Objective:To investigate the effects of extracts of Rhizoma Sparganii and Rhizoma Curcumae on cartilage damage in osteoarthritis rats and NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2)/reactive oxygen species (ROS)/nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Methods:Rats (50 cases) were divided into the sham group, and model group, as well as the low, medium, and high dose groups of extracts of Rhizoma Sparganii and Rhizoma Curcumae, with 10 rats in each group. Except for sham group, the rat model of cartilage damage in knee osteoarthritis was established. On the second day after modeling, the rats in the low, medium, and high dose groups received intragastric extracts perfusion of Rhizoma Sparganii and Rhizoma Curcumae at the doses of 5, 10, and 20 g/kg respectively. The rats in the sham and model groups received intragastric equivalent 0.9% sodium chloride solution perfusion, once daily, for 20 days by continuous administration. The knee joint behavior, bone metabolism indicators, serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) levels, inflammatory factors, NOX2, and NF-κB levels of each group were observed. Results:Compared with the model group, the behavioral abnormality scores, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), MDA, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), NOX2, and NF-κB levels in the low, medium, and high dose groups were all gradually decreased (all P < 0.05), while proteoglycan, SOD, GSH, and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels in the low, medium, and high dose groups were all gradually increased (all P < 0.05), and it was dose-dependent. Conclusions:Rhizoma Sparganii and Rhizoma Curcumae extracts can effectively improve cartilage damage in osteoarthritis rats, and it may be related to the inhibition of the NOX2/ROS/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the Correlation between ADC combined with serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and delayed encephalopathy after carbon monoxide poisoning (DEACMP), It provides scientific basis for early prediction of DEACMP.Methods:According to the design principle of case-control study, the data of acute carbon monoxide poisoning (ACOP) patients admitted to Shandong Provincial Hospital from December 2017 to December 2021 were retrospectively selected. Among them, patients with DEACMP were selected as the case group, without DEACMP were used as the control group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed on the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of ADC combined with CRP as a combined predictor for disease.Results:A total of 89 patients with ACOP were included, including 33 patients with DEACMP and 56 patients without DEACMP. There were no significant differences in gender, age, smoking, drinking, and underlying diseases (hypertension, coronary heart disease) between groups ( P>0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that white blood cell count (WBC) ( OR=1.64, 95% CI: 1.19-2.26, P=0.003), CRP ( OR=1.22, 95% CI: 1.03-1.45, P=0.019) and ADC value of central semiovale white matter ( OR=0.99, 95% CI: 0.98-1.00, P=0.010) were associated with DEACMP in patients with ACOP. The ROC curve results showed that the area under the ROC of ADC combined with CRP in the center of semiovale was 0.765 (95% CI: 0.656-0.845), the specificity was 87.9%, the sensitivity was 23.2%, and the cut-off value was 3.5°. Conclusions:WBC, CRP and ADC value of central semiovale are independent factors for DEACMP. ADC value of central semiovale combined with CRP has more clinical value in the early diagnosis of DEACMP. For ACOP patients with DEACMP triggering factors, the diagnosis and treatment awareness of early screening of brain magnetic resonance imaging should be strengthened to avoid DEACMP.

Claudin18.2(CLDN18.2)is a tight junction protein that is overexpressed in a variety of solid tumors such as gastrointestinal cancer and oesophageal cancer.It has been identified as a promising target and a potential biomarker to diagnose tumor,evaluate efficacy,and determine patient prognosis.TST001 is a recombinant humanized CLDN18.2 antibody that selectively binds to the extracellular loop of human Claudin18.2.In this study,we constructed a solid target radionuclide zirconium-89(89Zr)labled-TST001 to detect the expression of in the human stomach cancer BGC823CLDN18.2 cell lines.The[89Zr]Zr-des-ferrioxamine(DFO)-TST001 showed high radiochemical purity(RCP,＞99％)and specific activity(24.15±1.34 GBq/μmol),and was stable in 5％human serum albumin,and phosphate buffer saline(＞85％RCP at 96 h).The EC50 values of TST001 and DFO-TST001 were as high as 0.413±0.055 and 0.361±0.058 nM(P＞0.05),respectively.The radiotracer had a significantly higher average standard uptake values in CLDN18.2-positive tumors than in CLDN18.2-negative tumors(1.11±0.02 vs.0.49±0.03,P=0.0016)2 days post injection(p.i.).BGC823CLDN18.2 mice models showed high tumor/muscle ratios 96 h p.i.with[89Zr]Zr-DFO-TST001 was much higher than those of the other imaging groups.Immunohistochemistry results showed that BGC823CLDN18.2 tumors were highly positive(+++)for CLDN18.2,while those in the BGC823 group did not express CLDN18.2(-).The results of ex vivo biodistribution studies showed that there was a higher distribution in the BGC823CLDN18.2 tumor bearing mice(2.05±0.16％ID/g)than BGC823 mice(0.69±0.02％ID/g)and blocking group(0.72±0.02％ID/g).A dosimetry estimation study showed that the effective dose of[89Zr]Zr-DFO-TST001 was 0.0705 mSv/MBq,which is within the range of acceptable doses for nuclear medicine research.Taken together,these re-sults suggest that Good Manufacturing Practices produced by this immuno-positron emission tomog-raphy probe can detect CLDN18.2-overexpressing tumors.

Osteoporosis （OP） is a systemic metabolic bone disease. Amid population aging， OP has become a major health problem for the middle-aged and the elderly in China. Aging， iron load， and estrogen deficiency break the balance between oxidation and antioxidant systems， and the increase of reactive oxygen species mediates oxidative stress to damage DNA， lipids， proteins and other macromolecules， thus accelerating cell apoptosis and inducing OP， obesity， and neurodegenerative disorders. It has been found that oxidative stress is of great significance in the pathogenesis of OP. Oxidative stress regulates the signaling pathways， cytokines， and proteins related to the mesenchymal stem cells， osteoblasts， and osteoclasts， thereby weakening the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells， inhibiting osteoblast mineralization， and promoting the activation， proliferation， and maturation of osteoclasts. As a result， the dynamic imbalance between bone resorption and bone formation occurs， influencing bone remodeling and promoting the progression of OP. At the moment， anti-bone resorption drugs， bone formation-promoting drugs， and hormones are mainly used in clinical settings in western medicine. However， due to the long treatment cycle and the occurrence of serious gastrointestinal reactions， hypocalcemia， osteonecrosis， and others， patients show poor compliance and thus the effect is not as expected. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） demonstrates remarkable effect on OP attributing to the multi-pathway and multi-target characteristics. With low price and few adverse reactions， TCM is widely applied in clinical practice in comparison with western medicine. TCM has unique advantages in the treatment of OP by regulating oxidative stress. It exerts the therapeutic effect on OP by modulating different signaling pathways， providing new mindset for the treatment of this disease. Therefore， through literature research， this study summarized the research on mechanism of oxidative stress in OP and the treatment by TCM， which is expected to lay a foundation for further research.

ObjectiveTo investigate the characteristics of pelvic floor structure and electrophysiology in female patients with stroke. MethodsFrom June to December, 2020, 21 female inpatients with stroke in Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University (stroke group) were divided into urinary incontinence (UI) group (n = 6) and non-urinary incontinence (NUI) group (n = 15), and other 20 healthy subjects were as control group. They were observed with pelvic floor ultrasonography and pelvic floor surface electromyogram. ResultsAverage electromyography, integral electromyography, root mean square, mean power frequency and median frequency decreased in UI and NUI groups compared with those of the control group (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between UI group and NUI group (P > 0.05). Bladder neck position, bladder neck angle, bladder neck mobility, urethral rotation angle; and anteroposterior diameter, left-right diameter and area of levator ani muscle hiatus after Valsalva's action were all not different among three groups (F < 2.484, P > 0.05). ConclusionThe activities of pelvic floor muscles decrease in female patients with stroke, without obvious changes of pelvic floor supporting structures, whatever UI.

Dedifferentiation of cell identity to a progenitor-like or stem cell-like state with increased cellular plasticity is frequently observed in cancer formation. During this process, a subpopulation of cells in tumours acquires a stem cell-like state partially resembling to naturally occurring pluripotent stem cells that are temporarily present during early embryogenesis. Such characteristics allow these cancer stem cells (CSCs) to give rise to the whole tumour with its entire cellular heterogeneity and thereby support metastases formation while being resistant to current cancer therapeutics. Cancer development and progression are demarcated by transcriptional dysregulation. In this article, we explore the epigenetic mechanisms shaping gene expression during tumorigenesis and cancer stem cell formation, with an emphasis on 3D chromatin architecture. Comparing the pluripotent stem cell state and epigenetic reprogramming to dedifferentiation in cellular transformation provides intriguing insight to chromatin dynamics. We suggest that the 3D chromatin architecture could be used as a target for re-sensitizing cancer stem cells to therapeutics.

Hypoxia conditioning could increase the survival of transplanted neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) in rats with cerebral ischemia but could also hinder neuronal differentiation partly by suppressing mitochondrial metabolism. In this work, the mitochondrial metabolism of hypoxia-conditioned NPCs (hcNPCs) was upregulated via the additional administration of resveratrol, an herbal compound, to resolve the limitation of hypoxia conditioning on neuronal differentiation. Resveratrol was first applied during the in vitro neuronal differentiation of hcNPCs and concurrently promoted the differentiation, synaptogenesis, and functional development of neurons derived from hcNPCs and restored the mitochondrial metabolism. Furthermore, this herbal compound was used as an adjuvant during hcNPC transplantation in a photothrombotic stroke rat model. Resveratrol promoted neuronal differentiation and increased the long-term survival of transplanted hcNPCs. 18-fluorine fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and rotarod test showed that resveratrol and hcNPC transplantation synergistically improved the neurological and metabolic recovery of stroke rats. In conclusion, resveratrol promoted the neuronal differentiation and therapeutic efficiency of hcNPCs in stroke rats via restoring mitochondrial metabolism. This work suggested a novel approach to promote the clinical translation of NPC transplantation therapy.
Animals ; Brain Ischemia/drug therapy* ; Cell Differentiation ; Hypoxia ; Neurons ; Rats ; Resveratrol/pharmacology*

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) and G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) in the development of persistent postoperative pain in rats. Methods: Pathogen-free healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 200-250 g, aged 2 months, were used in this study.Sixty rats in which intrathecal catheters were successfully implanted were divided into 6 groups (n=10 each) using a random number table method: sham operation group (group S), sham operation plus dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group (group D), sham operation plus GRK2 degradation inhibitor MDL28170 group (group M), persistent postoperative pain group (group PPP), persistent postoperative pain plus DMSO group (group PPP+ D) and persistent postoperative pain plus MDL28170 group (group PPP+ M). Persistent postoperative pain was evoked by skin/muscle incision and retraction (SMIR). Immediately after operation and at 1, 2 and 3 days after operation, normal saline 20 μl was intrathecally injected once a day in S and PPP groups, 5% DMSO 10 μl was intrathecally injected once a day in D and PPP+ D groups, and MDL28170 10 μl (50 μg) was intrathecally injected once a day in M and PPP+ M groups.The mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (MWT) was measured at 1 day before operation and 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after operation (T_1-4). Four rats in each group were selected after behavioral testing at T₃ and sacrificed, and the L_4-6 segments of the spinal cord were removed for determination of the expression of phosphorylated p38MAPK (p-p38MAPK) by Western blot. Results: There was no significant difference in MWT at each time point or expression of p-p38MAPK among group S, group D and group M (P>0.05). Compared with group S, the MWT was significantly decreased, and the expression of p-p38MAPK was up-regulated in PPP, PPP+ D and PPP+ M groups (P<0.05). Compared with group PPP, the MWT was significantly increased, and the expression of p-p38MAPK was down-regulated in group PPP+ M (P<0.05), and no significant change was found in the MWT or expression of p-p38MAPK in group PPP+ D (P>0.05). Conclusion Down-regulated expression of spinal GRK2 can promote the activation of p38MAPK in the spinal cord and is involved in the development of persistent postoperative pain in rats.

Objective To compare the radiographic and clinical outcomes of uniaxial and polyaxial locking plates used in the treatment of Sanders types Ⅳ intra-articular calcaneal fractures. Methods A retrospective comparative study was performed on the 72 patients with Sanders types Ⅳintra-articular calcaneal fractures who had been treated by uniaxial locking plates (A group, 38 cases) or polyaxial locking plates (B group, 34 cases) between January 2012 and December 2016. Operation time, intraoperative bleeding, union time, radiological and functional outcomes and functions by the Maryland foot score were compared between the two groups. Results There were no significant differences between the two groups in operation time, intraoperative bleeding, or union time (P>0.05). The patients in A group were followed up for (23.2 ± 5.4) months, and those in B group were followed up for (22.5 ± 4.9) months. All the patients obtained bony union. B group displayed significantly better Bohler angles [(31.6 ± 4.5)° vs. (27.6 ± 6.1)°, (30.7 ± 4.2)° vs.(27.0 ± 5.4)°] and Gissane angles [(109.2 ± 10.8)° vs. (96.8 ± 9.5)°, (107.3 ± 10.1)° vs. (95.4 ± 10.2)°] at 3 and 12 months after operation , compared with A group (P<0.05). Evaluated by the Maryland foot score, the excellent and good rate for the B group was 91.2％(31/34) , which was insignificantly higher than that for the A group (84.2％, 32/38) (P > 0.05). Conclusions Both uniaxial locking and polyaxial locking plates can lead to satisfactory therapeutic outcomes for Sanders types Ⅳ intra-articular calcaneal fractures, but polyaxial locking plates may be superior in stability and functional recovery.

Objective: To investigate the expression of syndecan-1 and syndecan-2 and their clinicopathological significance in patients with gallbladder squamous cell (SC)/adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC) and adenocarcinoma (AC). Methods: A total of 126 patients with SC/ASC (n=46) and AC (n=80) were included in this study. The expression levels of syndecan-1 and syndecan-2 were detected by Envison™ immunohistochemistry assay. The clinical and prognostic significance of syndecan-1 and syndecan-2 were analyzed. Results: In the 46 SC/ASC samples, syndecan-1 and syndecan-2 were positively expressed in 29 (63.0%) and 28 (60.9%) tumor tissues, respectively. (Positive expression was defined based on the staining in the component of squamous cell carcinoma. That is to say, the tissue which adenocarcinoma part was positively stained, but squamous cell carcinoma part was negatively stained is also regarded as negative.) In the 80 AC samples, 47 (58.8%) cases showed syndecan-1 positive expression, and 51 (63.8%) showed syndecan-2 positive expression. There was no significant difference in the positive rates of syndecan-1 and syndecan-2 between SC/ASC and AC groups (P>0.05 for all). The levels of syndecan-1 and syndecan-2 were associated with tumor size, TNM staging, lymph node metastasis, invasion of adjacent tissue, and surgical procedures in SC/ASC patients (P<0.05 for all). However, their expression was associated with tumor differentiation, tumor size, TNM staging, lymph node metastasis, invasion of adjacent tissue, and surgical procedures in AC patients (P<0.05 for all). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of SC/ASC and AC patients revealed that the average survival time for patients with positive syndecan-1 and syndecan-2 expression was significantly shorter than that of those with negative expression (P<0.01 for all). Cox multivariate analysis indicated that syndecan-1 and syndecan-2 expression were independent unfavorable prognostic factors for SC/ASC and AC patients (P<0.05 for all). Conclusion The syndecan-1 and syndecan-2 expression are associated with the tumor progression and poor prognosis in patients with gallbladder SC/ASC and AC.