Objective: The effects and molecular mechanisms of micheliolide on cytokine expression in myeloproliferative neoplasm cell lines were explored based on the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)/nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways. Methods: The UKE-1 and SET-2 cell lines were investigated, and micheliolide concentrations were screened using the CCK-8 assay. The UKE-1 and SET-2 cells were divided into the control and micheliolide-treated groups at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 μmol/L. Each group received 1 mL of micheliolide solution at final concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 μmol/L, respectively, whereas the control group only received an equal volume of culture medium. The inhibition rates of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2) mRNA expression in cells from each group were detected using real-time fluorescent PCR (RT-PCR). Western blotting was used to measure STAT3 and phosphorylated STAT3 (p-STAT3) protein expression levels in cells from each group. Reversal experiments with reduced glutathione and dithiothreitol were performed using UKE-1 cells, which were divided into the control group, micheliolide, micheliolide + glutathione, micheliolide + dithiothreitol, and glutathione + dithiothreitol groups. Western blotting was used to detect the STAT3 and p-STAT3 protein expression levels in the cells of each group. UKE-1 cells were stimulated with TNF-α (5 μg/L) to replicate a pathological model of excessive cytokine secretion. Subsequently, UKE-1 cells were divided into the control, model, and three micheliolide-treated groups at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 μmol/L. RT-PCR was used to measure the indicators above. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the CCL2 content in the cell culture media of each group. Western blotting was performed to assess the protein expression levels of STAT3, p-STAT3, and proteins related to the NF-κB signaling pathway. Results: Compared with the control group, the proliferation inhibition rates of UKE-1 cells at 24, 48, and 72 h increased in the micheliolide-treated groups at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 μmol/L. Similarly, the proliferation inhibition rates of SET-2 at 48 and 72 h increased in the micheliolide-treated groups at concentrations of 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 μmol/L (P<0.05). Concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 μmol/L were selected for further studies to exclude the potential influence of high micheliolide concentrations on subsequent result owing to reduced cell numbers. Compared with the control group, the inhibition rates of TNF-α mRNA expression in UKE-1 and SET-2 cells increased in the micheliolide-treated groups at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 μmol/L. Similarly, the inhibition rates of IL-1β mRNA expression in UKE-1 and SET-2 cells also increased in the micheliolide-treated groups at concentrations of 5.0 and 10.0 μmol/L. Additionally, the inhibition rate of CCL2 mRNA expression in UKE-1 and SET-2 cells increased in the micheliolide-treated group at a concentration of 10 μmol/L (P<0.05). Compared with the model group, the inhibition rates of TNF-α, IL-1β, and CCL2 mRNA expression in UKE-1 cells increased in the micheliolide-treated groups at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 μmol/L after stimulation with TNF-α (P<0.05). ELISA showed that compared with the control group, the CCL2 content in UKE-1 cells increased in the model group. Compared with the model group, the CCL2 content in UKE-1 cells decreased in the micheliolide-treated groups at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 μmol/L (P<0.05). Western blotting showed that compared with the control group, the p-STAT3 protein expression levels in UKE-1 and SET-2 cells were downregulated in the micheliolide-treated groups at concentrations of 5.0 and 10.0 μmol/L, and the protein expression level of STAT3 in SET-2 was also downregulated (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the p-STAT3 expression level in UKE-1 cells decreased in the micheliolide group in the reductive glutathione and dithiothreitol reversal experiments. Compared with the micheliolide group, the p-STAT3 protein expression levels in UKE-1 cells increased in the micheliolide + dithiothreitol and micheliolide + glutathione groups (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the model group showed increased p-STAT3, p-IκKα/β, p-IκBα, and p-NF-κB p65 protein expression and decreased IκBα protein expression after stimulation with TNF-α. Compared with the model group, the micheliolide-treated groups showed decreased p-IκKα/β, p-IκBα, p-STAT3, and p-NF-κB p65 protein expression at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 μmol/L, whereas the micheliolide-treated groups showed increased IκBα protein expression at concentrations of 5.0 and 10.0 μmol/L (P<0.05). Conclusion Micheliolide potently suppresses IL-1β, TNF-α, and CCL2 mRNA expression in UKE-1 and SET-2 cells, as well as CCL2 secretion by UKE-1 cells, which may be associated with STAT3 phosphorylation suppression and NF-κB signaling pathway activation.

Background As a pillar industry in China, the manufacturing sector has a high incidence of non-fatal occupational injuries. The factors influencing non-fatal occupational injuries in this industry are closely related at various levels, including individual, equipment, environment, and management, making the analysis of these influencing factors complex. Objective To identify influencing factors of non-fatal occupational injuries among manufacturing workers, providing a basis for targeted interventions and surveillance. Methods A total of 2243 frontline workers from cable and shipbuilding enterprises were selected as study subjects to investigate the incidence of non-fatal occupational injuries and collect information at four levels: individual, equipment, management, and environment in past 12 months. Data balancing was performed using resampling, and LASSO regression was used to select factors of non-fatal occupational injuries. The influence degree and type of variables were judged based on the magnitude of the estimated coefficients of each variable, where variables with estimated coefficients > 0 are risk factors, and those <0 are protective factors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC)curve (AUC) was used to test the performance of the model, with an AUC value > 0.7 indicating good model performance. Results Among the 2243 frontline workers, males accounted for 77.7% (1742 out of 2243), with the main age range being 40-49 years old, representing 29.5% (661 out of 2243), 82.7% of the workers (1854 out of 2243) were married, and 55.6% (1248 out of 2243) had a junior middle school education level. The average monthly income for 51.0% (1144 out of 2243) of the workers was between 5000 and 6999 Chinese Yuan. The incidence of non-fatal occupational injuries among the manufacturing workers was 8.4% (189/2243) in the past 12 months. Among the 22 factors associated with the occurrence of non-fatal occupational injuries (P<0.05), 10 were individual-level factors, including gender, smoking, alcohol consumption, colleague relationships, average exercise duration, job burnout, work fatigue, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and neurological and sensory organ diseases; 3 were equipment-level factors, including equipment operability, hazardous workpieces, and safety hazards; 5 were environmental-level factors, including low temperatures, special operations, noise, workspace size, and dirty and disorderly environment; and 4 were management-level factors, including daily working hours, weekly working days, overtime, and pre-job technical training. The AUC value of the LASSO regression model was 0.704 and the final model retained a total of 10 variables. Among them, there were 7 risk factors for non-fatal occupational injuries (coefficient > 0), including safety hazards, musculoskeletal disorders, dangerous workpieces, job burnout, dirty and disorderly environment, smoking, and male gender; and 3 protective factors (coefficient < 0), including pre-job technical training, good colleague relationship, and long working days per week. Conclusion Manufacturing enterprises need to focus on the incidence of non-fatal occupational injuries and conduct targeted interventions for non-fatal occupational injuries by controlling potential safety hazards, providing pre-job technical training, reducing dangerous workpieces, rectifying working environment, and reasonably arranging working hours.

BACKGROUND:According to existing clinical studies,vertebroplasty treatment with both the external pedicle approach and the pedicle approach can improve the pain and quality of life of patients with spinal compression fractures.Compared with the pedicle approach,the external pedicle approach has a freer puncture angle,and good bone cement dispersion effect can be obtained by adjusting the puncture angle. OBJECTIVE:To compare the impact of vertebroplasty through individualized unilateral external pedicle approach and bilateral pedicle approach on the treatment of spinal compression fractures by quantifying the dispersion effect of bone cement. METHODS:A total of 80 patients with thoracolumbar compression fracture were divided into two groups by random number table method.The bilateral pedicle group(n=40)underwent vertebroplasty through a bilateral pedicle approach,while the unilateral external pedicle group(n=40)underwent individualized vertebroplasty through a unilateral external pedicle approach.Anteroposterior and lateral X-rays of the affected vertebrae from two groups of patients were photographed to assess effect and type of bone cement dispersion within 3 days after surgery.Visual analog scale score,tenderness threshold around fracture,and Oswestry dysfunction index were assessed before,1,7 days,and 1 month after surgery. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Dispersion effect of bone cement in unilateral external pedicle group was better than that in bilateral pedicle group(P<0.001),and the amount of bone cement perfusion was higher than that in bilateral pedicle group(P<0.001).In the bilateral pedicle group,the bone cement dispersion types were mainly concentrated in type Ⅰ and type Ⅲ,while in the unilateral external pedicle group,the bone cement dispersion types were mainly concentrated in type I and type Ⅱ,and there was a significant difference in bone cement dispersion types between the two groups(P<0.001).(2)Postoperative visual analog scale scores and Oswestry disability index of both groups were lower than those before surgery(P<0.001),and postoperative tenderness threshold around fracture showed a trend of decreasing first and then increasing.At the same time point after treatment,there were no significant differences in visual analog scale score,Oswestry disability index,and tenderness threshold around fracture between the two groups(P>0.05).(3)The results indicate that individualized vertebroplasty via unilateral external pedicle approach can achieve better bone cement dispersion,and the treatment effect is consistent with the vertebroplasty via classical bilateral pedicle approach.

The auxin/indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) gene family is an important regulator for plant growth hormone signaling, involved in plant growth, development, as well as response to environmental stresses. In the present study, we identified SmIAA7 which is potentially associated with Salvia miltiorrhiza leaf development through comparatively analyzed the transcriptome data from different pinnate leaves. SmIAA7 was successfully isolated from S. miltiorrhiza using the specific primers. Then subsequent bioinformatic analysis, prokaryotic expression and purification, subcellular localization, and induction expression analysis under auxin and abiotic stress were performed. The full-length of SmIAA7 contained an ORF of 684 bp encoding a protein of 227 amino acid with a molecular weight of 25.3 kD. Conserved domain analysis showed that SmIAA7 contains the conserved Aux_IAA domain (pfam02309). Sequence analysis and phylogenetic tree analysis results indicated SmIAA7 was phylogenetically close to IAA7 and IAA14 from other plants, suggesting SmIAA7 involved in plant growth and development as well as response to environmental stresses. The prokaryotic expression vector pET28a-SmIAA7 was constructed and SmIAA7 recombinant protein was successfully expressed in E. coli Rosetta (DE3) strain. Subcellular localization experiment demonstrated that SmIAA7 localized in the nucleus of plant cells. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR results showed that the expression level of SmIAA7 was upregulated in response to auxin. Drought, low temperature, and salt stress significantly increased the transcript level of SmIAA7 gene. This study lays a foundation for further elucidating the role of SmIAA7 in leaf development, signal transduction, and stress defense in S. miltiorrhiza.

The innate immune system detects cellular stressors and microbial infections, activating programmed cell death (PCD) pathways to eliminate intracellular pathogens and maintain homeostasis. Among these pathways, pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis represent the most characteristic forms of PCD. Although initially regarded as mechanistically distinct, emerging research has revealed significant crosstalk among their signaling cascades. Consequently, the concept of PANoptosis has been proposed—an inflammatory cell death pathway driven by caspases and receptor-interacting protein kinases (RIPKs), and regulated by the PANoptosome, which integrates key features of pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis. The core mechanism of PANoptosis involves the assembly and activation of the PANoptosome, a macromolecular complex composed of three structural components: sensor proteins, adaptor proteins, and effector proteins. Sensors detect upstream stimuli and transmit signals downstream, recruiting critical molecules via adaptors to form a molecular scaffold. This scaffold activates effectors, triggering intracellular signaling cascades that culminate in PANoptosis. The PANoptosome is regulated by upstream molecules such as interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1), transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), and adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1), which function as molecular switches to control PANoptosis. Targeting these switches represents a promising therapeutic strategy. Furthermore, PANoptosis is influenced by organelle functions, including those of the mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, and lysosomes, highlighting organelle-targeted interventions as effective regulatory approaches. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the leading global cause of morbidity and mortality, are profoundly impacted by PCD. Extensive crosstalk among multiple cell death pathways in CVDs suggests a complex regulatory network. As a novel cell death modality bridging pyroptosis, apoptosis, and necroptosis, PANoptosis offers fresh insights into the complexity of cell death and provides innovative strategies for CVD treatment. This review summarizes current evidence linking PANoptosis to various CVDs, including myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury, myocardial infarction, heart failure, arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy, sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy, cardiotoxic injury, atherosclerosis, abdominal aortic aneurysm, thoracic aortic aneurysm and dissection, and vascular toxic injury, thereby providing critical clinical insights into CVD pathophysiology. However, the current understanding of PANoptosis in CVDs remains incomplete. First, while PANoptosis in cardiomyocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells has been implicated in CVD pathogenesis, its role in other cell types—such as vascular endothelial cells and immune cells (e.g., macrophages)—warrants further investigation. Second, although pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are known to activate the PANoptosome in infectious diseases, the stimuli driving PANoptosis in CVDs remain poorly defined. Additionally, methodological challenges persist in identifying PANoptosome assembly in CVDs and in establishing reliable PANoptosis models. Beyond the diseases discussed, PANoptosis may also play a role in viral myocarditis and diabetic cardiomyopathy, necessitating further exploration. In conclusion, elucidating the role of PANoptosis in CVDs opens new avenues for drug development. Targeting this pathway could yield transformative therapies, addressing unmet clinical needs in cardiovascular medicine.

Objective: To explore the relationship between school sports environment and physical activity levels of middle school students, so as to provide theoretical and empirical support for optimizing school sports environment and enhance adolescent physical activity. Methods: Using multi-stage random cluster sampling, from September to December 2023, 1 329 junior and senior high school students from Xuancheng City of Anhui Province, Lianyungang City of Jiangsu Province, Wuhan City of Hubei Province, Qiqihar City and Suihua City of Heilongjiang Province, and Shenzhen City of Guangdong Province were selected. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF) assessed students physical activity levels, and the questionnaire on the characteristics of school sports environment was developed to evaluate the factors of school sports environment. Multivariate ordered Logistic regression was performed to analyze the correlation between school sports environment factors and physical activity levels, and the analytic hierarchy process determined the weight of key influencing factors. Results: The results showed that weekly vigorous physical activity time was [60 (25, 90)] minutes, moderate physical activity time was [60 (30, 90)] minutes, light physical activity time was [105 (40, 200)] minutes, and sedentary behavior time was [ 3 300 (2 100, 4 500)] minutes, only 10.53% of the students met World Health Organization physical activity recommendations, and 89.69% of the students averaged >8 h daily sedentary time. Multivariate ordered Logistic regression showed that adequate sports equipment significantly promoted physical activity across all intensities and reduced sedentary time ( OR = 4.97, 11.54, 4.03, 0.11); diverse sports activities improved vigorous and moderate physical activity while reducing sedentary time ( OR =4.20, 14.06, 0.17); and peer encouragement was associated with increased low-intensity physical activities and decreased sedentary time ( OR =10.40, 0.15)( P <0.05). The analytic hierarchy process weighting analysis identified the top three influential factors related to physical activity among middle school students: sufficient sports equipment, varied physical education activities, frequent peer encouragement, the influence weight accounts for 23.55% , 14.18% and 11.77% of the total, respectively. Conclusion Key school sports environmental factors for adolescent physical activity level include ensuring adequate sports equipment and class availability, diversifying activity content, fostering peer support, and cultivating an active sports culture and a comprehensive approach encourage students participation in extracurricular physical activities.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP) is a chronic metabolic bone disease caused by a decrease in estrogen levels. With the acceleration of population aging process, the public health burden caused by it is becoming increasingly severe. The prevalence rate of osteoporosis in people over 65 years old in China is as high as 32%, which is especially prominent after menopause, which is about 5 times that of elderly men. About 40% of postmenopausal women are at risk of osteoporotic fractures, with a disability rate of up to 50% and a fatality rate of about 20%. The prevention and treatment of osteoporosis has become a major public health issue of global concern, and it is particularly urgent to develop reasonable and effective prevention and treatment programs and explore their scientific basis. Exercise is an important non-drug means for the prevention and treatment of PMOP, it can improve estrogen levels and the expression of bone formation transcription factors, and inhibit the levels of proinflammatory factors and bone resorption markers, macroscopically manifested by the improvement of bone microstructure and bone density. However, the effectiveness of exercise in improving bone mineral density (BMD) remains controversial. Some studies revealed significant changes of bone to mechanical stimulation, while others showed no significant effect of mechanical training, this heterogeneity in bone adapt to mechanical stimulation is particularly evident in postmenopausal women. Although the evidence that a wide range of exercise programs can improve osteoporosis, the optimal solution to address bone mineral loss remains unclear. The most effective exercise type, dosage and personalized adaptation are still being determined. This study will fully consider the differences in gender and hormone levels, searching and screening randomized controlled trials of PubMed, CNKI and other databases regarding exercise improving bone mineral density in women with PMOP. Strictly following the PRISMA guidelines to reviewed and compared the effects of different types of exercise modalities on BMD at different sites in women with PMOP by network Meta-analysis, to provide theoretical guidance to maintain or improve BMD in women with PMOP.

Healthy dental pulp is essential for preserving teeth and maintaining their normal function. Vital pulp therapy (VPT) is widely used in clinical applications because it aims to preserve vital pulp and enhance the long-term survival of teeth. An accurate diagnosis of pulp vitality is a prerequisite for successful VPT. However, accurately assessing pulp viability remains challenging in clinical practice. Pulp viability is influenced by various factors, including the type of pulp exposure, caries status, periodontitis, trauma, treatment factors, patient age, and individual differences. Assessing pulp viability requires a comprehensive consideration of medical history and clinical manifestations, along with a combination of various auxiliary methods, such as pulp sensibility tests, pulp blood flow tests, imaging techniques and molecular diagnostics. In the future, the technology for assessing pulp vitality should evolve toward chairside, visualization, and precision techniques, to achieve consistency between clinical and histological diagnoses, thereby providing patients with the most effective treatment.

In recent years, the deep integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into medical education has created new opportunities for teaching Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, while also offering innovative solutions to the pedagogical challenges associated with protein structure and function. Focusing on the case of anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene mutations in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), this study integrates AI into case-based learning (CBL) to develop an AI-CBL hybrid teaching model. This model features an intelligent case-generation system that dynamically constructs ALK mutation scenarios using real-world clinical data, closely linking molecular biology concepts with clinical applications. It incorporates AI-powered protein structure prediction tools to accurately visualize the three-dimensional structures of both wild-type and mutant ALK proteins, dynamically simulating functional abnormalities resulting from conformational changes. Additionally, a virtual simulation platform replicates the ALK gene detection workflow, bridging theoretical knowledge with practical skills. As a result, a multidimensional teaching system is established—driven by clinical cases and integrating molecular structural analysis with experimental validation. Teaching outcomes indicate that the three-dimensional visualization, dynamic interactivity, and intelligent analytical capabilities provided by AI significantly enhance students’ understanding of molecular mechanisms, classroom engagement, and capacity for innovative research. This model establishes a coherent training pathway linking “fundamental theory-scientific research thinking-clinical practice”, offering an effective approach to addressing teaching challenges and advancing the intelligent transformation of medical education.

Humans ; Aged ; Lung Diseases ; Pneumonia/drug therapy* ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/drug therapy* ; Administration, Inhalation ; Community-Acquired Infections/drug therapy*