Aim To investigate the regulatory mecha-nism of butin on the proliferation,migration,cycle blockage and pyroptosis related inflammatory factors in human fibroblast-like synoviocytes of rheumatoid arthri-tis(HFLS-RA).Methods Cell proliferation,migra-tion and invasion were studied using cell migration and invasion assays.Cell cycle was detected by flow cytom-etry,and the expression of the pyroptosis-associated in-flammatory factors IL-1β,IL-18,caspase-1 and caspase-3 was detected by ELISA,RT-qPCR and West-ern blot.Results Migration and invasion experiments showed that the cell proliferation rate of the butin group was lower than that of the blank control group(P＜0.05).Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that in the G0/G1 phase,the DNA expression was elevated in the medium and high-dose groups of butin(P＜0.05),while in the G2 and S phases,the DNA expression was reduced in the medium and high-dose groups of butin(P＜0.05).The results of ELISA,RT-qPCR and Western blot assay revealed that the expression of IL-1β,IL-1 8,caspase-1,and caspase-3 decreased in the butin group compared with the IL-1β+caspase-3 in-hibitor group(P＜0.05).Conclusions Butin inhib-its HFLS-RA proliferation by inhibiting the synthesis of inflammatory vesicles by caspase-1 in the pyroptosis pathway,thereby reducing the production and release of inflammatory factors such as IL-1β and IL-18 down-stream of the pathway,and also inhibits HFLS-RA pro-liferation by exerting a significant blocking effect in the G1 phase,which may be one of the potential mecha-nisms of butin in the treatment of RA.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcome of lateral femoral notch (LFN) after early anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction and evaluate the recovery of knee joint function after the operation. METHODS: The clinical data of 32 patients who underwent early ACL reconstruction from December 2015 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The study included 18 males and 14 females, aged 16 to 54 years old, with an average age of (25.39±2.82) years. The body mass index (BMI) of the patients ranged from 20 to 30 kg/cm2, with an average of (26.15±3.09) kg/cm². Among them, 6 cases were caused by traffic accidents, 19 by exercise, and 7 by the crush of heavy objects. MRI of all patients showed LFN depth was more than 1.5 mm after injury, and no intervention for LFN was performed during surgery. Preoperative and postoperative depth, area, and volume of LFN defects were observed by MRI data. International Cartilage Repair Society (ICRS) score, Lysholm score, Tegner activity levels, and knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) were analyzed before and after the operation. RESULTS: All patients were followed up from 2 to 6 years with an average of (3.28±1.12) years. There was no significant difference in the defect depth of LFN from (2.31±0.67) mm before the operation to (2.53±0.50) mm at follow-up (P=0.136). The defect area of LFN was decreased from (207.55±81.01)mm² to (171.36±52.69)mm² (P=0.038), and the defect volume of LFN was decreased from (426.32±176.54) mm³ to (340.86±151.54)mm³ (P=0.042). The ICRS score increased from (1.51±0.34) to (2.92±0.33) (P<0.001), the Lysholm score increased from (35.37±10.54) to (94.46±8.45) (P<0.001), and the Tegner motor score increased from (3.45±0.94) to (7.56±1.28), which was significantly higher than that of the preoperative data (P<0.001). The KOOS score of the final follow-up was 90.42±16.35. CONCLUSION With the increase of recovery time after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, the defect area and volume of LFN decreased gradually, but the defect depth remained unchanged. The knee joint function of the patients significantly improved. The cartilage of the LFN defect improved, but the repair effect was not good.
Male ; Female ; Humans ; Young Adult ; Adult ; Adolescent ; Middle Aged ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries/surgery* ; Retrospective Studies ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ; Femur/surgery* ; Treatment Outcome ; Knee Joint/surgery*

Objective:To investigate the biological mechanisms underlying the effect of the Chinese herbal medicine Oxalis cor-niculata on human prostate cancer PC-3 cells.Methods:Through in vitro experiment,we treated human prostate cancer PC-3 cells with different concentrations of Oxalis corniculata,assessed the viability of the cells by MTT assay,examined their apoptosis by flow cytometry,evaluated their migration and invasiveness by Transwell assay,and determined the expressions of the proteins p65,p-p65,IκBα and p-IκBα in the NF-κB pathway using protein imprinting technology.Results:Compared with the blank control,Oxalis cor-niculata significantly inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of the PC-3 cells(P＜0.05),suppressed their migration and invasiveness in a dose-dependent manner(P＜0.05),and upregulated the expression of IκBα and downregulated those of p-p65 and p-IKBα in the NF-κB pathway(P＜0.05).Conclusion:Oxalis corniculata can inhibit the proliferation,migration and inva-siveness and induce the apoptosis of human prostate cancer PC cells,which may be attributed to its abilities of inhibiting the expres-sions of p-p65 and p-IκBα and regulating the activity of the NF-κB pathway.

Objective:To explore the intervention effect of Wenxin granule on endoplasmic reticulum stress apoptosis pathway and its related mechanism in rats with myocardial infarction. Method:Ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery to establish the rat model， the rats were randomly divided into 5 groups， namely sham group， model group， betaloc group and low， high-dose Wenxin granule groups，10 in each group. The sham group and the model group were given 10 mL∙kg^-1∙d^-1 deionized water， the low， high-dose modified Wenxin groups were given 1.35， 2.7 g∙kg^-1∙d^-1 aqueous solution respectively， and the betaloc group was given 2.25 mg∙kg^-1∙d^-1 aqueous solution. After 14 days，the catheter method was used to detect the cardiac hemodynamics and hematoxylin-eosin staining （HE） was used to observe the pathological morphological changes. The levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress protein glucose regulatory protein 78（GRP78）， protein kinase R like endoplasmic reticulum kinase（PERK）， phosphorylated activated PERK（p-PERK）， activated transcription factor 6 （ATF6）， nuclear transcription factor X cassette binding protein（XBP1） and apoptosis protein C/EBP homologous protein（CHOP）， B cell lymphoma/leukemia-2（Bcl-2） and Bcl-2 associated X protein（Bax） were detected by Western blot. Deoxyribonucleotide end-transferase-mediated notch end labeling （TUNEL） was also used to detect the myocardial cell apoptosis. Result:Compared with control group， the levels of the maximum ascending rate of left ventricular pressure（+dp/dt_max）， the maximum descending rate of left ventricular pressure（-dp/dt_max） and the left ventricular systolic blood pressure（LVSP） were decreased significantly（P<0.05），but the level of the left ventricular end diastolic blood pressure （LVEDP） was significantly increased（P<0.05）. The expressions of GRP78， p-PERK， PERK， ATF6， XBP1， CHOP， Bax and apoptosis index were increased significantly （P<0.05，P<0.01）， while Bcl-2/Bax and Bcl-2 were decreased significantly（P<0.01） in model group. Compared with the model group， the levels of -dp/dt_max and Bcl-2 were increased significantly （P<0.05），while the level of the apoptosis index was decreased significantly（P<0.01） in low-dose Wenxin granule group. In high-dose Wenxin granule group， the levels of +dp/dt_max and -dp/dt_max were increased significantly（P<0.05，P<0.01）， the levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress pathway protein GRP78， p-PERK， PERK， ATF6， XBP1，apoptosis-related protein CHOP， Bax and apoptosis index were decreased significantly（P<0.01）， but Bcl-2 and Bcl-2/Bax were increased significantly （P<0.01）. Conclusion:Wenxin granule has effect in inhibiting excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress， reducing myocardial cell apoptosis and improving cardiac hemodynamics. Its molecular mechanism may be related to decrease the levels of GRP78， PERK， p-PERK， ATF6， XBP1， CHOP， Bax and increasing the expression of Bcl-2.

The aim of this study was to investigate the regulatory role of retinoid X receptor (RXR)-mediated oxidative stress pathway in rat pulmonary ischemia/reperfusion injury (PIRI) and the underlying mechanism. Seventy-seven male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 7 groups (n = 11): control group, sham group, sham+9-cis-retinoid acid (9-cRA, RXR agonist) group, sham+HX531 (RXR inhibitor) group, ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) group, I/R+9-cRA group, and I/R+HX531 group. The unilateral lung I/R model was established by obstruction of left lung hilus for 30 min and reperfusion for 180 min in vivo. The rats in I/R+9-cRA and I/R+HX531 groups were given intraperitoneal injection of 9-cRA and HX531 before thoracotomy. After reperfusion, the left lung tissue was taken to evaluate the lung tissue injury, and the oxidative stress-related indexes of the lung tissue were detected by the corresponding kits. The lung tissue morphology and the ultrastructure of the alveolar epithelial cells were observed by HE staining and transmission electron microscope, respectively. The protein expression of RXR in lung tissue was observed by immunofluorescence labeling method, and the expression level of nuclear factor E2-related factor (Nrf2) protein was detected by Western blot. The results showed that, compared with the sham group, the I/R group exhibited obviously injured lung tissue, decreased SOD activity, increased MDA content and MPO activity, and down-regulated expression level of Nrf2 protein. Compared with the I/R group, the I/R+9-cRA group showed alleviated lung tissue injury, increased activity of SOD, decreased MDA content and MPO activity, and up-regulated expression levels of RXR and Nrf2 protein. The above-mentioned improvement effects of 9-cRA were reversed by HX531 treatment. These results suggest that RXR activation can effectively protect the lung tissue against I/R injury, and the mechanism may involve the activation of Nrf2 signaling pathway, the enhancement of antioxidant level and the reduction of oxidative stress response.
Animals ; Lung ; physiopathology ; Male ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2 ; physiology ; Oxidative Stress ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; Retinoid X Receptors ; physiology ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVEThis study is to examine the influence of familiarity on energy intake, eating behavior, and concentration of the plasma gut hormones in lean and overweight young male subjects.

METHODSTwenty-eight lean and twenty-eight overweight participants were recruited. Their food consumption was documented and analyzed when they had a test meal while they were paired with friends or strangers at the same weight stature. Their eating behavior was recorded with cameras hidden in the carton, and postprandial plasma gut hormone concentration were measured.

RESULTSCompared with overweight strangers (OS), overweight friends (OF) had increased food consumption, prolonged and decreased number of chews per 10 g food. Compared with OS, postprandial plasma concentration of cholecystokinin-8 was significantly lower in OF group at 30, 60, and 90 min, whereas the concentration of glucagon-like peptide 1 was significantly lower at 60 and 90 min. Plasma ghrelin concentration was significantly higher in the OF group than that in the OS group at 90 and 120 min. No significant differences in gut hormone concentration were observed between lean strangers (LS) and lean friends (LF) groups at all time points.

CONCLUSIONFamiliarity plays an important role in increasing energy intake and in changing of postprandial gut hormone concentration in overweight individuals.

The aim of this paper was to study the curative effect of Huotan Jiedu Tongluo (HTJDTL) decoction on a rabbit model with early atherosclerosis (AS),and furtherly to explore whether it could inhibit the BH4/eNOS uncoupling ROS or not. Twenty-four Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into sham operation group, model group, HTJDTL decoction group and atorvastatin group. Rabbit models with early atherosclerosis were established by high fat diet, nitrogen drying and carotid artery balloon injury. The rabbits were sacrificed at 7th days after balloon injury and several parameters were measured. The pathological morphology of the common carotid artery was observed by HE staining. The blood lipids were detected by peroxidase method. The ratio of vascular eNOS dimer and monomer was measured by Western blot. The ELISA and biochemical technology were respectively used for testing BH4 and ROS levels in serum. The results showed that compared with the sham operation group, the model group had mild stenosis of the common carotid artery lumen, uneven intimal hyperplasia, lipid deposition in the intima and media, and obvious hyperplasia of the adventitia with inflammatory cell infiltration. The HTJDTL decoction could significantly inhibit the intimal hyperplasia compared with the model group, meanwhile, reduce the lipid deposition of the media and the infiltration of the adventitial cells. Compared with the sham operation group, the blood lipids and ROS of the model animals significantly increased, but BH4 and the ratio of eNOS dimer/monomer decreased. Compared with the model group, HTJDTL decoction significantly reduced the TC, ox-LDL and ROS levels, and also up-regulated eNOS dimer/monomer ratio, but it increased BH4 trend without statistical difference. According to the results, it was found that HTJDTL decoction couldsignificantly prevent and improve the vascular remodeling of rabbits model with early atherosclerosis. The mechanism of decoction may largely be related to the inhibition of BH4/eNOS uncoupling and the reduction of oxidative stress.
Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; drug therapy ; Carotid Arteries ; pathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; metabolism ; Oxidative Stress ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the value of 640-slice 3D CT angiography (3D-CTA) plus 3D printing for improving the outcomes of surgeries for intracranial aneurysms.

METHODSSixty patients with intracranial aneurysm were randomly divided into trial group (n=30) and control group (n=30). The control group received routine surgery, and the simulation models of the intracranial aneurysm in trial group was printed using a 3D printer using the imaging data from 3D-CTA. Using the simulation model, the surgery was designed and planned before operation (including surgical approaches and placement of clips) and simulation surgery was also conducted. The coincidence rates between preoperative and intraoperative findings of the intracranial aneurysms on 3D-CTA were compared. CT scan was performed at 1 and 3 days after the operation to detect potential cerebral infarction or bleeding associated with the operation; CTA was performed both at the same time and at 3-6 months after the operation to detect stenosis, occlusion and aneurysm clipping. The patients were followed up for 3-6 months to assess the outcomes using Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS).

RESULTSThe preoperative 3D-CTA findings were basically consistent with the intraoperative findings in all the 60 patients. Nine patients in the control group and 2 patients in the trial group had short-term adverse operation events; 11 patients in control group and 4 patients in trial group had long-term adverse events; 18 patients in control group and 25 patients in trial group had good neurologic function. The incidences of short-term and long-term adverse events associated with the operation was significantly lower in the trial group than in the control group (χ=5.364, P=0.021; χ=4.841, P=0.028), and the outcomes were significantly better in the trial group than in the control group (χ=4.633, P=0.031).

CONCLUSIONThe simulation model of intracranial aneurysm is helpful to improve the quality of surgery and patients outcomes.

Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of universal self-locking anatomical plate for acetabulum and pelvis (USAPAP) in the treatment of posterior acetabular fractures.Methods Data of 55 patients with posterior acetabular fractures who were treated with the USAPAP from January 2014 to January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed.There were 39 males and 16 females with an average age of 38.5 years old (range,17-82 years).There were 35 fractures on the left side while the other 20 fractures were on the right side,including 52 fresh cases and 3 old cases.According to Letournel-Judet classification,there were 32 cases of posterior wall,9 cases of transverse and posterior wall,5 cases of anterior column and posterior wall,2 cases of posterior column,2 cases of transverse,2 cases of two columns,1 case of anterior column and posterior hemitransverse,2 cases of Pipkin type Ⅳ.All patients were managed operatively by the USAPAP,which allows simultaneous fixation for two columns and quadrilateral surface fractures through a single Kocher-Langenback approach.The quality of reduction was assessed by Matta's score system.The mean follow-up period was 18.5 months (range,12-24 months).Average operation time was 95 min,and average blood loss was 350 ml.Average operation time of plate and screws fixation was 19 min,and average fluoroscopy times in the surgery was 2 times.The mean time of bony union was 4.3 months.According to the criteria described by Matta,the excellent and good rate of radiological score was 92.7％ (51/55),including 39 cases excellent,12 cases good and 4 cases poor.The excellent and good rate of Merle d'Aubigne-Postel score was 87.3％ (48/55),including 35 cases of excellent,13 cases of good,5 cases of fair,and 2 cases of poor.Heterotopic ossification occurred in 1 patient (Brooker type Ⅱ) at three months postoperatively.One case with Pipkin type Ⅳ fracture underwent total hip arthroplasty due to femoral head necrosis at seven months postoperatively.Complications including wound infection,sciatic nerve injury,screw invade joint,redisplacement of the fracture,avascular necrosis of bone fragment,hardware failure,nonunion or malunion was not found in any case at the latest follow-up.Conclusion The USAPAP through the single posterior Kocher-Langenback approach provides strong and stable fixation for complex acetabular fractures associated with posterior region including posterior wall,both columns and quadrilateral surface.Satisfactory clinical results can be achieved by the use of this method.

Objective To understand the developmental effects induced by CdSe /ZnS quantum dots(QDs)on zebrafish embryos.Methods Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 0,0.5,1,2,4,8 and 16 nmol/L of CdSe /ZnS QDs,and the typical toxicological indexes were recorded at five time points respectively (24 hours post fertilization (hpf),48 hpf, 72 hpf,96 hpf,120 hpf).Results The results showed that the median lethal concentration (LC50 )for zebrafish embryos after 120 hpf was 21.38 nmol/L(95% CI =17.21 -26.57).The frequency of spontaneous movement in 60 seconds after 24 hpf,the frequency of heart beat in 60 seconds after 48 hpf,the hatching rate and the mortality rate were obviously affected by CdSe /ZnS QDs.Several abnormalities and toxic symptoms caused by CdSe /ZnS QDs at 8 nmol/L and 16 nmol/L were observed including pericardial edema,liver atrophy,non -depleted yolk,intestinal abnormal development and muscle degeneration after 120 hpf.Conclusion High level of CdSe /ZnS QDs (more than 8 nmol/L)could induce toxic effects on zebrafish embryonic development.