ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effects of 4-week high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), and to explore its potential mechanisms. MethodsA total of 48 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control (C), model (M), control plus HIIT (HC), and model plus HIIT (HM). Rats in groups M and HM underwent 8 weeks of CUMS to establish depression-like behaviors, while groups HC and HM received HIIT intervention beginning from the 5th week for 4 consecutive weeks. The HIIT protocol consisted of repeated intervals of 3 min at high speed (85%-90% maximal training speed, S_max) alternated with one minute at low speed (50%-55% S_max), with 3 to 5 sets per session, conducted 5 d per week. Behavioral assessments and tail-vein blood lactate levels were measured at the end of the 4th and 8th weeks. After the intervention, rat PFC tissues were collected for Golgi staining to analyze synaptic morphology. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were employed to detect brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1), lactate, and glutamate levels in the PFC, as well as serotonin (5-HT) levels in serum. Additionally, Western blot analysis was conducted to quantify the expression of synaptic plasticity-related proteins, including c-Fos, activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc), and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR1). ResultsCompared to the control group (C), the CUMS-exposed rats (group M) exhibited significant reductions in sucrose preference rates, number of grid crossings, frequency of upright postures, and entries into and duration spent in open arms of the elevated plus maze, indicating marked depressive-like behaviors. Additionally, the group M showed significantly reduced dendritic spine density in the PFC, along with elevated levels of c-Fos, Arc, NMDAR1 protein expression, and increased concentrations of lactate and glutamate. Conversely, BDNF and MCT1 contents in the PFC and 5-HT levels in serum were significantly decreased. Following HIIT intervention, rats in the group HM displayed considerable improvement in behavioral indicators compared with the group M, accompanied by significant elevations in PFC MCT1 and lactate concentrations. Furthermore, HIIT notably normalized the expression levels of c-Fos, Arc, NMDAR1, as well as glutamate and BDNF contents in the PFC. Synaptic spine density also exhibited significant recovery. ConclusionFour weeks of HIIT intervention may alleviate depressive-like behaviors in CUMS rats by increasing lactate levels and reducing glutamate concentration in the PFC, thereby downregulating the overexpression of NMDAR, attenuating excitotoxicity, and enhancing synaptic plasticity.

Objective This study investigated the impact of occupational mercury(Hg)exposure on human gene transcription and expression,and its potential biological mechanisms. Methods Differentially expressed genes related to Hg exposure were identified and validated using gene expression microarray analysis and extended validation.Hg-exposed cell models and PTEN low-expression models were established in vitro using 293T cells.PTEN gene expression was assessed using qRT-PCR,and Western blotting was used to measure PTEN,AKT,and PI3K protein levels.IL-6 expression was determined by ELISA. Results Combined findings from gene expression microarray analysis,bioinformatics,and population expansion validation indicated significant downregulation of the PTEN gene in the high-concentration Hg exposure group.In the Hg-exposed cell model(25 and 10 μmol/L),a significant decrease in PTEN expression was observed,accompanied by a significant increase in PI3K,AKT,and IL-6 expression.Similarly,a low-expression cell model demonstrated that PTEN gene knockdown led to a significant decrease in PTEN protein expression and a substantial increase in PI3K,AKT,and IL-6 levels. Conclusion This is the first study to report that Hg exposure downregulates the PTEN gene,activates the PI3K/AKT regulatory pathway,and increases the expression of inflammatory factors,ultimately resulting in kidney inflammation.

The COVID-19 epidemic has spread to the whole world for three years and has had a serious impact on human life, health and economic activities. China's epidemic prevention and control has gone through the following stages: emergency unconventional stage, emergency normalization stage, and the transitional stage from the emergency normalization to the "Category B infectious disease treated as Category B" normalization, and achieved a major and decisive victory. The designated hospitals for prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic in Tianjin has successfully completed its tasks in all stages of epidemic prevention and control, and has accumulated valuable experience. This article summarizes the experience of constructing a hospital infection prevention and control system during the "Category B infectious disease treated as Category A" period in designated hospital. The experience is summarized as the "Cluster" hospital infection prevention and control system, namely "three rings" outside, middle and inside, "three districts" of green, orange and red, "three things" before, during and after the event, "two-day pre-purification" and "two-director system", and "one zone" management. In emergency situations, we adopt a simplified version of the cluster hospital infection prevention and control system. In emergency situations, a simplified version of the "Cluster" hospital infection prevention and control system can be adopted. This system has the following characteristics: firstly, the system emphasizes the characteristics of "cluster" and the overall management of key measures to avoid any shortcomings. The second, it emphasizes the transformation of infection control concepts to maximize the safety of medical services through infection control. The third, it emphasizes the optimization of the process. The prevention and control measures should be comprehensive and focused, while also preventing excessive use. The measures emphasize the use of the least resources to achieve the best infection control effect. The fourth, it emphasizes the quality control work of infection control, pays attention to the importance of the process, and advocates the concept of "system slimming, process fattening". Fifthly, it emphasizes that the future development depends on artificial intelligence, in order to improve the quality and efficiency of prevention and control to the greatest extent. Sixth, hospitals need to strengthen continuous training and retraining. We utilize diverse training methods, including artificial intelligence, to ensure that infection control policies and procedures are simple. We have established an evaluation and feedback mechanism to ensure that medical personnel are in an emergency state at all times.

Objective To study the application effect of Suhexiang after PCI in the patients with mild cognitive impairment(MCI) complicating acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction.Methods A total of 100 inpatients with MCI complicating acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction in Shijiazhuang People's Hospital were selected and divided into the control group and Suhexiang group according to the random number table method,50 cases in each group.The control group was given the clinical routine treatment of coronary heart disease PCI,and the Suhexiang group was added with Suhexiang 1 g once daily on the basis of the control group,and the course of treatment was 1 month.Each patient conducted the coronary arterial SYNTAXⅡ sco-ring.Resting D-SPECT+regadenoson loaded D-SPECT was used to evaluate the number of myocardial ische-mia total segments,left ventricular ejection fraction,total myocardial perfusion score on 7 d and in 3 months after PCI,MMSE and MoCA were used to evaluate the cognitive impairment on 7 d and in 3 months after PCI,and the adverse drug reactions occurrence in 3 months after PCI was recorded.Results There was no statistically significant difference in MMSE,MoCA,left ventricular ejection fraction,number of myocardial is-chemia segments,and myocardial perfusion total score on 7 d after PCI between the two groups (P>0.05). The MMSE,MoCA,left ventricular ejection fraction,number of myocardial ischemia segments and total myo-cardial perfusion score in 3 months after PCI in the Suhexiang group were significantly better than those in the control group,and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05).There was no statistically significant difference in adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion Suhexiang could significantly improve the myocardial perfusion,cardiac function and cognitive function after PCI in the patients with MCI complicating acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction,but does not increase adverse reactions.

The human immune system plays a key role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and disease progression. The development of biomaterials that can regulate the innate immune system and adapt to the immune system has great application prospects in the field of tissue engineering. This paper discusses how to design the surface interface topographies or the physicochemical properties of biomaterials, to regulate the fate of macrophages, such as activation, polarization, adhesion, migration, proliferation, and secretion. At the same time, the application of these biomaterials with immunoregulation function in the field of wound healing is discussed. In addition, this paper also put forward the limitations of biomaterials in immunoregulation applications and prospected the future development directions.

Periodontitis is a common chronic inflammatory disease that causes the periodontal bone destruction and may ultimately result in tooth loss.With the progression of periodontitis,the osteoimmunology microenvironment in periodontitis is damaged and leads to the formation of pathological alveolar bone resorption.CD301b+macrophages are specific to the osteoimmunology microenvironment,and are emerging as vital booster for conducting bone regeneration.However,the key upstream targets of CD301b+macrophages and their potential mechanism in periodontitis remain elusive.In this study,we concentrated on the role of Tim4,a latent upstream regulator of CD301b+macrophages.We first demonstrated that the transcription level of Timd4(gene name of Tim4)in CD301b+macrophages was significantly upregulated compared to CD301b-macrophages via high-throughput RNA sequencing.Moreover,several Tim4-related functions such as apoptotic cell clearance,phagocytosis and engulfment were positively regulated by CD301b+macrophages.The single-cell RNA sequencing analysis subsequently discovered that Cd301b and Timd4 were specifically co-expressed in macrophages.The following flow cytometric analysis indicated that Tim4 positive expression rates in total macrophages shared highly synchronized dynamic changes with the proportions of CD301b+macrophages as periodontitis progressed.Furthermore,the deficiency of Tim4 in mice decreased CD301b+macrophages and eventually magnified alveolar bone resorption in periodontitis.Additionally,Tim4 controlled the p38 MAPK signaling pathway to ultimately mediate CD301b+macrophages phenotype.In a word,Tim4 might regulate CD301b+macrophages through p38 MAPK signaling pathway in periodontitis,which provided new insights into periodontitis immunoregulation as well as help to develop innovative therapeutic targets and treatment strategies for periodontitis.

Background/Aims: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and fatty liver (FL) often co-exist, but natural history data of this dual condition (CHB-FL) are sparse. Via a systematic review, conventional meta-analysis (MA) and individual patient-level data MA (IPDMA), we compared liver-related outcomes and mortality between CHB-FL and CHB-no FL patients. Methods: We searched 4 databases from inception to December 2021 and pooled study-level estimates using a random- effects model for conventional MA. For IPDMA, we evaluated outcomes after balancing the two study groups with inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) on age, sex, cirrhosis, diabetes, ALT, HBeAg, HBV DNA, and antiviral treatment. Results: We screened 2,157 articles and included 19 eligible studies (17,955 patients: 11,908 CHB-no FL; 6,047 CHB-FL) in conventional MA, which found severe heterogeneity (I2=88–95%) and no significant differences in HCC, cirrhosis, mortality, or HBsAg seroclearance incidence (P=0.27–0.93). IPDMA included 13,262 patients: 8,625 CHB-no FL and 4,637 CHB-FL patients who differed in several characteristics. The IPTW cohort included 6,955 CHB-no FL and 3,346 CHB-FL well-matched patients. CHB-FL patients (vs. CHB-no FL) had significantly lower HCC, cirrhosis, mortality and higher HBsAg seroclearance incidence (all p≤0.002), with consistent results in subgroups. CHB-FL diagnosed by liver biopsy had a higher 10-year cumulative HCC incidence than CHB-FL diagnosed with non-invasive methods (63.6% vs. 4.3%, p<0.0001). Conclusions IPDMA data with well-matched CHB patient groups showed that FL (vs. no FL) was associated with significantly lower HCC, cirrhosis, and mortality risk and higher HBsAg seroclearance probability.

The increasing prevalence of the aging population, and inadequate and uneven distribution of medical resources, have led to a growing demand for telemedicine services. Gait disturbance is a primary symptom of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). This study proposed a novel approach for the quantitative assessment and analysis of gait disturbance from two-dimensional (2D) videos captured using smartphones. The approach used a convolutional pose machine to extract human body joints and a gait phase segmentation algorithm based on node motion characteristics to identify the gait phase. Moreover, it extracted features of the upper and lower limbs. A height ratio-based spatial feature extraction method was proposed that effectively captures spatial information. The proposed method underwent validation via error analysis, correction compensation, and accuracy verification using the motion capture system. Specifically, the proposed method achieved an extracted step length error of less than 3 cm. The proposed method underwent clinical validation, recruiting 64 patients with Parkinson's disease and 46 healthy controls of the same age group. Various gait indicators were statistically analyzed using three classic classification methods, with the random forest method achieving a classification accuracy of 91%. This method provides an objective, convenient, and intelligent solution for telemedicine focused on movement disorders in neurological diseases.
Humans ; Aged ; Parkinson Disease/diagnosis* ; Aging ; Algorithms ; Gait ; Lower Extremity

Post-amputation pain causes great suffering to amputees, but still no effective drugs are available due to its elusive mechanisms. Our previous clinical studies found that surgical removal or radiofrequency treatment of the neuroma at the axotomized nerve stump effectively relieves the phantom pain afflicting patients after amputation. This indicated an essential role of the residual nerve stump in the formation of chronic post-amputation pain (CPAP). However, the molecular mechanism by which the residual nerve stump or neuroma is involved and regulates CPAP is still a mystery. In this study, we found that nociceptors expressed the mechanosensitive ion channel TMEM63A and macrophages infiltrated into the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons worked synergistically to promote CPAP. Histology and qRT-PCR showed that TMEM63A was mainly expressed in mechanical pain-producing non-peptidergic nociceptors in the DRG, and the expression of TMEM63A increased significantly both in the neuroma from amputated patients and the DRG in a mouse model of tibial nerve transfer (TNT). Behavioral tests showed that the mechanical, heat, and cold sensitivity were not affected in the Tmem63a^-/- mice in the naïve state, suggesting the basal pain was not affected. In the inflammatory and post-amputation state, the mechanical allodynia but not the heat hyperalgesia or cold allodynia was significantly decreased in Tmem63a^-/- mice. Further study showed that there was severe neuronal injury and macrophage infiltration in the DRG, tibial nerve, residual stump, and the neuroma-like structure of the TNT mouse model, Consistent with this, expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β all increased dramatically in the DRG. Interestingly, the deletion of Tmem63a significantly reduced the macrophage infiltration in the DRG but not in the tibial nerve stump. Furthermore, the ablation of macrophages significantly reduced both the expression of Tmem63a and the mechanical allodynia in the TNT mouse model, indicating an interaction between nociceptors and macrophages, and that these two factors gang up together to regulate the formation of CPAP. This provides a new insight into the mechanisms underlying CPAP and potential drug targets its treatment.
Animals ; Mice ; Amputation, Surgical ; Chronic Pain/pathology* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Ganglia, Spinal/pathology* ; Hyperalgesia/etiology* ; Ion Channels/metabolism* ; Macrophages ; Neuroma/pathology*

Animals ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Macaca mulatta ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; Antibodies, Viral ; Vaccines