed in AD and predicted to be the target proteins for AD prevention and treatment were obtained using bioinformatics methods.The GST-Aβ1-42 recombinant plasmid was constructed through genetic recombination and was then sequenced.The recombinant plasmids were identified using agarose gel electrophoresis,while the extracted and purified GST-Aβ1-42 fusion protein was confirmed using SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis.GST pull-down assay was used to detect the interaction between GST-Aβ1-42 protein and CaM,expressed in the plasmid.Results The top 20 hub genes in degree ranking were obtained.The DNA sequencing results of the plasmid proved that the recombinant plasmid was successfully constructed.The agarose gel electrophoresis results indicated that the fragment digested by the enzyme was similar to the molecular weight of the Aβ1-42 gene seg-ments,further proving the successful construction of the recombinant plasmid.Binding of GST-Aβ1-42 protein to CaM in a concentration dependent manner was revealed through the GST pull down experiment.Conclusion The GST-Aβ1-42 recombinant plasmid is success-fully constructed and is shown to bind to CaM.

Objective To construct a prokaryotic expression vector of of the long QT syndrome(LQTS)associated C-terminal lobe of calmodulin(CaM)mutant E141G(C-lobeE141G)and to identify the expression,purification,and activity of C-lobeE141G.Methods A cDNA fragment was inserted into a PGEX-6p-3 plasmid vector and transferred into Escherichia coli BL21 receptor cells,and glutathione-S-trans-ferase(GST)fusion protein was induced by isopropyl thio-β-D galactoside(IPTG).Glutathione-Sepharose 4B beads were used to separate and purify GST-C-lobeE141G.After removing the GST label with protease,the purity and concentration of purified C-lobeE141G were detected using SDS-PAGE and BCA,respectively.The activity of purified C-lobeE141G was detected using the GST pull-down method and patch clamp technique.Results GST-C-lobeE141G fusion protein was highly expressed,and C-lobeE141G with high purity and concentration was obtained.The purified C-lobeE141G protein not only bound to CaV1.2 calcium channels,but also rescued the channel activity from run-down in the ventricular myocytes of rat hearts.Conclusion This study successfully constructed a prokaryotic expression vector of C-lobeE141G,which provides a material basis for the study of the mechanism of LQTS mediated by C-lobe mutations in CaM.

Alzheimer's disease(AD)is a common neurodegenerative disease with the main manifesta-tions of progressive cognitive dysfunction,behavioral disorders,and gradual decline of living ability.The etiology of AD is complex,and the pathogenesis of this disease remains controversial.Calcium signaling plays an impor-tant role in regulating neuronal activities,including neurotransmitter release,synaptic plasticity,memory stor-age,and neuronal apoptosis.Increasing studies have shown that neuronal calcium dyshomeostasis is a major path-ological factor in the occurrence and development of AD.This article reviews the role and research progress in in-tracellular calcium dyshomeostasis in AD,including the relationship between calcium homeostasis and amyloidβ,the role of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases in tau phosphorylation,calcium signaling path-ways,the relationship between calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial function,autophagy,and neuroinflamma-tion.

Objective:To investigate the application value of Overlap guiding tube (OGT) in Overlap esophagojejunostomy of laparoscopic total gastrectomy.Methods:The retrospective and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 5 patients with gastric cancer who were admitted to Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University from June to July in 2021 were collected. There were 3 males and 2 females, aged from 48 to 61 years, with a median age of 54 years. Patients underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy combined with OGT-assisted Overlap esophagojejunostomy. Observation indicators: (1) surgical situations; (2) postoperative situations; (3) follow-up. Follow-up was conducted by outpatient examination and telephone interview to detect postoperative anastomotic stenosis and esophageal reflux up to September 2021. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(IQR) or M(range). Count data were represented as absolute numbers. Results:(1) Surgical situations: 5 patients underwent laparoscopic total gastrectomy combined with OGT-assisted Overlap esophagojejunostomy and D 2 lymph node dissection success-fully, achieving R 0 resection. There was no combined organ resection, intraoperative conversion to laparotomy or combined thoracotomy. There was no intraoperative conversion to other esophagoje-junostomy method either. The tumor diameter, length of surgical incision, the number of lymph nodes dissected, time of esophagojejunal anastomosis, time of digestive reconstruction, operation time, volume of intraoperative blood loss of 5 patients were 3.0(2.8)cm, 5.0(2.0)cm, 47.0(21.0), 21.0(5.0)minutes, 62.0(23.0)minutes, 295.0(75.0)minutes, and 50.0(60.0)mL, respectively. The anvil fork of linear stapler was successfully inserted into esophageal lumen by once operation in 4 cases of 5 patients and by twice operation in 1 case to complete the esophagojejunostomy. (2) Post-operative situations: the time to first out-of-bed activities, time to postoperative first anal flatus, time to postoperative initial liquid diet intake, time to postoperative initial semi-liquid diet intake, time to abdominal drainage tube removal, duration of postoperative hospital stay of 5 patients were 2.0(1.0)days, 3.0(2.0)days, 4.0(3.0)days, 6.0(3.0)days, 7.0(4.0)days, and 9.0(6.0)days, respectively. Results of postoperative pathological examination of 5 patients showed gastric adenocar-cinoma in all the 5 patients, with the TNM staging as stage pT2-4aN0M0. The esophageal surgical margin was negative in all cases, and the length of proximal margin from esophagus was 5.0(4.0)cm. None of the 5 patients developed anastomotic leakage, anastomotic bleeding or anastomotic stenosis. Two cases with mild pneumonia (Clavien-Dindo grade Ⅱ) were cured by conservative treatment such as anti-infection and expectoration promotion. There was no unplanned secondary surgery or perioperative death occurred to the 5 patients. (3) Follow-up: 5 patients were followed up for 3 months. None of the 5 patients developed anastomotic stenosis or esophageal reflux during the follow-up. Conclusion:OGT-assisted Overlap esophagojejunostomy of laparoscopic total gas-trectomy is safe and feasible, with good short-term effects.

Objective:To analyze the characteristics, diagnosis and prognosis of acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP), and to guide the management of AFLP patients.Methods:The clinical data of 34 AFLP patients admitted to Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2009 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The general situation, diagnostic characteristics, treatment and maternal and neonatal prognosis of the AFLP patients were collected and analyzed.Results:The incidence of AFLP in our hospital was 0.022% (34/152 383). The age of onset was (30.6±4.9) years old, and the gestational age was (35.3±2.4) weeks. Most of the first symptom was gastrointestinal symptoms of unknown cause in the third trimester of pregnancy (53%, 18/34), accompanied by different degrees of elevated liver enzymes. Cesarean section was performed in 97% (33/34) of patients for termination of pregnancy. Only one pregnant woman was diagnosed prenatal and delivered vaginally, and the prognosis of both mother and infant was good. Five cases were transferred to intensive care unit, including 2 cases of acute renal failure, 1 case of gastrointestinal bleeding and 2 cases of disseminated intravascular coagulation. There was no maternal death. Severe asphyxia occurred in 2 neonates.Conclusions:Attention should be paid to the digestive tract symptoms during the third trimester of pregnancy and the diversity of clinical manifestations of AFLP for early detection. Once AFLP is diagnosed, pregnancy should be terminated as soon as possible to improve maternal and infant outcomes.

Objective:To observe the effect of pressure therapy on the formation of hypertrophic scars(HTS) and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) / Sma and Mad homolog proteins (Smad) signaling pathway.Methods:Twelve adult healthy New Zealand white rabbits(provided by the Animal Experiment Center of the Air Force Military Medical University) were wounded with 1 cm round punch on 4 sites of the ventral side of each ear. Round scalpels were used to make incisions along the marked lines, dissect the skin and perichondrium. The remaining tissue was scraped off to expose the wound surface. Scar formation was observed on the 28th day after surgery. After the establishment of rabbit ear HTS models, the right ears were used as self-controls, while the left ears were set as the experimental group. Two hypertrophic scars were randomly selected from each rabbit ear, 24 per group. Experimental group: 4-0 nylon silk thread was used to sew the pressure pad on the circular NdFeB magnets pad with a diameter of 1.5 cm to the rabbit ear cartilage. Flexiforce pressure sensor was used to measure the pressure, and the pads were adjusted to maintain a pressure of 20-25 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) for more than 23 h per day. Control group: no treatment. On the 40th day of pressure therapy, the general morphology of rabbit ear scars were observed, and the tissues were harvested for hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining and Masson’s Trichrome staining for histological study. The scar elevation index (SEI), the number of fibroblasts, and the thickness of the stratum corneum were calculated. The relative mRNA expression levels of TGF-β1, Smad3, collagen type (Collagen )Ⅰ, Collagen Ⅲ, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were measured with qPCR; Western blotting was used to detect the relative protein expression levels of TGF-β1, Collagen Ⅰ, Collagen Ⅲ, α-SMA and the phosphorylation level of Smad3 (the ratio of p-Smad3 and Smad3 proteins). Statistical analysis was performed with Excel 2019 and GraphPad Prism 8.0. The measurement data conformed to normal distribution and was expressed as Mean±SD. Student’s t-test was used for the comparison between two groups. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:A total of 96 wounds were formed in 12 rabbits, 27 wounds had no obvious hyperplasia, and the remaining 69 wounds formed hypertrophic scar tissue blocks with a prominent skin surface, firm texture, and dark red appearance. The scars formation rate was 71.9% (69/96). On the 40th day after the application of pressure, the scars in the experimental group were significantly reduced, softer, and the color was slightly lighter compared with the control group. The results of HE staining and Masson’s Trichrome staining showed that the thickness of the stratum corneum, SEI, and the number of fibroblasts were (69.33±6.03) μm, 1.30±0.08, and (236.30±14.64) cells/field, respectively, which were significantly lower than those in the control group [(114.00±10.15) μm, 1.72±0.05, (320.30±14.57) cells/field] (all P<0.01). Abundance in capillaries, inflammatory cells, and fibroblasts were not observed in the dermal layer. The collagen fibers were orderly arranged and sparse. The results of fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that the relative expression levels of TGF-β1, Smad3, Collagen Ⅰ, Collagen Ⅲ, and α-SMA mRNA in the experimental group were 0.48±0.08, 0.58±0.05, 0.04±0.01, 0.15±0.02, 0.31±0.03, respectively, lower than those of the control group(1.00±0.07, 1.00±0.05, 1.00±0.08, 1.00±0.10, 1.00±0.06) (all P<0.01). The results of Western blotting showed that the relative protein expression of TGF-β1, Collagen Ⅰ, Collagen Ⅲ, α-SMA and the phosphorylation level of Smad3 in the experimental group were 0.65±0.03, 0.07±0.01, 0.43±0.03, 0.53±0.03, 0.54±0.03, all lower than the control group’s 1.02±0.06, 0.93±0.05, 0.92±0.03, 0.82±0.03, 0.92±0.03 (all P<0.01). Conclusions:Pressure therapy can significantly inhibit the hyperplasia of scars, improve the structure of HTS tissue, facilitate the normal arrangement of collagen fiber, and reduce the excessive deposition of collagen. Pressure therapy may inhibit scar proliferation by regulating the TGF-β1/Smad signaling pathway.

Background::Previous studies have revealed that diabetes mellitus (DM) promotes disease progress of gastric cancer (GC). This study aimed to further investigating whether DM advanced lymph nodes (LNs) metastasis in GC.Methods::The clinicopathologic data of GC patients with >15 examined LN (ELN) between October 2004 and December 2019 from a prospectively maintained database were included. The observational outcomes included the number (N3b status) and anatomical distribution (N3 stations) of metastatic LN (MLN).Results::A total of 2142 eligible patients were included in the study between October 2004 and December 2019. N3 stations metastasis (26.8% in DM vs. 19.3% in non-DM, P = 0.026) and N3b status (18.8% in DM vs. 12.8% in non-DM, P = 0.039) were more advanced in the DM group, and multivariate logistic regression analyses confirmed that DM was an independent factor of developing N3 stations metastasis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.771, P= 0.011) and N3b status (OR= 1.752, P= 0.028). Also, multivariate analyses determined DM was independently associated with more MLN (β = 1.424, P = 0.047). The preponderance of N3 stations metastasis (DM vs. non-DM, T1-2: 2.2% vs. 4.9%, T3: 29.0% vs. 20.3%, T4a: 38.9% vs. 25.8%, T4b: 50.0% vs. 36.6%; ELN16-29: 8.6% vs. 10.4%, ELN30-44: 27.9% vs. 20.5%, ELN ≥ 45: 37.7% vs. 25.3%), N3b status (DM vs. non-DM, T1-2: 0% vs. 1.7%, T3: 16.1% vs. 5.1%, T4a: 27.8% vs. 19.1%, T4b: 44.0% vs. 28.0%; ELN16-29: 8.6% vs. 7.9%, ELN30-44: 18.0% vs. 11.8%, ELN ≥ 45: 26.4% vs. 17.3%), and the number of MLN (DM vs. non-DM, T1-2: 0.4 vs. 1.1, T3: 8.6 vs. 5.2, T4a: 9.7 vs. 8.6, T4b: 17.0 vs. 12.8; ELN16-29: 3.6 vs. 4.6, ELN30-44: 5.8 vs. 5.5, ELN ≥ 45: 12.0 vs. 7.7) of DM group increased with the advancement of primary tumor depth stage and raising of ELN. Conclusions::DM was an independent risk factor for promoting LN metastasis. The preponderance of LN involvement in the DM group was aggravated with the advancement of tumor depth.