BACKGROUND:Spleen has the functions of blood storage,hematopoiesis,and immunity.With the increase of age,the structural degeneration and functional decline of spleen lead to the impairment of immune system function,thus accelerating the aging process of the body.The treatment of spleen aging in tree shrews with highly active umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells has not been reported. OBJECTIVE:To explore the intervention effect and mechanism of highly active umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on spleen aging in tree shrews. METHODS:Highly active umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells were isolated,cultured,and obtained from the umbilical cord tissue of newborn tree shrews by caesarean section.The differentiation abilities of adipogenesis,osteogenesis,and chondrogenesis were detected by three-line differentiation kit.Cell cycle and surface markers were detected by flow cytometry.The second generation of highly active umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells were transfected with Genechem Green Fluorescent Protein with infection complex values of 100,120,140,160,180,and 200,respectively,to screen the best transfection conditions.After transfection,the fourth generation of highly active umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells was injected into the tail vein of tree shrews in the elderly treatment group.The young control group and the aged model group were not given special treatment.After 4 months of treatment,the spleen tissue was taken and the structure of the spleen was observed by hematoxylin-eosin staining.β-Galactosidase staining was used to detect the activity of aging-related galactosidase.Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression levels of p21 and p53 proteins.Ki67 and PCNA immunofluorescence staining was used to detect cell proliferation activity.Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the expression levels of spleen autophagy protein molecules Beclin 1 and APG5L/ATG5.Reactive oxygen species fluorescence staining was used to detect the content of reactive oxygen species in spleen tissue.CD3 immunofluorescence staining was used to detect the change of the proportion of total T lymphocytes.The secretion levels of interleukin 1β and transforming growth factor β1 in spleen were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.The distribution of highly active umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells labeled with green fluorescent protein in spleen tissue was observed by DAPI double staining of nucleus. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Highly active umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells grew in a short spindle shape with fish-like growth,with a large proportion of G0/G1 phase,and had the potential to differentiate into adipogenesis,osteogenesis,and chondrogenesis.(2)Multiplicity of infection=140 and transfection for 72 hours were the best conditions for labeling tree shrews highly active umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells with Genechem Green Fluorescent Protein.(3)Compared with the aged model group,in the aged treatment group,the spleen tissue cells of tree shrews were arranged closely,and the area of white pulp was increased(P<0.01);the boundary between red pulp and white pulp was clear;the proportion of germinal centers did not show statistically significant difference(P>0.05).The activity level of galactosidase related to spleen tissue aging was decreased(P<0.001),and the expression levels of aging protein molecules p21 and p53 were down-regulated(P<0.001).The expression levels of proliferation-related molecules Ki67 and PCNA were up-regulated(P<0.001,P<0.05);expression levels of autophagy-related molecules Beclin 1 and APG5L/ATG5 were up-regulated(P<0.001),and the content of reactive oxygen species decreased(P<0.001),and the proportion of CD3+T cells increased(P<0.05).The secretion level of interleukin 1β in the aging-related secretion phenotype decreased(P<0.001);no significant difference was found in transforming growth factor β1 level(P>0.05).Compared with the young control group,the above indexes were significantly different in the elderly treatment group(P<0.05).(4)Green fluorescent cells labeled with green fluorescent protein were observed in spleen tissue of tree shrews the elderly treatment group by frozen tissue section observation.The results show that intravenous infusion of highly active umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells can migrate to spleen tissue,inhibit the production of reactive oxygen species,down-regulate the expression of aging-related proteins,induce autophagy,promote cell proliferation,reduce chronic inflammation,and then improve the structure and function of spleen tissue.

Objective To investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of human placental chorionic plate-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hpcMSCs) on cognitive dysfunction, neuroinflammation, neuronal damage and synaptic plasticity in a mouse model of stroke. Methods A mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was adopted. The mice were randomly divided into three groups: sham operation group, MCAO group and hpcMSCs treatment group, with seven mice in each group. The hpcMSCs treatment group received hpcMSCs transplantation on the 1st, 3rd and 10th day after MCAO. One month after MCAO, the cognitive ability of the mice was evaluated by Morris water maze and Y maze behavioral tests; the morphological changes and synaptic functions of hippocampal neurons were analyzed by HE staining, Nissl staining, Golgi staining and immunofluorescence staining techniques; the density and activation status of microglia was analyzed by Fluorescent labeling method; the levels of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and IL-6 in brain tissue were analyzed by ELISA; the expressions of phosphorylated-mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 (p-MEK1), phosphorylated-extracellular regulated protein kinase (p-ERK) and phosphorylated-cAMP-response element binding protein (p-CREB) and other proteins related to neuroprotection in the signal pathways were detected by Western blotting; and electrophysiological detection was performed using hippocampal slices in vitro. Results Compared with the MCAO group, mice in the hpcMSCs treatment group showed significant improvements, including improved cognitive ability, alleviated neuroinflammation (demonstrated by reduced microglial activation and decreased levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6), and increased neuronal density with normalized morphology of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region. The treatment group also demonstrated a significantly increased number of Nissl-positive cells and density of dendritic spines of hippocampal neurons, along with restored frequency of miniature excitatory postsynaptic potential (mEPSP). Moreover, hpcMSCs treatment significantly increased the expression levels of p-MEK1, p-ERK and p-CREB in the hippocampus. Conclusion Transplantation of hpcMSCs ameliorates cognitive dysfunction and hippocampal neuronal injury in stroke mice through the reduction of neuroinflammation, restoration of hippocampal neuronal function, promotion of synaptic plasticity and activation of the MEK/ERK/CREB signaling pathway. These findings suggest a new potential therapeutic approach for post-stroke neural repair.
Animals ; Hippocampus/physiopathology* ; Mice ; Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Male ; Neurons/metabolism* ; Stroke/metabolism* ; Humans ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases/therapy* ; Female ; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein/metabolism* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

Although clinical evidence suggests that nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is an established major risk factor for heart failure, it remains unexplored whether sleep disorder-caused hepatic damage contributes to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Here, our findings revealed that sleep fragmentation (SF) displayed notable hepatic detrimental phenotypes, including steatosis and oxidative damage, along with significant abnormalities in cardiac structure and function. All these pathological changes persisted even after sleep recovery for 2 consecutive weeks or more, displaying memory properties. Mechanistically, persistent higher expression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase 4 (NOX4) in the liver was the key initiator of SF-accelerated damage phenotypes. SF epigenetically controlled the acetylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27ac) enrichment at the Nox4 promoter and markedly increased Nox4 expression in liver even after sleep recovery. Moreover, fine coordination of the circadian clock and hepatic damage was strictly controlled by BMAL1-dependent Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) transcription after circadian misalignment. Accordingly, genetic manipulation of liver-specific Nox4 or Sirt1, along with pharmacological intervention targeting NOX4 (GLX351322) or SIRT1 (Resveratrol), could effectively erase the epigenetic modification of Nox4 by reducing the H3K27ac level and ameliorate the progression of liver pathology, thereby counteracting SF-evoked sustained CVD. Collectively, our findings may pave the way for strategies to mitigate myocardial injury from persistent hepatic detrimental memory in diabetic patients.

A major obstacle in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is sleep fragmentation (SF), which negatively affects testicular function. However, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we demonstrate that SF induces testicular damage through a mechanism involving lipid metabolism, specifically mediated by melatonin (MEL) receptor 1a (MT1). T2DM mice with SF intervention displayed several deleterious phenotypes such as apoptosis, deregulated lipid metabolism, and impaired testicular function. Unexpectedly, sleep recovery (SR) for 2 consecutive weeks could not completely abrogate SF's detrimental effects on lipid deposition and testicular function. Interestingly, MEL and MT1 agonist 2-iodomelatonin (2IM) effectively improved lipid homeostasis, highlighting MEL/2IM as a promising therapeutic drug for SF-trigged testicular damage. Mechanistically, MEL and 2IM activated FGFR1 and sequentially restrained the crosstalk and physical interaction between TAB1 and TAK1, which ultimately suppressed the phosphorylation of TAK1 to block lipid deposition and cell apoptosis caused by SF. The ameliorating effect of MEL/2IM was overtly nullified in Fgfr1 knockout (Fgfr1-KO ^+/- ) diabetic mice. Meanwhile, testicular-specific overexpression of Tak1 abolished the protective effect of FGF1^mut on diabetic mouse testis. Our findings offer valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the testicular pathogenesis associated with SF and propose a novel therapeutic approach for addressing male infertility in T2DM.

Objective:A genome-wide molecular characterization of FJ21351116, a strain of G3P[8]-E2 2021 collected in Fujian, China, was performed.Methods:Whole genome sequencing of FJ21351116 was performed using a high-sensitivity group A rotavirus whole genome sequencing method. Genomic characteriza-tion of the virus was assessed by nucleic acid sequence analysis using MEGA 11.0, Geneious 9.0.2 and DNASTAR software. Neutralization epitopes of VP7 and VP4 (VP8*) were analyzed using BioEdit v. 7.0.9.0 and PyMOL v. 2.5.2.Results:In this study, FJ21351116 was shown to be a G3-P[8]-I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2 genotype, and the result of phylogenetic tree showed that the VP7, VP4, VP3, and NSP2-NSP5 genes of the FJ21351116 strain were related to the equine-like DS-1-like G3P[8] genes that have been detected in Japan in recent years. VP6, VP1, VP2, and NSP1 genes are closely related to G2P[4] in most countries, especially in Singapore, suggesting that this strain was formed by genetic reassortment during the evolution of equine-like G3P[8] and G2P[4]. Evolutionary relationships between the VP7/VP4 genes of FJ21351116 and Rotarix and RotaTeq vaccines suggest that the multiple mutations in both VP7 and VP4 (VP8*) neutralizing antigenic epitopes and vaccine amino acid sites. It is hypothesized that the Rotarix and RotaTeq vaccines may be less effective against equine DS-1-like G3P[8] RVA, and the sequence differences with Rotarix are higher than those with RotaTeq.Conclusions:In this study, we found a rare case of DS-1-like G3P [8] RVA strain in China. Currently, horse-like DS-1-like G3P [8] RVA is relatively rare in China and may be poorly protected by vaccine strains, emphasizing the importance of continuous monitoring of RVA strains and the development of efficient and full-coverage RVA vaccines.

The 19 th Chinese Symposium of Burns and Wounds was successfully held in Foshan of Guangdong Province from June 20 th to 22 nd in 2024. There were more than 700 delegates attending the academic event. The theme of the congress was expansion, integration and standardization, which could promote academic exchanges, multi-disciplinary fusion, and standardization of clinical treatment of burns and wounds. A total of nearly 200 famous experts and scholars had their speeches on the two-day keynote forum and special academic seminars including critical care, wound repair, scar prevention and treatment, rehabilitation nursing, and disciplinary integration sessions. The congress ended successfully with abundant fruits and friendship.

Background and Aims:In the era of minimally invasive surgery,the role of pancreatic tumor enucleation(PTE)in treating benign or low-grade malignant tumors is gaining attention.The Da Vinci robot offers advantages such as enhanced visualization and flexible instrument manipulation,which can ensure the safe implementation of PTE.However,whether robotic pancreatic tumor excision(RPTE)is superior to laparoscopic pancreatic tumor enucleation(LPTE)remains undetermined.Therefore,this study was performed to explore this aspect. Methods:The clinical data of 38 patients who underwent surgical treatment for benign or low-grade malignant tumors in the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from April 2020 to May 2024 were collected.Among them,18 cases underwent RPTE(RPTE group),and 20 cases underwent LPTE(LPTE group).Relevant clinical variables were compared between the two groups,and subgroup comparisons were further conducted for patients with tumors in the head and neck/body/tail of the pancreas. Results:The average operative time for the entire group was 125 min,with an average intraoperative blood loss of 67.89 mL,and no C-grade pancreatic fistula occurred.The incidence rates of B-grade pancreatic fistula,postoperative bleeding,and readmission were 39.5％,21.1％,and 18.4％,respectively,with an average postoperative hospital stay of 11.44 d.Overall,the RPTE group had shorter operative time and less intraoperative blood loss than the LPTE group(both P＜0.05).There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the incidence of B-grade pancreatic fistula,intraoperative bleeding,readmission rate,and postoperative hospital stay(all P＞0.05).Subgroup analysis showed that for patients with head tumors,the RPTE group had shorter operative time,less intraoperative blood loss,and a lower incidence of postoperative bleeding than the LPTE group(all P＜0.05).However,the differences in the incidence of B-grade pancreatic fistula,readmission rate,and postoperative hospital stay were not statistically significant(all P＞0.05).In patients with neck/body/tail tumors,the RPTE group also had shorter operative time and less intraoperative blood loss(both P＜0.05),but the differences in incidence of B-grade pancreatic fistula,incidence of postoperative bleeding,readmission rate,and postoperative hospital stay were not statistically significant(all P＞0.05). Conclusion:Minimally invasive PTE for the treatment of benign or low-grade malignant pancreatic tumors is safe.Compared to LPTE,RPTE can significantly reduce operative time and intraoperative blood loss and shows certain advantages in reducing postoperative complications,particularly for patients with head tumors.However,the conclusion of this study needs to be confirmed by larger prospective studies.

Objective To explore the molecular mechanism of Xiaojin Pills in the treatment of breast cancer using an integrated network pharmacology and experimental verification.Methods The chemical components and potential targets of Xiaojin Pills were obtained from TCMSP,TCM-ID,ETCM and SwissTargetPrediction databases.Breast cancer related targets were collected from GeneCards,OMIM and KEGG databases.The overlapped targets were imported into STRING database to analysis a protein-protein interaction(PPI).The key targets of PPI networks were screened based on node topology parameter values through Cytoscape 3.8.0.DAVID database was used to analyze the GO and KEGG pathway enrichment to build drug-chemical components-key targets-signaling pathway network.The breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB-231 and SK-BR-3 were used to study the effects of Xiaojin Pills extract on cell apoptosis,migration and invasion,and to verify the key pathway obtained by enrichment analysis.Results Totally 181 chemical components in Xiaojin Pills were obtained,including quercetin,myricetin,pinocembrin and β-sitosterol.615 potential targets were identified for the anti-breast cancer effects of Xiaojin Pills.After overlapping,170 key targets against breast cancer were identified based on the topological analysis,which included SRC,ERK1/2,AKT1,EGFR,etc.KEGG analysis enriched pathways including pathways in cancer,MAPK signaling pathway,endocrine resistance,PI3K-AKT signaling pathway,EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance,apoptosis,and HIF-1 signaling pathway,which may play important roles in the therapeutic effects of Xiaojin Pills against breast cancer.GO enrichment was involved in protein phosphorylation,inflammatory response,negative regulation of apoptosis,and positive regulation of ERK1 and ERK2 cascades.Cell experiments showed that Xiaojin Pills further induced mitochondria-dependent apoptosis by inhibiting the activation of MAPK and PI3K-AKT pathways.At the same time,the expressions of ZO-1 and β-catenin increased,and the epithelial-mesenchymal transformation process was reversed to inhibit the metastasis of breast cancer cells.Conclusion The key targets and signaling pathways of Xiaojin Pills in the treatment of breast cancer are studied through network pharmacology combined with in vitro experiments,which provided a basis for further study of its pharmacodynamic material basis,mechanism of action and clinical application.

ObjectiveTo predict the potential nephrotoxic components in traditional Chinese medicine health food products based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Toxicity Alert System and Basic Toxicology Database （TCMTAS-BTD）， screen and validate the predicted components by cell and animal experiments， and decipher the mechanism of nephrotoxicity by network pharmacology. MethodTCMTAS-BTD was utilized to predict the toxicity of 3 540 compounds found in the catalogue of traditional Chinese health food ingredients. In the cell experiment， the top 5 compounds with high toxicity probability were screened by measurement of cell proliferation and viability （CCK-8） and high-content screening. ICR mice were randomized into a control group， a low-dose （2.91 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） ecliptasaponin A， and a high-dose （29.1 mg·kg^-1·d^-1） ecliptasaponin A group， with 10 mice in each group， and treated continuously for 28 days. During the experiment， the general conditions of the rats were observed， and the kidney index was calculated. The levels of serum creatinine （SCr） and blood urea nitrogen （BUN） in the serum as well as the content of malondialdehyde （MDA） and superoxide dismutase （SOD） in the renal tissue were measured. The pathological changes of the kidney were observed. Network pharmacology was employed to predict the potential pathways of nephrotoxicity. Finally， the pathway-associated proteins were validated by Western blot. ResultThe top 5 compounds with high probability of nephrotoxicity were ecliptasaponin A， chrysophanol， rutaecarpine， tanshinoneⅠ， and geniposidic acid. In the cell experiment， CCK-8 results showed that 10 μmol·L^-1 ecliptasaponin A， 60 μmol·L^-1 chrysophanol， 40 μmol·L^-1 rutaecarpine， and 20 μmol·L^-1 tanshinone I altered the viability of HK-2 cells. High-content analysis showed that 10 μmol·L^-1 ecliptasaponin A， chrysophanol， rutaecarpine， and tanshinone Ⅰ reduced the cell number （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The animal experiment showed that the mice in the high-dose ecliptasaponin A group presented slow movement， slow weight gain （P<0.01）， increased kidney index （P<0.01）， elevated SCr， BUN， and MDA levels （P<0.01）， and lowered SOD level （P<0.01）. Mild histopathological changes were observed in the high-dose ecliptasaponin A group. The network pharmacology results showed that the key targets of nephrotoxicity induced by ecliptasaponin A were mainly enriched in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway， prostatic cancer and lipid and atherosclerosis pathways. Western blot results verified that high dose of ecliptasaponin A raised the phosphorylation levels of PI3K and Akt （P<0.01）. ConclusionOn day 28 of administration， 29.1 mg·kg^-1 ecliptasaponin A was found to induce renal injury in rats. The mechanism may be related with the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway， which implied that excessive and prolonged usage of Ecliptae Herba may increase the incidence of adverse drug reactions.

ObjectiveTo investigate the therapeutic effect of Ganmai Dazao Tang on breast cancer-related depression and explore the mechanism of the decoction in regulating immune inflammation and neurotransmitters via the mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK）/nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） pathway. MethodBALB/c mice were randomized into control， model， fluoxetine （5 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， and low- and high-dose （crude drug 20 and 40 g·kg^-1， respectively） Ganmai Dazao Tang groups （n=10）. The mouse model of 4T1 orthotopic transplantation-induced breast cancer-related depression-like behavior was established. The depression-like behavior of mice was assessed by the tail suspension test and the forced swimming test. RT-qPCR was employed to determine the mRNA levels of interleukin （IL）-17A， forkhead box P3 （FoxP3），IL-1β， IL-6， and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） in the cerebral cortex. Flow cytometry was employed to measure the proportions of immune cell subsets in the spleen and thymus. HPLC-MS/MS was employed to measure neurotransmitter levels in the cerebral cortex. Western blotting was employed to detect the activation of the MAPK/NF-κB pathway. ResultCompared with the model group， administration of Ganmai Dazao Tang at a dose of 40 g crude drug·kg^-1 continuously for 4 weeks shortened the immobility time of modeled mice in the tail suspension and forced swimming tests （P<0.05）， down-regulated the mRNA levels of IL-1β， IL-17A， and TNF-α （P<0.05）， increased the proportions of T cells， CD4⁺ T cells， B cells， helper T 17 （Th17） cells， and regulatory T （Treg） cells， and reduced the proportion of CD8⁺ T cells （P<0.05）. Furthermore， it lowered the levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid （5-HIAA） and kynurenine （Kyn）， decreased the kynurenine/tryptophan （Kyn/Trp） ratio （P<0.05）， increased the content of 5-hydroxytryptamine （5-HT）， and down-regulated the protein levels of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase （p-ERK）， phosphorylated p38 MAPK， and phosphorylated nuclear factor-κB p65 （P<0.05）. ConclusionGanmai Dazao Tang can down-regulate the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β， IL-17A， and TNF-α， restore 5-HT metabolism and Kyn/Trp balance， increase the 5-HT content， and reduce the activation of p38 MAPK， ERK， and the MAPK-mediated NF-κB signaling pathway to reduce neuroinflammation in the treatment of cancer-related depression.