ObjectiveThis study aims to examine the effect of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma-Coptidis Rhizoma on reducing insulin resistance in db/db mice by regulating the adenylate activated protein kinase （AMPK）/UNC-51-like kinase 1 （ULK1）/key molecule of autophagy， benzyl chloride 1 （Beclin1） pathway and elucidate the underlying mechanism. MethodSixty 6-week-old male db/db mice were studied. They were randomly divided into the model group， metformin group （0.26 g·kg^-1）， and low-， middle-， and high-dose groups （2.25， 4.5， 9 g·kg^-1） of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma-Coptidis Rhizoma. A blank group of db/m mice of the same age was set， with 12 mice in each group. After eight weeks of continuous intragastric administration， the blank group and model group received distilled water intragastrically once a day. The survival status of the mice was observed， and fasting blood glucose （FBG） was measured using a Roche blood glucose device. Fasting serum insulin （FINS） was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay， and the insulin resistance index （HOMA-IR） was calculated. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was performed to observe the pathological changes in the liver of the mice. The protein expression levels of AMPK， Beclin1， autophagy associated protein 5 （Atg5）， and p62 in liver tissue were determined by using Western blot. The protein expression levels of autophagy associated protein 1 light chain 3B （LC3B） and ULK1 in liver tissue were determined using immunofluorescence. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR （Real-time PCR） was used to measure mRNA expression levels of AMPK， Beclin1， Atg5， ULK1， and p62. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group exhibited a significant increase in body mass （P<0.01）. Additionally， the levels of FBG， FINS， and HOMA-IR significantly changed （P<0.01）. The structure of liver cells was disordered. The protein expression levels of AMPK， Beclin1， and Atg5 in liver tissue were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while the expression level of p62 protein was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The expression levels of mRNA and proteins were consistent. Compared with the model group， the body mass of the metformin group and high and medium-dose groups of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma-Coptidis Rhizoma was significantly decreased （P<0.05）. FBG， FINS， and HOMA-IR were significantly decreased （P<0.05，P<0.01）. After treatment， the liver structure damage in each group was alleviated to varying degrees. The protein expressions of AMPK， Beclin1， Atg5， LC3B， and ULK1 were increased （P<0.05，P<0.01）， while the protein expression of p62 was decreased （P<0.01）. The expression levels of mRNA and proteins were generally consistent. ConclusionThe combination of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma-Coptidis Rhizoma can effectively improve liver insulin resistance， regulate the AMPK autophagy signaling pathway， alleviate insulin resistance in db/db mice， and effectively prevent the occurrence and development of type 2 diabetes.

Necroptosis is a regulated process of programmed cell death independent of aspartic acid-specific cysteine protease,which can induce inflammation.Studies have shown that necroptosis is closely related to the progression and prognosis of pancreatic disease and plays an important two-way regulatory role in its progression.Related necroptosis inhibitors and inducers are expected to be used in the treatment of pancreatic disease.We herein review the mechanism of necroptosis and its role in the progression of pancreatic disease to provide a new understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of pancreatic diseases and offer a theoretical basis for the research and development of targeted drugs.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of Dahuang Mudantang in alleviating the intestinal injury in the rat model of acute pancreatitis via the high-mobility group box 1 （HMGB1）/receptor for advanced glycation endproduct （RAGE）/nuclear factor-κB （NF-κB） signaling pathway. MethodOne hundred and twenty SPF-grade Wistar rats received retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the biliopancreatic duct for the modeling of intestinal injury in acute pancreatitis. The rats were randomized into blank， model， low-， medium-， and high-dose （3.5， 7， 14 g·kg^-1， administrated by gavage） Dahuang Mudantang， and octreotide （1×10^-5 g·kg^-1， subcutaneous injection） groups （n=20）. The rats in blank and model groups received equal volume of distilled water by gavage. Drugs were administered 1 h before and every 12 h after modeling， and samples were collected 24 h after modeling. The general status of the rats was observed. The biochemical methods were employed to measure the levels of amylase （AMS） and C-reactive protein （CRP） in the serum. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） was employed to measure the levels of tumor necrosis factor （TNF）-α， interleukin （IL）-1β， and IL-6 in the colon tissue. The morphological changes of pancreatic and colon tissues were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot were employed to measure the expression levels of HMGB1， RAGE， inhibitor of NF-κB kinase （IKK）， and NF-κB suppressor protein α（IκBα）in the colon tissue. ResultThe rats in the model group showed poor general survival， writhing response， reduced frequency of defecation， and dry stool. The symptoms of rats in the model group were mitigated in each treatment group， and the high-dose Dahuang Mudantang showed the most significant effect. Compared with the normal group， the model group had elevated AMS and CRP levels （P<0.05）， which were lowered by Dahuang Mudantang （P<0.05）， especially that at the high dose （P<0.05）. Compared with the normal group， the modeling elevated that levels of TNF-α， IL-1β， and IL-6 （P<0.05）. Such elevations were lowered by Dahuang Mudantang （P<0.05）， and the high-dose group and the octreotide group showed better performance （P<0.05）. The modeling caused necrotic， congested， and destructed pancreatic and colonic tissues， which were ameliorated by the drugs， especially high-dose Dahuang Mudantang. Compared with the normal group， the modeling up-regulated the mRNA levels of HMGB1， RAGE， IKK， IκBα， and NF-κB （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， Dahuang Mudantang and octreotide down-regulated the mRNA levels of HMGB1， RAGE， IKK， IκBα， and NF-κB （P<0.05）， and the high-dose Dahuang Mudantang demonstrated the best performance （P<0.05）. Western blot results showed a trend consistent with the results of Real-time PCR. ConclusionDahuang Mudantang can improved the general status， reduce inflammation， and alleviate histopathological changes in the pancreatic and colon tissues in the rat model of acute pancreatitis by inhibiting the HMGB1/RAGE/NF-κB signaling pathway.

ObjectiveTo reveal the intervention effect of Dahuang Mudantang on pancreatic injury in rats with acute pancreatitis （AP） of dampness-heat in large intestine syndrome and explore its possible mechanism based on network pharmacology. MethodNinety-six SPF-grade Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following six groups： a blank group， a model group， low-， medium-， and high-dose Dahuang Mudantang groups （3.5， 7， and 14 g·kg^-1）， and a Qingyi Lidan granules group （3 g·kg^-1）， with 16 rats in each group. The AP model of dampness-heat in large intestine syndrome was induced in rats except for those in the blank group by "high-temperature and high-humidity environment + high-sugar and high-fat diet + retrograde injection of 5% sodium taurocholate into the pancreaticobiliary duct". The blank and model groups received equal volumes of distilled water by gavage， while the treatment groups were administered Dahuang Mudantang or Qingyi Lidan granules 1 hour before modeling， and 12 and 24 hours after modeling. Samples were collected 1 hour after the last administration. The general conditions of the rats were observed. The AP model of dampness-heat in large intestine syndrome was evaluated. Serum amylase （AMS） and C-reactive protein （CRP） levels were determined using biochemical methods. Pancreatic tissue morphology was observed using hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining. Network pharmacology was employed to predict potential targets of Dahuang Mudantang in the intervention in AP， and molecular biology technique was used to verify relevant targets. ResultCompared with the blank group， the model group exhibited lethargy， unkempt fur， loose and foul-smelling stools， elevated anal temperature with arching and twisting reactions， significantly increased serum levels of AMS and CRP （P<0.05）， abnormal pancreatic ductules， disordered interlobular spaces， and inflammatory cell infiltration in histopathological examination， as well as pathological changes including pancreatic acinar cell swelling， congestion， and necrosis. Compared with the model group， the treatment groups showed varying degrees of improvement in general survival conditions， reduced twisting reactions， visibly improved stool characteristics， reduced pancreatic tissue edema and necrosis， decreased serum AMS and CRP levels （P<0.05）， with the high-dose Dahuang Mudantang group showing the most pronounced effects （P<0.05）. Network pharmacology prediction indicated that hederagenin， β-sitosterol， and quercetin were the most widely connected active compounds with disease targets. Protein-protein interaction （PPI） network analysis revealed that protein kinase B （Akt）， tumor protein P53 （TP53）， tumor necrosis factor （TNF）， interleukin-6 （IL-6）， transcription factor （JUN）， vascular endothelial growth factor α （VEGFα）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 （VCAM1） were key targets in the "drug-disease" interaction. KEGG enrichment analysis suggested that the response of the mitogen activated protein kinase （MAPK） signaling pathway might be a core mechanism for DHMDT in the intervention in AP. Molecular biology analysis showed that compared with the blank group， the model group had significantly increased levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and VCAM-1 in pancreatic tissue （P<0.05）， as well as significantly elevated expression levels of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase （p38 MAPK）， mitogen-activated protein kinase-activated protein kinase 2 （MK2）， and human antigen R （HUR） genes and proteins （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the treatment groups exhibited decreased levels of TNF-α， IL-6， and VCAM-1 in pancreatic tissue （P<0.05）， reduced expression levels of p38 MAPK， MK2， and HUR genes and proteins， with the high-dose Dahuang Mudantang group showing the most pronounced effects （P<0.05）. ConclusionDahuang Mudantang activates and regulates the p38 MAPK/MK2/HUR signaling pathway to suppress the release of inflammatory factors， thereby improving pancreatic injury.

【Objective】 To evaluate the predictive value of isoform [-2] proprostate-specific antigen, p2 PSA (p2PSA) and its derived indexes for prostate cancer in a Chinese cohort with PSA 4-20 ng/mL. 【Methods】 A total of 139 males scheduled for biopsy were enrolled in the prospective study from Nov.2021 to Jun.2022. The total PSA (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), fPSA/tPSA (f/t) and p2PSA were collected, and the percentage of p2PSA(%p2PSA) and prostate health index(PHI) were calculated. The predictive value of p2PSA and its derived indexes were compared with traditional indexes with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Logistic analysis. 【Results】 Prostate cancer was found in 54 cases (38.8%). There were significant statistical differences in tPSA(10.68 vs.8.14, P=0.021), f/t(0.13 vs.0.16, P=0.006), p2PSA(30.25 vs.19.81, P<0.001), %p2PSA(21.52 vs.13.15, P<0.001) and PHI(64.3vs.38.2, P<0.001) between prostate cancer patients and non-prostate cancer patients. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of tPSA, fPSA, %fPSA, p2PSA, %p2PSA and PHI were 0.63, 0.51, 0.63, 0.71, 0.73, and 0.80, respectively. The inclusion of %p2PSA and PHI significantly increased the prediction efficiency of the basic prediction model (AUCbase+PHI=0.81, AUCbase+%p2PSA=0.78, AUCbase=0.67). With 35 as the recommended cut-off value of PHI, the incidence of meaningless puncture was reduced by 25.8%(36/139). 【Conclusion】 The application of p2PSA and its derived indexes have good predictive value for patients with PSA 4-20 ng/mL. The combined detection of %p2PSA and PHI can significantly increase the detection efficiency of prostate cancer and reduce the incidence of meaningless prostate puncture by 25.8%.

Objective:To observe the dynamic changes in specific IgG antibodies induced by recombinant hepatitis E vaccine using different immunization strategies in BALB/c mice.Methods:BALB/c, C57BL/6, NIH and KM mice were immunized intraperitoneally with serially diluted hepatitis E vaccine to select a mouse strain appropriately responding to hepatitis E vaccine. Then the selected BALB/c mice were randomly divided into three experimental groups, one-dose immunization group (0 week), two-dose immunization group (0 and 4 weeks) and three-dose immunization group (0, 4 and 12 weeks), and three adjuvant control groups with the same immunization strategy as the corresponding experimental group. Blood samples were collected from the intraocular canthus at different time points and serum antibody levels were detected quantitatively.Results:The BALB/c and NIH mice had proper responses to hepatitis E vaccine administrated at different doses than the C57BL/6 and KM mice, and the antibody positive conversion rates also showed a certain dose-effect relationship. Thus, the BALB/c mice were used as the animal model. The level of specific IgG antibodies in BALB/c mice immunized with one dose of vaccine reached a peak of 44.35 U/ml around the 10th week after the immunization, and then maintained at (5.52-13.28) U/ml after a decrease. The antibody level in the two-dose immunization group increased rapidly after the second immunization and peaked at the 8th week. From the 10th week, it gradually decreased and maintained at (16.50-32.54) U/ml. The trend of antibody changes in the three-dose immunization group was similar to that of the two-dose immunization group during the first 12 weeks, but a significant increase was induced after the third immunization and the level maintained at (62.65-72.61) U/ml for a long time, which was about nine times higher than that of the one-dose immunization group and three times of the two-dose immunization group.Conclusions:This study showed that BALB/c mice were suitable models to study the dynamic changes in specific IgG antibodies elicited by hepatitis E vaccine using different immunization strategies, which provided reference for future research on its in vivo efficacy.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prognostic value of tumor deposits(TD)in N0 stage gastric cancer. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed on clinicopathological data of 751 N0 stage gastric cancer patients who underwent subsequent R0 gastrectomy from January 2011 to February 2013 at Zhengzhou University Affiliated Tumor Hospital. Patients were divided into TD-negative group (688 cases) and TD-positive group (63 cases). Propensity score matching was used to balance the covariances between the two groups, such as age, gender, differentiation degree, tumor location, T stage, perineural invasion, lymphovascular invasion, extent of resection, tumor size, surgical procedure,and chemotherapy. Matching was performed by the minimal adjacent method of 1:2 pairing. The survival analysis was carried out using Kaplan-Meier method,and differences between the curves were detected by log-rank test. Cox proportional hazard model was used to perform univariate analysis and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: After matching,56 patients were allocated into the TD-positive group and 112 patients into the TD-negative group, and the baseline of clinicopathological data of 2 groups matched well (all P>0.05). The median follow-up time was 55.2 (12.0-83.2) months, and 3 patients were lost to follow-up (died of other diseases). In TD-positive group, 38 patients died of gastric cancer and 1 died of other disease. In TD-negative group, 52 patients died of gastric cancer and 2 died of other diseases. The TD-positive group had lower 5-year survival rate than TD-negative group (31.0% vs. 52.9%,χ²=6.230, P=0.014). Subgroup analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate of T1-2 stage TD-positive patients was significantly lower than that of T1-2 stage TD-negative patients (47.1% vs. 92.6%, χ²=11.433,P<0.001),while the difference between two groups with T3-4 stage (23.8% vs. 40.0%, χ²=2.995,P=0.084)was not significant. In patients receiving chemotherapy, the 5-year survival rate of TD-positive group was significantly lower than that of TD-negative group(34.1% vs. 54.8%, χ²=4.122, P=0.042). Further subgroup analysis showed that patients receiving postoperative chemotherapy of TD-positive group both in T1-2 stage (63.6% vs. 100%, χ²=3.830,P=0.048) and in T3-4 stage (24.2% vs. 48.4%, χ²=4.740,P=0.029) had significantly lower 5-year survival rates than those of TD-negative group. However,T1-2 stage TD-positive patients receiving chemotherapy had significantly higher 5-year survival rate as compared to those without receiving chemotherapy(63.6% vs. 16.7%, χ²=5.474,P=0.019).Univariate analysis revealed T stage (HR=1.829, 95%CI:1.490-2.245, P<0.001),perineural invasion (HR=2.620, 95%CI:1.617-4.246,P<0.001),tumor size (HR=1.646, 95%CI:1.078-2.512, P=0.021),TD(HR=1.691,95%CI:1.112-2.572,P=0.014) were associated with the prognosis of patients with gastric cancer. Multivariate analysis showed TD-positive (HR=2.035, 95%CI:1.325-3.126, P=0.001), later T stage (HR=1.812, 95%CI: 1.419-2.313,P<0.001), perineural invasion (HR=1.782,95%CI:1.058-3.002,P=0.030) were independent risk factors for the prognosis of gastric cancer. CONCLUSIONS TD is an independent risk factor for N0 stage gastric cancer,and may be closely related to T stage. Patients with TD-positive stage T1-2 should receive chemotherapy, but the prognosis of TD-positive patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy is poorer as compared to TD-negative patients. Therefore, more individualized treatments should be administrated.
Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Case-Control Studies ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Propensity Score ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Survival Analysis ; Survival Rate

Objective To investigate the correlation between the rate of pathological complete response (pCR) and prognostic nutritional index (PNI) in gastric cancer patients who underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Methods A total of 278 advanced gastric cancer patients who underwent NAC and R0 gastrectomy with D2 lymphadenectomy between January 2012 and March 2017 at the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Zhengzhou University were analyzed retrospectively. Propensity score matching (PSM) was conducted to reduce the confounding bias between the groups (PNI＜45, 157 patients; PNI≥45, 121 patients). Multivariate analysis was used to determine the independent risk factors of the pCR rate in gastric cancer patients who underwent NAC. Results PNI (OR:3.026;95％ CI:1.261, 7.260;P = 0.013), differentiation (OR:0.470;95％ CI:0.270, 0.819;P = 0.008), and tumor location (OR:0.341;95％ CI:0.164, 0.708;P = 0.004) were the independent risk factors associated with the pCR rate of the gastric cancer patients who underwent NAC. After PSM, PNI (OR:2.728;95％ CI:1.130, 6.587;P = 0.026) was the independent risk factor associated with the rate of pCR after NAC. Conclusion Gastric cancer patients who underwent NAC with low PNI are less likely to get pCR than those with normal PNI.

Objective To develop, optimize and preliminarily verify an indirect immunofluores-cence assay ( IFA) for detecting the titer of recombinant baculovirus. Methods Conditions for performing IFA, including cell concentration, co-incubation time, reaction temperature, dilution ratio, reaction time and types of fixative solution, blocking liquid and antibodies, were optimized to establish an IFA method for the detection of baculovirus titer. Specificity, accuracy, reproducibility and intermediate precision of the es-tablished assay were verified. And the results were compared with those of baculovirus rapid titer kit. Re-sults The optimal cell concentration for coating was 0. 6×106 cell/ml, and the optimal reaction time be-tween viruses with cells was 3 d. The optimal conditions for conducting IFA were as follows: formaldehyde buffered acetone (-20℃) was used as fixative, normal goat serum was used as blocking liquid and the first and second generation antibodies at a dilution of 1 : 200 were incubated at 37℃ for 1 h, respectively. Spe-cific fluorescence was observed only in baculovirus but not in others by using the method. No significant difference in virus titers was observed between the established IFA and baculovirus rapid titer kit. The two methods showed a good linear correlation (R2=0. 996). Coefficients of variation for evaluating the reproduc-ibility and intermediate precision were less than 10％. Conclusion IFA for the detection of baculovirus ti-ter was established with good specificity, accuracy, reproducibility and intermediate precision.

Objective The purpose of this study was to explore common complications and their clinicopathological features in pediatric liver transplantation.Methods Clinical and pathological data of 240 liver biopsies from 168 children that conducted liver puncture from January 2015 to May 2018 in Tianjin First Central Hospital was retrospectively analyzed.We comprehensively analyzed incidence rate and pathological features of various complications,and correlations between acute rejection and C4d staining result or Banff score.Results A total of 86.67％ (208/240) liver biopsies could be definitely diagnosed with incidence rate of main complications in descending order as follows:T cell mediated rejection (TCMR) 60.57％ (126/208),drug-induced liver injury (DILI) 17.31％ (36/208),biliary complication 8.17％ (17/208),vascular complication 3.37％ (7/208),ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI) 2.88％ (6/208),antibody mediated acute rejection (AMR) 1.92％ (4/208),HBV infection 1.92％ (4/208),non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) 1.44％ (3/208),chronic rejection (CR) 0.96 ％ (2/208) and HCV infection 0.48 ％ (1/208).TCMR and AMR in acute rejection (AR) accounted for 96.92％ (126/130) and 3.08％ (4/160),and into(portal-based,PB)type TCMR accounted for 96.03％(121/126) with the detectable rate of BP type subtype TCMR of 26.45％(32/121)within 30 d.There were 65.87％ (83/126)、25.40％ (32/126) 和4.76％ (6/126) of BP TCMR samples with "Banff ACR RAI" score within 3-5,6-7 and 8-9,and RAI score was negatively correlated with postoperative time (r =0.127,P =0.084).The incidence rate of central perivenulitis (CP) and portal eosinophils infiltration (PEI) in BP TCMR was 63.63％ (77/121) 和43.80％ (53/ 121),respectively,additionally,the PEI level was positively correlate with RAI score (P＜0.05).CP TCMR and AMR occurred within 30d-365 d and 8 d-180 d,respectively postoperative,while,the two CR occurred at 1095 d and 1335 d postoperative,and significant correlation was strikingly observed between rejection subtype and postoperative time (Z =9.231,P =0.026).C4d positive rate was 10％ (24/240),which was associated with Banff score and postoperative time,besides,C4d score was also correlated with rejection subtype and RAI score.The occurrence of DILI was mainly at time of ＜90 d or ＞180 d postoperative,and the detectable rate of biliary complication within 180 d postoperative was 82.35％ (14/17),IRI Appear in ＜30d.Hepatic artery complication account for nearly 57.14％ (4/7),occurrence time is ≤90 d.Occurrence of HBV infection,CMV infection and NAFLD were mainly at ＞365 d,＜90 d and ＜365 d,respectively.Conclusion There were lots of differences in clinical and pathological features among multi pediatric liver transplantation complications.Liver puncture plays an important role in rejection subtype classification and grading,as well as in non-rejection complications identification.