BACKGROUND:Rev-erbα is involved in the regulation of inflammation,but pharmacological activation of Rev-erbα increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases.To reduce the relevant risk,an exploration on SR9009,a Rev-erbα agonist,combined with other drugs to relieve inflammation in skeletal myoblasts was conducted,laying the theoretical foundation for the treatment of inflammation-associated skeletal muscle atrophy. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the relationship of SR9009,indolepropionic acid and nuclear factor-κB signaling pathways in lipopolysaccharide-induced C2C12 myoblasts. METHODS:(1)C2C12 myoblasts were induced to differentiate in the presence of lipopolysaccharide(1 μg/mL).RNA-seq and KEGG pathway analysis were used to study signaling pathways.(2)C2C12 myoblast viability was assessed using the cell counting kit-8 assay to determine optimal concentrations of indolepropionic acid.Subsequently,cells were categorized into control group,lipopolysaccharide(1 μg/mL)group,SR9009(10 μmol/L)+lipopolysaccharide group,indolepropionic acid(80μmol/L)+lipopolysaccharide group,and SR9009+indolepropionic acid+lipopolysaccharide group.ELISA was employed to measure protein expression levels of interleukin-6 in the cultured supernatant.Real-time quantitative PCR were employed to measure mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor α,TLR4 and CD14.Western blot assay were employed to measure protein expression levels of NF-κB p65 and p-NF-κB p65.(3)After Rev-erbα was knocked down by siRNA,knockdown efficiency was assessed by RT-qPCR.And mRNA levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α were also measured. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the blank control group,lipopolysaccharide time-dependently inhibited myofibroblast fusion to form myotubes,the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α were elevated,and the level of interleukin-6 in the cell supernatant was significantly increased.The results of KEGG pathway showed that the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway was activated by lipopolysaccharide.Indolepropionic acid exhibited significant suppression of C2C12 myoblasts viability when its concentration exceeded 80 μmol/L.Indolepropionic acid and SR9009 inhibited the activation of NF-κB signaling pathway,thereby played an anti-inflammatory role,and suppressed the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor α,TLR4 and CD14.Compared with the lipopolysaccharide group,the ratio of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 protein expression were downregulated.SR9009 combined with indolepropionic acid notably reduced lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation,further downregulated the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6,tumor necrosis factor α,TLR4 and CD14.The ratio of p-NF-κB p65/NF-κB p65 protein expression was significantly lower than that in the SR9009+lipopolysaccharide group or indolepropionic acid+lipopolysaccharide group.Rev-erbα increases time-dependently with lipopolysaccharide induction.The knockdown efficiency of Rev-erbα by siRNA reached over 58%,and lipopolysaccharide was added after Rev-erbα was successfully knocked down.Compared with the lipopolysaccharide group,the mRNA expression levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor α were significantly up-regulated.These results conclude that Rev-erbα may act as a promising pharmacological target to reduce inflammation.SR9009 targeted activation of Rev-erbα combined with indolepropionic acid significantly inhibits the nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway and attenuates the inflammatory response of C2C12 myofibroblasts.Moreover,the combined anti-inflammatory effect is superior to that of the intervention alone.

BACKGROUND:Magnetic resonance imaging is the gold standard for the diagnosis of osteonecrosis of femoral head,and previous methods of predicting osteonecrosis of femoral head collapse based on magnetic resonance images mostly require the combined assessment of coronal and sagittal images.However,osteonecrosis of femoral head tends to occur bilaterally,most hospitals perform bilateral hip magnetic resonance imaging scans during clinical examinations,but the bilateral hip scans can only view coronal and cross-sectional images,and it is difficult to obtain sagittal images,which affects the assessment of the risk of collapse.Therefore,it is of clinical value to establish a method to assess the risk of early osteonecrosis of femoral head collapse by applying the images that can be obtained after bilateral hip magnetic resonance scanning. OBJECTIVE:To establish a method of applying coronal and cross-sectional images of bilateral hip magnetic resonance imaging to assess the risk of osteonecrosis of femoral head collapse. METHODS:The medical records of 111 patients(181 hips)with early-stage osteonecrosis of femoral head diagnosed at the outpatient clinic of Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University from October 2017 to October 2019 were retrospectively analyzed.They were categorized into collapsed and non-collapsed groups according to the femoral head collapse at the final follow-up,with 69 hips in the collapsed group and 112 hips in the non-collapsed group.The angle of necrotic range on the images of median coronal plane,transverse plane or one level above and below it was measured on the magnetic resonance imaging system.The sum of the two angles of necrotic angle on the coronal and transverse planes was used as the combined necrotic angle.The average of the three combined necrotic angles of each hip was taken to get the average combined necrotic angle of each hip.Finally,the correlation between the three combined necrotic angles and the average combined necrotic angle with the collapse of osteonecrosis of femoral head was analyzed,and the specificity and sensitivity of the four combined necrotic angles in predicting collapse were evaluated by using receiver operating characteristic curves. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)Totally 69 hips(38.1%)had femoral head collapse at the last follow-up and were included in the collapsed group;112 hips(61.9%)did not have progression of collapse and were included in the non-collapsed group.(2)The difference between the collapsed group and the non-collapsed group in terms of Association Research Circulation Osseous(ARCO)stage was significant(P<0.001).The difference in age,body mass index,follow-up time,gender distribution,side of onset,and causative factors was not significant(P>0.05).(3)The results of independent samples t-test suggested that all four combined necrotic angles were significantly correlated with collapse(P<0.000 1);and the differences in combined necrotic angles between the collapsed group and the non-collapsed group of ARCO stage I and the two groups of ARCO stage II were all significant(P<0.000 1).(4)In the analysis of the receiver operating characteristic,the area under the curve of the average combined necrotic angle was greater than that of the combined necrotic angle on the lower level of the median,the middle level,and the upper level of the median.(5)The average combined necrotic angle had a higher accuracy in the prediction of collapse than the lower level of the median,the middle level,and the upper level of the combined necrotic angle.(6)It is concluded that the accuracy of the average combined necrotic angle in predicting the risk of osteonecrosis of femoral head collapse is higher,and the clinical practicability is stronger,so we can consider using this method to predict the risk of osteonecrosis of femoral head collapse.

OBJECTIVE To explore the potential mechanisms of astragalin （AG） in allevating ulcerative colitis （UC） in mice through modulation of the intestinal flora. METHODS Male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into normal group （CON group）， model group [dextran sodium sulfate （DSS） group]， 5-aminosalicylic acid group （5-ASA group）， AG low-dose group and high-dose group （AGL and AGH groups）， with 8 mice in each group. The mice UC model was established by drinking 3% DSS solution continuously for 7 days in all groups except the CON group. After that， 3% DSS solution was replaced by water， and the mice of each drug group were gavaged with the corresponding drug solution. Mice in the CON and DSS groups were gavaged with an equal volume of normal saline， once a day， for 7 days. After the last gavage， the body weight change index， disease activity index （DAI） score， colon length and spleen index， and levels of inflammatory factors （tumor necrosis factor-α， interleukin-1β， interleukin-6） were compared among the mice in each group； pathological changes in colonic tissues of the mice were observed in each group， and the pathological score and the percentage of goblet cells were compared； mRNA expressions of barrier-related factors [occludin and ZO-1] and inflammation-related factors [silencing information regulatory factor 1 （SIRT1）， c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK） and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p38 MAPK）] were detected in each group of mice； the changes in the intestinal flora of mice in each group were analyzed and the contents of intestinal metabolites short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs） was determined. Using DSS and AG-treated fecal bacterial liquid as an intervention， the mechanism of anti-UC effect of AG was further verified by a fecal microbiota transplant experiment. RESULTS Compared with the CON group， the intestinal mucosal structure of mice in the DSS group was severely damaged， with obvious infiltration of inflammatory cells collapsing the wall； their body weight change index， colon length， the percentage of goblet cells， mRNA expressions of occludin， ZO-1 and SIRT1， Chao1 and Shannon indexes， and contents of acetic acid and butyric acid were significantly reduced， shortened or down-regulated （P＜0.05）； however， DAI score， spleen index， levels of inflammatory factors， pathological score， as well as mRNA expressions of p38 MAPK and JNK， were all significantly increased or up-regulated （P＜0.05）. Compared with the DSS group， colon tissue lesions of AG mice in all dose groups showed different degrees of improvement， and the above quantitative indexes were generally regressed （P＜0.05）， and the intervention effect of AG-treated fecal bacterial fluid was basically the same as that of AG. CONCLUSIONS AG can improve relevant symptoms in UC mice and reduce their inflammatory response and colonic histopathological changes. The above effects may be related to regulating the diversity of intestinal flora in mice， increasing the contents of butyric acid and propionic acid， and promoting the repair of the colonic mucosal barrier， thus regulating the expressions of genes related to the SIRT1/p38 MAPK inflammatory pathway.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most important histological type of lung cancer. This disease affects a large number of patients, and the prognosis of advanced patients is poor. Although great progress has been achieved for existing treatment methods, challenges still exist. Cancer is a genetic disease, and its occurrence is accompanied by substantial genomic-sequence instability. (GT/CA)_n repeat sequence is a common microsatellite sequence serving as transcriptional function-related regions, DNA-methylation modification sites, and other functional sites. Its polymorphism is closely related to the expression of EGFR, HO-1, and HIF-1α in NSCLC patients. (GT/CA)_n repeat sequence is the breakthrough point to explore the molecular mechanism of NSCLC occurrence and development, develop molecular markers for diagnosis and prognosis and epigenetics research. This paper summarizes the studies on (GT/CA)_n repeat polymorphisms in NSCLC with the aim of providing references for relevant NSCLC research.

Objective To investigate the application value of dual-layer spectral computed tomography(DLCT)45 keV single energy image in follow up after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE)for hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods The DLCT images of 60 patients with HCC after TACE treatment were analyzed retrospectively.The CT value and standard deviation(SD)value of the lesion region of interest(ROI)and surrounding normal liver parenchyma on two kinds of images with 45 keV energy spectrum CT and 120 kVp conventional CT were measured respectively,then the contrast-to-noise ratio(CNR)between the lesions and surrounding normal liver parenchyma was calculated,and their differences were compared.The image quality of the two kinds of images was scored subjectively with the 3-point method,and the patients were divided into different groups according to the enhance-ment degree and tumor staining.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was also drawn.Results(1)There was no signif-icant difference in CNR between arterial phase,portal phase,and delayed phase of 120 kVp conventional CT(Hc=1.128,P>0.05).The CNR of 45 keV energy spectrum CT was higher than that of 120 kVp conventional CT,with a statistically significant difference(Z=5.060,P<0.05).(2)The subjective score of 45 keV energy spectrum CT was higher than that of 120 kVp conventional CT,and the difference was statistically significant(Z=5.335,P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that 45 keV energy spectrum CT had a larger area under the curve(AUC)than 120 kVp conventional CT,and the difference was statistically significant(Z=4.136,P<0.001).Conclusion 45 keV energy spectrum CT image can significantly improve the CNR between tumor and normal liver parenchyma,and it has the better image quality and higher diagnostic efficiency.

BACKGROUND:For non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head,if the femoral head collapses,it will have a great impact on the normal life of the patients.Thus,it is necessary to use an appropriate way to evaluate the risk of femoral head collapse and then to take targeted measures to delay the process of femoral head collapse. OBJECTIVE:To analyze the natural course of early osteonecrosis of the femoral head(without collapse)under different locations of necrotic lesions. METHODS:121 patients(191 hips)with early non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head who were treated in the Outpatient Department of Honghui Hospital Affiliated to Xi'an Jiaotong University from October 2016 to October 2017 were enrolled in this study.The clinical data of all patients were followed up for 5 years to observe the collapse of osteonecrosis of the femoral head and the risk coefficient of femoral head collapse among different JIC types.The collapse rate of osteonecrosis of the femoral head was calculated during the follow-up. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 191 hips were included in this study.The femoral head collapsed in 86 hips during follow-up,with a total collapse rate of 45.0%.Among the influencing factors,age,ARCO stage and JIC classification were the main influencing factors of femoral head collapse(P<0.05),but body mass index,sex,incidence side and pathogenic factors were not the main influencing factors(P>0.05).(2)Among 191 hips,in JIC classification,the total collapse rates of type A,type B,type C1 and type C2 were 11.1%(2/18),30.2%(16/53),52.4%(43/82),and 65.8%(25/38),respectively.There were significant differences in the total collapse rate of the femoral head among all types(P<0.05).The collapse risk results showed that the collapse risk of type B,type C1 and type C2 was 2.41,5.22 and 7.89 times higher than that of type A,respectively.(3)Both JIC classification and ARCO stage were correlated with femoral head collapse(P<0.01).There was no significant difference in the collapse rate of the femoral head among all JIC types in ARCO I stage hips(P>0.05).In the hips with ARCO II stage,the collapse rates of the femoral head of JIC types A,B,C1 and C2 were 1.2%,19.5%,50.0%and 29.3%,respectively,and there were significant differences in the collapse rates among different types(P<0.05).(4)During follow-up,the collapse rates of the femoral head in the first to fifth years were 29.3%,7.9%,4.7%,2.6%and 0.5%,respectively.(5)Results showed that for early non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head,the risk of collapse of osteonecrosis of the femoral head is high within one year,and the location of the focus of osteonecrosis affects the risk of collapse of the femoral head.The effect of the location of the focus on the prognosis of the disease should be considered in clinical treatment.

The occurrence of benign prostate hyperplasia(BPH)was related to disrupted sex steroid hormones,and metformin(Met)had a clinical response to sex steroid hormone-related gynaecological disease.How-ever,whether Met exerts an antiproliferative effect on BPH via sex steroid hormones remains unclear.Here,our clinical study showed that along with prostatic epithelial cell(PEC)proliferation,sex steroid hormones were dysregulated in the serum and prostate of BPH patients.As the major contributor to dysregulated sex steroid hormones,elevated dihydrotestosterone(DHT)had a significant positive rela-tionship with the clinical characteristics of BPH patients.Activation of adenosine 5'-monophosphate(AMP)-activated protein kinase(AMPK)by Met restored dysregulated sex steroid hormone homeostasis and exerted antiproliferative effects against DHT-induced proliferation by inhibiting the formation of androgen receptor(AR)-mediated Yes-associated protein(YAP1)-TEA domain transcription factor(TEAD4)heterodimers.Met's anti-proliferative effects were blocked by AMPK inhibitor or YAP1 over-expression in DHT-cultured BPH-1 cells.Our findings indicated that Met would be a promising clinical therapeutic approach for BPH by inhibiting dysregulated steroid hormone-induced PEC proliferation.

Objective:To investigate the clinical safety and efficacy of robot-assisted laparoscopic ventral onlay lingual mucosal graft ureteroplasty for ureteral stricture.Methods:The clinical data of 6 patients with ureteral stricture admitted to the Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital from December 2020 to August 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 3 males and 3 females, with an average age of (40.2±11.5) years old. The status of ureteral stricture and hydronephrosis was measured by ultrasonography, CT urography and ureteral retrograde angiography. There were 2 cases of left ureteral stricture and 4 cases of right ureteral stricture, including 4 cases of upper segment stricture and 2 cases of middle segment stricture. The separation of the renal pelvis on the affected side was 3.2 (2.1, 4.2) cm. The length of ureteral stricture was 3.8 (2.5, 4.3) (1.0-5.0) cm, and the preoperative blood creatinine was 90(71, 97)μmol/L. Robot-assisted laparoscopic ventral onlay lingual mucosal graft ureteroplasty was performed in all cases under general anesthesia. The strictured ureter segment was separated and longitudinally cut during the operation. The lingual mucosal grafts 2.5-5.0 cm in length and 1.0-1.5 cm in width was cut according to the stricture. Then the lingual mucosal grafts were harvested and placed in the strictured ureter as a ventral onlay. One double J tube was placed in the affected side in all cases during operation. The perioperative outcomes and complications were analyzed. The blood creatinine and renal pelvis separation on the affected side after surgery were compared with the preoperation.Results:All the surgeries were successfully completed. The average operative time was (190.8 ± 59.0) min, median blood loss was 40 (20, 63) ml, postoperative indwelling time of the drainage tube was 6 (4, 6) days, gastrointestinal function recovery time was 3 (2, 3) days, postoperative hospital stay was 6 (6, 7) days. The patients had clear pronunciation and lingual incision recovered 1 week post-operatively. The urine tube was removed 2 weeks after surgery, and the double J tube was removed 8 (6, 10) weeks post-operatively. Radiological examination revealed significant difference in hydronephrosis on the affected side 3 months post-operatively compared with the preoperation, and the separation of the renal pelvis on the affected side was 1.2 (1.2, 1.4) cm after surgery. The blood creatinine was 79(71, 104)μmol/L at 3 month after surgery, which was also improved compared with preoperative.Conclusions:Robot-assisted laparoscopic ventral onlay lingual mucosal graft ureteroplasty is a feasible and safe option for the treatment of ureteral stricture with less trauma, rapid recovery, and less complications.

Objective To observe the role of dried tangerine peel in Yigong Powder improves iron metabolism and promotes red blood cell generation in anemia of chronic disease (ACD).Methods With a two-by-two factorial design,the Yigong Powder was divided into dried tangerine peel and Chenpi absent Decoction. According to the random number table method,32 zymosan-induced generalized inflammation (ZIGI) mice were randomly divided into the model group,the dried tangerine peel group,the Chenpi absent Decoction group,and the Yigong Powder group. The dried tangerine peel group,Chenpi absent Decoction group and the Yigong Powder group were given dried tangerine peel(3.083 g/kg),Chenpi absent Decoction(12.33g/kg),and Yigong Powder(15.413g/kg)by gavage to the corresponding group of mice. The model group was given an equal amount of physiological saline by gavage,and treated continuously for 7 days. After the completion of administration,the body weight of each group of mice was recorded. The hemoglobin content of each group of mice was detected using a fully automatic cell counter,the serum iron content was detected using colorimetry,the serum ferritin content was detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA),and the spleen index was calculated. The liver tissue inflammatory factors interleukin-1β (IL-1β),interleukin-6 (IL-6),tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α),interferon-γ (IFN-γ),interleukin-4 (IL-4),and interleukin-10 (IL-10) levels were detected using Luminex method. The mRNA expressions of liver tissue hepcidin gene (HAMP) and membrane iron transporter ( Fpn) were detected using real-time fluorescence PCR method. Results Dried tangerine peel and Chenpi absent Decoction both showed interactive effects in regulating hemoglobin,serum iron,serum ferritin content,improving spleen index,and regulating the mRNA expressions of HAMP,Fpn,as well as IL-1β and IFN-γ (P<0.05). Compared with the model group,dried tangerine peel significantly increased hemoglobin,serum iron content,and Fpn mRNA expression in ZIGI model mice,while decreasing ferritin content,spleen index,HAMP mRNA expression,and the levels of IL-1β,IL-6,TNF-α,and IFN-γ (P<0.05). Chenpi absent Decoction significantly increased serum iron content and Fpn mRNA expression in ZIGI model mice,while reducing spleen index,ferritin content,HAMP mRNA expression,and the levels of IL-1β and IFN-γ、IL-4 (P<0.05). Conclusion The effects of dried tangerine peel on inflammatory factors (IL-6 and TNF-α) and Fpn may play a key role in the improvement effects of Yigong Powder on ACD and iron metabolism.

BACKGROUND:A pathophysiological feature of septic organ failure is endothelial dysfunction in sepsis(EDS).The physiological and pathological mechanism of sepsis is considered to be vascular leakage caused by endothelial dysfunction.These pathological changes lead to systemic organ injury.However,an analysis using bibliometric methods has not yet been conducted in the field of EDS.This study was conducted to provide an overview of knowledge structure and research trends in the field of EDS. METHODS:Based on previous research,a literature search was performed in the Web of Science Core Collection(WoSCC)for publications associated with EDS published between the year 2003 and 2023.Various types of data from the publications,such as citation frequency,authorship,keywords and highly cited articles,were extracted.The"Create Citation Report"feature in the WoSCC was employed to calculate the Hirsch index(h-index)and average citations per item(ACI)of authors,institutions,and countries.To conduct bibliometric and visualization analyses,three bibliometric tools were used,including R-bibliometrix,CiteSpace(co-citation analysis of references),and VOSviewer(co-authorship analysis of institutions,co-authorship analysis of authors,co-occurrence analysis of keywords). RESULTS:After excluding invalid records,the study finaly included 4,536 publications with 135,386 citations.Most of these publications originated in the USA,China,Germany,Canada,and Japan.Harvard University emerged as the most prolific institution,while professor Jong-Sup Bae and his research team at Kyungpook National University emerged as authors with the greatest influence.The"protein C","tissue factor","thrombin","glycocalyx","acute kidney injury","syndecan-1"and"biomarker"were identified as prominent areas of research.Future research may focus on molecular mechanisms(such as as vascular endothelial[VE]-cadherin regulation)and therapeutic interventions to enhance endothelial repair and function. CONCLUSION:Our findings show a growing interest in EDS research.Key areas for future research include signaling pathways,molecular mechanisms,endothelial repair,and interactions between endothelial cells and other cell types in sepsis.