Objectiveβ‑Site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1) is a rate-limiting enzyme involved in the formation of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and its expression and activity play a crucial role in the development of AD. The interacting protein of BACE1 can directly or indirectly regulate BACE1 in the transcription, translation, modification, intracellular transport and other links of BACE1 by directly binding, indirectly binding, and participating in various cell signal transduction pathways, so as to participate in the occurrence of AD and the process of disease. This study aimed to screen and validate the interacting proteins of BACE1, providing new insights into the mechanisms of amyloid plaque formation. MethodsCo-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and mass spectrometry (MS) were used to enrich and identify BACE1 interacting proteins in the hippocampus of wild type (WT) mice and AD model mice. For candidate BACE1 interacting proteins, GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were used to explore the subcellular localization, molecular function, participating biological processes and participating signaling pathways of BACE1 interacting proteins. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of BACE1 was further constructed to explore the potential proteins interacting with BACE1. By searching the mouse genomeinformation (MGI) website and NCBI database, the more reliable proteins among the potential BACE1 interacting proteins were screened. Co-IP assay and immunofluorescence confocal technology were used to preliminarily verify the interaction between the proteins, and the changes in protein expression levels of the interacting proteins in AD cell models were explored. ResultsA total of 614 differentially expressed proteins interacting with BACE1 were identified in AD group. GO enrichment analysis showed that the BACE1 interacting proteins in the AD group were mainly located in membrane organelles such as Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, endosome, lysosome and vesicles, which had molecular functions such as ion channel regulation, protein kinase activity, transcription factor binding and passive transmembrane transporter activity. It is mainly involved in the biological processes of immune response regulation cell surface receptor signaling pathway, targeting Golgi vesicles transport, circadian rhythm regulation, Purkinje cell layer development, etc. KEGG analysis showed that BACE1 interacting proteins in AD were mainly involved in the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, mTOR signaling pathway and other neurodegenerative disease-related pathways. The PPI network of BACE1 showed that a total of 12 proteins were identified as high confidence binding proteins, including PRNP, APOE, SYP, NSF, NUMB, SNAP91, HSP90aa1, UCHL1, BIN1, SNX27, Rheb, Ap2m1, of which, NSF, NUMB, SNAP91, HSP90aa1 were newly identified candidate proteins. After further verification, we found that NSF not only interacts with BACE1, but also interacts with amyloid precursor protein (APP), the substrate of BACE1, and the expression level of NSF is up-regulated in the AD cell model constructed by Aβ₄₂ induction. ConclusionBACE1 binding proteins participate in multiple AD-associated biological processes and signal pathways. NSF is a newly identified BACE1 binding protein that interacts with BACE1, and the protein expression level of NSF is up-regulated in the AD cell model. It is predicted that the interaction between NSF and BACE1 is involved in regulating the course of AD, providing a new target and direction for the study of the mechanism of AD.

ObjectiveGastric cancer (GC) seriously affects human health and life, and research has shown that it is closely related to the serine/glycine metabolism. The proliferation ability of tumor cells is greatly influenced by the metabolism of serine and glycine. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of serine/glycine metabolism can affect the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. MethodsIn this work, a stable metabolic dynamic model of gastric cancer cells was established via a large-scale metabolic network dynamic modeling method in terms of a potential landscape description of stochastic and non-gradient systems. Based on the regulation of the model, a quantitative analysis was conducted to investigate the dynamic mechanism of serine/glycine metabolism affecting the proliferation of gastric cancer cells. We introduced random noise to the kinetic equations of the general metabolic network, and applied stochastic kinetic decomposition to obtain the Lyapunov function of the metabolic network parameter space. A stable metabolic network was achieved by further reducing the change in the Lyapunov function tied to the stochastic fluctuations. ResultsDespite the unavailability of a large number of dynamic parameters, we were able to successfully construct a dynamic model for the metabolic network in gastric cancer cells. When extracellular serine is available, the model preferentially consumes serine. In addition, when the conversion rate of glycine to serine increases, the model significantly upregulates the steady-state fluxes of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and S-adenosyl homocysteine (SAH). ConclusionIn this paper, we provide evidence supporting the preferential uptake of serine by gastric cancer cells and the important role of serine/glycine conversion rate in SAM generation, which may affect the proliferation ability of gastric cancer cells by regulating the cellular methylation process. This provides a new idea and direction for targeted cancer therapy based on serine/glycine metabolism.

Objective:To investigate the effect of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)on the crawling ability of fibroblasts derived from the scrotal skin under hypoxic conditions,its impact on vascular regeneration during wound healing,and the potential mechanism un-derlying chronic non-healing scrotal wound caused by gram-negative bacterial infection.Methods:We extracted peripheral blood buffy coats from healthy donors after venous blood centrifugation,divided them into four groups(normoxia,normoxia+LPS,hypoxia,and hypoxia+LPS)for pretreatment,and isolated the corresponding cultured supernatant.Then we measured the levels of VEGF-A,FGF and IL-8 secreted using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),determined the cytotoxicity of different pretreated superna-tants by lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)release assay,and detected the cell migration ability and vascular formation in human-umbical vein endothelial cells(HUVEC).Results:Under hypoxic conditions,the expression of HIF-1 α was significantly lower in the fibro-blasts from the chronic scrotal wound than in the normal fibroblasts(0.09±0.00 vs 0.48±0.01,P＜0.05),the viability of the cells showed no statistically significant difference from that under normoxic conditions(P＞0.05),and the proliferation and migration abilities of the cells were markedly improved([83.09±2.56]％vs[17.84±1.12]％,P＜0.05).The viability of the scrotal fibroblasts was significantly lower in the normoxia+LPS than in the hypoxia+LPS group([20.15±1.19]％vs[32.54±1.57]％,P＜0.05).The cells treated with LPS,compared with those in the non-LPS groups,exhibited remarkably decreased endo-thelial cell tubes formed(5.20±0.15 va 55.30±1.15,P＜0.05),down-regulated expression of VEGF(OD value:0.59±0.07 vs 1.25±0.11,P＜0.05)and up-regulated expression of IL-8(OD value:2.42±0.07 vs 0.87±0.11,P＜0.05).Conclusion:The supernatant derived from the peripheral blood buffy coats treated with LPS has a stronger cytotoxicity and weaker an-giogenesis than that untreated under hypoxic or normoxic conditions,which may be one of the critical factors for difficult healing of scrotal wound.

Relevant research in recent years has demonstrated that the atrial fibrillation occurrence rate is significantly higher in patients with cirrhosis. The most common indication for long-term anticoagulant therapy is chronic atrial fibrillation. The use of anticoagulant therapy greatly reduces the incidence rate of ischemic stroke. Patients with cirrhosis combined with atrial fibrillation have an elevated risk of bleeding and embolism during anticoagulant therapy due to cirrhotic coagulopathy. At the same time, the liver of such patients will go through varying levels of metabolism and elimination while consuming currently approved anticoagulant drugs, thereby increasing the complexity of anticoagulant therapy. This article summarizes the clinical studies on the risks and benefits of anticoagulant therapy in order to provide a reference for patients with cirrhosis combined with atrial fibrillation.
Humans ; Atrial Fibrillation/epidemiology* ; Stroke/epidemiology* ; Anticoagulants/therapeutic use* ; Hemorrhage ; Liver Cirrhosis/drug therapy* ; Risk Factors

The appropriate needle device is crucial for obtaining the curative effect of fire needling therapy. The article introduces the material specification, clinical operation, indications, characteristics and advantages of the contemporary traditional fire needling devices (e.g. He's fire needle and Shi 's fire needle) and the contemporary new-type ones (e.g. fire needling with filiform needle and micro-needle); and determines the innovations of modern fire needling. It is anticipated that the needle specifications, production process and operation standard of fire needling devices should be further unified so as to provide the references for the selection of fire needling devices in treatment based on clinical syndrome differentiation and expand the clinical application of fire needling therapy.
Humans ; Male ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Needles

Physicians in the past dynasties have improved the theory of fire needling from the aspects of fire needling instruments, clinical efficacy, application scope, operation, precautions, etc., which promoted the clinical application of fire needling. Modern fire needling breaks through the traditional clinical taboos such as heat syndrome, face, forbidden acupoints, and no needle retention. By using modern fire needling with various types, characteristics and functions, multiple needles and multiple methods are used to treat various diseases, which can further exert the therapeutic effect of fire needling and promote the popularization and application of fire needle therapy.
Acupuncture Therapy ; Acupuncture Points ; Vascular Surgical Procedures ; Needles ; Treatment Outcome

Drug repositioning provides new clinical indications for existing drugs. The imbalance between body's "immune-inflammation" regulation is one of the important factors in the occurrence and development of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Chinese patent medicine Kunxian capsule is clinically used for treating rheumatoid arthritis with satisfying immune-modulatory and anti-inflammatory actions. Notably, accumulating clinical evidence based on small cohorts had shown that Kunxian capsule may be used to treat DN. But the underlying pharmacological mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study integrated "drug target-disease gene-biological pathway-function module" multi-level associated network analysis, and in vivo and in vitro experiments, to verify the pharmacological effects of Kunxian capsules in DN and to elucidate its molecular mechanisms. The experimental protocol was reviewed by the Laboratory Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, and it complies with the relevant regulations on laboratory animal welfare and ethics. As a result, the network analysis showed that the candidate targets of Kunxian capsule against DN were significantly involved into various functional modules which were related to modulation of immune-inflammation system, basement membrane lesion, abnormal hemorheology, energy metabolism and hormone metabolism, and the number of targets enriched by PI3K/AKT/NF-κB pathway is the largest. In addition, both in vivo and in vitro experiments demonstrated that Kunxian capsule by gavage effectively reduced blood glucose, improved insulin resistance, reduced blood lipid, inhibited renal extracellular matrix protein production and renal inflammation, improved renal function and pathological damages, and inhibited the activity of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB/TNF-α/IL-1β pathway in diabetic nephropathy rats. Collectively, these findings suggest the therapeutic potentials of Kunxian capsule to alleviate DN by regulating the imbalance of immune-inflammation system.

AIM:To evaluate the macular microstructural changes in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment(RRD)after silicone oil tamponade by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography(SD-OCT).METHODS:From November 2019 to July 2021, 27 patients with 27 eyes in RRD who underwent vitrectomy combined with silicone oil tamponade in Cangzhou Aier Eye Hospital were enrolled in this study as the observation group, other 30 healthy volunteers with 30 eyes were included in the control group. The best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)of patients before and after operation were observed, and quantified evaluation of the postoperative macular microstructural changes were performed by SD-OCT.RESULTS: The BCVA(LogMAR)of the observation group at 1wk and 3mo after operation(0.61±0.23, 0.69±0.34)were improved compared with those before operation(1.43±0.77)(all P<0.01). The cube volume and average cube thickness in the macular area at 3mo after operation in the observation group were lower than those at 1wk and 1mo after operation in the control group(all P<0.05). There were no differences in the average ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer(GCIPL)thickness, minimum GCIPL thickness, average macular retinal nerve fiber layer(mRNFL)thickness and minimum mRNFL thickness at 1wk, 1 and 3mo after operation in the observation group, but all decreased compared with the control group(all P<0.01). There were 9 eyes with subretinal fluid(SRF)in the observation group during postoperative follow-up, SRF had a tendency to be gradually absorbed, but 1 eye had a secondary macular hole; 3 eyes had ellipsoid zone disruption, which had a tendency to be gradually repaired; 2 eyes had submacular perfluorocarbon liquid; 2 eyes had macular edema.CONCLUSION: SD-OCT can show the microstructure and morphological changes very well in macular area in patients with RRD after silicone oil tamponade, and has important clinical value for the preoperative and postoperative follow-up evaluation of RRD.

With the ultra high performance liquid chromatography-quadruple-electrostatic field orbitrap high resolution mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q Exactive Orbitrap-MS)-based metabonomics technology, this study aims to analyze the effect of Chaiqin Ningshen Granules(CNG) on endogenous metabolites in insomnia rats of liver depression syndrome and explore the sleep-improving mechanism of this prescription. Parachlorophenylalanine(PCPA, ip) and chronic stimulation were combined to induce insomnia of liver depression pattern in rats, and the effect of CNG on the macroscopic signs, hemorheology, and neurotransmitters in the hippocampus of insomnia rats of liver depression syndrome was observed. After the administration, rat hippocampus was collected for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry(LC-MS) analysis of the metabolomics. Principal component analysis(PCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis(OPLS-DA) were employed for analyzing the metabolites in rat hippocampus and screening potential biomarkers. MetPA was used to yield the related metabolic pathways and metabolic networks. The results show that the drugs can significantly improve the mental state, liver depression, and blood stasis of rats, significantly increase the content of 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) and gamma aminobutyric acid(GABA) in hippocampus(except low-dose CNG), and significantly reduce the content of glucose(Glu)(except low-dose CNG). Among them, estazolam and high-dose CNG had better effect than others. Metabolomics analysis yielded 27 potential biomarkers related to insomnia. MetPA analysis showed 4 metabolic pathways of estazolam in intervening insomnia and 3 metabolic pathways of high-dose CNG in intervening insomnia, involving purine metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, histidine metabolism, and caffeine metabolism. CNG can alleviate insomnia by regulating endogenous differential metabolites and further related metabolic pathways. The result lays a basis for further elucidating the mechanism of CNG in improving sleep.
Animals ; Biomarkers ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Estazolam ; Hippocampus/metabolism* ; Metabolomics/methods* ; Rats ; Sleep ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders/drug therapy*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR) and its risk factors in very preterm infants (VPIs) during hospitalization in China. METHODS: A prospective multicenter study was performed on the medical data of 2 514 VPIs who were hospitalized in the department of neonatology in 28 hospitals from 7 areas of China between September 2019 and December 2020. According to the presence or absence of EUGR based on the evaluation of body weight at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks or at discharge, the VPIs were classified to two groups: EUGR group (n=1 189) and non-EUGR (n=1 325). The clinical features were compared between the two groups, and the incidence of EUGR and risk factors for EUGR were examined. RESULTS: The incidence of EUGR was 47.30% (1 189/2 514) evaluated by weight. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that higher weight growth velocity after regaining birth weight and higher cumulative calorie intake during the first week of hospitalization were protective factors against EUGR (P<0.05), while small-for-gestational-age birth, prolonged time to the initiation of total enteral feeding, prolonged cumulative fasting time, lower breast milk intake before starting human milk fortifiers, prolonged time to the initiation of full fortified feeding, and moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia were risk factors for EUGR (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS It is crucial to reduce the incidence of EUGR by achieving total enteral feeding as early as possible, strengthening breastfeeding, increasing calorie intake in the first week after birth, improving the velocity of weight gain, and preventing moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in VPIs.
Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gestational Age ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors