ObjectiveTo reveal the mechanism of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription against damage to hippocampal synaptic microenvironment via suppressing glutamate receptor 2 （GluR2）/Parkin signal-mediated mitophagy in rats with diabetes-related depression （DD）. MethodsEighty male SD rats underwent adaptive feeding for 5 days before the study. Ten rats were randomly assigned to the normal group. The model of DD rats was established with the rest by 2-week high-fat diet + streptozotocin （STZ） tail intravenous injection + 28 days of chronic unpredictable mild stress （CUMS） combined with isolation. The rats were randomly divided into a normal group， a model group， a GluR2 blocker group （5 μg·kg^-1）， a GluR2 agonist group （10 μg·kg^-1）， a metformin + fluoxetine group （0.18 g·kg^-1 metformin + 1.8 mg·kg^-1 fluoxetine）， and high- and low-dose Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription groups （20.52 and 10.26 g·kg^-1， respectively）. The rats in the GluR2 blocker group and the GluR2 agonist group were continuously injected with CNQX and Cl-HIBO in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus once a week starting from stress modeling， respectively， while the metformin + fluoxetine group and the high- and low-dose Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription groups were continuously given intragastric administration for 28 d at the same time of stress modeling. Depression-like behavior was evaluated by open field and forced swimming experiments. The levels of serum insulin and adenosine triphosphate （ATP） in hippocampus were detected by biochemical analysis. The levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT） and dopamine （DA） in hippocampus were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The autophagosomes of hippocampal neurons were observed by transmission electron microscopy. The morphology and structure of dendrites and spines of hippocampal neurons were evaluated by Golgi staining. Western blot detected the expression levels of GluR2 and Parkin proteins in hippocampus. The expression levels of GluR2， Parkin， regulating synaptic membrane exocytosis protein 3 （RIMS3）， and postsynaptic density protein 95 （PSD95） in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus were detected by immunofluorescence. ResultsCompared with the normal group， the model group exhibited reduced total activity distance in the open field and increased immobility time in forced swimming （P<0.01）， lowered levels of serum insulin and ATP， 5-HT， and DA in hippocampus （P<0.01）， increased autophagosomes of hippocampal neurons， significantly damaged morphology and structure of dendrites and spines of hippocampal neurons， decreased expression levels of GluR2， RIMS3， and PSD95 in hippocampus， and an increased Parkin expression level （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the GluR2 blocker group and the GluR2 agonist group showed aggravation and alleviation of the above abnormal changes， respectively （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The above depression-like behavior was significantly improved in the high- and low-dose Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription groups to different degrees. Specifically， the two groups saw elevated levels of serum insulin and ATP， 5-HT， and DA in hippocampus （P<0.05， P<0.01）， restrained increase in autophagosomes and damage to morphology and structure of dendrites and spines of hippocampal neurons， up-regulated protein expression levels of GluR2， RIMS3， and PSD95， and down-regulated Parkin expression level （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionZuogui Jiangtong Jieyu prescription can ameliorate the mitophagy-mediated damage to hippocampal synaptic microenvironment in DD rats， the mechanism of which might be related to the regulation of GluR2/Parkin signaling pathway.

In September 2023， the Measures for Scientific and Technological Ethics Review （Trial Implementation） was issued， revising the provisions related to the simplified procedure for ethical review in Chapter 3， Section 3. This revision of these provisions provides systematic guarantees for further optimizing ethical review work， ensuring that ethical review procedure is well-regulated， and improving scientific research efficiency. The “simplified procedure” does not mean reducing the quality and requirements of the review. Instead， based on always following internationally recognized ethical standards and emphasizing not violating national laws and regulations， improving the efficiency of ethical review and subsequent research work， and promoting the development of life sciences and medical research involving humans. In practical work， it introduces numerous new opportunities and challenges for the improvement of ethics review ability， such as new tests on the judgment and decision-making power of ethics committees， how to ensure the reliability and controllability of the conditions related to the simplified review procedure， and how to determine the basic conditions for adopting the simplified review procedure for review. Therefore， to actively respond to the challenges and possible risks brought by the simplified procedure review， efforts should be made to achieve three “unifications”， including the unification of researchers’ moral autonomy and the heteronomy of supervision implemented by relevant departments； the unification of the standard formulation of the simplified procedure review and the review work in practice； and the unification of ethical responsibility and legal responsibility.

Objective: To investigate the effects of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu Formula (ZGJTJYF) on histone H3 lysine 18 lactylation (H3K18la) in the hippocampus of rats with diabetes mellitus complicated with depression (DD) and predict the regulatory genes of H3K18la. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control, model, and positive drug (metformin [0.18 g/kg] and fluoxetine [1.8 mg/kg]) groups, and the three groups were treated with high, medium, and low ZGJTJYF doses (20.52, 10.26, and 5.13 g/kg, respectively), with 10 rats per group. After treatment, the forced swimming and water maze tests were performed to assess depressive-like behaviors and cognitive function. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure blood insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin, lactate levels, and lactate content in the hippocampus. Western blotting was used to detect H3K18la expression in the hippocampus. Cleavage Under Targets and lagmentation(CUT&Tag) experiments targeted hippocampal H3K18la epigenetic modification regions to analyze the transcription factors bound by H3K18la. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Protein-Protein Interaction networks were constructed to identify key pathways and target genes regulated by H3K18la. Results: Compared with the normal group, the model group rats showed prolonged immobility time in the forced swim test, increased escape latency in the water maze experiment, decreased target quadrant distance ratio (P<0.01), increased serum lactate content, and decreased lactate content in hippocampal homogenate (P<0.01), as well as decreased H3K18la protein expression in the hippocampus (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, ZGJTJYF reduced the immobility time in the forced swim test and the escape latency in the water maze test (P<0.01), while the distance ratio in the target quadrant increased (P<0.01) in model rats. Lowered fasting blood glucose, insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin levels (P<0.05, P<0.01) were also observed. ZGJTJYF also increased the lactate content and H3K18la protein expression in hippocampal homogenate (P<0.05, P<0.01). The DNA sequences bound by H3K18la were predominantly enriched at the transcription start sites. ZGJTJYF modulated H3K18la-associated pathways, including cell adhesion junctions, tumor growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signaling, stem cell pluripotency regulation, mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) signaling pathway, and insulin resistance, leading to the identification of 12 target genes. Conclusion ZGJTJYF enhances hippocampal lactate levels and H3K18la modification in DD rats, which may regulate neural cell interactions, neurogenic stem cell function, TGF-β signaling, MAPK signaling, and insulin resistance pathways.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic interstitial lung disease, is characterized by aberrant wound healing, excessive scarring and the formation of myofibroblastic foci. Although the role of alternative splicing (AS) in the pathogenesis of organ fibrosis has garnered increasing attention, its specific contribution to pulmonary fibrosis remains incompletely understood. In this study, we identified an up-regulation of serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 7 (SRSF7) in lung fibroblasts derived from IPF patients and a bleomycin (BLM)-induced mouse model, and further characterized its functional role in both human fetal lung fibroblasts and mice. We demonstrated that enhanced expression of Srsf7 in mice spontaneously induced alveolar collagen accumulation. Mechanistically, we investigated alternative splicing events and revealed that SRSF7 modulates the alternative splicing of pyruvate kinase (PKM), leading to metabolic dysregulation and fibroblast activation. In vivo studies showed that fibroblast-specific knockout of Srsf7 in conditional knockout mice conferred resistance to bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Importantly, through drug screening, we identified lomitapide as a novel modulator of SRSF7, which effectively mitigated experimental pulmonary fibrosis. Collectively, our findings elucidate a molecular pathway by which SRSF7 drives fibroblast metabolic dysregulation and propose a potential therapeutic strategy for pulmonary fibrosis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disorder involving complex immune regulation, where balancing localized and systemic immunosuppression is a key challenge. This study aimed to enhance the therapeutic efficacy by engineering the probiotic Escherichia coli Nissle 1917 (EcN). We removed endogenous plasmids pMUT1 and pMUT2 from wild-type EcN and expressed the mPD-L1 (19‒238 aa)-mFc fusion protein on the bacterial surface using a cytolysin A (ClyA) fragment. This modification stabilized mPD-L1 (19‒238 aa) protein expression and promoted its recruitment to outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). The engineered strain, EcNΔ_pMUT1/2-ClyA-mPD-L1-mFc (EcN-ePD-L1-mFc), features conditional ePD-L1-mFc expression under the araBAD promoter, enhancing gut-targeted release and reducing systemic side effects. This strain improved treatment targeting and efficiency by enabling direct ePD-L1-mFc interaction with immune cells at inflammation sites. OMVs from this strain induced Treg proliferation, inhibited effector T cell proliferation in vitro, and significantly improved intestinal inflammation and colonic epithelial barrier repair in vivo. Additionally, the bacterium restored intestinal microbiota balance, increasing Lactobacillaceae and reducing Bacteroides. This study highlights the engineered bacterium's potential for targeted intestinal immune modulation and offers a novel local IBD treatment approach with promising clinical prospects.

ObjectiveTo explore and verify the key pathway of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription in the treatment of diabetes with depression by means of gene set enrichment analysis （GSEA） and short time-series expression miner （STEM）. MethodSD rats were randomly divided into six groups， including a normal group， a model group， high， medium， and low dose groups of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription， and a positive drug group. The model of diabetes with depression was established by high-fat feeding， streptozotocin （STZ） injection， and chronic mild unpredictable stress. The high， medium， and low dose groups of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription were orally administered at 20.52， 10.26， and 5.13 g·kg^-1 respectively. The positive drug group was orally administered 0.18 g·kg^-1 metformin and 1.8 g·kg^-1 fluoxetine. The rats in the normal group and model group were administered with an equal volume of distilled water. After 28 days， the animals were tested for depressive-like behaviors and cognitive function using the forced swimming test and Morris water maze. Fasting blood glucose was measured using blood glucose test strips. Cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Three hippocampus samples were randomly selected from the normal group， the model group， the high dose group of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription for high-throughput transcriptome sequencing. Differential gene analysis， GSEA analysis， and STEM analysis were used to screen the key pathways and target genes of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription in the treatment of diabetes with depression. Key target genes were validated using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR （Real-time PCR）. The expression of the signal protein mediated by the target genes was detected by Western blot. ResultCompared with the results in the normal group， the fasting blood glucose， cholesterol， and triglyceride levels in the model group were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Moreover， the immobility time in the forced swimming test was significantly increased， while the time to climb the platform was significantly prolonged， and the search distance in the target quadrant was significantly reduced in the Morris water maze test （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the high dose of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription significantly reduced the levels of blood glucose， cholesterol， and triglycerides in rats with diabetes with depression （P<0.05，P<0.01）， reduced the immobility time in the forced swimming test， shortened the stage time in the Morris water maze test， and increased the search distance ratio in the target area （P<0.05，P<0.01）. Transcriptome sequencing differential analysis showed that the normal group had 1 366 differentially expressed genes compared to the model group， while the model group had 1 149 differentially expressed genes compared to the high dose group of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription， with 581 intersecting genes. The GSEA results showed that there were 9 sets of differentially expressed genes between the normal group and the model group， and 43 sets of differentially expressed genes between the model group and the high dose group of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription， with 7 intersecting gene sets. STEM analysis showed that according to the analysis order of the normal group， model group， and high dose group of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription， two significantly different trend clustering groups were obtained. One key gene set for axonal guidance， as well as key target signal elements Sema3c， Sema7a， Robo3， Epha8， and Epha7， were identified through synthesizing the three analysis results. Real-time PCR validated that compared with the results in the normal group， the mRNA expression of Robo3， Sema7a， and Epha7 in the hippocampus of the model rats was significantly reduced （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the high dose of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription significantly increased the mRNA expression of Robo3， Sema7a， and Epha7 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Western blot results showed that compared with the results in the normal group， the Sema7a， ITGB1， and FAK protein expression in the hippocampus of the model group was significantly reduced （P<0.01）. Compared with the model group， the high dose of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription significantly increased the protein expression of Sema7a， ITGB1， and FAK in the hippocampus （P<0.05，P<0.01）. ConclusionZuogui Jiangtang Jieyu prescription may treat diabetes with depression by regulating axonal guidance based on the Sema7a/ITGB1 signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of microcirculation obstruction(MVO)after reperfusion in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI).Methods Forty-one patients with AMI who received treatment with myocardial reperfusion were retrospectively selected.Cardiac magnetic resonance(CMR)was used to determine whether the patients had MVO.The patients were divided into MVO and non-MVO groups.The basic data,laboratory examination and CMR parameters of patients were collected and compared between the groups,and the risk factors related to MVO were screened out by logistic regression analysis.Results Delayed myocardial enhancement was observed in all 41 patients,among which 11 cases(26.8%)were with MVO.A total of 206 delayed myocardial enhancement segments were observed,of which 77 segments combined with MVO and 129 segments without MVO.AMI patients with MVO had a higher rate of transmural myocardial infarction,greater infarct volume,left ventricular myocardial mass(LVMM)and edema degree,as well as lower ejection fraction of left and right ventricles(P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that infarct volume[odds ratio(OR)=1.116,95%confidence interval(CI)1.017-1.224,P=0.020]was an independent risk factor for MVO after AMI reperfusion.Conclusion Infarct volume is an independent risk factor for MVO after AMI reperfusion,and MVO is associated with left and right ventricular function impairment.

Objective:To assess the effectiveness of a 6-month Ba Duan Jin exercise program in improving the balance of community-dwelling older adults.Methods:A two arms, parallel-group, cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted in 1 028 community residents aged 60-80 years in 40 communities in 5 provinces of China. Participants in the intervention group (20 communities, 523 people) received Ba Duan Jin exercise 5 days/week, 1 hour/day for 6 months, and three times of falls prevention health education, and the control group (20 communities, 505 people) received falls prevention health education same as the intervention group. The Berg balance scale (BBS) score was the leading outcome indicator, and the secondary outcome indicators included the length of time of standing on one foot (with eyes open and closed), standing in a tandem stance (with eyes open and closed), the closed circle test, and the timed up to test.Results:A total of 1 028 participants were included in the final analysis, including 731 women (71.11%) and 297 men (28.89%), and the age was (69.87±5.67) years. After the 3-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 3.05 (95% CI: 2.23-3.88) points ( P<0.001). After the 6-month intervention, compared with the baseline data, the BBS score of the intervention group was significantly higher than the control group by 4.70 (95% CI: 4.03-5.37) points ( P<0.001). Ba Duan Jin showed significant improvement ( P<0.05) in all secondary outcomes after 6 months of exercise in the intervention group compared with the control group. Conclusions:This study showed that Ba Duan Jin exercise can improve balance in community-dwelling older adults aged 60-80. The longer the exercise time, the better the improvement.

ObjectiveTo explore the potential mechanism of Zuogui Jiangtang Jieyu Formula （左归降糖解郁方， ZJJF） for diabetic rats with depression. MethodsSixty rats were randomly divided into normal group， model group， wingless MMTV integration site family member 5a （Wnt5a） agonist group， ZJJF group， and ZJJF plus Wnt5a inhibitor group， with 12 rats in each group. Except for the normal group， the rats were fed with high-fat chow， streptozotocin injection， and chronic mild unpredictable stress combination， to establish model of diabetes mellitus complicated with depression. After successful modelling， rats in the Wnt5a agonist group were given bilateral hippocampal stereotactic injections of Wnt5a agonist Foxy-5 with 5 μl each for 7 consecutive days； rats in ZJJF group were given 20.52 g/（kg·d） of ZJJF by gavage； rats in ZJJF plus Wnt5a inhibitor group were given the drug by gavage， and bilateral hippocampal stereotactic injections of Wnt5a inhibitors Box5， with the same dosage and injection method as above. The normal group and model group were given 10 ml/（kg·d） of normal saline by gavage. All groups were gavaged for 4 consecutive weeks. At the end of the intervention， the depression-like behaviour of rats was evaluated using the forced swimming experiment （immobility time） and the absent field experiment （number of activities）； the blood glucose and insulin levels of rats were measured and the insulin resistance index was calculated； the dendritic morphology of dentate gyrus neurons in the hippocampus was observed using Golgi staining； the level of dentate gyrus neuron proliferation was measured using 5-bromodeoxyuracil nucleoside （Brdu） injection and immunofluorescence； RT-qPCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of Wnt5a， Ras homologue genomic member A （RhoA） and Rho homologue-associated coiled-coil protein kinase 1 （ROCK1） in the dentate gyrus. ResultsCompared with the normal group， rats in the model group had significantly higher blood glucose， insulin and insulin resistance indices， longer immobility time， fewer activities， lower Brdu integral optical density values and Wnt5a， RhoA， ROCK1 protein and mRNA expression in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus （P＜0.05 or P＜ 0.01）； the dendritic branches of rat hippocampal dentate gyrus neurons could be seen to be significantly reduced or broken， and their length shortened. Compared with the model group， the blood glucose， insulin and insulin resistance indices of rats in ZJJF group and the ZJJF plus Wnt5a inhibitor group significantly reduced （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the immobility time of rats in the Wnt5a agonist group and ZJJF group was significantly shortened， the number of activities increased， the Brdu integral optical density values elevated， and the Wnt5a， RhoA， ROCK1 protein and mRNA expression elevated （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）， and the number of dendritic branches of hippocampal dentate gyrus neurons significantly increased， the length lengthened， and the complexity of dendrites increased. Compared with the Wnt5a agonist group， rats in the ZJJF group showed significant decrease in blood glucose， insulin and insulin resistance indices， prolongation of immobilisation time， reduction in the number of activities， and reduction in the Brdu integral optical density value； except for the Wnt5a mRNA in ZJJF group， Wnt5a， RhoA， ROCK1 protein and mRNA expression reduced in both ZJJF group and ZJJF plus Wnt5a inhibitor group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. Compared with ZJJF group， Wnt5a， RhoA， ROCK1 protein and mRNA expression were reduced in ZJJF plus Wnt5a inhibitor group （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）. ConclusionZJJF can improve hyperglycemia and depressive-like behaviours in rat models of diabetes with depression， and its antidepressant effects may be related to the activation of hippocampal Wnt5a/RhoA signaling and promotion of dentate gyrus neuron dendritic growth.

Child ; Humans ; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic/complications* ; Pneumonia