Objective To explore the mediating effect of sleep quality between somatic symptoms and severity of depression in patients with depression. Methods A total of 384 drug-naive patients diagnosed with depression were recruited from the Department of Psychological Medicine of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, during the period from February to August 2024. The severity of depression, somatic symptoms, and sleep quality were assessed using Patient Health Qusetionaire (PHQ)-9, PHQ-15, and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), respectively. Based on the PHQ-15 scores, all participants were stratified into two groups: a mild somatic symptoms group（＜10 points, n＝136）and a moderate-to-severe somatic symptoms group（≥10 points, n＝248）. Comparisons of sleep quality between the two groups were conducted, and partial correlation analysis was performed to examine the correlation between sleep quality and somatic symptoms. Additionally, linear regression and mediation analyses were conducted to investigate the mediating effect of sleep quality between somatic symptoms and severity of depression. Results The PSQI scores in moderate-to-severe somatic symptoms group were significantly higher than those in mild somatic symptoms group (P＜0.001). Partial correlation analysis indicated that, after controlling for depression severity, the positive correlation between PSQI and PHQ-15 scores remained significant in both groups (P＜0.01). Regression analysis identified both sleep quality and somatic symptoms as predictors of severity of depression (P＜0.001). Additionally, mediation analysis demonstrated that sleep quality partially mediated the relationship between somatic symptoms and severity of depression, accounting for 26.63% (0.090/0.338) of the total effect. Conclusions In patients with depression, sleep quality is associated with somatic symptoms, and both contribute to an increased risk of the severity of depression. Moreover, sleep quality plays a partial mediating effect between somatic symptoms and severity of depression, highlighting the importance of addressing sleep-related issues in the management of depression.

Objective:To observe whether endothelial cells undergo pyroptosis in the inflammatory periodontal environment by using a model in vivo and in vitro, providing an experimental basis for indepth understanding of the underlying pathogenesis of periodontitis. Methods:According to the classification of periodontal diseases of 2018, gingival tissues were collected from periodontally healthy subjects and patients with stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ, grade C periodontitis, who presented Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Department of Periodontology, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University from April to May 2022. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to detect the expression level and distribution of gasdermin D (GSDMD), a hallmark protein of cell pyroptosis, in gingival tissues. Periodontitis models were established in each group by ligating the maxillary second molar teeth of three mice for 2 weeks (ligation group). The alveolar bone resorption was determined by micro-CT (mice without ligation treatment were used as the control group), and the colocalization of GSDMD and CD31 were quantitatively analyzed by immunofluorescence staining in gingival tissues of healthy and inflammatory mice. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in vitro and treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) combined with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) at various concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mg/L, respectively, and the 0 mg/L group was set as the control group at the same time. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the morphology of HUVECs. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of gasdermin D-N terminal domains (GSDMD-N) protein and immunofluorescence cell staining was used to detect the expression and distribution of GSDMD. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect the proliferative ability of HUVECs, and propidium iodide (PI) staining was used to detect the integrity of cell membrane of HUVECs. Results:Immunohistochemistry showed that GSDMD in gingival tissues of periodontitis was mainly distributed around blood vessels and its expression level was higher than that in healthy tissues. Micro-CT showed that alveolar bone resorption around the maxillary second molar significantly increased in ligation group mice compared with control subjects ( t=8.88, P<0.001). Immunofluorescence staining showed significant colocalization of GSDMD with CD31 in the gingival vascular endothelial cells in mice of ligation group. The results of scanning electron microscopy showed that there were pores of different sizes, the typical morphology of pyroptosis, on HUVECs cell membranes in the inflammatory environment simulated by ATP combined with different concentrations of LPS, and 2.5 mg/L group showed the most dilated and fused pores on cell membranes, with the cells tended to lyse and die. Western blotting showed that the expression of GSDMD-N, the hallmark protein of cell pyroptosis, was significantly higher in 2.5 and 5.0 mg/L groups than that in the control group ( F=3.86, P<0.01). Immunofluorescence cell staining showed that the average fluorescence intensity of GSDMD in 2.5 mg/L group elevated the most significantly in comparison with that in the control group ( F=35.25, P<0.001). The CCK-8 proliferation assay showed that compared to the control group (1.00±0.02), 0.5 mg/L (0.52±0.07), 1.0 mg/L (0.57±0.10), 2.5 mg/L (0.58±0.04), 5.0 mg/L (0.55±0.04), 10.0 mg/L (0.61±0.03) groups inhibited cell proliferation ( F=39.95, P<0.001). PI staining showed that the proportion of positive stained cells was highest [(56.07±3.22)%] in 2.5 mg/L group ( F=88.24, P<0.001). Conclusions:Endothelial cells undergo significant pyroptosis in both in vivo and in vitro periodontal inflammatory environments, suggesting that endothelial cell pyroptosis may be an important pathogenic factor contributing to the pathogenesis of periodontitis.

Objective : To investigate the effect of different decontamination methods, including photodynamic therapy, sandblasting and titanium curette, on titanium surface morphology and bacterial adhesion for the treatment of peri-implant disease. Methods: Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) and Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) were inoculated on the surface of polished titanium specimens, and titanium specimen surfaces were treated with different decontamination methods after incubation. The titanium specimens were divided into a no-treatment control group, photodynamic group, sandblasting group and titanium curette group according to different decontamination methods. The changes in titanium surface roughness were observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), and the remaining bacteria on the titanium surface were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and live/dead bacteria staining tests. After reinoculation of Pg and Fn, bacterial readhesion was observed on the surface of decontaminated titanium specimens. Results : The AFM results showed that the surface roughness of the titanium curette group was significantly higher than that of the no-treatment control group, photodynamic group and sandblasting group (P<0.05), and there was no statistically significant difference between the no-treatment control group, photodynamic group and sandblasting group (P>0.05). The results of contact angle measurement showed that the surface contact angle of each treatment group was smaller than that of the no-treatment control group (P<0.05). The SEM results obtained after the titanium specimen surface was decontaminated showed that the number of bacteria on the no-treatment control group surface was higher and the bacteria were relatively concentrated. The bacteria on the surface of the photodynamic group, sandblasting group and titanium curette group were scattered and distributed in small numbers, and most bacteria on the surface of the photodynamic group were ruptured. The results of the live/dead bacteria staining experiment showed that the percentage of dead bacteria on the surface of the photodynamic group was significantly higher than that of the no-treatment control group, sandblasting group and titanium curette group (P<0.05). The remaining bacteria on the surface of the sandblasting group and titanium curette groups were mainly live bacteria. The remaining bacterial adhesion on the surface was significantly reduced for the sandblasting group compared to the no-treatment control group and the photodynamic and titanium curette groups (P<0.05). SEM and live/dead bacteria staining results of bacterial readhesion on the surface of titanium specimens showed that there was an aggregation of Pg on the surface of the titanium curette group, and its surface bacterial adhesion was significantly higher than that of the no-treatment control group, photodynamic group and sandblasting group. Conclusion In mechanical decontamination, sandblasting machines are a better option than photodynamic therapy and titanium curettes; however, sandblasting does not remove all bacterial contamination. For sterilization, photodynamic therapy is more effective than sandblasting and titanium curettes. A combination of sandblasting and photodynamic therapy methods for the treatment of peri-implant disease may be considered in clinical practice.

Ketone bodies have beneficial metabolic activities, and the induction of plasma ketone bodies is a health promotion strategy. Dietary supplementation of sodium butyrate (SB) is an effective approach in the induction of plasma ketone bodies. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms are unknown. In this study, SB was found to enhance the catalytic activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase 2 (HMGCS2), a rate-limiting enzyme in ketogenesis, to promote ketone body production in hepatocytes. SB administrated by gavage or intraperitoneal injection significantly induced blood ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in mice. BHB production was induced in the primary hepatocytes by SB. Protein succinylation was altered by SB in the liver tissues with down-regulation in 58 proteins and up-regulation in 26 proteins in the proteomics analysis. However, the alteration was mostly observed in mitochondrial proteins with 41% down- and 65% up-regulation, respectively. Succinylation status of HMGCS2 protein was altered by a reduction at two sites (K221 and K358) without a change in the protein level. The SB effect was significantly reduced by a SIRT5 inhibitor and in Sirt5-KO mice. The data suggests that SB activated HMGCS2 through SIRT5-mediated desuccinylation for ketone body production by the liver. The effect was not associated with an elevation in NAD⁺/NADH ratio according to our metabolomics analysis. The data provide a novel molecular mechanism for SB activity in the induction of ketone body production.
Mice ; Animals ; Butyric Acid/metabolism* ; Ketone Bodies/metabolism* ; Liver/metabolism* ; Hydroxybutyrates/metabolism* ; Down-Regulation ; Sirtuins/metabolism* ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Synthase/metabolism*

OX40 is a costimulatory receptor that is expressed primarily on activated CD4⁺, CD8⁺, and regulatory T cells. The ligation of OX40 to its sole ligand OX40L potentiates T cell expansion, differentiation, and activation and also promotes dendritic cells to mature to enhance their cytokine production. Therefore, the use of agonistic anti-OX40 antibodies for cancer immunotherapy has gained great interest. However, most of the agonistic anti-OX40 antibodies in the clinic are OX40L-competitive and show limited efficacy. Here, we discovered that BGB-A445, a non-ligand-competitive agonistic anti-OX40 antibody currently under clinical investigation, induced optimal T cell activation without impairing dendritic cell function. In addition, BGB-A445 dose-dependently and significantly depleted regulatory T cells in vitro and in vivo via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. In the MC38 syngeneic model established in humanized OX40 knock-in mice, BGB-A445 demonstrated robust and dose-dependent antitumor efficacy, whereas the ligand-competitive anti-OX40 antibody showed antitumor efficacy characterized by a hook effect. Furthermore, BGB-A445 demonstrated a strong combination antitumor effect with an anti-PD-1 antibody. Taken together, our findings show that BGB-A445, which does not block OX40-OX40L interaction in contrast to clinical-stage anti-OX40 antibodies, shows superior immune-stimulating effects and antitumor efficacy and thus warrants further clinical investigation.
Mice ; Animals ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor/physiology* ; Receptors, OX40 ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; Ligands ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology* ; Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology*

Background and Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that leads to the progressive destruction ofarticular cartilage. Current clinical therapeutic strategies are moderately effective at relieving OA-associated pain but cannot induce chondrocyte differentiation or achieve cartilage regeneration. We investigated the ability of wedelolactone, a biologically active natural product that occurs in Eclipta alba (false daisy), to promote chondrogenic differentiation. Methods: and Results: Real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemical staining, and immunofluorescence staining assays were used to evaluate the effects of wedelolactone on the chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). RNA sequencing, microRNA (miRNA) sequencing, and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation analyses were performed to explore the mechanism by which wedelolactone promotes the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs. We found that wedelolactone facilitates the chondrogenic differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived MSCs and rat bone-marrow MSCs. Moreover, the forkhead box O (FOXO) signaling pathway was upregulated by wedelolactone during chondrogenic differentiation, and a FOXO1 inhibitor attenuated the effect of wedelolactone on chondrocyte differentiation. We determined that wedelolactone reduces enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2)-mediated histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation of the promoter region of FOXO1 to upregulate its transcription. Additionally, we found that wedelolactone represses miR-1271-5p expression, and that miR-1271-5p post-transcriptionally suppresses the expression of FOXO1 that is dependent on the binding of miR-1271-5p to the FOXO1 3’-untranscribed region. Conclusions These results indicate that wedelolactone suppresses the activity of EZH2 to facilitate the chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs by activating the FOXO1 signaling pathway. Wedelolactone may therefore improve cartilage regeneration in diseases characterized by inflammatory tissue destruction, such as OA.

Objective:To investigate the stability of fat emulsions after the preparation of parenteral nutrient solution under different storage conditions.Methods:Standardized parenteral nutrient solution was used to prepare a total of 24 bags of nutrient solution with the same formula, except for that Group A (12 bags) contains 20% of medium and long chain fat emulsion (C6-24) while Group B contains 20% of C8-24. The preparations were stored under 2-8℃, 23-25℃, and 35-37℃ and were examined at 24h, 48h and 72h after preparation. The appearance, average size of fat particles, pH value of nutrient solution, and lipid peroxidation were investigated.Results:After storage at 4℃, 25℃ and 36℃ for 24h, 48h and 72h respectively, both groups of preparations showed no obvious change in appearance. There was no significant difference in pH ( P>0.05) nor lipid peroxidation ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Both kinds of fat emulsion are stable in terms of pH value, fat particle size and lipid peroxidation, and can be used for patients receiving intravenous nutrition support.

The transcription factor nuclear factor of kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) is expressed in brown adipocytes, but its role remains largely unknown in the cells. This issue was addressed in current study by examining NF-κB in brown adipocytes in vitro and in vivo. NF-κB activity was increased by differentiation of brown adipocytes through elevation of p65 (RelA) expression. The transcriptional activity of NF-κB was induced by the cold stimulation with an elevation in S276 phosphorylation of p65 protein. Inactivation of NF-κB in brown adipocytes made the knockout mice [uncoupling protein 1 (Ucp1)-CreER-p65^f/f, U-p65-KO] intolerant to the cold environment. The brown adipocytes exhibited an increase in apoptosis, a decrease in cristae density and uncoupling activity in the interscapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) of p65-KO mice. The alterations became severer after cold exposure of the KO mice. The brown adipocytes of mice with NF-κB activation (p65 overexpression, p65-OE) exhibited a set of opposite alterations with a reduction in apoptosis, an increase in cristae density and uncoupling activity. In mechanism, NF-κB inhibited expression of the adenine nucleotide translocase 2 (ANT2) in the control of apoptosis. Data suggest that NF-κB activity is increased in brown adipocytes by differentiation and cold stimulation to protect the cells from apoptosis through down-regulation of ANT2 expression.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between pancreatic fibrotic marker transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β) and platelet derived growth factor-BB(PDGF-BB) and serum glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in patients with type 3c diabetes mellitus secondary to chronic pancreatitis(CP-T3cDM).Methods:The clinical data of 39 patients with CP-T3cDM admitted to the Department of Gastroenterology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University between February 2018 and August 2020 were collected, and the patients' age, gender, body mass index, duration of chronic pancreatitis and diabetes mellitus, smoking history, alcohol consumption history, serum HbA1c level at admission, degree of pancreatic atrophy, morphology of the main pancreatic duct, and treatment of diabetes mellitus were recorded. Serum TGF-β and PDGF-BB were detected by ELISA. Patients were divided into high and low level group according to the median TGF-β and PDGF-BB levels, respectively. Clinical characteristics of patients were compared between the TGF-β and PDGF-BB high and low level group. The correlation between TGF-β, PDGF-BB and HbA1c was analyzed by Spearman's correlation analysis.Results:A total of 39 CP-T3cDM patients were included; 35 were male and 4 were female. The age of first onset of chronic pancreatitis was (42±14) years old, and the duration of diabetes mellitus was 24(4, 36) months. The serum HbA1c level was (7.8±1.6)%, and the serum TGF-β and PDGF-BB levels were 20.5(10.5, 43.1) and 647.5(276.9, 1349.2)pg/ml, respectively. The serum HbA1c levels of patients in the high-level group of serum TGF-β and PDGF-BB were significantly higher than those in the corresponding low-level group [8.6%(7.4%, 9.9%) vs 6.7%(6.2%, 7.8%) and 8.6%(7.4%, 9.6%) vs 6.7%(6.1%, 7.8%), respectively] , and the difference was statistically different (both P value <0.01), while none of other indicators showed statistically significant differences between both groups. The correlation analysis showed that the levels of TGF-β and PDGF-BB were significantly positively correlated with HbA1c level ( r=0.45, 0.53, both P value <0.01). Conclusions:Increased pancreatic fibrosis in patients with CP-T3cDM was an important factor contributing to elevated blood glucose level. Patients with higher serum pancreatic fibrotic factors exhibited a significant increase in HbA1c level.

Objective: To systematically explore the effect and mechanism of traditional Chinese herbs in the treatment of allergic rhinitis.Methods: Magnolia flower, xanthium fruit, astragalus root, paniculate cynanchum, scutellaria root, cicada molting, stephania root, small centipeda herb, and licorice root as traditional Chinese herbs are widely used to treat allergic rhinitis. With multiple database integration and entity grammar systems, a mo-lecular interaction network of traditional Chinese herbs for treating allergic rhinitis was established. Bioinformatics approaches were adopted to integrate relevant data and biological information by mul-tiple databases. Molecular interaction network of Chinese herbs for treating allergic rhinitis was con-structed based on entity grammar systems model. The network was then used for elucidating the anti-allergic rhinitis mechanism of the Chinese herbs on the molecular level. The subnetworks were also extracted to explicitly display the pathway and targets where effective components acted on. Results: Traditional Chinese herbs could influence various pathological aspects in allergic rhinitis including the production of pro-inflammatory substances, such as histamine and cytokine interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-13 (IL-13), lowering immunoglobulin E (IgE) level or blocking antigen binding, altering the biological processes of IgE, modulating the balance of T helper (Th) or other cells by cell proliferation and differentiation, mediating cell-cell signaling and second-messenger-mediated signaling, stabilizing the cell membrane, and affecting regulation of cellular defense response. Conclusion: The research theoretically confirms the mechanism of anti-allergic rhinitis by traditional Chinese herbs, provides important fundamental research information for treatment of allergic rhinitis, and may serve as a reference for new drug development and effective ingredients of compatibility.