In recent years, the incidence of dry eye disease(DED)is increasing, positioning it as one of the most prevalent diseases affecting the ocular surface. Inflammatory response is the pathological basis of DED, involving various inflammatory mediators and inflammatory signaling pathways. Consequently, anti-inflammatory treatment emerges as a fundamental strategy for preventing and managing DED. This review summarizes the classic inflammatory factors involved in the development and progression of DED, including interleukins, tumor necrosis factor, matrix metalloproteinases, chemokines, and cell adhesion molecules. It also discusses the relevant inflammatory signaling pathways: the MAPKs pathway, NF-κB pathway, Wnt pathway and TLR pathway. Additionally, this review addresses the mechanisms of action and alterations in relevant biomarkers associated with current first-line recommended anti-inflammatory therapies, including corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and traditional Chinese medicine approaches to inflammation management. This comprehensive overview aims to enhance understanding of the inflammatory mechanisms underlying DED while exploring future therapeutic prospects.

In recent years, the incidence of dry eye disease(DED)is increasing, positioning it as one of the most prevalent diseases affecting the ocular surface. Inflammatory response is the pathological basis of DED, involving various inflammatory mediators and inflammatory signaling pathways. Consequently, anti-inflammatory treatment emerges as a fundamental strategy for preventing and managing DED. This review summarizes the classic inflammatory factors involved in the development and progression of DED, including interleukins, tumor necrosis factor, matrix metalloproteinases, chemokines, and cell adhesion molecules. It also discusses the relevant inflammatory signaling pathways: the MAPKs pathway, NF-κB pathway, Wnt pathway and TLR pathway. Additionally, this review addresses the mechanisms of action and alterations in relevant biomarkers associated with current first-line recommended anti-inflammatory therapies, including corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and traditional Chinese medicine approaches to inflammation management. This comprehensive overview aims to enhance understanding of the inflammatory mechanisms underlying DED while exploring future therapeutic prospects.

cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) is an eukaryotic intranuclear protein widely expressed in a variety of organs, and its activation increases the transcriptional activity of downstream genes and promotes the expression of related genes. The neuronal function of CREB is related to many intracellular processes, such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, long-term synaptic potentials, neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that CREB plays an important role in the stroke development and therefore, it may serve as a potential target for stroke therapy. Since some herbal medicines as well as their active ingredients regulate the CREB signaling, this article will summarize the role of CREB signaling pathway in stroke pathophysiology. The research progress of traditional Chinese medicine and its active ingredients modulating CREB activity will also be discussed, with the aim of providing the basis and reference for the future research and development of natural medicines against stroke.

Acute liver injury (ALI) is one of the common severe diseases in clinic, which is characterized by redox imbalance and inflammatory storm. Untimely treatment can easily lead to liver failure and even death. Rosmarinic acid (RA) has been proved to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity, but it is not clear how to protect ALI through antioxidation and inhibition of inflammation. Therefore, this study explored the therapeutic effect and molecular mechanism of RA on ALI through in vitro and in vivo experiments. In the mouse ALI model, the effects of RA on liver function and inflammatory indexes were studied, the pathological changes of liver were observed by HE, the effect of RA on reactive oxygen species in liver was detected by fluorescence method, and the level of F4/80 in liver tissue was detected by immunohistochemical method. The levels of thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP), NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) and cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1 (CASPASE-1) in liver tissue were measured by Western blot. All animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the rules of the Animal Ethics Committee of Southwest Minzu University. In vitro, human hepatoma cell line HepG2 was used to establish the model of oxidative damage induced by H₂O₂. The cell viability was detected by CCK-8 method. The level of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the supernatant was detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the activity of lactatede hydrogenase (LDH) was detected by LDH kit, and the level of ROS was detected by fluorescence probe DCFH-DA labeling. The mRNA expression of Txnip, Nlrp3, Caspase 1, Il1β was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR), and the protein levels of nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2 (NRF2), TXNIP, NLRP3 and CASPASE-1 were measured by Western blot. The results showed that compared with the model group, the degree of liver swelling, tissue injury, liver function index in RA group were significantly lower than those in model group. And RA significantly attenuated the increases of ROS in liver tissue. The expression levels of TXNIP, NLRP3 and CASPASE-1 in liver tissue were significantly lower than those in model group. Additionally, RA inhibited the expressions of F4/80 and IL-1β. In vitro experiment, compared with model group, RA effectively inhibited the secretion of IL-1β and LDH. The level of ROS also decreased significantly. RA inhibited the mRNA expressions of Txnip, Caspase 1, Il1β. Furthermore, RA significantly increased the expression level of NRF2 protein in nucleus, and decreased the expression level of TXNIP and NLRP3 protein. Specifically, with the addition of ML385, the effect of RA on NRF2, TXNIP, NLRP3, CASPASE-1 protein expression was reversed. Collectively, these findings suggested that RA may inhibit the production of ROS by promoting NRF2 nuclear transfer, and then reduce the activation of NLRP3 inflammatory bodies by TXNIP, reduce cell death and inflammatory response to prevent the liver injury.

Hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α), a core transcription factor responding to changes in cellular oxygen levels, is closely associated with a wide range of physiological and pathological conditions. However, its differential impacts on vascular cell types and molecular programs modulating human vascular homeostasis and regeneration remain largely elusive. Here, we applied CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of human embryonic stem cells and directed differentiation to generate HIF-1α-deficient human vascular cells including vascular endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), as a platform for discovering cell type-specific hypoxia-induced response mechanisms. Through comparative molecular profiling across cell types under normoxic and hypoxic conditions, we provide insight into the indispensable role of HIF-1α in the promotion of ischemic vascular regeneration. We found human MSCs to be the vascular cell type most susceptible to HIF-1α deficiency, and that transcriptional inactivation of ANKZF1, an effector of HIF-1α, impaired pro-angiogenic processes. Altogether, our findings deepen the understanding of HIF-1α in human angiogenesis and support further explorations of novel therapeutic strategies of vascular regeneration against ischemic damage.
Humans ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/metabolism* ; Endothelial Cells/metabolism* ; Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Hypoxia/metabolism* ; Cell Hypoxia/physiology*

Objective To investigate the effect of esketamine combined with erector spinae plane block(ESPB)on the quality of early postoperative recovery in patients undergoing thoracoscopic pulmonary surgery.Methods Ninety patients who underwent thoracoscopic lung surgery(thoracoscopic radical resec-tion of lung cancer,thoracoscopic lobectomy or segmentectomy)from May 2022 to July 2023 were selected,47 males and 43 females,aged 18-64 years,BMI 18-25 kg/m2,ASA physical statusⅠorⅡ.According to random number table method,the patients were divided into two groups:the ESPB group(group C)and the esketamine combined with ESPB group(group D),45 patients in each group.Patients in the two groups completed ultrasound-guided ESPB,followed by sufentanil anesthesia induction and patient-controlled intra-venous analgesia(PCIA)in group C,while esketamineanesthesia induction,maintenance,and PCIA in group D.The intraoperative dosage of anesthetics,numerical rating scale(NRS)score during activity 1 hour,6,12,24,and 48 hours after operation,the number of PCIA compressions within 24 hours after op-eration,the number of rescue analgesia after operation,the recovery time of anesthesia,the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting within 2 days after operation and the adverse reactions related to esket-amine were recorded.The 40-item recovery quality scale(QoR-40)score was used to evaluate the quality of recovery of patients 1 day before operation and 2 days after operation.The hospital anxiety and depression scale(HADS)was used to assess patients anxiety and depression 1 day before surgery and at discharge.Results Compared with group C,the dosage of propofol and remifentanil intraoperatively,the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting were decreased(P＜0.05),the QoR-40 score was increased 2 days after operation,HADS score at discharge was decreased in group D(P＜0.05).Conclusion Esketamine combined with ESPB is safe and effective for patients undergoing thoracoscopic lung surgery.The periopera-tive analgesia is perfect,the adverse reactions are few,and the quality of early recovery is high,which pro-vides a new anesthesia choice for such surgery.

Objective To evaluation the bioequivalence of telmisartan tablets(80 mg)between test formulation and reference formulation in Chinese healthy subjects.Methods A single-center,randomized,open-label,two-preparations,single administration,partial repeat crossover of three sequences in three postprandial cycles and complete repeat crossover of two sequences in four fasting cycles,bioequivalence test was designed.Chinese healthy subjects were included in the bioequivalence trial,with 33 randomly assigned to the postprandial group and 32 randomly assigned to the fasting group.In each period,blood samples was collected before and after administration.The plasma concentration of the drug was determined by LC-MS/MS,using WinNonlin version 8.3 calculate the pharmacokinetic parameters and perform a statistical analysis using SAS version 9.4.Results The main pharmacokinetic parameters of telmisartan tablets after oral administration of test or reference were as follows.Fasting group Cmax were(556.10±456.06)and(580.99±533.50)ng·mL-1;AUC0-t were(3 475.15±3 785.16)and(3 450.54±3 681.02)ng·mL-1·h;AUC0-∞ were(3 214.06±2 272.06)and(3 194.84±2 187.45)ng·mL-1·h.The 90％confidence intervals of the geometric mean ratio of Cmax,AUC0-t,AUC0-∞ were within the requirements of the equivalent range of bioequivalence(80.00％-125.00％).Postprandial group Cmax were(299.26±124.72)and(291.29±126.34)ng·mL-1;AUC0-t were(3 682.24±2 799.72)and(3 636.71±2 158.42)ng·mL-1·h;AUC0-were(3 544.53±1 553.06)and(3 969.38±2 528.22)ng·mL-1·h.The 90％confidence intervals of the geometric mean ratio of Cmax,AUC0-t,AUC0-∞ were within the requirements of the equivalent range of bioequivalence(80.00％-125.00％).Conclusion Under fasting and fed conditions,two kinds of telmisartan tablets are bioequivalent in Chinese healthy subjects.

Objective To investigate the role of miR-27a-3p in sevoflurane-induced neurocognitive dysfunction.Methods Bioinformatics prediction and validation:Predicted the target genes of miR-27a-3p using bioinformatics databases,and verified the interaction between miR-27a-3p and target genes using dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and Western blot.Cell experiments:Cells were divided into two groups,the miR-27a-3p interference control(Sevo+NC)group was transfected with miR-27a-3p interference control plasmid,and the miR-27a-3p interference treatment(Sevo+anti-miR-27a-3p)group was transfected with miR-27a-3p interference plasmid.Before transfection,the plasmids were treated with 4％sevoflurane for 6 h.Western blot was used to detect the protein expression levels of tau and phosphorylaed tau(p-tau)in SY5Y cells of each group.Animal experiments:Mice were randomly divided into control group(no treatment),sevoflurane group(treated with 4％sevoflurane only),miR-27a-3p interference control group(Sevo+NC,injected with miR-27a-3p interference control plasmid after 4％sevoflurane treatment)and miR-27a-3p interference treatment group(Sevo+anti-miR-27-3p,injected with miR-27a-3p interference plasmid after 4％sevoflurane treatment).The neurocognitive abilities of mice were tested using the water maze experiment,and the level of tau phosphorylation in the hippocampal tissue of mice was detected by immunofluorescence.Results Bioinformatics prediction and validation:Bioinformatics prediction suggested that presenilin 1(PSEN1)might be a target gene of miR-27 a-3p.Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and Western blot showed that miR-27 a-3p interacted with PSEN1.Cell experiments:The levels of p-tau in Sevo+NC group and Sevo+anti-miR27-3p group were 0.69±0.08 and 0.21±0.05,respectively.Animal experiments:The escape latency times of the control group,sevoflurane group,Sevo+NC group and Sevo+anti-miR-27-3p group were(27.54±3.67),(52.38±6.12),(55.16±5.79)and(38.46±4.78)s,respectively;the results of the novel object exploration index were 0.78±0.11,0.31±0.07,0.33±0.06,and 0.57±0.08,respectively.Immunofluorescence detection showed a significant decrease in p-tau levels in the hippocampal tissue of mice(P＜0.05).Conclusion miR-27 a-3p regulates the p-tau protein by targeting the PSEN1 gene,and interfering with miR-27 a-3p can alleviate sevoflurane-induced neurocognitive dysfunction in mice.

Objective To study the effect of Hedysarum polysaccharides(HPS)on the expression of transforming growth factor-β,(TGF-β1),smad homologue 3 recombinant protein(smad3)and smad7 in renal tissue of db/db mice with diabetic nephropathy(DN).Methods According to their body weight,6-week-old male db/db mice were randomly divided into 5 groups:model group(0.9％NaCl 0.2 mL·d-1),positive control group(22.75 mg·kg-1·d-1 irbesartan)and experimental-H,-M,-L groups(200,100,50 mg kg-1·d-1 HPS),with 10 mice in each group;another 10 SPF grade male C57BL/6 mice of the same week were selected as normal group(0.9％NaCl 0.2mL·d-1).The mice in the 6 groups were given intragastric administration once a day for 12 weeks.The blood glucose concentration of mice was measured before treatment and at the 4th,8th and 12th week after treatment.The expression levels of TGF-β1,smad3 and smad7 were detected by Western blotting.Results After treatment,the blood glucose levels of the model group was significantly higher than those of the normal group(all P＜0.01);compared with the model group,the levels of blood glucose in the experimental-H,-M groups decreased significantly,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).The relative expression levels of TGF-β,protein in normal group,model group,positive control group and experimental-H,-M groups were 0.71±0.16,1.66±0.18,1.00±0.17,0.88±0.15 and 1.23±0.15;the relative expression levels of smad3 protein were 0.89±0.32,2.26±0.35,1.24±0.31,1.05±0.30 and 1.67±0.35;the relative expression levels of smad7 protein were 1.66±0.03,0.60±0.03,1.10±0.07,1.48±0.08 and 0.97±0.09;there were statistically significant differences between the experimental-H,-M groups and the model group(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).Conclusion Hedysarum polysaccharides can improve renal fibrosis and delay the development of diabetic nephropathy by regulating the level of blood glucose,inhibiting TGF-β1,smad3 and increasing the expression of smad7.

Objective To analyze the incidence of venous thromboembolism(VTE)in pulmonary patients and explore the assessment and prevention of the risk of pneumonia accompanied VTE.Methods The patients with pneumonia were divided into control group(simple pneumonia)and treatment group(with VTE)according to the condition of VTE.Demographic data,blood routine,coagulation index,liver and kidney function index and blood gas index were collected.Statistical methods like chi square test,t-test and nonparametric rank sum test were applied to compare the differences between the two groups.Finally,the nomogram was established according to the logistic regression results and the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was calculated.Results 106 cases in control group and 29 cases in treatment group.Univariate analysis showed that age,D-dimer,fibrinogen degradation products,white blood cell count,neutrophil count,albumin-globulin ratio were statistically significant(P＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggests that age[odds ratio(OR)=1.052],D-dimer(OR=2.339),and albumin/globulin(OR=0.042)are independent affecting factors for VTE in pneumonia patients.A nomogram was developed and ROC was calculated,the area under curve(AUC)was 0.754.Conclusion High age,elevated D-dimer and decreased albumin/globulin are independent risk factors for VTE in pneumonia patients.More over,the established prediction model has good accuracy.