BACKGROUND: The protective effect of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury has been widely reported. Dental pulp-derived mesenchymal stem cells (DP-MSCs) have therapeutic effects on various diseases, including diabetes and cirrhosis. This study aimed to determine the therapeutic effects of DP-MSCs on I/R injury and elucidate the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Myocardial I/R injury model mice were treated with DP-MSCs or a miR-19a-3p mimic. The infarct volume, fibrotic area, pyroptosis, inflammation level, and cardiac function were measured. Cardiomyocytes exposed to hypoxia-reoxygenation were transfected with the miR-19a-3p mimic, miR-19a-3p inhibitor, or negative control. Pyroptosis and protein expression in the interferon regulatory factor 8/mitogen-activated protein kinase (IRF-8/MAPK) pathway were measured. RESULTS: DP-MSCs protected cardiac function in cardiac I/R-injured mice and inhibited cardiomyocyte pyroptosis. The upregulation of miR-19a-3p protected cardiac function, inhibited cardiomyocyte pyroptosis, and inhibited IRF-8/MAPK signaling in cardiac I/R-injured mice. DP-MSCs inhibited cardiomyocyte pyroptosis and the IRF-8/MAPK signaling by upregulating the miR-19a-3p levels in cardiomyocytes injured by I/R. CONCLUSION DP-MSCs protected cardiac function by inhibiting cardiomyocyte pyroptosis through miR-19a-3p under I/R conditions.
Animals ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Pyroptosis/genetics* ; Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism* ; Myocytes, Cardiac/cytology* ; Mice ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Dental Pulp/cytology* ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury/therapy* ; MAP Kinase Signaling System/physiology*

OBJECTIVE: To explore decompression strategies for lateral lumbar spinal stenosis under unilateral biportal endoscopy (UBE) assistance. METHODS: A clinical data of 86 patients with lateral lumbar stenosis treated with UBE-assisted intervertebral decompression between September 2022 and December 2023 was retrospectively analyzed. There were 42 males and 44 females with an average age of 63.6 years (range, 45-79 years). The disease duration ranged from 6 to 14 months (mean, 8.5 months). Surgical levels included L _{2, 3} in 3 cases, L _{3, 4} in 26 cases, L _{4, 5} in 42 cases, and L ₅, S ₁ in 15 cases. According to Lee's grading system, there were 21 cases of grade 1, 37 cases of grade 2, and 28 cases of grade 3 for lumbar spinal stenosis. Based on the location of stenosis and clinical symptoms, the 33 cases underwent interlaminar approach, 7 cases underwent interlaminar approach with auxiliary third incision, 26 cases underwent contralateral inclinatory approach, and 20 cases underwent paraspinal approach; then, the corresponding decompression procedures were performed. Visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to evaluate lower back/leg pain before operation and at 1 and 3 months after operation, while Oswestry disability index (ODI) was used to evaluate spinal function. At 3 months after operation, the effectiveness was evaluated using the modified MacNab evaluation criteria. The spinal stenosis and decompression were evaluated based on Lee's grading system using lumbar MRI before operation and at 3 months after operation. RESULTS: All procedures were successfully completed with mean operation time of 95.1 minutes (range, 57-166 minutes). Dural tears occurred in 2 cases treated with interlaminar approach with auxiliary third incision. All incisions healed by first intention. All patients were followed up 3-10 months (mean, 5.9 months). The clinical symptoms of the patients relieved to varying degrees. The VAS scores and ODI of lower back and leg pain at 1 and 3 months after operation significantly improved compared to preoperative levels ( P<0.05), and the indicators at 3 months significantly improved than that at 1 month ( P<0.05). According to the modified MacNab evaluation criteria, the effectiveness at 3 months after operation was rated as excellent in 52 cases, good in 21 cases, and poor in 13 cases, with an excellent and good rate of 84.9%. No lumbar instability was detected on flexion-extension X-ray films during follow-up. The Lee's grading of lateral lumbar stenosis at 2 days after operation showed significant improvement compared to preoperative grading ( P<0.05). CONCLUSION For lateral lumbar spinal stenosis, UBE-assisted decompression of the spinal canal requires the selection of interlaminar approach, interlaminar approach with auxiliary third incision, contralateral inclinatory approach, and paraspinal approach based on preoperative imaging findings and clinical symptoms to achieve better effectiveness.
Humans ; Spinal Stenosis/diagnostic imaging* ; Female ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Decompression, Surgical/methods* ; Aged ; Lumbar Vertebrae/surgery* ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Pharmacotranscriptomic profiles, which capture drug-induced changes in gene expression, offer vast potential for computational drug discovery and are widely used in modern medicine. However, current computational approaches neglected the associations within gene‒gene functional networks and unrevealed the systematic relationship between drug efficacy and the reversal effect. Here, we developed a new genome-scale functional module (GSFM) transformation framework to quantitatively evaluate drug efficacy for in silico drug discovery. GSFM employs four biologically interpretable quantifiers: GSFM_Up, GSFM_Down, GSFM_ssGSEA, and GSFM_TF to comprehensively evaluate the multi-dimension activities of each functional module (FM) at gene-level, pathway-level, and transcriptional regulatory network-level. Through a data transformation strategy, GSFM effectively converts noisy and potentially unreliable gene expression data into a more dependable FM active matrix, significantly outperforming other methods in terms of both robustness and accuracy. Besides, we found a positive correlation between RS_GSFM and drug efficacy, suggesting that RS_GSFM could serve as representative measure of drug efficacy. Furthermore, we identified WYE-354, perhexiline, and NTNCB as candidate therapeutic agents for the treatment of breast-invasive carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and castration-resistant prostate cancer, respectively. The results from in vitro and in vivo experiments have validated that all identified compounds exhibit potent anti-tumor effects, providing proof-of-concept for our computational approach.

ObjectiveTo investigate the features of liver histopathological damage in patients with indeterminate phase of chronic HBV infection， as well as the timing for initiating antiviral therapy in such patients. MethodsA retrospective screening was performed for the patients with chronic HBV infection who were hospitalized in The Fifth Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital and underwent liver biopsy from March 2018 to April 2022， among whom the patients who met the criteria for indeterminate phase defined in Chinese guidelines for chronic hepatitis B prevention and treatment （2022 edition） were enrolled， and their clinical data were collected. Liver histopathological stage was determined using the Scheuer scoring system， with stages 0 — 4 for inflammation grade （G） and stages 0 — 4 for fibrosis degree （S）， and the patients were divided into groups based on the presence of significant necroinflammation （≥G2） and significant liver fibrosis （≥S2）. The independent samples t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between two groups， and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups； the chi-square test or the Fisher’s exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between two groups. A Spearman’s rank correlation analysis was used to investigate the correlation between liver histopathology and clinical factors， and the Logistic regression model was used to identify the independent influencing factors for significant necroinflammation and liver fibrosis. ResultsA total of 271 patients with indeterminate phase of chronic HBV infection were enrolled， among whom 61 （22.5%） had significant necroinflammation （≥G2） and 124 （45.8%） had significant liver fibrosis （≥S2）. The Logistic regression analysis showed that alanine aminotransferase ≥30 U/L （for male patients） or ≥19 U/L （for female patients） （odds ratio ［OR］=2.69， 95% confidence interval ［CI］： 1.39 — 5.21， P=0.003）， HBV DNA ≥2 000 IU/mL （OR=2.75， 95%CI： 1.38 — 5.48， P=0.004）， and liver stiffness measurement （LSM） ≥6.0 kPa （OR=4.57， 95%CI： 2.17 — 9.62， P<0.001） were independent risk factors for significant inflammation. HBV DNA ≥2 000 IU/mL （OR=1.82， 95%CI： 1.01 — 3.32， P=0.049） and LSM ≥6.0 kPa （OR=2.06， 95%CI： 1.23 — 3.43， P=0.006） were independent influencing factors for significant liver fibrosis. ConclusionAmong the patients with indeterminate phase of chronic HBV infection， a substantial proportion of patients have significant liver histopathological damage. Antiviral therapy should be initiated in a timely manner for patients with high-risk factors.

Objective Summarize the key difficult problems faced by national regional medical centers,create a checklist of crucial issues,and propose strategic recommendations to support future development.Methods It employed a combination of literature review,field research,and in-depth interviews to develop an initial draft of the checklist for key issues in national regional medical centers.Additionally,two rounds of Delphi method consultation were conducted with experts from local government,exporting and supporting hospitals.The data gathered from the questionnaires in both rounds were analyzed,and essential questions were identified.Results The questionnaires achieved response rates of 99%and 100%in the two rounds,and the expert authority coefficients were 0.83 and 0.90.The final checklist for key issues in national regional medical centers encompassed a total of 6 problems.These included 3 challenges related to establishing sound management systems and mechanisms,1 challenge concerning human resource management improvement,1 challenge focusing on elevating medical service levels,and 1 challenge pertaining to other aspects of progress.Conclusion Currently,the development of national regional medical centers encounters crucial challenges,including the enhancement of management mechanisms,overall human resource management,and medical capabilities.The government should reinforce leadership assurance,coordination,and supervisory responsibilities.Exporting hospitals should enhance management systems and operational mechanisms.Supporting hospitals should focus on effective party building guidance and cooperation while consistently promoting the uniform development of national regional medical centers.

Objective:To explore the feasibility of using two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography for measuring right ventricular strain and function in healthy adults, and to analyze the impact of age and gender.Methods:This study is a cross-sectional study. Healthy adults who underwent physical examination in the Physical Examination Center of Beijing Hospital from January 1, 2020 to January 1, 2021 were included. Two researchers independently measured various right ventricular longitudinal strain indices using the Echopac software, including (global longitudinal strain (GLS), apical longitudinal strain (ALS), midventricle longitudinal strain (MLS), basal longitudinal strain (BLS), free wall GLS (FWGLS), free wall ALS (FWALS), free wall MLS (FWMLS) and free wall BLS (FWBLS)) as well as tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) and right ventricle-fraction of area change (RVFAC). The above indicators were taken as the average of two physicians. The consistency of the measurements by two physicians was evaluated by the within-group correlation coefficient ( ICC). Results:A total of 233 subjects were included, including 137 males, aged (58.5±14.2) years. ICC values was all above 0.8 with excellent agreement. The values of FWGLS and GLS in healthy adults were -26.63% and -21.89%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in TAPSE ((2.06±0.41)cm vs. (2.10±0.39)cm, P=0.510) and RVFAC ((51.17±9.91)% vs. (50.89±8.65)%, P=0.826) between males and females. The values of various right ventricular long axis strain indicators (GLS, ALS, MLS, BLS, FWGLS, FWMLS, FWMLS, FWBLS) in females aged 18 to 40 and 41 to 65 years were higher than those in males of the same age (all P<0.05), while there was no statistically significant difference in the values of various right ventricular long axis strain indicators between the sexes in subjects aged 65 years and above (all P>0.05). In females, the right ventricular GLS, ALS, MLS, FWGLS, FWALS, FWMLS, and FWBLS values in the groups aged 18 to 40 and 41 to 65 years were significantly higher than those in the group aged 65 years and above (all P<0.05). In contrast, no significant differences were found in these indices among different age groups in males (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Using two-dimensional speckle tracking technology in echocardiography to measure right ventricular strain indicators is feasible and highly reproducible. Gender and age have an impact on right ventricular strain indicators.

Objective: To explore the intervention effect of group counseling integrating teadrinking on depression, social avoidance and distress, coping styles and selfesteem among college students, so as to provide references for promoting the psychological health of students. Methods: From March to June 2021, a convenience sampling method was used to recruit 46 college students from a university in Nanjing for intervention project. There were 23 students in intervention group and control group, respectively. The intervention was conducted for 2.5 hours per week across a 6 week period. The intervention group received two sessions of group counseling that incorporated teadrinking experience, and the sessions involved tea knowledge explanation, observation and learning, embodied experience, emotional expression, interpersonal assistance and emotional support, cultural customs and life integration. After the intervention was completed, the control group received onetime group counseling that integrated teadrinking. The Wilcoxon difference test and Mann-Whitney U test were performed to compare the scores of each scale within and between the groups, and the χ2 test was used to compare the detection rates. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the scores of positive coping, negative coping, selfesteem, social avoidance and distress between the intervention group and the control group (Z=-1.20, -0.33, -0.35, 1.31,P>0.05). There were statistically significant differences in positive coping styles, selfesteem, social avoidance and distress between the intervention group and the control group after the intervention(27.70±5.60，22.05±4.30；30.52±3.63，28.27±4.06；7.43±7.38，13.64±6.79) (Z=-3.31, -2.10, 3.22, P<0.05). The intervention group showed statistically significant differences in social avoidance and distress scores before and after the intervention(11.96±7.47,7.43±7.38) (Z=-2.88), and the depression detection rate decreased(60.9%，30.4%) (χ2=4.29) (P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in positive coping, negative coping, selfesteem, social avoidance and distress scores, and depression detection rate between the control group before and after the intervention (Z/χ2=-0.28, -0.42, -1.24, -1.25；1.39, P>0.05). The followup results 1year later showed that there was a statistically significant difference in social avoidance and distress(6.57±6.21,14.16±9.22), and in the detection rates of depression(21.7%,52.2%) between the intervention group and the control group (Z/χ2=2.70,4.57,P<0.05). Conclusions Group counseling integrating teadrinking could improve interpersonal relationships, emotional states, selfesteem levels and coping strategies among college students. Group psychological counseling that incorporates teadrinking can be adopted to improve the mental health status of college students.

The cognitive impairment of diabetes mellitus type 2(T2DM)is closely related to neurovascular coupling(NVC)changes,but the exact mechanism remains unclear.Functional MRI(fMRI)technology were able to jointly analyze NVC changes of T2DM,providing new ideas for revealing the mechanism of cognitive dysfunction caused by T2DM.The progresses of fMRI for exploring NVC changes in T2DM were reviewed in this article.

Objective:To explore the clinical characteristics and risk factors of abnormal urinary albumin/creatinine ratio(UACR) in obese population.Methods:Baseline data from 2011 to 2012 in Henan Sub-center of"Risk Evaluation of cAncers in Chinese diabeTic Individuals: A lONgitudinal(REACTION) study"were utilized and those of body mass index≥28 kg/m 2 were screened. The patients were divided into UACR normal group and UACR abnormal group(101 pairs) upon being matched on a 1∶1 basis by age and gender. Multivariate logistic regression analysis, receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve, and restricted cubic spline(RCS)analysis were performed to explore the risk factors for abnormal UACR. Results:Compared with the normal UACR group, the UACR abnormal group had a higher number of alcohol consumers, a higher prevalence of hypertension, elevated systolic blood pressure, and triglyceride(all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that alcohol consumption( P=0.008), systolic blood pressure( P<0.001), triglyceride( P=0.049), and homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance(HOMA-IR, P=0.033) were independent risk factors for abnormal UACR in obese people. The ROC curve analysis indicated that systolic blood pressure had the strongest diagnostic performance as a single factor(ROC curve area=0.801), and there was no significant difference in diagnostic performance compared to multiple factors combination. RCS analysis results showed that the probability of abnormal UACR increased monotonically with the increase of systolic blood pressure when the systolic blood pressure was between 130 and 158 mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa). When systolic blood pressure was not in the interval, the probability of abnormal UACR did not change significantly. The results of regression analysis of triglyceride subgroup showed that when triglyceride level was greater than or equal to 5.6 mmol/L, the risk of abnormal UACR level was significantly increased( P=0.029). Conclusion:Systolic blood pressure, triglyceride, HOMA-IR, and alcohol drinking history are independent risk factors for abnormal UACR in obese people. When systolic blood pressure is≥130 mmHg or triglyceride is≥5.6 mmol/L, the risk of abnormal UACR is significantly increased.

BACKGROUND:Currently,a variety of mesenchymal stem cells have been confirmed to have the effect of promoting wound repair,but there is still a lack of relevant research on whether placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells can promote acute skin wound healing. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on the healing of acute skin wound in rats. METHODS:Twenty SD rats were divided into PBS group and stem cell group by the random number table method,with 10 rats in each group.All rats were selected to establish a full-thickness skin defect model.In the PBS group and stem cell group,PBS buffer and placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells were immediately injected on the wound surface and wound margin immediately and on day 8 after modeling.The wound healing was observed immediately and on days 2,4,6,8,10,12,and 14 after modeling.The skin tissue of the wound surface was taken on day 14 and treated with hematoxylin-eosin staining,Masson staining,immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence staining. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)The wound surface of the rats in each group decreased with the prolongation of treatment time.The wound healing rate and wound epithelization rate of the stem cell group at 14 days were higher than those of the PBS group(P<0.01),and the wound contracture rate was lower than that of the PBS group(P<0.01).(2)The results of hematoxylin-eosin staining showed that the skin wound healing of the stem cell group was better than that of the PBS group;the degree of wound epithelization was higher,and the morphology of collagen fibers was close to that of normal skin.(3)Masson staining results showed that compared with the PBS group,collagen fibers in the skin wound tissue of the stem cell group were significantly increased and thicker,and the content of collagen fibers in the new tissue was significantly higher than that of the PBS group(P<0.01).(4)Immunohistochemical staining showed that the number of new capillaries in the stem cell group was higher than that in the PBS group(P<0.01),while the expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6 were lower than those in the PBS group(P<0.01).(5)Immunofluorescence staining showed that the number of M2 macrophages in the new wounds of the stem cell group was higher than that of the PBS group(P<0.01),while the number of M1 macrophages was less than that in the PBS group(P<0.01).These findings indicate that placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells can accelerate skin wound healing,promote wound epithelization,and reduce wound contracture,which may be related to the promotion of capillary angiogenesis,regulation of collagen fiber production,inhibition of inflammation,and regulation of macrophage polarization to M2 type.