Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Background/Aims: Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by hepatic steatosis. Ubiquitin-specific protease 29 (USP29) plays pivotal roles in hepatic ischemiareperfusion injury and hepatocellular carcinoma, but its role in MASLD remains unexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to reveal the effects and underlying mechanisms of USP29 in MASLD progression. Methods: USP29 expression was assessed in liver samples from MASLD patients and mice. The role and molecular mechanism of USP29 in MASLD were assessed in high-fat diet-fed and high-fat/high-cholesterol diet-fed mice and palmitic acid and oleic acid treated hepatocytes. Results: USP29 protein levels were significantly reduced in mice and humans with MASLD. Hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were significantly exacerbated by USP29 deletion and relieved by USP29 overexpression. Mechanistically, USP29 significantly activated the expression of genes related to fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) under metabolic stimulation, directly interacted with long-chain acyl-CoA synthase 5 (ACSL5) and repressed ACSL5 degradation by increasing ACSL5 K48-linked deubiquitination. Moreover, the effect of USP29 on hepatocyte lipid accumulation and MASLD was dependent on ACSL5. Conclusions USP29 functions as a novel negative regulator of MASLD by stabilizing ACSL5 to promote FAO. The activation of the USP29-ACSL5 axis may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for MASLD.

Objective To develop a high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(HPLC-MS/MS)method for simultaneous determination of five flavonoids in Ganmao'an granules(GMA).Methods Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Kromasil C18 Column(150 mm×4.6 mm,5 μm,100 ?),which was eluted with methanol(A)-0.1％formic acid(B)at the flow rate of 1.0 ml/min.The gradient condition was as follows:0-20 min,35％A,and 20-40 min,45％A.The column temperature was 25 ℃.Analytes were detected using a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer equipped with an electrospray ionization source in the negative ion scanning.The multiple reaction monitoring mode was used for qualitative analysis.For each flavonoid,two precursor ion/product ion transitions were chosen:lutin m/z 609.1→300.1,hyperin and isoquercitrin m/z 463.0→300.1,quercetin m/z 301.0→151.0,luteolin m/z 285.0→132.9.Results Five flavonoids showed the good relationships within their own concentration ranges(correlation coefficient r>0.999 1),whose average recoveries were in the range of 100.63％-102.81％with RSDs of 0.67％-2.07％.The content results of rutin,hyperoside,isoquercetin,quercetin,and luteolin in 10 batches of GMA were 32.23-479.83,0.291-1.825,11.44-20.54,6.32-18.41,3.46-6.51 μg/g,respectively.Conclusion The results indicated that the developed method was sensitive,accurate and could provide excellent specificity for simultaneous determination of five flavonoids in GMA.

A retrospective analysis of the clinical data of seven acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patients with TCF3-HLF fusion gene-positive admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from June 2017 to August 2022 was conducted to summarize their clinical features and prognoses. The seven B-ALL patients comprised four males and three females, with a median age of 18 (11-33) years. Five patients tested positive for CD33 expression, and four patients had a normal karyotype. Two patients had hypercalcemia at the initial diagnosis, and one patient developed hypercalcemia at relapse. Six patients presented with coagulation dysfunction at diagnosis. After induction chemotherapy, five out of seven patients achieved complete remission, of which four subsequently relapsed. Two patients did not achieve remission even after two rounds of induction chemotherapy, with one achieving complete remission after treatment with blinatumomab immunotherapy. Three patients underwent chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, whereas three patients subsequently underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Five patients died, while two patients survived with sustained complete remission. TCF3-HLF-positive B-ALL is rare and has a high relapse rate and poor prognosis.

Objective:To explore the impact of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) image quality and related factors on the diagnostic performance of CT-derived fractional flow reserve (CT-FFR).Methods:Based on the CT-FFR CHINA trial, the prospective multicenter trial enrolled patients with suspected coronary artery disease who underwent CCTA, CT-FFR and FFR measurement. The subjective and objective assessments of CCTA image were performed on a per-vessel level. The objective assessments included the enhancement degree of coronary artery, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the aortic root. We used χ 2 test and DeLong test to compare the diagnostic performance of CT-FFR with FFR as the reference standard in different subjective groups (non-artifact vs. artifact), enhancement degree of coronary artery groups (≤400 vs. 401-500 vs.>500 HU), SNR of the aortic root groups (≤16.9 vs.>16.9), body mass index (BMI) groups (<25 kg/m 2 vs.≥25 kg/m 2) and heart rate groups (<75 bpm vs.≥75 bpm). FFR and CT-FFR values≤0.80 was identified as myocardial ischemia. Results:The study enrolled 317 patients with 366 vessels. All target vessels in CCTA images were successfully analyzed by CT-FFR. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and AUC of the non-artifact group were 90.45%, 86.75%, 93.10%, 90.00%, 90.76% and 0.928, respectively, and those of the artifact group were 83.23%, 87.21%, 79.01%, 81.52%, 85.33% and 0.869, respectively. The differences in accuracy and specificity were statistically significant (χ 2=4.23, P=0.040; χ 2=8.55, P=0.003). The diagnostic efficacy of CT-FFR had no statistically significant differences among different objective groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions:The artifact of CCTA image has an effect on CT-FFR in the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia. The degree of vascular enhancement, SNR, BMI, and heart rate have no significant effect on the diagnostic performance of CT-FFR.

China produces about 15 000 tons of expired drugs every year. Standardized destruction of expired drugs consumes a large number of secondary costs， causing huge economic losses. Improper handling will also lead to serious environmental pollution， endanger national health and even endanger public safety. This paper analyzes the hazards， sources and disposal methods， and research status of expired drugs， introduces the Shelf-Life Extension Program of United States， and put forward feasible measures for the recovery， integration and reuse of expired drugs. It is suggested to construct a scientific and reasonable recovery and disposal system of expired drugs in combination with the actual situation in China， explore the strategy of extending the expiration of drugs， and greatly reduce the waste of drug resources.

Objective: To investigate the activation level of NLRP3 inflammasome in immune thrombocytopenia ( ITP) and the effect of inhibiting NLRP3 mediated inflammasome activation on polarization and immune function of M1 macrophages. Methods : The expression of NLRP3 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and CD14 + monocytes of ITP patients (ITP group) and Control group (Control group) was detected by RT⁃qPCR. The levels of IL⁃1β and IL⁃18 in serum of the two groups were determined by ELISA. M0 macrophages (MDMs) from ITP group were divided into 4 groups : IgG control group ( IgG group) , MCC950 treatment group ( MCC950 group) , LPS , IFN⁃γ and IgG treatment group (LPS + IFN⁃γ + IgG group) and LPS , IFN⁃γ and MCC950 treatment group (LPS + IFN⁃γ + MCC950 group) ; mRNA and protein levels of M1 macrophage markers CD86 , iNOS and MCP⁃ 1 were detected by RT⁃qPCR and Western blot. Western blot was used to detect the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome associated protein , ASC , Cleaved caspase⁃1 and IL⁃ β . Flow cytometry was used to detect the phagocytosis of MDMs on platelets in each group , and CFSE was used to detect the proliferation of CD4 + T and CD8 + T. Results: Compared with the control group , the expression of NLRP3 mRNA in PBMC and CD14 + monocytes , and the concentration of IL⁃1β and IL⁃18 in serum of ITP group increased significantly ( P < 0. 05 ) . Platelet counts were negative correlated with NLRP3 mRNA expression in CD14 + monocyte and the concentration of IL⁃1β , IL⁃18 in serum in patients with ITP ( P < 0. 05) . Compared with IgG group , the mRNA and protein expressions of M1 macrophage markers CD86 , iNOS , MCP⁃1 , and the protein expression level of NLRP3 , ASC , cleaved caspase⁃1 and IL⁃ β , the platelet phagocytosis and the proliferation promoting ability of CD4 + T and CD8 + T cells significantly increased in LPS + IFN⁃γ + IgG group and LPS + IFN⁃γ + MCC950 group ( all P < 0. 05) . Compared with LPS + IFN⁃γ + IgG group , the above indexes significantly decreased in LPS + IFN⁃γ + MCC950 group (P < 0. 05) . Conclusion The activation level of NLRP3 inflammasome in ITP is abnormally elevated , which was related to the excessive M1 polarization of MDMs. Inhibiting NLRP3 mediated inflammasome activation could attenuate the M1 polarization and immune function of macrophages.

Objective To establish the quality standard of compound Yuhong suppository. Methods Angelica dahurica, colophony and Sophora flavescens Alt. were identified by thin layer chromatography（TLC）method. The contents of sulfadiazine and dyclonine hydrochloride were determined by HPLC with diode array detection method. The mobile phase was methanol-0.02 mol/L potassium dihydrogen phosphate (adjusted to pH 3.3 with phosphoric acid) for gradient elution. The detection wavelength was 280 nm for sulfadiazine and dyclonine hydrochloride. Results The three Chinese traditional medicines were identified by TLC with clear spots. The linear ranges of sulfadiazine and dyclonine hydrochloride were good in 12.40-99.20 μg/ml (r=0.999 9) and 2.56-20.48 μg/ml (r=0.999 9). The average recovery was (99.21±0.43) % (n=9) and (99.54±0.68) % (n=9). Conclusion This method is accurate, sensitive, and reproducible. It can be used as a standard method for the quality control of compound Yuhong suppository.

ObjectiveTo explore the compatibility advantage of Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma in the prevention and treatment of neuroinflammation， and to elucidate the action characteristics and mechanism of the compatibility advantage based on Toll like receptor （TLR4）/myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）/nuclear factor kappaB （NF-κB） pathway. MethodRepresentative mouse microglia cells （BV2） in vitro were selected and divided into 8 groups： control group， model group， Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma group， Piracetam group， Scutellariae Radix group and Coptidis Rhizoma group. The BV2 cell inflammatory model was established by lipopolysaccharide （LPS）， and the cell activity was detected by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）. Cell morphology was observed under bright field. The production and release of pro-inflammatory factors in BV2 cells were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） and immunofluorescence assay， and the mRNA expressions of TLR4， MyD88 and NF-κB were detected by Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. The nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 was detected by immunofluorescence， and TLR4 signal transduction inhibitor （CLI-095） and NF-κB inhibitor （PDTC） were used to confirm the anti-neuroinflammation targets of Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma. ResultCompared with the conditions in the control group， most cells in LPS-induced model group were activated， and the contents of IL-6， TNF-α and IL-1β in culture medium and cells and the mRNA expressions of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB p50 and NF-κB p65 were increased （P<0.01）， with obvious nuclear entry of NF-κB p65. Compared with the conditions in the model group， BV2 cell morphology was mostly recovered after pretreatment in Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma and Piracetam groups， and the levels of IL-6， TNF-α and IL-1β and the mRNA expressions of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB p50 and NF-κB p65 were decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）， with NF-κB p65 mostly observed in cytoplasm. Compared with the conditions in the model group， cell morphology was slightly recovered in Scutellariae Radix group and Coptidis Rhizoma group， and the levels of pro-inflammatory factors and mRNA expressions of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB p50 and NF-κB p65 were reduced. In terms of inhibitory effect on pro-inflammatory factors， Scutellariae Radix group and Coptidis Rhizoma group were lower than Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma group （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the "Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma+CLI-095" group and "Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma+PDTC" group had lowered mRNA expressions of TLR4， MyD88， NF-κB p50 and NF-κB p65 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， and the transfer of NF-κB p65 into nucleus was obviously inhibited. ConclusionThe anti-neuroinflammation effect of Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma was significantly better than Scutellariae Radix or Coptidis Rhizom alone， and the anti-neuroinflammation advantage was closely related to the inhibition of activation of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway in microglial cells. It was confirmed that TLR4， MyD88 and NF-κB were potential targets for Scutellariae Radix-Coptidis Rhizoma to exert the compatibility advantage.