Osteoporosis is a systemic metabolic bone disease characterized by decreased bone mass, damage to bone tissue microstructure, increased bone fragility, and susceptibility to fractures, while sarcopenia is a syndrome characterized by progressive reduction in overall muscle mass and functional decline. Based on the common pathophysiological mechanism and close correlation between the two, the concept of "osteosarcopenia" has gradually emerged to describe the simultaneous attenuation of muscles and bones. Signaling pathways serve as important signal transmission channels between muscles and bones, and if abnormal, they can lead to osteosarcopenia. The aim of this article, therefore, is to review the signaling pathways related to osteogenesis and myogenesis, such as Hedgehog, Hippo, mTOR, MAPK, in order to provide new ideas for targeted treatment of osteosarcopenia.

Objective To study the splenic injuries caused by high-altitude falling and underwater explosion and the 2-dimensional ultrasound and contrast-enhanced ultrasound(CEUS)characteristics.Methods Twenty-three healthy Beagle dogs were divided into high-altitude falling group(n=13)and underwater explosion group(n=10).Free-fall high-platform device and gram-grade trinitrotoluene were used to simulate high-altitude falling injury and underwater explosion injury in Beagle dogs,respectively.Ultrasound examination of the spleen was performed immediately after injury,with follow-up examinations every hour.CEUS examination was performed in surviving dogs.Spleen specimens were taken from deceased dogs after injury to observe gross injuries.Pathological changes in tissue morphology and cell apoptosis were observed by hematoxylin-eosin(H-E)staining.Results In the high-altitude falling model,6,2,1,and 1 dogs died in the 6 m,7 m,8 m,and 9 m groups,respectively;in the underwater explosion model,1 and 4 dogs died in the buoyancy and frogman groups,respectively.Two-dimensional ultrasound examination of the high-altitude falling model showed spleen rupture(disruption of splenic parenchymal structure),perisplenic fluid accumulation,subcapsular hematoma,intrasplenic hematoma,increased splenic vein echo,and uneven splenic parenchymal echo.Two-dimensional ultrasound examination of the underwater explosion model showed increased splenic vein echo and uneven splenic parenchymal echo,which were less serious compared with the high-altitude falling model.CEUS results indicated 4 major contrast patterns in both models.The Beagle dogs with type Ⅰ(large focal contrast defect),type Ⅱ(diffuse contrast defect),or type Ⅲ(no contrast agent entry into the splenic vein)contrast patterns all had splenic rupture after injury.H-E staining results showed true splenic rupture,diffuse intrasplenic hemorrhage,splenic hematoma/ecchymosis,subcapsular hematoma/ecchymosis,and venous congestion after spleen injury,which were consistent with the 2-dimensional ultrasound findings.Conclusion High-altitude falling causes more serious spleen injuries in Beagle dogs compared with underwater explosions.Routine ultrasound performs well in diagnosing typical splenic injuries,while CEUS has advantages in evaluating atypical splenic injuries and has good predictive ability for delayed splenic rupture.

Osteoporosis due to muscle deficiency refers to the simultaneous occurrence of metabolic attenua-tion lesions in both skeletal muscle and bone.The occurrence and development of this disease involve a complex regulato-ry network of multiple factors and genes.Long noncoding RNA(lncRNA),as an important class of noncoding RNA mole-cules,plays an important regulatory role in regulating the expression of functional genes.Due to the fact that lncRNA can also affect the metabolism and reconstruction of muscle and skeletal systems by simultaneously regulating the proliferation,differentiation,death,and interaction of muscle and bone cells,they can become a new mechanism and target for improv-ing sarcopenia osteoporosis.

Objective To screen and analyze the differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in basal cell carcinoma(BCC)of the eyelid using RNA sequencing technology.Methods Six patients who underwent extended resection and primary eyelid reconstruction for BCC of the eyelid in Hebei Eye Hospital from July to November 2021 were selected.Part of the excised cancer tissues and the adjacent normal tissues trimmed during the repair of the defect were sampled for the study.The library construction for sequencing was performed using RNA sequencing technology.The threshold for DEGs was set using the DESeq2 software:P＜0.05 and|log2(foldchange)|＞1,to identify DEGs.Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyo-to Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses were performed using the clusterProfiler software,and the biological significance of these DEGs was further analyzed.Results DESeq2 software was used to analyze the differential expression between cancer tissues and adjacent tissues,and 1 317 DEGs were screened out.In the cancer tis-sues of the 6 patients,906 DEGs were up-regulated,and 411 DEGs were down-regulated.GO enrichment analysis showed that the top 30 up-regulated DEGs were mainly concentrated in humoral immune response,immunoglobulin complex,B cell receptor signaling pathway,extracellular matrix,antigen binding,and receptor modulator activity,and the top 10 down-regulated genes were mainly related to epidermal development in biological process,cell composition,and molecular func-tion.KEGG pathway analysis revealed that DEGs were mainly enriched in the melanogenesis signaling pathway,WNT sig-naling pathway,and immune-related signaling pathway,and there were 8 related gene pathways.According to the signifi-cance of gene up-regulation,the core genes identified finally were FZD2,PTCH1,WNT7B,TCF3,MMP-9,and TEAD2.Conclusion The occurrence of BCC is closely related to the interaction and synergy of various pathways.Among the highly expressed genes,the up-regulation of FZD2,PTCH1,WNT7B,TCF3,MMP-9,and TEAD2 expression in the tissues of patients with BCC of the eyelid is the most significant,which is closely related to the occurrence and development of BCC of the eyelid.

Objective:To analyze the prognostic outcomes of 1 147 patients who underwent liver transplantation at Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital and to summarize measures to enhance the efficacy of liver transplantation.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical and follow-up data of 1 147 liver transplant patients at Qingdao University Affiliated Hospital.Results:The overall postoperative 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates for the 1 147 liver transplant patients were 87.20%, 73.40%, and 65.60%, respectively. The survival rates for benign disease liver transplant recipients were 88.01%, 84.98%, and 81.39% at 1, 3, and 5 years post-transplant, respectively, compared to recipients transplanted for malignancies of 78.11%, 64.41%, and 60.06% (all P<0.001). Among the mid vs more recent period, patients' 1-year and 3-year postoperative survival rates were 84.20%, 70.80% vs 90.50%, 71.70%, respectively,significantly in favor of recently enrolled patients ( P=0.022). In the complex surgery group, patients' 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 82.70%, 65.50%, 56.70%, while in less complicated group, it was 89.00%, 76.50%, 69.20% ( P<0.001). The primary causes of death for benign disease recipients were multi-organ failure (4.1%), while in recipients with malignant disease primary cause of death was tumor recurrence (23.7%). Postoperative complications included primary graft dysfunction, delayed graft function recovery, portal vein thrombosis, hepatic artery thrombosis, biliary stricture, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, and graft-versus-host disease, with occurrence rates of 1.05%, 6.89%, 1.92%, 0.44%, 2.00%, 0.61%, and 0.44%, respectively. Conclusions:With the continuous improvement in surgical techniques and perioperative care levels, the 3-year survival rate of recipients at our center has increased. Malignant diseases and complex liver transplantation remain crucial factors affecting recipient prognosis, highlighting the need to further enhance comprehensive treatment capabilities for patients with malignant diseases and complex surgeries.

Progressive functional deterioration in the cochlea is associated with age-related hearing loss (ARHL). However, the cellular and molecular basis underlying cochlear aging remains largely unknown. Here, we established a dynamic single-cell transcriptomic landscape of mouse cochlear aging, in which we characterized aging-associated transcriptomic changes in 27 different cochlear cell types across five different time points. Overall, our analysis pinpoints loss of proteostasis and elevated apoptosis as the hallmark features of cochlear aging, highlights unexpected age-related transcriptional fluctuations in intermediate cells localized in the stria vascularis (SV) and demonstrates that upregulation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperon protein HSP90AA1 mitigates ER stress-induced damages associated with aging. Our work suggests that targeting unfolded protein response pathways may help alleviate aging-related SV atrophy and hence delay the progression of ARHL.
Mice ; Animals ; Transcriptome ; Aging/metabolism* ; Cochlea ; Stria Vascularis ; Presbycusis

Aging poses a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death in the aged population. However, the cell type-specific changes underlying cardiac aging are far from being clear. Here, we performed single-nucleus RNA-sequencing analysis of left ventricles from young and aged cynomolgus monkeys to define cell composition changes and transcriptomic alterations across different cell types associated with age. We found that aged cardiomyocytes underwent a dramatic loss in cell numbers and profound fluctuations in transcriptional profiles. Via transcription regulatory network analysis, we identified FOXP1, a core transcription factor in organ development, as a key downregulated factor in aged cardiomyocytes, concomitant with the dysregulation of FOXP1 target genes associated with heart function and cardiac diseases. Consistently, the deficiency of FOXP1 led to hypertrophic and senescent phenotypes in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Altogether, our findings depict the cellular and molecular landscape of ventricular aging at the single-cell resolution, and identify drivers for primate cardiac aging and potential targets for intervention against cardiac aging and associated diseases.
Aged ; Animals ; Humans ; Aging/genetics* ; Forkhead Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism* ; Primates/metabolism* ; Repressor Proteins/metabolism* ; Transcriptome ; Macaca fascicularis/metabolism*

Hair loss affects millions of people at some time in their life, and safe and efficient treatments for hair loss are a significant unmet medical need. We report that topical delivery of quercetin (Que) stimulates resting hair follicles to grow with rapid follicular keratinocyte proliferation and replenishes perifollicular microvasculature in mice. We construct dynamic single-cell transcriptome landscape over the course of hair regrowth and find that Que treatment stimulates the differentiation trajectory in the hair follicles and induces an angiogenic signature in dermal endothelial cells by activating HIF-1α in endothelial cells. Skin administration of a HIF-1α agonist partially recapitulates the pro-angiogenesis and hair-growing effects of Que. Together, these findings provide a molecular understanding for the efficacy of Que in hair regrowth, which underscores the translational potential of targeting the hair follicle niche as a strategy for regenerative medicine, and suggest a route of pharmacological intervention that may promote hair regrowth.
Mice ; Animals ; Quercetin/pharmacology* ; Endothelial Cells ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; Alopecia

Robotics ; Robotic Surgical Procedures ; Kidney Transplantation

Objective:To investigate the treatment of preterm and low birth weight infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and to share the experience.Methods:This retrospective study enrolled 117 newborns with CDH who underwent major surgery at Children's Hospital, Capital Institute of Pediatrics from May 1, 2011, to March 31, 2022. Based on gestational age and birth weight, the infants were divided into the preterm and/or low birth weight group (gestational age < 37 weeks and/or birth weight less than 2 500 g, n=41) and the control group (gestational age ≥ 37 weeks and birth weight ≥ 2 500 g, n=76). Furthermore, the preterm and/or low birth weight infants were divided into the thoracoscopic surgery subgroup ( n=31) and the open surgery subgroup ( n=10) according to the surgical approach. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using two independent sample t-tests, rank sum tests, Chi-square test, or Fisher's exact probability test. Results:Preoperative data showed that the Apgar scores at 1 min [7.0 (6.0-8.0) vs 9.0 (8.0-9.8), Z=－4.03] and 5 min [9.0 (8.0-10.0) vs 9.0 (9.0-10.0), Z=－2.13] of the preterm and/or low birth weight infants were both lower than those in the control group (both P<0.05), while the proportion of infants with moderate to severe pulmonary hypertension was higher [68.3% (28/41) vs 38.2% (29/76), χ 2=9.68, P<0.05]. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of the proportion of thoracoscopic surgery, operation time, right diaphragmatic hernia, presence of hernia sac, grading of the defect, presence of liver herniation, and application of mesh (all P>0.05). Regarding the postoperative outcomes, the death rate in the preterm and/or low birth weiht group was higher compared to the control group [36.6% (15/41) vs 13.2% (10/76), χ 2=8.70, P<0.05]. Additionally, the time required to resume full enteral nutrition after surgery was longer in the preterm and/or low birth weight group than that in the control group [25 d (18-29 d) vs 16 d (10-25 d), Z=2.31, P<0.05]. The thoracoscopic subgroup had a lower mortality compared to the open surgery subgroup [25.8% (8/31) vs 7/10, P<0.05]. The thoracoscopic surgery subgroup had a higher Apgar score at 1 min after birth [(7.4±1.6) vs (6.0±2.2), t=2.20, P<0.05], later age at operation (hours after birth) [31.0 h (23.0-48.0 h) vs 17.0 h (4.7-24.5 h), Z=2.57, P<0.05], a lower proportion of infants operated within 24 hours after birth [32.3% (10/31) vs 8/10, P<0.05], and longer duration of operation [170.0 min (122.0-200.0 min) vs 110.0 min (87.3-120.0 min), Z=3.65, P<0.05]. Conclusions:In this study, a higher mortality in the preterm and/or low birth weight group compared to the control group was observed, which may be attributed to the higher proportion of neonates with moderate-severe pulmonary hypertension. The thoracoscopic diaphragmatic repair can be attempted for preterm and low birth weight infants who have relatively stable respiratory and circulatory functions.