Objective:To investigate molecular mechanisms underlying the inflammatory response induced by Cutibacterium acnes ( C. acnes) biofilms in human primary keratinocytes. Methods:A C. acnes biofilm model was established in vitro, and confocal fluorescence microscopy was performed to examine its three-dimensional structure. The cultured human primary keratinocytes were divided into 3 groups: a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) control group (treated with 0.01% DMSO alone), a C. acnes suspension group (co-incubated with C. acnes suspensions), and a C. acnes biofilm group (co-incubated with C. acnes biofilms). Real-time fluorescence-based quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to determine the relative mRNA expression of interleukin (IL) -6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -α in the groups after 6-hour culture, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect the free protein levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α in the groups after 24-hour culture, and Western blot analysis to determine the protein expression of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) in keratinocytes. In addition, some human primary keratinocytes were pretreated with key molecular blockers targeting the TLR2/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) /nuclear factor (NF) -κB signaling pathway (C29, ST2825, BAY11-7082, SB203580, U0126-EtOH), and then co-incubated with C. acnes biofilms; the DMSO control group and the C. acnes biofilm group receiving no pretreatment were simultaneously set as negative and positive controls, respectively. The mRNA and free protein expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were then detected in the above groups. One-way analysis of variance was used for comparisons among multiple groups, and the Bonferroni method was used for multiple comparisons. Results:Confocal fluorescence microscopy demonstrated a three-dimensional C. acnes biofilm structure resembling a lawn, and the biofilm grew well. RT-qPCR and ELISA showed significant differences in the mRNA and free protein expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α among the C. acnes biofilm group, C. acnes suspension group and DMSO control group (mRNA: F = 89.70, 312.17, 46.09, respectively, all P < 0.001; free protein: F = 886.12, 634.25, 307.01, respectively, all P < 0.001) ; in detail, the mRNA and free protein expression levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α were significantly higher in the C. acnes biofilm group than in the C. acnes suspension group and DMSO control group (all P < 0.001) ; the C. acnes suspension group showed significantly increased expression levels of IL-6 mRNA and TNF-α free protein compared with the DMSO control group ( P < 0.001, = 0.003, respectively), while there were no significant differences in the expression of IL-6 free protein, TNF-α mRNA, or IL-8 mRNA and free protein between the 2 groups (all P > 0.05). Western blot analysis showed that the TLR2 protein expression was significantly higher in the C. acnes suspension group and C. acnes biofilm group than in the DMSO control group. After the pretreatment with molecular blockers targeting the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway and co-incubation with C. acnes biofilms, the mRNA and free protein expression levels of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α were all significantly lower in the C29 group, ST2825 group, BAY11-7082 group, SB203580 group, U0126-EtOH group, as well as in the DMSO control group compared with the C. acnes biofilm group (all P < 0.05) . Conclusion:The C. acnes biofilms exhibited a strong ability to induce inflammatory responses in human keratinocytes, possibly through the activation of the TLR2/MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway.

In this study, the reverse engineering technology was used to analyze the prescription and process of Doppelherz^® Energy DIRECT, based on the composition of the prescription on the official website of the product, the detection method of composition is established according to the pharmacopoeia and literature information, combined with gravimetric analysis to complete prescription analysis. The prescription composition of the reference listed drug was determined to be composed of caffeine, taurine, vitamin B, anhydrous glucose, citric acid, sorbitol, sucralose, magnesium salts of fatty acids, in which the glucose content was 71.4%, the citric acid content was 7.0% and the magnesium salts of fatty acids content was < 5.8%. According to patent inquiry, Raman imaging and other technologies, the preparation process of the marketed preparation has been basically obtained, and the development of the self-made preparation has been completed on this basis. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Academy of Military Medical Sciences. Combined with the results of the taste evaluation experiment and the caffeine dissolution test of the preparation in 1 min, the hot-melt extrusion technology was screened out as the taste-masking technology of the self-made preparation, the parameters of the hot-melt extrusion process were screened by differential scanning calorimetry analysis, and finally a product with good taste and qualified quality was obtained, which provided a reference method for the research and development of related preparations.

Background/Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely associated with diabetes. The cumulative impact of both diseases synergistically increases risk of adverse events. However, present population analysis is predominantly conducted with reference to non-NAFLD individuals and has not yet examined the impact of prediabetes. Hence, we sought to conduct a retrospective analysis on the impact of diabetic status in NAFLD patients, referencing non-diabetic NAFLD individuals. Methods: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2018 was used. Hepatic steatosis was defined with United States Fatty Liver Index (US-FLI) and FLI at a cut-off of 30 and 60 respectively, in absence of substantial alcohol use. A multivariate generalized linear model was used for risk ratios of binary outcomes while survival analysis was conducted with Cox regression and Fine Gray model for competing risk. Results: Of 32,234 patients, 28.92% were identified to have NAFLD. 36.04%, 38.32% and 25.63% were non-diabetic, prediabetic and diabetic respectively. Diabetic NAFLD significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), stroke, chronic kidney disease, all-cause and CVD mortality compared to non-diabetic NAFLD. However, prediabetic NAFLD only significantly increased the risk of CVD and did not result in a higher risk of mortality. Conclusions Given the increased risk of adverse outcomes, this study highlights the importance of regular diabetes screening in NAFLD and adoption of prompt lifestyle modifications to reduce disease progression. Facing high cardiovascular burden, prediabetic and diabetic NAFLD individuals can benefit from early cardiovascular referrals to reduce risk of CVD events and mortality.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current status and further development of Panax genus and 6 important individual species including P. notoginseng, P. quinquefolium, P. vietnamensis, P. japonicus, P. stipuleanatus and P. zingiberensis. METHODS: The bibliometric analysis was based on the Web of Science core database platform from Thomson Reuters. Totally, 7,574 records of scientific research of Panax species published from 1900-2019 were analyzed. The statistical and visualization analysis was performed by CiteSpace and HistCite software. RESULTS: The academic research of Panax species increase promptly. Plant science is the main research field while research and experimental medicine and agricultural engineering will be the further development tendency. Particularly, the discrimination research of P. notoginseng will be the research tendency among Panax species, especially diversity research. In addition, P. vietnamensis deserves more attention in the genus Panax. CONCLUSION This research provides a reference for further research of the genus and individual species.
Bibliometrics ; Panax

Professor
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Hearing Loss, Sudden/therapy* ; Humans ; Meridians ; Moxibustion

Echocardiography, Three-Dimensional ; Funnel Chest/surgery* ; Humans ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Right/diagnostic imaging* ; Ventricular Function, Right

Objective:To study the efficacy and mechanism of Shugan Jianpi Jiedu prescription （SJJ） in the treatment of triple-negative breast cancer through in vitro cell experiments. Method:The following groups were set up in this study： a normal serum group，a pirarubicin group，and low-，medium-， and high-dose SJJ-medicated serum groups. Twenty SD rats were randomly divided into four groups and administered with SJJ solution （16.8，8.2，4.05 g·kg^-1） and normal saline （equal volume） according to the body surface area to prepare serum. MDA-MB-231 cells were treated separately. The proliferation， migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells were detected by the cell counting kit-8（CCK-8），wound healing assay and transwell cell invasion assay. The phosphoinositide 3-kinase （PI3K），protein kinase B （Akt）， and mechanistic target of rapamycin （mTOR） protein expression levels in MDA-MB-231 cells were tested by the Western blot. Result:The cell proliferation in the three different doses of medicated serum groups and the pirarubicin positive control group was significantly inhibited as compared with that in the normal serum group（P<0.01），and there was no statistical difference for this between the medium/high dose medicated serum group and the pirarubicin positive control group.The wound healing in the SJJ-medicated serum groups and the pirarubicin group was slowed down as compared with that in the normal serum group （P<0.01），and the effect in the SJJ-medicated serum groups was weaker than that in the pirarubicin group （P<0.05，P<0.01）. The number of cells invading the lower transwell chamber was decreased as compared with that in the normal serum group （P<0.01），and there was no statistical difference between the medium-/high-dose SJJ-medicated serum groups and the pirarubicin group. Western blot results showed that 48 h after treatment，the PI3K，Akt， and mTOR expression levels in the cells of SJJ-medicated serum groups and the pirarubicin group were lower than those of the normal serum group（P<0.01）. Conclusion:The SJJ-medicated serum could inhibit the proliferation， migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells presumedly by down-regulating the protein expression levels in the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Aim To explore type 1 diabetes mice and the advance glycation end products (AGE) involved in electrical remodeling of atrial myocytes. Methods The diabetic mouse model was induced by intraperitoneal injection of STZ; action potential duration, and the current density of I

BACKGROUND: Innovative coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, with elevated global manufacturing capacity, enhanced safety and efficacy, simplified dosing regimens, and distribution that is less cold chain-dependent, are still global imperatives for tackling the ongoing pandemic. A previous phase I trial indicated that the recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (V-01), which contains a fusion protein (IFN-PADRE-RBD-Fc dimer) as its antigen, is safe and well tolerated, capable of inducing rapid and robust immune responses, and warranted further testing in additional clinical trials. Herein, we aimed to assess the immunogenicity and safety of V-01, providing rationales of appropriate dose regimen for further efficacy study. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II clinical trial was initiated at the Gaozhou Municipal Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Guangdong, China) in March 2021. Both younger (n = 440; 18-59 years of age) and older (n = 440; ≥60 years of age) adult participants in this trial were sequentially recruited into two distinct groups: two-dose regimen group in which participants were randomized either to follow a 10 or 25 μg of V-01 or placebo given intramuscularly 21 days apart (allocation ratio, 3:3:1, n = 120, 120, 40 for each regimen, respectively), or one-dose regimen groups in which participants were randomized either to receive a single injection of 50 μg of V-01 or placebo (allocation ratio, 3:1, n = 120, 40, respectively). The primary immunogenicity endpoints were the geometric mean titers of neutralizing antibodies against live severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and specific binding antibodies to the receptor binding domain (RBD). The primary safety endpoint evaluation was the frequencies and percentages of overall adverse events (AEs) within 30 days after full immunization. RESULTS: V-01 provoked substantial immune responses in the two-dose group, achieving encouragingly high titers of neutralizing antibody and anti-RBD immunoglobulin, which peaked at day 35 (161.9 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 133.3-196.7] and 149.3 [95%CI: 123.9-179.9] in 10 and 25 μg V-01 group of younger adults, respectively; 111.6 [95%CI: 89.6-139.1] and 111.1 [95%CI: 89.2-138.4] in 10 and 25 μg V-01 group of older adults, respectively), and remained high at day 49 after a day-21 second dose; these levels significantly exceed those in convalescent serum from symptomatic COVID-19 patients (53.6, 95%CI: 31.3-91.7). Our preliminary data show that V-01 is safe and well tolerated, with reactogenicity predominantly being absent or mild in severity and only one vaccine-related grade 3 or worse AE being observed within 30 days. The older adult participants demonstrated a more favorable safety profile compared with those in the younger adult group: with AEs percentages of 19.2%, 25.8%, 17.5% in older adults vs. 34.2%, 23.3%, 26.7% in younger adults at the 10, 25 μg V-01 two-dose group, and 50 μg V-01 one-dose group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The vaccine candidate V-01 appears to be safe and immunogenic. The preliminary findings support the advancement of the two-dose, 10 μg V-01 regimen to a phase III trial for a large-scale population-based evaluation of safety and efficacy. TRIAL REGISTRATION http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx (No. ChiCTR2100045107, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=124702).
Aged ; Antibodies, Viral ; COVID-19/therapy* ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Double-Blind Method ; Humans ; Immunization, Passive ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; SARS-CoV-2

Objective:To summarize the patient profiles and therapeutic efficacies of ABO-incompatible living-related kidney transplantations at 19 domestic transplant centers and provide rationales for clinical application of ABOi-KT.Methods:Clinical cases of ABO-incompatible/compatible kidney transplantation (ABOi-KT/ABOc-KT) from December 2006 to December 2009 were collected. Then, statistical analyses were conducted from the aspects of tissue matching, perioperative managements, complications and survival rates of renal allograft or recipients.Results:Clinical data of 342 ABOi-KT and 779 ABOc-KT indicated that (1) no inter-group differences existed in age, body mass index (BMI), donor-recipient relationship or waiting time of pre-operative dialysis; (2) ABO blood type: blood type O recipients had the longest waiting list and transplantations from blood type A to blood type O accounted for the largest proportion; (3) HLA matching: no statistical significance existed in mismatch rate or positive rate of PRA I/II between two types of surgery; (4) CD20 should be properly used on the basis of different phrases; (5) hemorrhage was a common complication during an early postoperative period and microthrombosis appeared later; (6) no difference existed in postoperative incidence of complications or survival rate of renal allograft and recipients at 1/3/5/10 years between ABOi-KT and ABOc-KT. The acute rejection rate and serum creatinine levels of ABOi-KT recipients were comparable to those of ABOc-KT recipients within 1 year.Conclusions:ABOi-KT is both safe and effective so that it may be applied at all transplant centers as needed.