Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a central neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory impairment in clinical. Currently, there are no effective treatments for AD. In recent years, a variety of therapeutic approaches from different perspectives have been explored to treat AD. Although the drug therapies targeted at the clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) had made a breakthrough in clinical trials, there were associated with adverse events. Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of AD. Continuous neuroinflammatory was considered to be the third major pathological feature of AD, which could promote the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. At the same time, these toxic substances could accelerate the development of neuroinflammation, form a vicious cycle, and exacerbate disease progression. Reducing neuroinflammation could break the feedback loop pattern between neuroinflammation, Aβ plaque deposition and Tau tangles, which might be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating AD. Traditional Chinese herbs such as Polygonum multiflorum and Curcuma were utilized in the treatment of AD due to their ability to mitigate neuroinflammation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and indomethacin had been shown to reduce the level of inflammasomes in the body, and taking these drugs was associated with a low incidence of AD. Biosynthetic nanomaterials loaded with oxytocin were demonstrated to have the capability to anti-inflammatory and penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively, and they played an anti-inflammatory role via sustained-releasing oxytocin in the brain. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells could reduce neuroinflammation and inhibit the activation of microglia. The secretion of mesenchymal stem cells could not only improve neuroinflammation, but also exert a multi-target comprehensive therapeutic effect, making it potentially more suitable for the treatment of AD. Enhancing the level of TREM2 in microglial cells using gene editing technologies, or application of TREM2 antibodies such as Ab-T1, hT2AB could improve microglial cell function and reduce the level of neuroinflammation, which might be a potential treatment for AD. Probiotic therapy, fecal flora transplantation, antibiotic therapy, and dietary intervention could reshape the composition of the gut microbiota and alleviate neuroinflammation through the gut-brain axis. However, the drugs of sodium oligomannose remain controversial. Both exercise intervention and electromagnetic intervention had the potential to attenuate neuroinflammation, thereby delaying AD process. This article focuses on the role of drug therapy, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, gut microbiota therapy, exercise intervention, and brain stimulation in improving neuroinflammation in recent years, aiming to provide a novel insight for the treatment of AD by intervening neuroinflammation in the future.

Objective To establish a rapid screening method for 34 emerging contaminants in surface water by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS).Methods The pretreatment conditions of solid phase extraction(SPE)were op-timized by orthogonal experimental design and the surface water samples were concentrated and ex-tracted by Oasis? HLB and Oasis? MCX SPE columns in series.The extracts were separated by Kine-tex? EVO C18 column,with gradient elution of 0.1%formic acid aqueous solution and 0.1%formic acid methanol solution.Q-TOF-MS'fullscan'and'targeted MS/MS'modes were used to detect 34 emerging contaminants and to establish a database with 34 emerging contaminants precursor ion,prod-uct ion and retention times.Results The 34 emerging contaminants exhibited good linearity in the con-centration range respectively and the correlation coefficients(r)were higher than 0.97.The limit of de-tection was 0.2-10 ng/L and the recoveries were 81.2%-119.2%.The intra-day precision was 0.78%-18.70%.The method was applied to analyze multiple surface water samples and 6 emerging contaminants were detected,with a concentration range of 1.93-157.71 ng/L.Conclusion The method is simple and rapid for screening various emerging contaminants at the trace level in surface water.

AIM To investigate the effects of Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula on neuronal apoptosis in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury based on the study of oxidative stress and inflammatory response.METHODS The rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group,the model group,the edaravone group(3.0 mg/kg),the low,medium and high dose groups(9.0,18.0,36.0 g/kg)of Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula,with 18 rats in each group.The middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion was conducted by thread embolism method to simulate cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in rats followed by 6 days corresponding drugs administration.Subsequently,the rats had their neurological function deficit scored by Zeal Longa scoring method;their sizes of cerebral infarction areas measured by TTC staining;their pathological damage and apoptosis of neurons in hippocampal CA1 area of ischemic penumbra of the brain tissue detected by HE staining and TUNEL staining;their SOD activity and levels of GSH,MDA,IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α in brain tissue detected by kits;and their protein expressions of Bax,Bcl-2,caspase-3,cleaved-capase-3,TLR4,NF-κB p65,Nrf2,HO-1 in rat brain tissue determined by Western blot.RESULTS Compared with the model group,the groups intervened with edaravone,medium and high dose of Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula displayed improvements in the scores of nerve function defects,the rate of cerebral infarction,the rate of neuronal apoptosis,the levels of IL-6,IL-1β,TNF-α and MDA in the ischemic penumbra of brain tissues,the protein expressions of Bax and TLR4,the ratio of cleaved-capase-3/caspase-3 and p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65(P＜0.05),the levels of GSH,the activity of SOD and the protein expressions of Bcl-2,Nrf2 and HO-1(P＜0.05).CONCLUSION Being an inhibitor of oxidative stress and inflammatory response,Zhuangyao Shuanglu Tongnao Formula can alleviate brain injury in rats with cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury through the inhibition of neuronal apoptosis and improvement of neural function mediated by the inhibition of TLR4/NF-κB signal pathway and activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signal pathway.

Objective:To explore the expression pattern of pyroptosis-related genes(PRGs)in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC),and analyze the relationship between its expression and tumor prog-nosis and immune microenvironment.Methods:TCGA database was used to analyze the genetic changes and expression patterns of PRGs in primary HCC cells,and cluster analysis was used to i-dentify the pyrogenic subtypes of HCC.To compare the difference of prognosis and immune mi-croenvironment among HCC pyrodeath subtypes.Scorch death score quantified the comprehensive expression of PRGs in each sample,and analyzed the correlation between scorch death score and each immune score.Results:Two pyroptosis-associated subtypes of primary HCC were identi-fied,and the expression pattern of PRGs is closely related to the prognosis of cancer patients and the tumor microenvironment.The subtype with high expression of PRGs had a poor prognosis,and functional enrichment analysis found that some tumor-promoting pathways and PD-1 checkpoint pathways were significantly enriched in this subtype.And various cells and immune checkpoints re-lated to immunosuppression were also enriched in this subtype.By constructing PYROPTO-SIS_score to quantify the comprehensive expression of pyroptosis-related genes in each sample,it was found that PYROPTOSIS_score was significantly positively correlated with tumor-infiltrating macrophages,myeloid-derived suppressor cells,and Treg cells.Conclusion:These results sug-gest that pyroptosis may play a tumor-promoting as well as immunosuppressive role in HCC,pro-viding new insights into the assessment of tumor patient prognosis and the immune microenviron-ment.

italic>Acanthopanax senticosus is one of the genuine regional herb in Northeast China. In this study, we identified the germplasm resources of commercial A. senticosus samples based on atpI and atpB_rbcL according to the previous chloroplast genome sequencing results, and determinated the content of syringin by HPLC to evaluated the quality of commercial samples. A total of 80 A. senticosus samples were collected from 47 cities in 24 provinces. DNA was extracted to amplify the products of atpI and atpB_rbcL by PCR. The results showed that 7 haplotypes (H2, H5, H8, H10, H12, H14, H23) were formed by the combined analysis of the two gene fragments. H2 from Yichun in Heilongjiang, Shangzhi in Harbin, Suihua in Heilongjiang, Fushun in Liaoning, Benxi in Liaoning, Changbai in Jilin and Jingyu in Jilin were the dominant genotype, representing 58.75% of the total samples. H14 and H23 were the unique haplotypes of the producing area. It is speculated that the commercial A. senticosus samples with haplotypes of H14 and H23 are from Raohe, Shuangyashan, Heilongjiang and Mingshui, Suihua, Heilongjiang, respectively. HPLC analysis indicated that the content of syringin in 73.96% of the samples met the Pharmacopoeia standards. There was a significant difference in the content of syringin among the samples, ranging from 0.003 7% to 0.524 5%, with a difference of 0.520 8%, indicating that the quality of the samples in the market of A. senticosus was uneven. However, there were no significant differences in the contents of syringin in the commercial A. senticosus among different haplotypes. The content of syringin in the haplotype H23 in the market sample is relatively high, so it may be a germplasm with better quality. This study researched the germplasm resources and medicinal materials quality of commercial A. senticosus samples and will help guide the commercial circulation, reasonable medication of A. senticosus, and the screening of excellent germplasm.

Objective To compare the three methods in intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT)dose verification using PTW Detector729.Methods A total of 50 patients with nasopharyngeal cancer,lung cancer,breast cancer,cervical cancer and whole brain radiation therapy who completed radiation treatment at some hospital from January to December 2022 were selected retrospectively.Two-dimensional(zero and actual gantry angles)and three-dimensional dose verifications were carried out for the IMRT plans using PTW Detector729 2D ionization chamber matrix combined with PTW RW3 solid water and PTW Ocavius 4D rotation unit.The dose assessment threshold was set to 10％,and the γ pass rates of the three verification methods were counted under four assessment criteria,namely 3％/1 mm,2％/2 mm,3％/2 mm and 3％/3 mm.SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used for data analysis.Results Under the 10％dose assessment threshold criterion,zero-gantry-angle 2D dose verification had the highest γ pass rate,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05);actual-gantry-angle 2D dose verification had the γ pass rate higher than that of 3D verification,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The γ pass rates of the three verification methods gradually increased under four criteria,namely,3％/1 mm,2％/2 mm,3％/2 mm and 3％/3 mm,and exceeded 90％under the 3％/2 mm criterion,and the results met the requirements of clinical radiotherapy.Conclusion The results of the three verification methods satisfy the requirements of the IMRT dose verification practice guidelines,and the selection of appropriate verification methods is of great significance to ensure the implementation of the treatment plan.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(5):56-59]

Secondary organic aerosol(SOA)produced by photooxidation of styrene and other aromatic compounds is a major part of fine particles in urban atmosphere.In this study,the measurement of component and content of SOA formed from photooxidation of styrene in smog chamber using synchronous radiation vacuum-ultraviolet photoionization aerosol mass spectrometer(VUV-PIAMS)was conducted.Photoionization mass spectra of styrene SOA was detected by synchrotron radiation photon with 10.5 eV,and the proportion of main components was quantified based on the peak area of each ion peak.The photoionization efficiency curve of ion peak was obtained under synchrotron radiation photons in the range from 7.5 to 11.5 eV,and then the ionization potential was acquired for qualitative analysis of the component structure.The results showed that the photoionization mass spectra of styrene SOA mainly contained ion peaks at m/z 106,108,120 and 122,and the ionization potentials of each peak were(9.41±0.03)eV,(8.93±0.03)eV,(9.24±0.03)eV and(9.25±0.03)eV,respectively.Combined with quantum chemistry calculation and off-line measurement verification of infrared absorption spectra and electrospray ionization mass spectra,it was determined that benzaldehyde,benzyl alcohol,4-vinylphenol and benzoic acid were main components of styrene SOA,accounting for 32.5%,17.5%,25%and 15%of the measured components,respectively,and the generated quantity ratio was 13∶7∶10∶6.VUV-PIAMS could overcome the disadvantages of off-line method,and could on-line detect component and content of SOA,proving a useful tool to measure the chemical components and reveal the formation process of SOA particles.

AIM:This study aims to explore the impact of Escherichia coli(E.coli)high-pathogenicity island(HPI)on pyroptosis and intestinal inflammation.METHODS:Kunming mice and IPEC-J2 cells(porcine small intesti-nal epithelial cells)were treated with HPI-containing E.coli strain(HPI+),HPI-deleting E.coli strain(ΔHPI),or lipo-polysaccharide(LPS).The intestinal lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)activity,superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity,IgA expression and secretory IgA(SIgA)content were assessed in mice.The expression of key regulatory factors in the nucleo-tide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3)/caspase-1 signaling pathway-related proteins in mouse intestinal tract and IPEC-J2 cells was analyzed by RT-qPCR,immunohistochemical staining and Western blot.The levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and IL-18 in mouse serum and IPEC-J2 cell culture supernatants were measured by ELISA.The pivotal role of NLRP3 in HPI+infection was confirmed by silencing NLRP3 in IPEC-J2 cells using siRNA.RE-SULTS:The HPI+infection markedly decreased SOD activity,increased IgA+B cell count,and induced the LDH release and SIgA secretion in the mouse intestine compared with ΔHPI infection.The results of ELISA,HE staining and TUNEL staining indicated that E.coli HPI triggered DNA damage,tissue injury and inflammation in mouse intestinal epithelial cells.Western blot revealed an increase in intestinal gasdermin D N-terminal fragment(GSDMD-N)protein level with HPI+infection compared with ΔHPI infection.E.coli HPI significantly up-regulated mRNA and protein expression of NLRP3,apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain(ASC),caspase-1,GSDMD,IL-1β and IL-18 in mouse intestinal tissues and IPEC-J2 cells,accompanied by the elevated secretion of IL-1β and IL-18.The confo-cal microscopy demonstrated an enhanced assembly of the NLRP3 inflammasome with HPI+infection compared with ΔHPI infection,leading to colocalization of NLRP3 and caspase-1.Furthermore,NLRP3 silencing in IPEC-J2 cells attenuated E.coli HPI-induced cell inflammation,damage,and NLRP3/caspase-1 signaling pathway activation.CONCLUSION:The presence of HPI enhances the virulence of E.coli and exacerbates intestinal inflammation.Moreover,pyroptosis,regu-lated by the NLRP3/caspase-1 signaling pathway,plays a pivotal role in the intestinal injury induced by E.coli HPI.

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

Influenza is an acute respiratory infectious disease caused by influenza virus infection.After influenza virus invades the human body through the respiratory tract,the epithelial cells of the respiratory tract react first and produce a variety of cytokines to induce immune responses of human body.CC chemokines and CXC chemokines regulate a variety of immune cells in the process of influenza virus infection,and play important roles in the control of inflammatory response and maintenance of homeostasis in human body at the early stage of influenza virus infec-tion.Analyzing the role of chemokines in regulating immune cells in host's body during the process of influenza vi-rus infection can provide new strategies for treating against influenza.In this paper,the regulatory effects on vari-ous types of immune cells by CC and CXC chemokines as well as their related receptors during influenza virus infec-tion are reviewed.