ObjectiveExosomes are microvesicles which could be secreted by all cell types with diameters between 30 and 150 nm. It was widely distributed in body fluids including blood, urine, and breast milk. Exosomes are considered as potential biomarkers and drug carriers by reason of containing nucleic acids, lipids, proteins and other bioactive molecules. Milk-derived exosomes have been widely used as drug delivery carriers to treat targeted diseases with a lower cost, higher biocompatibility and lower immunogenicity. Until now, there is no research about the milk-derived exosomes phosphorylation to reveal the difference of protein phosphorylation in different species of milk. To investigate the pathways and proteins with specific functions, phosphorylated proteomic analysis of milk-derived exosomes from different species is performed, and provide new ideas for exploring diversified treatments of disease. MethodsWhey and exosomes derived from bovine, porcine and caprine milk were performed for proteomics and phosphoproteomics analysis. The relationship between milk exosome proteins from different species and signaling pathways were analyzed using bioinformatics tools. ResultsA total of 4 191 global proteins, 1 640 phosphoproteins and 4 064 phosphosites were identified from 3 species of milk-derived exosomes, and the exosome proteins and phosphoproteins from different species were significantly higher than those of whey. Meanwhile, some special pathways were enriched like Fcγ-mediated phagocytosis from bovine exosomes, pathways related with neural and immune system from caprine exosomes, positive and negative regulation of multiple activities from porcine exosomes. ConclusionIn this study, the proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses of exosomes and whey from bovine, porcine and caprine milk were carried out to reveal the difference of composition and related signaling pathways of milk exosome from different species. These results provided powerful support for the application of exosomes from different milk sources in the field of disease treatment.

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of different courses of caffeine citrate injection in the treatment of very low birth weight infants.Methods Very low birth weight infants were divided into long course group and routine course according to cohort method.2 groups of children were given intravenous infusion of caffeine citrate injection loading dose(20 mg·kg-1)within 3 days after birth,and the dose was maintained at 5 mg·kg-1 after 24 hours(qd).In the long course group,caffeine citrate injection was used to correct gestational age＞34 weeks,and in the routine course,caffeine citrate injection was used to correct gestational age 33-34 weeks.The use of caffeine citrate injection,clinical efficacy,neonatal behavioral neurological scale(NBNA)score and the occurrence of adverse drug reactions were compared between the two groups.Results 116 cases were included in this study,64 cases in the long course group and 52 cases in the routine course.After treatment,the total clinical effective rate of the long course group and the routine course was 92.19％and 94.23％,respectively,with no statistical significance(P＞0.05).The total duration of caffeine citrate injection were(60.53±8.92)and(48.17±5.24)days,respectively;the corrected gestational age at withdrawal were(36.02±1.56)and(33.18±1.27)weeks,respectively.The corrected gestational age were(34.31±0.48)and(32.06±0.51)weeks;the milk volume were(32.69±2.14)and(23.85±1.69)mL,respectively,with statistical significance(all P＜0.05).The starting age of caffeine citrate injection were(59.65±3.42)and(58.35±3.11)h in the long course group and the routine course,respectively,with no statistical significance(P＞0.05).Before treatment,the NBNA score of the long course and routine courses were 36.49±6.78 and 35.58±4.22,respectively;the NBNA score of long course and conventional course after treatment were 43.25±6.88 and 44.12±7.42,respectively.Compared with before treatment,NBNA score in both groups were higher after treatment,with statistical significance(all P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in NBNA score between the long course group and the routine course(P＞0.05).The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia(84.38％vs 51.92％)and decreased hemoglobin concentration(17.75％vs 5.77％)in the long course group were significantly higher than those in the routine course(all P＜0.05).Conclusion Long-term use of caffeine citrate injection to correct gestational age＞34 weeks has no significant effect on clinical treatment,neurological function and intellectual development of very low birth weight infants.

Objective To evaluate the bioequivalence and safety of ezetimibe tablets in healthy Chinese subjects.Methods The study was designed as a single-center,randomized,open-label,two-period,two-way crossover,single-dose trail.Subjects who met the enrollment criteria were randomized into fasting administration group and postprandial administration group and received a single oral dose of 10 mg of the subject presparation of ezetimibe tablets or the reference presparation per cycle.The blood concentrations of ezetimibe and ezetimibe-glucuronide conjugate were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS),and the bioequivalence of the 2 preparations was evaluated using the WinNonlin 7.0 software.Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated to evaluate the bioequivalence of the 2 preparations.The occurrence of all adverse events was also recorded to evaluate the safety.Results The main pharmacokinetic parameters of total ezetimibe in the plasma of the test and the reference after a single fasted administration:Cmax were(118.79±35.30)and(180.79±51.78)nmol·mL-1;tmax were 1.40 and 1.04 h;t1/2 were(15.33±5.57)and(17.38±7.24)h;AUC0-t were(1 523.90±371.21)and(1 690.99±553.40)nmol·mL-1·h;AUC0-∞ were(1 608.70±441.28),(1 807.15±630.00)nmol·mL-1·h.The main pharmacokinetic parameters of total ezetimibe in plasma of test and reference after a single meal:Cmax were(269.18±82.94)and(273.93±87.78)nmol·mL-1;Tmax were 1.15 and 1.08 h;t1/2 were(22.53±16.33)and(16.02±5.84)h;AUC0_twere(1 463.37±366.03),(1 263.96±271.01)nmol·mL-1·h;AUC0-∞ were(1 639.01±466.53),(1 349.97±281.39)nmol·mL-1·h.The main pharmacokinetic parameters Cmax,AUC0-tand AUC0-∞ of the two preparations were analyzed by variance analysis after logarithmic transformation.In the fasting administration group,the 90％CI of the log-transformed geometric mean ratios were within the bioequivalent range for the remaining parameters in the fasting dosing group,except for the Cmax of ezetimibe and total ezetimibe,which were below the lower bioequivalent range.The Cmax of ezetimibe,ezetimibe-glucuronide,and total ezetimibe in the postprandial dosing group was within the equivalence range,and the 90％CI of the remaining parameters were not within the equivalence range for bioequivalence.Conclusion This test can not determine whether the test preparation and the reference preparation of ezetimibe tablets have bioequivalence,and further clinical trials are needed to verify it.

Objective Studies on the relationship between iodine,vitamin A(VA),and vitamin D(VD)and thyroid function are limited.This study aimed to analyze iodine and thyroid-stimulating hormone(TSH)status and their possible relationships with VA,VD,and other factors in postpartum women. Methods A total of 1,311 mothers(896 lactating and 415 non-lactating)from Hebei,Zhejiang,and Guangxi provinces were included in this study.The urinary iodine concentration(UIC),TSH,VA,and VD were measured. Results The median UIC of total and lactating participants were 142.00 μg/L and 139.95 μg/L,respectively.The median TSH,VA,and VD levels in all the participants were 1.89 mIU/L,0.44 μg/mL,and 24.04 ng/mL,respectively.No differences in the UIC were found between lactating and non-lactating mothers.UIC and TSH levels were significantly different among the three provinces.The rural UIC was higher than the urban UIC.Obese mothers had a higher UIC and a higher prevalence of excessive TSH.Higher UICs and TSHs levels were observed in both the VD deficiency and insufficiency groups than in the VD-sufficient group.After adjustment,no linear correlation was observed between UIC and VA/VD.No interaction was found between vitamins A/D and UIC on TSH levels. Conclusion The mothers in the present study had no iodine deficiency.Region,area type,BMI,and VD may be related to the iodine status or TSH levels.

OBJECTIVE To assess the profiles of elements in benzo[a]pyrene(BaP)induced carci-nogenesis,and explore the joint effects of copper with cisplatin or vinorelbine on cell proliferation.METHODS Forty-four elements were measured using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer in 16HBE cells and BaP malignantly transformed 16HBE(T-16HBE-C1)cells.Partial least square was used to validate the robustness of cell classification of elements.Cell viability was measured by MTT assay for copper(0,237,340,487,1000 and 1432 μmol·L-1),cisplatin(0,4.4,6.1,8.6,12.0 and 16.8 μmol·L-1),and vinorelbine(0,3.8,9.8,25.0,40.0 and 64.0 μmol·L-1)to acquire their half maximal inhibitory concentra-tion(IC50).Mixtures of copper and chemotherapeutics were prepared according to the ratio of each IC50.Their joint effects on cell viability were assessed by MTT assay and isobolographic analysis.Inhibition effect of copper(0,50,100,200,400 and 800 μmol·L-1)with IC50 of cisplatin or vinorelbine on prolifera-tion of T-16HBE-C1 cells was also assessed.RESULTS A total of 29 elements were quantified in 16HBE and T-16HBE-C1 cells,among which concentrations of copper,zinc,silver,selenium and rubidium decreased(P<0.05,P<0.01),while those of molybdenum,arsenic,lithium,germanium,strontium,nickel,lanthanum,mercury,iron,and cesium increased(P<0.05,P<0.01)in T-16HBE-C1 cells.Element concen-tration could be used to distinguish T-16HBE-C1 cells from 16HBE cells.Copper concentration-dependently inhibited proliferation of both cells,with a statistically significant lower IC50 of(613±16)μmol·L-1 in 16HBE cells than(776±15)μmol·L-1 in T-16HBE-C1 cells(P<0.01).Mixtures of copper and cisplatin(1∶69.5)or vinorelbine(1∶33.4)could inhibit cell proliferation,and copper had additive effects with cisplatin or vinorelbine.When copper concentration was higher than 400 μmol·L-1,copper combined with IC50 of cisplatin or vinorelbine inhibited cell proliferation of T-16HBE-C1 cells compared with IC50 of cisplatin(11.2 μmol·L-1)or vinorelbine(23.2 μmol·L-1)alone.CONCLUSION Element profiles and correlations can change significantly after 16HBE cells are malignantly transformed by BaP.Copper could inhibit the proliferation of T-16HBE-C1 cells and have additive effects with cisplatin or vinorelbine in higher concentration.

Objective To compare the oral cleansing effects of the microbubble toothbrush and the conventional pulsed oral irrigator to provide references for users.Methods Ninety identical 3D-printed resin tooth models were grouped and subjected to repeated experiments,which were divided randomly into five groups including a microbubble toothbrush high-speed gear(GN-H)group,a microbubble toothbrush medium-speed gear(GN-M)group,a microbubble low-speed gear(GN-L)group,a conventional pulsed oral irrigator high-speed gear(W-H)group and a conventional pulsed oral irrigator low-speed gear(W-L)group,with 18 teeth in each group.The cleansing effects of the microbubble toothbrush and the conventional pulsed oral irrigator were evaluated in terms of irrigating strength and abilities for eliminating plaque and debris.Results Both the two types of water flossers were provided with high irrigating strength and effectively reduced plaque and debris on tooth surfaces,and the GN-H,GN-M and GN-L groups behaved better significantly than the remained groups.The order of the five groups was GN-H group＞GN-M group＞W-H group＞GN-L group＞W-L group for irrigating strength,GN-H group＞GN-M group＞GN-L group＞W-H group＞W-L group for plaque removal,GN-H group＞GN-M group＞W-H group＞GN-L group＞W-L group for debris removal,with all the differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Both the two types of water flossers remove plaque and debris effectively,while the microbubble toothbrush gains advantages over the conventional pulsed oral irrigator.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(9):67-72]

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(taVNS)on overweight/obesity patients,and to explore its central mechanism.Methods Twenty-six overweight/obesity patients were randomly divided into two groups,12 cases in the taVNS test group(shortened as the taVNS group)and 14 cases in the lifestyle intervention control group(shortened as the control group).The patients in the control group were treated with online lifestyle intervention of calorie-restricted diet(CRD),and the patients in the taVNS group were treated with taVNS on the basis of the intervention for the control group.The taVNS was performed on unilateral acupoints of spleen and endocrine,twice(in the morning and at evening)per day,for five days a week.The treatment for the two groups covered four weeks.The obesity indicators such as body weight,body mass index(BMI)and waist circumference of the patients in the two groups were observed before and after treatment.Moreover,the resting-state cerebral functional magnetic resonance imaging(fMRI)data of the patients were collected after treatment,and then the regulatory effect of taVNS on the regional homogeneity(ReHo)of local cerebral area of the patients was observed.Results(1)During the trial,one case in each group dropped off,and a total of 24 patients(including 13 cases in the control group and 11 cases in the taVNS group)were finally included in the statistical analysis of the observation indicators.(2)After treatment,the body weight,BMI and waist circumference of patients in the taVNS group were decreased compared with those before treatment(P＜0.05),while the obesity indicators in the control group only showed a downward trend compared with those before treatment,the differences being not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The improvement of the obesity indicators of body weight,BMI,and waist circumference in the taVNS group was significantly superior to that in the control group,and there were statistically significant differences in the post-treatment indicators and in the pre-and post-treatment difference values of the indicators between the two groups(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(3)After treatment,the taVNS group had greater ReHo values in the left prefrontal lobe and medial frontal gyrus than the control group,and the control group had greater ReHo value in the right parietal lobe than the taVNS group,which indicated that compared with the control group,the ReHo of the left prefrontal lobe and medial frontal gyrus in the taVNS group was increased and the ReHo of the right parietal lobe was decreased(Pvoxel＜0.001,Pcluster＜0.05,corrected by FWE level).Conclusion As a non-invasive treatment method,taVNS exerts certain efficacy for the treatment of overweight/obesity patients.The central response mechanism for treatment of obesity is probably related with the modulation of taVNS on the functional areas of left prefrontal lobe,medial frontal gyrus,and right parietal lobe of the patients.

Objective To analyze the prognostic significance and biological effects of cytochrome P450 family 27 subfamily A member 1(CYP27A1)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),and to preliminarily explore its molecular mechanism of regulating the malignant growth of HCC.Methods The Cance Genome Atlas(TCGA)database was used to analyze the expression level of CYP27A1 and its prognostic effect on HCC patients.The samples were divided into CYP27A1 high-expression group(n=170)and low-expression group(n=170)based on the median expression of CYP27A1 in HCC,gene set enrichment analysis(GSEA)was performed to investigate gene sets associated with CYP27A1 expression.The subcellular localization of CYP27A1 was detected by immunofluorescence staining and search database.The over-expression plasmid of CYP27A1 was constructed and then transfected into the HCC cells MHCC-97H and HCCLM3 cell lines,including two groups,namely control group(transfecting empty vector)and CYP27A1 over-expression group(transfecting CYP27A1 over-expressed vector).CCK-8,flow cytometer,and reactive oxygen species(ROS)fluorescence probe were applied to detect the effects of CYP27A1 over-expression on cell viability,apoptosis and ROS levels in HCC cells.Combining bioinformatics to analyze the correlation between CYP27A1 and the expression of ROS generation-related genes and HCC proliferation-related genes.Results Compared with the normal liver tissue,the expression level of CYP27A1 mRNA in HCC tissue was significantly reduced(P<0.01).The expression of CYP27A1 was significantly correlated with sex,T stage,tumor grade and tumor stage of HCC patients(P<0.05).Compared to the CYP27A1 high-expression group,patients in CYP27A1 low-expression group had lower survival rate(P<0.01).GSEA enrichment analysis revealed that the levels of HCC stem cell-related gene clusters and HCC proliferation gene clusters were remarkably increased in CYP27A1 low-expression group.The immunofluorescence showed that CYP27A1 was mainly located in nucleus in MHCC-97H and HCCLM3,whereas CYP27A1 was mainly located in mitochondria in HepG2.CYP27A1 over-expression attenuated cell viability(P<0.01),and reduced the ROS levels(P<0.05),whereas it had no effects on the apoptosis in HCC cells(P>0.05).The expression of CYP27A1 and the expression of inhibiting ROS generation-related genes were positively correlated(P<0.05),while the expression of inhibiting ROS generation-related genes and the expression of HCC proliferation-related genes were negatively correlated(P<0.05).Conclusions The expression of CYP27A1 was decreased in HCC,and down-regulated CYP27A1 promoted cell growth by enhancing ROS generation,although the precise mechanism requires future educidation.

Objective To investigate the risk factors for bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD)in twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks,and to provide a basis for early identification of BPD in twin preterm infants in clinical practice.Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the twin preterm infants with a gestational age of<34 weeks who were admitted to 22 hospitals nationwide from January 2018 to December 2020.According to their conditions,they were divided into group A(both twins had BPD),group B(only one twin had BPD),and group C(neither twin had BPD).The risk factors for BPD in twin preterm infants were analyzed.Further analysis was conducted on group B to investigate the postnatal risk factors for BPD within twins.Results A total of 904 pairs of twins with a gestational age of<34 weeks were included in this study.The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with group C,birth weight discordance of>25%between the twins was an independent risk factor for BPD in one of the twins(OR=3.370,95%CI:1.500-7.568,P<0.05),and high gestational age at birth was a protective factor against BPD(P<0.05).The conditional logistic regression analysis of group B showed that small-for-gestational-age(SGA)birth was an independent risk factor for BPD in individual twins(OR=5.017,95%CI:1.040-24.190,P<0.05).Conclusions The development of BPD in twin preterm infants is associated with gestational age,birth weight discordance between the twins,and SGA birth.

Objective To evaluate the in vitro effect of combinations of 5 β-lactam antibiotics with different β-lac-tamase inhibitors on the activity of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MDR-TB),and identify the most effective combination of β-lactam antibiotics and β-lactamase inhibitors against MDR-TB.Methods MDR-TB strains collected in Henan Province Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Project in 2021 were selected.The mini-mum inhibitory concentrations(MIC)of 5 β-lactam antibiotics or combinations with different β-lactamase inhibitors on clinically isolated MDR-TB strains were measured by MIC detection method,and the blaC mutation of the strains was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction(PCR)and DNA sequencing.Results A total of 105 strains of MDR-TB were included in the analysis.MIC detection results showed that doripenem had the highest antibacterial activity against MDR-TB,with a MIC50 of 16 μg/mL.MIC values of most β-lactam antibiotics decreased significantly after combined with β-lactamase inhibitors.A total of 13.33％(n=14)strains had mutations in blaC gene,mainly 3 nu-cleotide substitution mutations,namely AGT333AGG,AAC638ACC and ATC786ATT.BlaC proteins Ser111 Arg and Asn213Thr enhanced the synergistic effect of clavulanic acid/sulbactam and meropenem on MDR-TB compared with synonymous single-nucleotide mutation.Conclusion The combination of doripenem and sulbactam has the strongest antibacterial activity against MDR-TB.Substitution mutations of BlaC protein Ser111 Arg and Asn213Thr enhances the sensitivity of MDR-TB to meropenem through the synergy with clavulanic acid/sulbactam.