OBJECTIVES: Neuropathic pain (NP) is one of the most common forms of chronic pain, yet current treatment options are limited in effectiveness. Peripheral nerve injury activates spinal microglia, altering their inflammatory response and phagocytic functions, which contributes to the progression of NP. Most current research on NP focuses on microglial inflammation, with relatively little attention to their phagocytic function. Early growth response factor 2 (EGR2) has been shown to regulate microglial phagocytosis, but its specific role in NP remains unclear. This study aims to investigate how EGR2 modulates microglial phagocytosis and its involvement in NP, with the goal of identifying potential therapeutic targets. METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to establish a chronic constriction injury (CCI) model of the sciatic nerve. Pain behaviors were assessed on days 1, 3, 7, 10, and 14 post-surgery to confirm successful model induction. The temporal and spatial expression of EGR2 in the spinal cord was examined using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) was used to overexpress EGR2 in the spinal cord, and behavioral assessments were performed to evaluate the effects of EGR2 modulation of NP. CCI and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) models were established in animals and microglial cell lines, respectively, and changes in phagocytic activity were measured using RT-qPCR and fluorescent latex bead uptake assays. After confirming the involvement of microglial phagocytosis in NP, AAV was used to overexpress EGR2 in both in vivo and in vitro models, and phagocytic activity was further evaluated. Finally, eukaryotic transcriptome sequencing was conducted to screen differentially expressed mRNAs, followed by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses to identify potential downstream effectors of EGR2. RESULTS: The CCI model successfully induced NP. Following CCI, EGR2 expression in the spinal cord was upregulated in parallel with NP development. Overexpression of EGR2 via spinal AAV injection enhanced microglial phagocytic activity and increased pain hypersensitivity in rats. Both animal and cellular models showed that CCI or LPS stimulation enhanced microglial phagocytosis, which was further amplified by EGR2 overexpression. Transcriptomic analysis of spinal cord tissues from CCI rats overexpressing EGR2 revealed upregulation of numerous genes associated with microglial phagocytosis and pain regulation. Among them, Lag3 emerged as a potential downstream target of EGR2. CONCLUSIONS EGR2 contributes to the maintenance of NP by enhancing microglial phagocytosis in the spinal dorsal horn.
Animals ; Microglia/metabolism* ; Phagocytosis/physiology* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Neuralgia/physiopathology* ; Early Growth Response Protein 2/metabolism* ; Male ; Rats ; Spinal Cord/metabolism* ; Sciatic Nerve/injuries*

The plant AT-rich sequence and zinc-binding protein (PLATZ) family is composed of plant-specific zinc finger-like transcription factors, which play important roles in plant growth, development, and stress tolerance. In this study, to gain a better understanding of the PLATZ gene in C. sinensis and elucidate its response under drought and high temperature conditions, the PLATZ gene family of the C. sinensis cultivar 'Tieguanyin' was systematically identified, and a total of 12 CsPLATZ family members were identified. Expasy online and other bioinformatics tools were used to analyze the members of the PLATZ gene family in terms of protein physicochemical properties, phylogenetic relationships, cis-acting elements, gene structures, and intra- and inter-species collinearity. The results of phylogenetic analysis classified the CsPLATZ family members into 2 subfamilies. The conserved domains and gene structures of PLATZ family members within the same subfamily had a high degree of consistency, whereas a certain degree of diversity was observed among the subfamilies. Twelve PLATZ genes were unevenly distributed across 7 chromosomes of C. sinensis and the promoter regions of these genes had multiple cis-acting elements related to hormone and stress responses. The collinearity analysis showed that there were 4 pairs of duplication events in the CsPLATZ gene family, all of which were segmental duplications. Based on this gene family, C. sinensis had a closer evolutionary relationship with A. thaliana than with O. sativa. The transcriptome analysis showed that the expression levels of CsPLATZ family members varied in different tissue samples of C. sinensis. 6 genes (CsPLATZ-1, CsPLATZ-2, CsPLATZ-3, CsPLATZ-4, CsPLATZ-6, and CsPLATZ-8) with high expression in shoots, young leaves, and roots were selected for high temperature and drought stress treatments, and their expression was quantified by qRT-PCR. The results indicated that the six genes might play important roles in the response to drought stress. In addition, CsPLATZ-2 and CsPLATZ-8 might have important functions in the response to high temperature stress. The results of this study will contribute to a better understanding of the biological functions of PLATZ genes and their possible roles in the growth, development, and stress responses of C. sinensis.
Droughts ; Camellia sinensis/physiology* ; Phylogeny ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/genetics* ; Stress, Physiological/genetics* ; Multigene Family ; Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Hot Temperature ; Genes, Plant

Objective: To systematically evaluate the influencing factors for medication compliance in patients with comorbidities of chronic diseases, so as to provide the evidence for improving medication compliance. Methods: Literature on influencing factors for medication compliance in patients with comorbidities of chronic diseases were retrived from CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library and Embase from inception to January 20, 2024. After independent literature screening, data extraction, and quality assessment by two researchers, a meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 16.0 softwares. Literature were excluded one by one for sensitivity analysis. Publication bias was assessed using Egger's test. Results: Initially, 7 365 relevant articles were retrieved, and 35 of them were finally included, with a total sample size of about 150 000 individuals. There were 30 cross-sectional studies and 5 cohort studies; and 11 high-quality studies and 24 medium-quality studies. The meta-analysis showed that the demographic factors of lower level of education (OR=2.148, 95%CI: 1.711-2.696), lower economic income (OR=1.897, 95%CI: 1.589-2.264), male (OR=0.877, 95%CI: 0.782-0.985), living alone (OR=2.833, 95%CI: 1.756-4.569) and unmarried (OR=2.784, 95%CI: 1.251-6.196); the medication treatment factors of polypharmacy (OR=1.794, 95%CI: 1.190-2.706), potentially inappropriate medication (OR=2.988, 95%CI: 1.527-5.847), low frequency of daily medication (OR=0.533, 95%CI: 0.376-0.754) and adverse drug reactions (OR=3.319, 95%CI: 1.967-5.602); the disease factors of long course of disease (OR=2.118, 95%CI: 1.643-2.730), more comorbidities (OR=1.667, 95%CI: 1.143-2.431) and cognitive impairment (OR=2.007, 95%CI: 1.401-2.874); and the psychosocial factors of poor belief in taking medication (OR=1.251, 95%CI: 1.011-1.547), poor self-rated health (OR=1.990, 95%CI: 1.571-2.522) and being guided by healthcare professionals (OR=0.151, 95%CI: 0.062-0.368) were the influencing factors for medication compliance in patients with chronic comorbidities. Conclusion The medication compliance in patients with comorbidities of chronic diseases is associated with demographic factors, pharmacological factors, disease factors and psychosocial factors, mainly including living alone, adverse drug reactions, course of disease, number of comorbidities and medication beliefs.

Objective To observe the effects of wheat grain moxibustion for"Huantiao"on sciatic nerve function,pathological morphology of sciatic nerve stem and expressions of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway expression in spinal cord tissue of rats with sciatic nerve injury(SNI);To explore the possible mechanism of wheat grain moxibustion for the treatment of SNI.Methods Totally 24 SD male rats were randomly divided into blank group,sham-operation group,model group and wheat grain moxibustion group,with 6 rats in each group.The model group and the wheat grain moxibustion group used a rat model with sciatic nerve clamping injury.From the 7th day after modeling,the rats were treated with moxibustion on the affected side of"Huantiao"for 6 strokes each time,once a day,for consecutive 10 days.The sciatic nerve function index(SFI)of rats on the 7th day after modeling and after intervention were observed,mechanical withdraw threshold(MWT)in rats were measured using a fiber optic pain gauge,ELISA was used to detect NO and iNOS content in spinal cord tissue,HE staining was used to observe the morphology of sciatic nerve stem,the expression of TLR4,NF-κBp65,p-NF-κBp65,MyD88,IκBα and p-IκBα in spinal cord tissue were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with the sham-operation group,the SFI and MWT of the rats in the model group significantly decreased(P<0.01),the arrangement of nerve fibers in sciatic nerve stem was disordered,with a significant increase in the number of Schwann cells and a large number of vacuolar degeneration,the content of NO,iNOS and the expression of TLR4,p-NF-κBp65,MyD88,p-IκBα protein in spinal cord tissue significantly increased(P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the SFI and MWT of the rats in the wheat grain moxibustion group increased significantly(P<0.01),the damage of sciatic nerve stem was reduced,with orderly cell arrangement,a decrease in the number of Schwann cells,and a decrease in axonal demyelination and cellular vacuolar degeneration,the content of NO,iNOS and the expression of TLR4,p-NF-κBp65,MyD88,p-IκBα in spinal cord tissue significantly decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion Wheat grain moxibustion for"Huantiao"can down-regulate TLR4,p-NF-κBp65,MyD88 and p-IκBα protein expressions in spinal cord tissue of SNI rats,reduce the secretion of NO and iNOS,thereby relieve pain and damaged nerve tissue inflammation response.

Objective To improve the efficiency of induced differentiation of primitive neural epithelial cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells(hiPSCs-NECs)into functional midbrain dopaminergic progenitor cells(DAPs).Methods HiPSCs were cultured in mTeSRTM medium containing DMH1(10 μmol/L),SB431542(10 μmol/L),SHH(200 ng/mL),FGF8(100 ng/mL),purmorphamine(2 μmol/L),CHIR99021(3 μmol/L),and N2(1%)for 12 days to induce their differentiation into primitive neuroepithelial cells(NECs).The hiPSCs-NECs were digested with collagenase IV and then cultured in neurobasal medium supplemented with 1%N2,2%B27-A,BDNF(10 ng/mL),GDNF(10 ng/mL),AA,TGF-β,cAMP,and 1%GlutaMax in the presence of different concentrations of Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632,and the culture medium was changed the next day to remove Y27632.Continuous induction was performed until day 28 to obtain DAPs.Results Human iPSCs expressed the pluripotency markers OCT4,SOX2,Nanog,and SSEA1 and were positive for alkaline phosphatase staining.The hiPSCs-NECs were obtained on day 13 in the form of neural rosettes expressing neuroepithelial markers SOX2,nestin,and PAX6.In digested hiPSCs-NECs,the addition of 5 μmol/L Y27632 significantly promoted survival of the adherent cells,increased cell viability and the proportion of S-phase cells(P<0.01),and reduced the rate of apoptotic cells(P<0.05).On day 28 of induction,the obtained cells highly expressed the specific markers of DAPS(TH,FOXA2,NURR1,and Tuj1).Conclusion Treatment with Y27632(5 μmol/L)for 24 h significantly promotes the survival of human iPSCs-NECs during their differentiation into DPAs without affecting the cell differentiation,which indirectly enhances the efficiency of cell differentiation.

Objective To improve the efficiency of induced differentiation of primitive neural epithelial cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells(hiPSCs-NECs)into functional midbrain dopaminergic progenitor cells(DAPs).Methods HiPSCs were cultured in mTeSRTM medium containing DMH1(10 μmol/L),SB431542(10 μmol/L),SHH(200 ng/mL),FGF8(100 ng/mL),purmorphamine(2 μmol/L),CHIR99021(3 μmol/L),and N2(1%)for 12 days to induce their differentiation into primitive neuroepithelial cells(NECs).The hiPSCs-NECs were digested with collagenase IV and then cultured in neurobasal medium supplemented with 1%N2,2%B27-A,BDNF(10 ng/mL),GDNF(10 ng/mL),AA,TGF-β,cAMP,and 1%GlutaMax in the presence of different concentrations of Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632,and the culture medium was changed the next day to remove Y27632.Continuous induction was performed until day 28 to obtain DAPs.Results Human iPSCs expressed the pluripotency markers OCT4,SOX2,Nanog,and SSEA1 and were positive for alkaline phosphatase staining.The hiPSCs-NECs were obtained on day 13 in the form of neural rosettes expressing neuroepithelial markers SOX2,nestin,and PAX6.In digested hiPSCs-NECs,the addition of 5 μmol/L Y27632 significantly promoted survival of the adherent cells,increased cell viability and the proportion of S-phase cells(P<0.01),and reduced the rate of apoptotic cells(P<0.05).On day 28 of induction,the obtained cells highly expressed the specific markers of DAPS(TH,FOXA2,NURR1,and Tuj1).Conclusion Treatment with Y27632(5 μmol/L)for 24 h significantly promotes the survival of human iPSCs-NECs during their differentiation into DPAs without affecting the cell differentiation,which indirectly enhances the efficiency of cell differentiation.

Objective:To investigate Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection status, strain typing, and their correlations with gastric mucosal lesions in chronic gastritis. Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the medical records of 11 500 patients with chronic gastritis who received treatment at Xi'an International Medical Center Hospital, People's Hospital of Wuhai, and People's Hospital of Tongchuan from January to July 2022. Hp test results, strain typing, and the basic characteristics and gastric mucosal lesions of Hp-infected patients were determined. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to assess the correlation between strain types and gastric mucosal lesions. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors influencing Hp infection in patients with chronic gastritis.Results:A total of 7 549 cases of Hp infection were identified (65.65%). Patients with more than three family members, farmers and workers, those who frequently drank raw water, consumed pickled foods, did not drink tea, were aged 50 years or older, or had a disease duration of 2 years or more had a higher Hp-positive rate compared with those with fewer than three family members, government officials, those who infrequently drank raw water, did not consume pickled foods, drank tea, were younger than 50 years, or had a disease duration of less than 2 years (all P < 0.05). The majority of infected patients harbored the highly virulent type I Hp strains (55.65%). The numbers of cases of non-epithelial neoplasia, low-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia, and gastric infiltrating carcinoma were significantly different among different strain types (χ2 = 40.33, 7.65, 11.39, 54.89, all P < 0.05). Conclusion:A higher number of family members, being a farmer or a worker, frequently drinking raw water, and consuming pickled foods are associated with an increased rate of Hp infection, while drinking tea is linked to a reduced infection rate. Patients with chronic gastritis are often infected with highly virulent type I Hp strain. There is a positive correlation between non-epithelial neoplasia and strain type. Age ≥ 50 years and disease duration ≥ 2 years are independent factors influencing Hp infection in chronic gastritis.

Objective:To explore the risk factors of postpartum hemorrhage in parturients undergoing vaginal delivery with a second child and establish a risk prediction model.Methods:Using the convenient sampling method, a total of 2 500 parturients undergoing vaginal delivery with a second child who underwent regular prenatal examinations at Peking University Third Hospital from July 2019 to March 2023 were selected as the research objects. According to the amount of blood loss, parturients with blood loss greater than or equal to 500 ml within 24 hours after delivery were selected as the case group ( n=278), while parturients with blood loss less than 500 ml within 24 hours after delivery in the same period were selected as the control group ( n=2 222). Univariate analysis and binomial Logistic regression were used to analyze the influencing factors of postpartum hemorrhage in parturients with vaginal delivery with a second child. Based on the selected risk factors, a nomogram prediction model was established using R software, and the consistency of the model was tested. Results:The incidence of postpartum hemorrhage in 2 500 parturients undergoing vaginal delivery with a second child was 11.12% (278/2 500). Binomial Logistic regression analysis showed that in in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer, pre-delivery body mass index, lateral perineal incision, neonatal weight, placenta previa, placenta implantation and manual extraction of placenta were the influencing factors for postpartum hemorrhage in parturients undergoing vaginal delivery with a second child ( P<0.05). According to the influencing factors, a nomogram model was established to predict the probability of postpartum hemorrhage in women who gave birth to a second child. The C- index of the prediction model was 0.706, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.706, and the χ 2 value of the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test was 7.720 ( P=0.461) . Conclusions:In vitro fertilization embryo transfer, pre-delivery body mass index, perineal lateral resection, neonatal weight, placenta previa, placental implantation and manual extraction of placenta are risk factors for postpartum hemorrhage in parturients undergoing vaginal delivery for a second child. The prediction model constructed based on risk factors has certain accuracy and clinical value for predicting postpartum hemorrhage in parturients with vaginal delivery of a second child.

Objective:To summarize the best evidence of medication adherence interventions for patients with multiple chronic conditions.Methods:According to the "6S" evidence model, literature on medication adherence in patients with multiple chronic conditions was retrieved from BMJ Best Clinical Practice, UpToDate, Medlive, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, Cochrane Library, Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang data and so on. The search period was from establishing the database to August 30, 2023.Results:A total of 16 articles were included, including three guidelines, four expert consensus, seven systematic reviews, and two meta-analyses. Twenty-seven pieces of evidence were summarized from six aspects of compliance assessment, educational intervention, behavioral intervention, optimized treatment program, technical reminder intervention, and social-psychological-emotional intervention.Conclusions:The best evidence of medication adherence interventions for patients with multiple chronic conditions summarized provides a reference for medical and nursing staff to develop medication adherence interventions.

Objective:To develop a risk prediction model of acute cerebral infarction (ACI) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).Methods:It was a cross-sectional study. The clinical data of 798 patients with T2DM hospitalized in the Department of Endocrinology and Neurology of Shanxi Bethune Hospital from August 2021 to October 2023 were collected. Based on whether they had concurrent ACI, the patients were divided into T2DM with ACI group (case group) and pure T2DM group (control group). The patients were then allocated to a training set ( n=558) and a validation set ( n=240) in a 7∶3 ratio by the sample functions in R software. LASSO regression was employed to screen and optimize variables, and a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to establish the nomogram prediction model. The discriminative ability, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the risk prediction model were assessed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis, respectively. Results:LASSO regression identified gender, age, systolic blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), albumin (ALB), and carotid vascular condition as the variables for prediction. The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that female ( OR=0.489, 95% CI: 0.308-0.778) and ALB ( OR=0.846, 95% CI: 0.795-0.901) were protective factors for ACI occurrence in T2DM patients, while age ( OR=1.051, 95% CI:1.025-1.077), systolic blood pressure ( OR=1.047, 95% CI: 1.034-1.059), FPG ( OR=1.185, 95% CI: 1.089-1.288), and carotid plaque ( OR=7.359, 95% CI: 3.050-17.756) were risk factors. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for risk of ACI in the training set was 0.863(95% CI: 0.833-0.893), and it was 0.846(95% CI: 0.797-0.896) for the validation set. Calibration curves and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test indicated good model fit (training set χ2=8.311, P=0.404; validation set χ2=3.957, P=0.861). Decision curve analysis showed that the clinical effectiveness of the model was higher when the threshold probabilities of the training set and the validation set was 0.02-0.93 and 0.12-0.99, respectively. Conclusion:In this study, a prediction model of ACI risk in T2DM patients was successfully established.