Currently,human health due to corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has been seriously threatened.The coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)spike(S)protein plays a crucial role in virus transmission and several S-based therapeutic approaches have been approved for the treatment of COVID-19.However,the efficacy is compromised by the SARS-CoV-2 evolvement and mutation.Here we report the SARS-CoV-2 S protein receptor-binding domain(RBD)inhibitor licorice-saponin A3(A3)could widely inhibit RBD of SARS-CoV-2 variants,including Beta,Delta,and Omicron BA.1,XBB and BQ1.1.Furthermore,A3 could potently inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Omicron virus in Vero E6 cells,with EC50 of 1.016 pM.The mechanism was related to binding with Y453 of RBD deter-mined by hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry(HDX-MS)analysis combined with quan-tum mechanics/molecular mechanics(QM/MM)simulations.Interestingly,phosphoproteomics analysis and multi fluorescent immunohistochemistry(mIHC)respectively indicated that A3 also inhibits host inflammation by directly modulating the JNK and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)path-ways and rebalancing the corresponding immune dysregulation.This work supports A3 as a promising broad-spectrum small molecule drug candidate for COVID-19.

Objective This study investigated the impact of occupational mercury(Hg)exposure on human gene transcription and expression,and its potential biological mechanisms. Methods Differentially expressed genes related to Hg exposure were identified and validated using gene expression microarray analysis and extended validation.Hg-exposed cell models and PTEN low-expression models were established in vitro using 293T cells.PTEN gene expression was assessed using qRT-PCR,and Western blotting was used to measure PTEN,AKT,and PI3K protein levels.IL-6 expression was determined by ELISA. Results Combined findings from gene expression microarray analysis,bioinformatics,and population expansion validation indicated significant downregulation of the PTEN gene in the high-concentration Hg exposure group.In the Hg-exposed cell model(25 and 10 μmol/L),a significant decrease in PTEN expression was observed,accompanied by a significant increase in PI3K,AKT,and IL-6 expression.Similarly,a low-expression cell model demonstrated that PTEN gene knockdown led to a significant decrease in PTEN protein expression and a substantial increase in PI3K,AKT,and IL-6 levels. Conclusion This is the first study to report that Hg exposure downregulates the PTEN gene,activates the PI3K/AKT regulatory pathway,and increases the expression of inflammatory factors,ultimately resulting in kidney inflammation.

Traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome (TSOFS) is a symptom complex caused by nerve entrapment in the supraorbital fissure after skull base trauma. If the compressed cranial nerve in the supraorbital fissure is not decompressed surgically, ptosis, diplopia and eye movement disorder may exist for a long time and seriously affect the patients′ quality of life. Since its overall incidence is not high, it is not familiarized with the majority of neurosurgeons and some TSOFS may be complicated with skull base vascular injury. If the supraorbital fissure surgery is performed without treatment of vascular injury, it may cause massive hemorrhage, and disability and even life-threatening in severe cases. At present, there is no consensus or guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS that can be referred to both domestically and internationally. To improve the understanding of TSOFS among clinical physicians and establish standardized diagnosis and treatment plans, the Skull Base Trauma Group of the Neurorepair Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Neurotrauma Group of the Traumatology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and Editorial Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma organized relevant experts to formulate Chinese expert consensus on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic supraorbital fissure syndrome ( version 2024) based on evidence of evidence-based medicine and clinical experience of diagnosis and treatment. This consensus puts forward 12 recommendations on the diagnosis, classification, treatment, efficacy evaluation and follow-up of TSOFS, aiming to provide references for neurosurgeons from hospitals of all levels to standardize the diagnosis and treatment of TSOFS.

This study aims to explore the neuroprotective effect of bilobalide(BB) and the mechanisms such as inhibiting inflammatory response in macrophage/microglia, promoting neurotrophic factor secretion, and interfering with the activation and differentiation of peripheral CD4~+ T cells. BB of different concentration(12.5, 25, 50, 100 μg·mL~(-1)) was used to treat the RAW264.7 and BV2 cells for 24 h. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay and cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) were employed to detect the cytotoxicity of BB and appropriate concentration was selected for further experiment. Lipopolysaccharide(LPS) was applied to elicit inflammation in RAW264.7 and BV2 cells, mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMDMs), and primary microglia, respectively. The effect of BB on cell proliferation and secretion of inflammatory cytokines and neurotrophic factors was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). Spleen monocytes of C57BL/6 female mice(7-8 weeks old) were isolated, and CD4~+ T cells were separated by magnetic beads under sterile conditions. Th17 cells were induced by CD3/CD28 and the conditioned medium for eliciting the inflammation in BMDMs. The content of IL-17 cytokines in the supernatant was detected by ELISA to determine the effect on the activation and differentiation of CD4~+ T cells. In addition, PC12 cells were incubated with the conditioned medium for eliciting inflammation in BMDMs and primary microglia and the count and morphology of cells were observed. The cytoto-xicity was determined by lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) assay. The result showed that BB with the concentration of 12.5-100 μg·mL~(-1) had no toxicity to RAW264.7 and BV2 cells, and had no significant effect on the activity of cell model with low inflammation. The 50 μg·mL~(-1) BB was selected for further experiment, and the results indicated that BB inhibited LPS-induced secretion of inflammatory cytokines. The experiment on CD4~+ T cells showed that the conditioned medium for LPS-induced inflammation in BMDMs promoted the activation and differentiation of CD4~+ T cells, while the conditioned medium of the experimental group with BB intervention reduced the activation and differentiation of CD4~+ T cells. In addition, BB also enhanced the release of neurotrophic factors from BMDMs and primary microglia. The conditioned medium after BB intervention can significantly reduce the death of PC12 neurons, inhibit neuronal damage, and protect neurons. To sum up, BB plays a neuroprotective role by inhibiting macrophage and microglia-mediated inflammatory response and promoting neurotrophic factors.
Female ; Rats ; Mice ; Animals ; Bilobalides/pharmacology* ; Neuroprotection ; Lipopolysaccharides/toxicity* ; Culture Media, Conditioned/pharmacology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Macrophages/metabolism* ; Microglia ; Cytokines/metabolism* ; Nerve Growth Factors/pharmacology* ; Inflammation/metabolism*

Objective : To investigate the awareness of nutritional health knowledge regular unpaid blood donors in Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into nutrition and health education among unpaid blood donors. Methods: The regular unpaid blood donors were sampled using a convenient sampling method from Zhoushan Central Blood Station from January 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. The nutritional health knowledge was investigated using the Chinese Nutrition Health Knowledge Questionnaire for Adults compiled by Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the awareness and source of nutritional health knowledge was descriptively analyzed. Results: Totally 526 questionnaires were allocated, and 502 valid questionnaires were recovered, with an effective recovery rate of 95.44%. The respondents included 240 men (47.81%) and 262 women (52.19%), and included 343 individuals at ages of 18 to 44 years (68.33%), and 159 individuals at ages of 45 years and older (31.67%). The overall awareness of nutritional health knowledge was 14.54% among regular unpaid blood donors in Zhoushan City, and a higher awareness was seen among female regular unpaid blood donors (17.56%) than among males (11.25%) (P<0.05), while the awareness of nutritional health knowledge was significantly higher among respondents at ages of 18 to 44 years than among those at ages of 45 years and older (16.91% vs. 9.43%, P<0.05). The awareness of nutritional health knowledge was significantly higher among respondents with an educational level of junior college and above than among those with an educational level of high school/technical secondary school/technical school (17.24% vs. 12.22%, P<0.05), and the awareness was significantly higher among respondents with healthcare-related occupations than among those with other occupations (16.44% vs. 14.22%, P<0.05). Wechat, Weibo, Tik Tok and Kuaishou were main routes to obtain nutritional health knowledge (83.86%). Conclusions The awareness of nutritional health knowledge is low among regular unpaid blood donors in Zhoushan City. Men, middle-aged and elderly residents and residents with a low educational level are targets that should be given a high priority for nutritional health education, and new media may be fully utilized for nutritional health education.

Natural products are an important source for the development of antitumor lead compounds, but the pharmacological effects and regulatory mechanisms of natural products in osimertinib resistance in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are not well understood. The natural product ligustroflavone was used as the research object to analyze its efficacy in osimertinib-resistant NSCLC cells by cell proliferation assay and cell cycle detection. The potential targets of ligustroflavone in osimertinib-resistant NSCLC cells were screened by public databases and bioinformatics, molecular docking and microscale thermophoresis were used to identify the interaction between privet and target molecules. Western blot was used to detect the effect of privet on the target molecules and their downstream pathways. Ligustroflavone reduced the proliferation of osimertinib-resistant NSCLC cells, and could arrest the cell cycle. Cyclin-dependent kinase 6 (CDK6) was the potential target of ligustroflavone in osimertinib-resistant NSCLC cells. Ligustroflavone inhibited the activation of CDK6-Rb axis. Together, ligustroflavone could regulate osimertinib resistance in NSCLC cells by binding cell cyclin-related molecules. This study provides a theoretical basis for the targeted drug resistance of NSCLC with natural products, and also provides a new idea for the development of clinical drug combination.

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of volunteer blood donors with regular apheresis platelets in Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, so as to provide insights into recruitment of regular blood donors. Methods: Gender, age, occupation, educational level, and volume and times of blood donation were collected from volunteer blood donors with apheresis platelets in Zhoushan Central Blood Station during the period from 2019 to 2021 through the Zhejiang Provincial Blood Management Information System BIS version 3.0, and the willingness of blood donation, routes for acquiring blood donation knowledge and cause of blood donation were collected from volunteer blood donors with regular apheresis platelets using questionnaire surveys. The factors affecting regular apheresis platelets were identified among volunteer blood donors using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Totally 236 volunteer blood donors participated in regular apheresis platelets in Zhoushan City from 2019 to 2021, accounting for 51.08% of all volunteer blood donors with regular apheresis platelets, and there were 1 488 blood donations, accounting for 71.23% of all volunteer blood donations with apheresis platelets. A total of 2 086.00 U platelets were donated, accounting for 71.82% of all volumes of volunteer blood donations with apheresis platelets. The volunteer blood donors included 160 men (67.80%) and 76 women (32.20%) and had an age of 35 (17) years. There were 63 employees (26.69%) and 111 with a bachelor degree and above (47.03%). Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed a high proportion of regular blood donations among participants at ages of 31 to 60 years (OR:1.767-3.257, 95%CI: 1.010-6.250), university students (OR=2.598, 95%CI: 1.238-5.450) and civil servants (OR=2.733, 95%CI: 1.193-6.263). There were 228 participants with willingness to continue to participate in volunteer blood donation with regular apheresis platelets (96.61%), and 215 participants with a history of participating in volunteer blood donation surveys (91.10%). Internet was the predominant route for acquiring knowledge about apheresis platelet donation (41.10%), and “think that blood donation is a meaningful thing” was the predominant cause of participating in volunteer apheresis platelet donation (33.05%). Conclusions There is a high proportion of regular blood donation among civil servants and university students.

It is an urgent demand worldwide to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. The 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL^pro) and papain-like protease (PL^pro) are key targets to discover SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. After screening 12 Chinese herbal medicines and 125 compounds from licorice, we found that a popular natural product schaftoside inhibited 3CL^pro and PL^pro with IC₅₀ values of 1.73 ± 0.22 and 3.91 ± 0.19 μmol/L, respectively, and inhibited SARS-CoV-2 virus in Vero E6 cells with EC₅₀ of 11.83 ± 3.23 μmol/L. Hydrogen-deuterium exchange mass spectrometry analysis, quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations, together with site-directed mutagenesis indicated the antiviral activities of schaftoside were related with non-covalent interactions with H41, G143 and R188 of 3CL^pro, and K157, E167 and A246 of PL^pro. Moreover, proteomics analysis and cytokine assay revealed that schaftoside also regulated immune response and inflammation of the host cells. The anti-inflammatory activities of schaftoside were confirmed on lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury mice. Schaftoside showed good safety and pharmacokinetic property, and could be a promising drug candidate for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Animals ; Decompression Sickness ; Gamma Rays/adverse effects* ; Lung/radiation effects* ; Lung Injury ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley