ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Qingrun prescription（QRP）-containing serum on improving insulin resistance in HepG2 cells and its potential mechanisms. MethodsAn insulin resistance model was established in HepG2 cells with 1×10^-6 mol·L^-1 insulin. Branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase （BCKDH） gene silencing was achieved using siRNA， and the cells were divided into 8 groups： normal group， model group （1×10^-6 mol·L^-1 insulin）， metformin group （1 mmol·L^-1 metformin）， high-， medium-， and low-dose QRP groups （20%， 10%， and 5% QRP-containing serum， respectively）， QRP + siRNA-silenced BCKDH （si-BCKDH） group （10% QRP-containing serum + si-BCKDH）， and QRP + si-NC group （10% QRP-containing serum + si-NC）. Glucose levels in the supernatant were measured with a glucose assay kit， while glycogen content was assessed using a glycogen assay kit. Levels of branched-chain amino acids （BCAAs） and branched-chain keto acids （BCKAs） were determined using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry （UHPLC-MS/MS）. mRNA transcription and protein expression levels of BCKDH， dishevelled， Egl-10， and pleckstrin （DEP） domain-containing mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR）-interacting protein （DEPTOR）， mTOR， and ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 （S6K1） were detected using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot. ResultsCompared to the normal group， the model group exhibited significantly decreased glucose consumption and glycogen content， increased levels of BCAAs and BCKAs， downregulated expression of BCKDH and DEPTOR， and upregulated mTOR and S6K1 expression （P<0.01）. In comparison to the model group， QRP treatment at all doses significantly enhanced glucose consumption and glycogen content while reducing BCAAs and BCKAs levels （P<0.01）. The high- and medium-dose QRP groups demonstrated significant upregulation of BCKDH mRNA transcription and protein expression， as well as DEPTOR mRNA transcription. Moreover， the DEPTOR protein expression level was significantly increased in high-， medium-， and low-dose QRP groups， while mTOR and S6K1 mRNA and protein expression levels were markedly downregulated （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared to the QRP + si-NC group， the QRP + si-BCKDH group exhibited increased BCAAs and BCKAs levels， significantly decreased BCKDH mRNA transcription and protein expression， downregulated DEPTOR mRNA and protein expression， and upregulated mTOR and S6K1 mRNA and protein expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionQRP may improve insulin resistance by reprogramming BCAAs metabolism. This effect involves upregulating BCKDH， reducing BCAAs and BCKAs levels， and suppressing the mTOR pathway activation.

Objective:To evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy (NACI) combined with transoral robotic surgery (TORS) in the treatment of locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC).Methods:This was a retrospective study of 15 patients with locally advanced OPSCC who underwent TORS after neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) at the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from April 2019 to February 2023. There were 12 males and 3 females, aged 31 to 74 years. Twelve cases were tonsil cancer, and 3 cases were tongue base cancer. There were 11 cases in stage Ⅲ and 4 cases in stage Ⅳ. Two patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 13 patients received NACI, with 2 to 3 cycles, and all patients underwent TORS after multidisciplinary team consultation. The clinicopathological characteristics, surgical outcomes, and oncological results were summarized.Results:All surgeries were successfully completed with negative surgical margins, and no case was required conversion surgery. All patients were fed via nasogastric tubes postoperatively, with a median gastric tube stay of 7 days (range: 2-60 days). No tracheotomy was applied. There were no major complications such as postoperative bleeding. Pathological complete response (pCR) was found in 10 cases (76.9%) among the 13 patients with NACI. The follow-up time was 21 months (range: 10-47 months), and there was no death or distant metastasis. One patient with rT0N3M0 tonsil cancer had local recurrence 5 months after surgery. The 2-year overall survival and 2-year disease-free survival were respectively 100.0% and 93.3% in the 15 patients.Conclusion:NACI combined with TORS provides a safe, effective and minimally invasive treatment for patients with locally advanced oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Objective To investigate the effect of Echinococcus granulosus cyst fluid(EgCF) on the cytoskeletal rearrangement and phagocytosis and the migration of macrophages induced by lipopolysaccharide(LPS). Methods Peritoneal macrophages of C57BL/6 mice were isolated and cultured in vitro, and divided into control group and LPS group and LPS combined with EgCF group. After 48 hours of treatment, filamentous actin (F-actin) changes were observed with rhodamine-labelled phalloidin staining and fluorescence microscopy; Transwell^TM chamber was used to test cell migration ability and flow cytometry to test cell phagocytosis. After 1 hour of treatment, PI3K and AKT, phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT), Rac1, guanosine triphospho-Rac1 (GTP-Rac1), WASP and Arp2 protein expressions were detected with Western blot analysis. Results Compared with the control group, after LPS stimulation, macrophages were deformed significantly; pseudopodia increased; actin cytoskeleton increased and was more distributed in pseudopodia; the ability of migration and phagocytosis were significantly improved, and the expression of PI3K, p-AKT, GTP-Rac1, WASP and Arp2 proteins significantly increased. EgCF treatment caused cell shrinkage and disappearance of pseudopodia protrusions of LPS-activated cells, and led to the reduced phagocytic and migratory of cells; the protein expression of PI3K, p-AKT, GTP-Rac1, WASP and Arp2 decreased significantly compared with the LPS group. Conclusion LPS induces the migration and enhances phagocytosis of macrophages while EgCF inhibits these effects, which is related to actin cytoskeleton rearrangement.
Mice ; Animals ; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Echinococcus granulosus/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Cyst Fluid/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Macrophages/metabolism* ; Phagocytosis ; Actins/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism* ; Guanosine Triphosphate/pharmacology*

Objective: To study the positive effect and mechanism of histone deacetylase Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) on the osteogenic capacity of inflammatory PDLSCs. Methods: PDLSCs were isolated and cultured from the healthy individuals and periodontitis patients , the expression of Sirt1 in two types of PDLSCs was observed;osteogenic induction of inflammatory PDLSCs was performed , concurrently Sirt1 agonist resveratrol was used to up⁃regulate the expression of Sirt1 , then the osteogenic differentiation was observed , the expressions of Runx2 , acetylated NF⁃κB , acetylated FoxO1 and FoxO1 were assessed by Western blot. Results : The protein expression of Sirt1 was suppressed in in flamed PDLSCs( P < 0. 01) ;resveratrol could up⁃regulate the expression of Sirt1 in inflamed PDLSCs;compared with the osteogenic induction group , the osteogenesis + resveratrol group increased the expression of BSP ( t =14. 045 ,P < 0. 01) , Runx2( t = 3. 349 ,P < 0. 01) , OCN( t = 7. 218 ,P < 0. 01) and Osx ( t = 4. 544 ,P < 0. 01) mRNA in inflamed PDLSCs , and enhanced ALP staining(P < 0. 01) ;expression of FoxO1( t = 8. 737 , P < 0. 01) and Runx2( t = 6. 152 , P < 0. 01) increased after osteogenesis of inflamed PDLSCs ; in the osteogenesis + resveratrol group , the expression of Sirt1 was up⁃regulated , and the expression of FoxO1( t = 5. 912 ,P < 0. 01) and Runx2( t =6. 277 ,P < 0. 01) further increased compared with the osteogenic induction group ,while the expression of acetylated NF⁃κB(F = 184. 033 ,P < 0. 01) and acetylated FoxO1(F = 301. 454 , P < 0. 01) was significantly lower than that of control group and osteogenic induction group. Conclusion The deacetylase Sirt1 could promote the osteogenic differentiation of inflammatory PDLSCs through deacetylating NF⁃κB and FoxO1 .

Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of upper arm central venous port in cancer patients.Methods:A total of 500 patients with tumor were selected as the study subjects from March 29, 2018 to January 19 2020. Complications such as catheter-related thrombosis and catheter-related bloodstream infection during the indwelling period were recorded.Results:One patient with severe superior vena cava syndrome failed to be intubated. The other 499 patients were successfully intubated with a success rate of 99.8% (499/500). The rate of complications was 2.6% (13/499), and the rate of catheter-related bloodstream infection was 0.029‰ (4/139 614) in 4 cases, the incidence of catheter-related thrombus was 0.057‰ (8/139 614) in 8 cases. There were 1 case of body turnover, 1 case of median nerve injury, 1 case of local tissue necrosis and 1 case of lymphatic leakage. Extubation was planned in 15 patients, and unplanned extubation in 6 patients due to complications.Conclusions:The upper arm port has less complications and is suitable for patients with tumor chemotherapy and long-term need of infusion. It is worthy of clinical promotion.

Cordycepin,which has great immunomodulatory activities such as anticancer,antifungal,antivirus,antileukemia and lipid-lowering ones,is the secondary metabolite of Cordyceps militaris (C.militaris).Liquid submerged fermentation is the common cultivation process to produce cordycepin.To optimize the fermentation process and improve production,monitoring the cordycepin secretion in the fermen-tation is essential.The measurement based on chromatography-mass spectrometry methods is generally involved in the complex sample pretreatments and time-consuming separation,so more rapid and convenient methods are required.Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry(MALDI-MS) is more attractive for faster and direct detection.Therefore,MALDI-MS detection combined with isotope-labeled internal standard was applied to the measurement of cordycepin content in the fermentation broth and mycelium.This method made accurate quantification of cordycepin in the range of 5-400 μg/mL with a relative standard deviation of 5.6％.The recovery rates of fermentation samples after the 1,13,and 25 days were 90.15％,94.27％,and 95.06％,respectively.The contents of cordycepin in the mycelium and fermentation broth were 136 mg/g and 148.39 mg/mL on the 20th culture day,respectively.The cordycepin secretion curve of the liquid fermentation of C.militaris was real-time traced over 25 days.

Objective:To investigate the role of growth arrest specific protein 6 (Gas6) in regulating macrophage polarization in wound healing.Methods:Clean male B6 mice were randomly(random number) divided into the normal group, skin defect group, skin defect group + normal saline group (PBS group), skin defect + Gas6 (1 μg) group, skin defect + Gas6 (5 μg) group, and skin defect + Gas6 (10 μg) group. Ten mice in each group were used to observe the healing of skin wounds. Macrophages were isolated from the wound tissues of the remaining 6 mice on the fifth day after modeling. The levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the mRNA expression levels of arginase-1 (Arg-1) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) were detected by RT-PCR, and flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of M1 marker CD197, M2 marker CD163 and F4/80. HE staining was used to detect the pathological changes of skin wounds. Masson staining was used to analyze the granulation tissue and collagen deposition.Results:Scab began to form on the surface of the wound on the third day after the skin defect model was established. The wound area of the Gas6 treatment group was smaller than that of the PBS group, and the wound healing was better than that of the PBS group. Compared with the normal group, the proportion of CD197 in macrophages of the skin defect group was significantly increased ( P=0.00 49), the proportion of CD163 and F4/80 double positive was significantly decreased ( P=0.00 86), the level of IL-6 was significantly increased ( P=0.00 13), the level of IL-10 was significantly increased ( P=0.00 14), the level of iNOS mRNA was significantly increased ( P=0.00 8), and Arg-1 was significantly increased in the skin defect group The mRNA level was significantly decreased ( P=0.01 21), and the inflammatory infiltration was aggravated. Compared with the PBS group, the proportion of CD197 in the Gas6 treatment group was significantly decreased ( P=0.00 0), the double positive rates of CD163 and F4/80 were significantly increased ( P = 0.00 0), the level of IL-6 was significantly decreased (P = 0.00 0), the level of IL-10 was significantly increased ( P=0.00 03), the level of iNOS mRNA was significantly decreased ( P=0.00 18), the level of Arg-1 mRNA was significantly increased ( P=0.00 1), and the number of inflammatory cells and the number of collagen fibers were increased. Conclusions:Gas6 can promote the transformation of macrophages from M1 to M2 in mice with skin defect, which is beneficial to the wound healing of skin defect.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is involved in both physiological and pathological processes. EMT plays an essential role in the invasion, migration and metastasis of tumours. Autophagy has been shown to regulate EMT in a variety of cancers but not in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Herein, we investigated whether autophagy also regulates EMT in HNSCC. Analyses of clinical data from three public databases revealed that higher expression of fibronectin-1 (FN1) correlated with poorer prognosis and higher tumour pathological grade in HNSCC. Data from SCC-25 cells demonstrated that rapamycin and Earle's balanced salt solution (EBSS) promoted autophagy, leading to increased FN1 degradation, while 3-methyladenine (3-MA), bafilomycin A1 (Baf A1) and chloroquine (CQ) inhibited autophagy, leading to decreased FN1 degradation. On the other hand, autophagic flux was blocked in BECN1 mutant HNSCC Cal-27 cells, and rapamycin did not promote autophagy in Cal-27 cells; also in addition, FN1 degradation was inhibited. Further, we identified FN1 degradation through the lysosome-dependent degradation pathway using the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Data from immunoprecipitation assays also showed that p62/SQSTM1 participated as an autophagy adapter in the autophagy-lysosome pathway of FN1 degradation. Finally, data from immunoprecipitation assays demonstrated that the interaction between p62 and FN1 was abolished in p62 mutant MCF-7 and A2780 cell lines. These results indicate that autophagy significantly promotes the degradation of FN1. Collectively, our findings clearly suggest that FN1, as a marker of EMT, has adverse effects on HNSCC and elucidate the autophagy-lysosome degradation mechanism of FN1.
Autophagy ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Fibronectins ; Humans ; Lysosomes/metabolism* ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Sequestosome-1 Protein/metabolism* ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck