Sedentary behavior and the combination of physical activity associated with dementia, functional disability, and mortality: A cohort study of 90,471 older adults in Japan

OBJECTIVE

To examine the associations of sedentary behavior (SB) and the combination of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) with dementia, functional disability, and mortality in older adults, and the heterogeneity in different subpopulations.

METHODS

Nation-wide cohort with 90,471 individuals aged ≥65 years in Japan. SB (<3, 3-<8, and ≥ 8 h per day [h/d]) and MVPA (0, 0 < MVPA<1, and ≥ 1 h/d) were measured in 2016. Long-term care registry-based incidence of outcomes was ascertained through 2021. Cox proportional hazard models were performed.

RESULTS

Compared with SB < 3 h/d group, SB ≥ 8 h/d was associated with higher risks of dementia, functional disability, and mortality with hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of 1.36 (1.22-1.52), 1.32 (1.19-1.48), and 1.31 (1.18-1.45). The combination of MVPA and SB demonstrated a dose-respond trend of increasing risks of dementia, functional disability, and mortality with increased SB and decreased MVPA, where participants who spent no MVPA with SB ≥ 8 h/d had the highest risks. High MVPA attenuated but didn't eliminate the risks. Participants who spent MVPA≥1 h/d with SB ≥ 8 h/d had comparable risks to those who spent no MVPA with SB < 3 h/d. No heterogeneity was found by MVPA levels, sex, education, comorbidity, and depression conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Prolonged daily SB was associated with higher risks of dementia, functional disability, and mortality in older adults, regardless of MVPA, sex, education, and chronic conditions. Individuals with high MVPA also face considerable risks when engaging in high SB. High MVPA with high SB revealed a comparable risk to no MVPA with low SB.

Dexmedetomidine alleviates acute postoperative anxiety in rats by suppressing the NF-ĸB pathway

Evidence suggests that surgical procedures can effect the central nervous system and lead to changes in mood and behavior, rarely understood about the role of acute inflammation in promoting acute anxiety postoperatively. This study was designed to explore the possible mechanism of dexmedetomidine (DEX, a2-adrenergic receptor agonist) for reducing acute postoperative anxiety, which may be related to the activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and downstream signal pathway in the hippocampus. Experiments were conducted with rat, the elevated plus-maze and open field test were performed to evaluate anxiety-like behavior. Inhibit DEX with Atipamezole (AT, α2-adrenergic receptor antagonist) and inhibit NF-κB with Pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate (PDTC, inhibit phosphorylation of IκB, prevent the activation of NF-κB), the level of interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-1β, IL-10 and Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α); the nuclear translocation of NF-κB in the hippocampus and anxiety-like behavior were measured. Rats exhibited anxiety-like behavior at 6h and 12h after surgery. Preoperative administration of DEX significantly alleviated postoperative anxiety-like behavior. DEX premedication inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-κB alleviate acute postoperative anxiety. These findings are the first to show that acute postoperative anxiety may be related to NF-κB nuclear translocation in the hippocampus in rats, which can be alleviated by DEX premedication.

Is there any difference in urinary continence between bilateral and unilateral nerve sparing during radical prostatectomy? A systematic review and meta-analysis

CONTEXT

In men with prostate cancer, urinary incontinence is one of the most common long-term side effects of radical prostatectomy (RP). The recovery of urinary continence in patients is positively influenced by preserving the integrity of the neurovascular bundles (NVBs). However, it is still unclear if bilateral nerve sparing (BNS) is superior to unilateral nerve sparing (UNS) in terms of post-RP urinary continence. The aim of this study is to systematically compare the differences in post-RP urinary continence outcomes between BNS and UNS.

METHODS

The electronic databases of PubMed and Web of Science were comprehensively searched. The search period was up to May 31, 2023. English language articles comparing urinary continence outcomes of patients undergoing BNS and UNS radical prostatectomy were included. Meta-analyses were performed to calculate pooled relative risk (RR) estimates with 95% confidence intervals for urinary continence in BNS and UNS groups at selected follow-up intervals using a random-effects model. Sensitivity analyses were performed in prospective studies and robotic-assisted RP studies.

RESULTS

A meta-analysis was conducted using data from 26,961 participants in fifty-seven studies. A meta-analysis demonstrated that BNS improved the urinary continence rate compared to UNS at all selected follow-up points. RRs were 1.36 (1.14-1.63; p = 0.0007) at ≤ 1.5 months (mo), 1.28 (1.08-1.51; p = 0.005) at 3-4 mo, 1.12 (1.03-1.22; p = 0.01) at 6 mo, 1.08 (1.05-1.12; p < 0.00001) at 12 mo, and 1.07 (1.00-1.13; p = 0.03) at ≥ 24 mo, respectively. With the extension of the follow-up time, RRs decreased from 1.36 to 1.07, showing a gradual downward trend. Pooled estimates were largely heterogeneous. Similar findings were obtained through sensitivity analyses of prospective studies and robotic-assisted RP studies.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this meta-analysis demonstrate that BNS yields superior outcomes in terms of urinary continence compared to UNS, with these advantages being sustained for a minimum duration of 24 months. It may be due to the real effect of saving the nerves involved. Future high-quality studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Clinical, imaging, and pathological characteristics of congenital infiltrating lipomatosis of the face

Congenital infiltrating lipomatosis of the face (CILF) is a rare congenital disease of the head and neck region. In this study, the cases of 20 patients diagnosed with CILF were reviewed retrospectively to analyse the characteristics of the disease. The symptoms, signs, and clinical progression were investigated. Radiological changes were analysed according to the distribution of the trigeminal nerve. The pathological features of the fatty facial lesions, jaw hyperplasia, and lingual lesions were further identified. All 20 patients demonstrated hemifacial hypertrophy at birth. None had a family history of the disease. Significant radiological features of CILF (prevalence ≥90%) included thickened buccal subcutaneous fat, palatal submucosal fat, and temporal subcutaneous fat, maxillary tuberosity heteroplasia, and fatty infiltration of the masseteric intermuscular space. With regard to the trigeminal nerve, the frontal branch region (CNV1) was rarely affected, while the maxillary (CNV2) and mandibular (CNV3) branch regions showed considerable changes. Pathologically, CILF was observed to be characterized by the infiltration of mature adipose tissue into the adjacent buccal soft tissue, osteal remodelling surrounded by sheets of mature lipocytes and supporting fibrovascular stroma, and lingual hamartoma. In summary, CILF exhibits distinct characteristics that are related to the regions controlled by the maxillary and mandibular branches of the trigeminal nerve, suggesting that CILF may be associated with early neural development.

Enzyme-Responsive Modular Peptides Enhance Tumor Penetration of Quantum Dots via Charge Reversal Strategy

Quantum dots (QDs) are colloidal semiconductor nanoparticles acting as fluorescent probes for detection, disease diagnosis, and photothermal and photodynamic therapy. However, their performance in cancer treatment is limited by inadequate tumor accumulation and penetration due to the larger size of nanoparticles compared to small molecules. To address this challenge, charge reversal nanoparticles offer an effective strategy to prolong blood circulation time and achieve enhanced endocytosis and tumor penetration. In this study, we leveraged the overexpressed γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) in many human tumors and developed a library of modular peptides to serve as water-soluble surface ligands of QDs. We successfully transferred the QDs from the organic phase to the aqueous phase within 5 min. And through systematic tuning of the peptide sequence, we optimized the fluorescent stability of QDs and their charge reversal behavior in response to GGT. The resulting optimal peptide stabilized QDs in aqueous solution with a high fluorescent retention rate of 93% after three months and realized the surface charge reversal of QDs triggered by GGT in vitro. The binding between the peptide and QD surface was investigated by using saturation transfer differential nuclear magnetic resonance (STD NMR). Thanks to its charge reversal ability, the GGT-responsive QDs exhibited enhanced cellular uptake in GGT-expressing cancer cells and deeper penetration in the 3D multicellular spheroids. This enzyme-responsive modular peptide can lead to specific tumor targeting and deeper tumor penetration, holding great promise to enhance the treatment efficacy of QD-based theranostics.

Effect modification of social participation in the relationship between living arrangements and frailty among older adults in Japan: Differences based on gender

BACKGROUND

Frailty is a common global concern that is closely related to aging, especially in Japan. This study clarifies the relationship between living arrangements and frailty among older Japanese adults and the effect of social participation based on gender, with the aim of developing social preventive and intervention strategies.

METHODS

Panel data were obtained from the 2016 and 2019 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Studies. A total of 23,630 older adults, aged 65 years and older, were included. Frailty was assessed using the Kihon Checklist. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association between living arrangements and frailty and the effect of social participation based on gender.

RESULTS

A total of 1,589 (6.72 %) participants reported the new onset of frailty. No independent association was found between living arrangements and frailty, regardless of gender, after controlling for covariates. Diverse forms of social participation decreased the risk for frailty among men. For women, living with a spouse was associated with a higher risk for frailty, compared with women who lived alone; however, women who lived with children and participated in three or more social activities had a lowered risk for frailty.

CONCLUSIONS

For men, social participation played a more important role in the risk for frailty than did living arrangement. However, social participation moderated the association between living arrangements and frailty in women. Therefore, the promotion of social participation can be included in health prevention and intervention programs to decrease the risk for frailty.

The prognosis of preoperative preemptive intubation for acute type A aortic dissection patients: a retrospective propensity score matching study

Background

Acute type A aortic dissection (AADA) is a life-threatening cardiovascular disease, and improving perioperative mortality remains a significant challenge. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of preemptive intubation under adequate sedation and analgesia on the prognosis of AADA patients under the high rupture risk.

Methods

The medical records of patients diagnosed with AADA and admitted to Changhai Hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether they received preoperative preemptive intubation in the cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) before surgery. We used propensity score matching (PSM) analysis to conduct statistical analyses on the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative clinical data of the two groups.

Results

A total of 134 patients were eventually included in the study. One patient (3.8%) in the pre-intubation group and 15 (13.9%) in the control group died of dissection rupture before surgery. After excluding patients with dissection rupture, there were 25 patients in the pre-intubation group and 93 patients in the non-intubation group. After PSM, there were 17 patients in the pre-intubation group and 68 patients in the non-intubation group. Baseline data analysis showed that the pre-intubation group had a higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (10.2±3.9 vs. 8.0±4.7, P=0.036) and a higher proportion of patients with coronary artery disease (16.0% vs. 1.1%, P=0.007). The rate of massive pericardial effusion was also higher in the intubation group (28.0% vs. 10.8%, P=0.049), and preoperative oxygenation index was lower (273.2±97.3 vs. 322.1±100.9, P=0.032) compared to the control group. The results showed no significant differences in intraoperative and postoperative data for the two groups. Kaplan-Meier survival curves indicated a trend towards a more favorable prognosis for patients in the preemptive intubation group, but this difference was not significant either before or after PSM.

Conclusions

Preemptive pre-intubation may benefit high-risk patients with factors such as hypoxia, massive pericardial effusion, and agitation, improving the more critically AADA patients' perioperative outcomes.

Demographic characteristics and prognosis of HHV8-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified: Insights from a population-based study with a 10-year follow-up

HHV8-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (HDN) is a subtype of lymphoma that usually arises in association with HHV8-positive multicentric Castleman disease. However, the epidemiology, treatment patterns, and survival outcomes of HDN are poorly understood. A retrospective analysis was performed for 67 patients with HDN diagnosed from 2011 to 2020 using the SEER database. The demographic characteristics, treatment modalities, and survival outcomes of HDN patients were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis were employed to identify prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). The age-adjusted incidence rate of HDN was 0.010 per 100,000 person-years. The median age at diagnosis was 51.8 years with male predominance. The primary site distribution was mainly nodal (79.1%), while the extranodal sites were rarely involved (20.9%). The majority of patients were white (65.7%). Only 3.0% of patients received radiotherapy, while 55.2% received chemotherapy. The 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year OS was 67.4%, 65.6%, 58.4%, and 56.3%, respectively, and the corresponding DSS was 73.1%, 73.1%, and 67.8%, respectively. The diagnosis year group of 2016-2020 had a significantly worse OS than the diagnosis year group of 2011-2015 (P = .040), but not for DSS (P = .074). No significant survival improvement was observed in patients underwent chemotherapy. Age and marital status were independent prognostic factors for OS, and age was an independent prognostic factor for DSS. In conclusion, HDN is a rare and aggressive disease, our study provides a comprehensive overview of the epidemiology, treatment patterns and survival outcomes of HDN patients for the first time. We revealed that older age and marital status of single were associated with worse survival of HDN, while chemotherapy was not associated with improved survival outcomes in HDN patients.

The optimal induction dose of ciprofol combined with low-dose rocuronium in children undergoing daytime adenotonsillectomy

Adenotonsillectomy is the most common daytime surgery performed on children. Anesthesiologists must select the optimal combination of drugs to ensure effective anesthesia effect and prompt recovery in children. The optimal induction dose of ciprofol in children is unclear. In this study, we aim to investigate the effect of different doses of ciprofol on anesthesia induction in children undergoing daytime adenotonsillectomy and provide a reference for clinical use. 144 children aged 3-12 years, ASA I-II, undergoing daytime adenotonsillectomy, were included in this clinical trial. The children were randomly divided into three groups and given 0.4 mg/kg (C4), 0.6 mg/kg (C6), or 0.8 mg/kg (C8) of ciprofol for anesthesia induction. The primary outcome was intubation conditions. Vital signs and injection pain were also recorded. The rates of unacceptable intubation conditions were 30.6%, 8.7%, and 8.2% in the C4, C6, and C8 groups (P value < 0.0167). The overall incidence of reported injection pain was 3.5%. The heart rate and mean arterial pressure did not differ between the groups at the same time points. We found that combining 0.6 mg/kg of ciprofol with low-dose rocuronium could provide optimal intubation conditions in pediatric daytime adenotonsillectomy patients. This combination resulted in stable circulation and BIS values. This study is registered at the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Registration number: ChiCTR2200063144, Date of Registration: 31/08/2022).

Effect of neuromuscular block on surgical conditions during laparoscopic surgery in neonates and small infants: A randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Neuromuscular block (NMB) is routinely used in paediatric and adult anaesthesia to facilitate endotracheal intubation and optimise surgical conditions. However, there are limited data regarding NMB and optimising the conditions for laparoscopic surgery in neonates and small infants.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to determine the effect of NMB on the conditions for laparoscopic surgery in neonates and small infants.

DESIGN

A randomised controlled trial.

SETTING

Single-centre Children's Hospital, conducted from November 2021 to December 2022.

PATIENTS

One hundred and two ASA I-II neonates and small infants aged up to 60 weeks postmenstrual age who were scheduled to undergo an elective laparoscopic Ladd's procedure were included in the study.

INTERVENTIONS

Patients were randomised into three groups: no NMB group, shallow NMB group and moderate NMB group. Each group was given different doses of rocuronium to achieve the target depth of NMB.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was the quality of the surgical conditions evaluated with the Leiden-Surgical Rating Scale (L-SRS) by a blinded surgeon. Secondary outcomes included tracheal intubating conditions and adverse events.

RESULTS

The percentage of L-SRS scores of 4 or 5 was similar among the three groups at all the assessment times ( P  > 0.05 for each time interval). The distribution of L-SRS scores was also similar among the three groups. There were no significant differences in operating condition scores between the groups at any time interval ( P  > 0.05 for each time interval). The incidence of adverse events during anaesthesia induction was significantly higher in the no NMB group (51.4%) than in the other two groups (13.6% and 14.7%) (adjusted P  = 0.012 and adjusted P  = 0.003). In particular, clinically unacceptable intubation conditions occurred in 12 patients (34.3%) in the no NMB group, significantly more than in the shallow NMB group (6.1%, adjusted P  = 0.012) and moderate NMB group (2.9%, adjusted P  = 0.003). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of adverse events in the PACU among the three groups ( P  = 0.103).

CONCLUSIONS

The depth of NMB was not associated with superior surgical conditions during laparoscopic surgery, but it was associated with a reduction in adverse events during induction and maintenance of anaesthesia in neonates and small infants.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Registered at www.chictr.org.cn (ChiCTR2100052296).

Activation of the Akt Attenuates Ropivacaine-Induced Myelination Impairment in Spinal Cord and Sensory Dysfunction in Neonatal Rats

Prolonged exposure to local anesthetics (LAs) or intrathecal administration of high doses of LAs can cause spinal cord damage. Intraspinal administration of LAs is increasingly being used in children and neonates. Therefore, it is important to study LA-related spinal cord damage and the underlying mechanism in developmental models. First, neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats received three intrathecal injections of 0.5% ropivacaine, 1% ropivacaine, 2% ropivacaine or saline (90-min interval) on postnatal day 7. Electron microscopy, luxol fast blue staining and behavioral tests were performed to evaluate the spinal neurotoxicity caused by ropivacaine at different concentrations. Western blot analysis and immunostaining was performed to detect the expression changes of p-Akt, Akt, myelin gene regulatory factor (MYRF) and myelin basic protein (MBP) in the spinal cord treated with different concentrations of ropivacaine. Our results showed that 1% or 2% ropivacaine impaired myelination in the spinal cord and induced sensory dysfunction, but 0.5% ropivacaine did not. Moreover, 1% or 2% ropivacaine decreased the expression of p-Akt, MYRF and MBP in the spinal cord. Then, in order to further explore the role of these proteins in this model, the Akt-specific activator (SC79) was intraperitoneally injected 30 min before 2% ropivacaine treatment. Interestingly, SC79-mediated activation of Akt partly rescued ropivacaine-induced myelination impairments and sensory dysfunction. Overall, the results showed that ropivacaine caused spinal neurotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner in neonatal rats and that activation of the Akt partly rescued ropivacaine-induced these changes. These data provide insight into the neurotoxicity to the developing spinal cord caused by LAs.

Multi-Stimuli-Responsive Nanoparticles Formed of POSS-PEG for the Delivery of Boronic Acid-Containing Therapeutics

Polymeric vehicles often exhibit batch-to-batch variations due to polydispersity, limiting their reproducibility for biomedical applications. In contrast, polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) has emerged as an attractive candidate for drug delivery due to its precise chemical structure and rigid molecular shape. A promising strategy to enhance drug efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity is the development of multi-stimuli-responsive delivery systems capable of targeted drug release at a disease site. Herein, we developed a drug delivery platform based on POSS-polymer conjugates. By functionalizing the POSS with amino groups and establishing B-N coordination with boronic acids, the nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit responsive behavior to stimuli, including adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP), acidic pH, and nucleophilic reagents. We successfully encapsulated two boronic acid-containing molecules: tetraphenylethylene (TPE), serving as a fluorescent probe, and bortezomib (BTZ), an anticancer drug. The TPE@NPs were employed to visualize the cellular uptake of NPs by tumor cells, while the BTZ@NPs exhibited increased cytotoxicity in tumor cells compared with normal cells. This POSS-PEG conjugate offers a nanoparticle platform for encapsulating versatile boronic acid-containing molecules, thereby enhancing drug efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity. Given the wide-ranging applications of boronic acid-containing molecules in biomedicine, our platform holds significant promise for the development of intelligent drug delivery systems for diagnostics and therapeutics.

Effect of epidural block on surgical conditions during pediatric subumbilical laparoscopic surgery involving a supraglottic airway: a randomized clinical trial

Background

Few studies have examined the effect of epidural block on surgical conditions during pediatric subumbilical laparoscopic surgery involving a supraglottic airway (SGA). This study investigated the surgical condition scores for such procedures in cases where neuromuscular block, epidural block, or neither was used.

Methods

A total of 150 patients aged 3-12 years undergoing laparoscopic orchiopexy with a ProSeal SGA device were randomly allocated to one of three groups: the control group (did not receive neuromuscular block and epidural block), the NMB group [received a neuromuscular block (train-of-four 1-2 twitches) using rocuronium], or the EDB group (received an epidural block using ropivacaine). The primary outcome was the quality of surgical conditions evaluated with the Leiden-Surgical Rating Scale by the blinded surgeon. The secondary outcome measures included intraoperative hemodynamic data (including mean arterial pressure and heart rate), the SGA device removal time, the PACU discharge time, the pain score in the PACU and intraoperative adverse events (including bradycardia, hypotension, peak airway pressure > 20 cmH2O, and poor or extremely poor surgical conditions occurred during the operation). Statistical analysis was performed with one-way analysis of variance, the Kruskal-Wallis test, the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons were made for primary and secondary outcomes.

Results

Surgical condition scores were significantly higher in the NMB and EDB groups than in the control group (median difference: 0.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.5-1.0; p < 0.0001; and median difference: 0.7; 95% CI, 0.5-0.8; p < 0.0001, respectively). Blood pressure and heart rate were significantly lower in the EDB group than in the other two groups (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.004). Patients in the EDB group had significantly lower pain scores during PACU than those in the other two groups (p < 0.0001). The sufentanil dose was lower in the EDB group than in the other two groups (p = 0.001).

Conclusion

Epidural block can improve surgical conditions during pediatric subumbilical laparoscopic surgery involving a SGA to a degree comparable to that with moderate neuromuscular block.

Untargeted lipidomics-based study reveals the treatment mechanism of Qingxue Bawei tablets on atherosclerotic in ApoE-/- mice

Qingxue Bawei (QXBW) tablets, a Mongolian medicine prescription, have proved to possess good lipid-lowering and antihypertensive effects in previous studies. However, the therapeutic effects and potential mechanisms of QXBW tablets on atherosclerosis (AS) have not been well studied yet. This study aimed to investigate the potential liver-protective mechanism of QXBW tablets on AS mice by hepatic lipidomics analysis. After 10 weeks of administration, serum and liver were collected for biochemical, histopathological, and lipid metabolomics analysis to evaluate the efficacy of the QXBW tablets on high-fat diet (HFD) induced mice. The experimental results indicated that QXBW tablets could ameliorate liver injury and inflammatory response in AS mice. Liver lipid data from different groups of mice were collected by UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS, and a total of 22 potential biomarkers with significant differences between the model and control groups were identified finally, of which 16 potential biomarkers were back-regulated after the QXBW tablets intervention. These 22 potential differential metabolic markers were mainly involved in glycerolipid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and cholesterol ester metabolism pathways. The results of this study showed that serum inflammatory factors, liver function indices, and lipid metabolism disorders were positively alleviated in AS mice after QXBW tablets treatment.

Global research trends of nanotechnology for pain management

Background: Nanotechnology has been increasingly used in healthcare during recent years. However, the systematic evaluation of research on nanotechnology for pain management is lacking. In this study, we employed a bibliometric approach to examine the status of the research and global trends of nanotechnology in relation to pain management. Methods: We selected relevant papers published in the Web of Science Core Collection database between 2013 and 2022 using search terms related to nanotechnology and pain management. Subsequently, the following bibliographic information was collected: publication year, originating country/region, affiliated authors and institutions, published journal, references cited, citation frequency, and keywords. The bibliometric software programs VOSViewer and CiteSpace were employed to obtain bibliometric statistics and perform visual analysis. Results: A total of 2680 papers were retrieved. The number of publications in the field of nanotechnology for pain management has been increasing annually since 2013. China had the highest number of published papers, whereas the United States led in total citations. The Chinese Academy of Sciences was the most prolific institution, while the Tehran University of Medical Sciences had the highest overall citations. Furthermore, De Paula was the most prolific author. Papers associated with nanotechnology for pain management were mainly published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics, Pharmaceutics, and the International Journal of Nanomedicine. Keyword analysis showed that "in-vitro" and "drug-delivery" appeared most frequently, with the top 10 common keywords comprising nanoparticles, pain, in-vitro, drug-delivery, delivery, release, inflammation, neuropathic pain, formulation, and expression. Lastly, the latest emerging keyword was "electrochemical sensor". Conclusion: Research on applying nanotechnology for pain management is growing steadily. China is the top country in terms of number of publications, with institutions under the Chinese Academy of Sciences making significant contributions to this field. "In-vitro" and "drug-delivery" are the current hotspots in this area, with "electrochemical sensor" as the latest topic at the research forefront. However, national and inter-institutional collaborations should be strengthened to enable patients with pain disorders to benefit from nanotechnology implementation in pain management.

Genomic features of recombinant CHO clones arising from transposon-based and randomized integration

The use of transposase in cell line development (CLD) programs has experienced increased popularity over the past decade. However, few studies have described the mechanism of action and the genomic and phenotypic characteristics of clones derived from transposase. Additionally, how these traits impact long-term bioproduction is unknown. Here, we use chromosome painting, deep sequencing, and ddPCR to characterize the unique fingerprints associated with transposase-derived clones. Transposase reduces the cellular pool of transient vector as early as three days post transfection following transfection and expedites stable pool establishment by up to two weeks. Furthermore, recombinant DNA expression is significantly improved up to ∼3 fold along with a greater balance of antibody heavy and light chain transcripts, resulting in higher titers in transposase generated pools. Transposase derived pools contained an often innumerable number of integration sites, representing a vast increase in integration site diversity over randomly generated pools, which were bottlenecked at 1-3 integration sites per pool. These transposase mediated integrations typically occurred in clean singlets, free of genomic scars such as deletions, inversions, and other modifications associated with legacy transfection methods which exhibited higher copy numbers per integration site. Relative declines in gene expression occur with copy number increase in the randomly generated, but not the transposase derived clones. Furthermore, transposase-derived clones were more likely to exhibit enhanced a long term stability profile, including product quality attributes such as mannose-5. This improved stability may result from circumventing mechanisms associated with the silencing of tandem repeats. Thus, transposase-mediated approaches can provide multifaceted molecular and phenotypic advantages in cell line development when compared to legacy random-integration methods.

Rapid screening and characterization of 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones in agarwood by UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap-MS

The purpose of this study is to develop an improved comprehensive data filtering strategy, which was implemented primarily through the Microsoft Office platform's Excel software for rapid screening of potential 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromone (PEC) monomers and their dimers (PEC dimers) obtained from agarwood. A total of 108 PEC monomers and 30 PEC dimers in agarwood were characterized. In conclusion, the results obtained in this work could provide useful information for the future utilization of agarwood. In particular, it is the first time to conduct an in-depth analysis of the MS/MS fragmentation behavior of a large number of PEC monomers and PEC dimers, including the identification of substituent positions of them. The proposed data filtering strategy could improve the comprehensive characterization efficiency of complex components in spices.

Application of wireless ultrasound for guided caudal anesthesia in children undergoing concealed penis surgery

Caudal anesthesia alleviates the strong pain endured by children during surgical treatment for concealed penis. In the traditional method, anesthesiologists identify the puncture point using the 'blind probe' method, which leads to anesthesia induction failure in children. Ultrasound has recently gained wide attention for its guidance in peripheral nerve block analgesia. However, the clinical significance of wireless ultrasound - guided caudal anesthesia technology in children remains unexplored. This study investigated the clinical value of wireless ultrasound - guided caudal anesthesia in children undergoing concealed penis surgery. From April 2022 to August 2022, 120 pediatric patients aged 3-10 years were selected for concealed penis surgery. They were divided into the wireless ultrasound - guided sacral block group (group A) and the traditional sacral block group (group B), with 60 children in each group. Children in group A and group B underwent wireless ultrasound - guided caudal anesthesia and traditional caudal anesthesia, respectively. The success rates of the first puncture and total punctures, time taken for the punctures, and number of punctures were compared between the groups. The success rates of the first puncture (95% vs 68.3%) and total puncture (100% vs 90%) were significantly higher in group A than in group B (P<0.05). The average puncture time and the average number of punctures were, respectively, significantly shorter and lesser in group A than in group B (both P<0.05). Compared with the traditional method, wireless ultrasound visualization technology can effectively improve the success rate of sacral block puncture and reduce puncture time, which is worthy of clinical application.

Oxycodone vs. tramadol in postoperative parent-controlled intravenous analgesia in children: a prospective, randomized, double-blinded, multiple-center clinical trial

BACKGROUND

Management of acute postoperative pain is one of the major challenges in pediatric patients. Oral oxycodone has shown good pain relief in postoperative pain relief in children, but no studies have investigated intravenous oxycodone in this context.

OBJECTIVE

whether oxycodone PCIA can provide adequate and safe postoperative pain relief, in comparison to tramadol as reference opioid drug.

DESIGN

a randomized, double-blind, parallel, multi-center clinical trial.

SETTING

five university medical centers and three teaching hospitals in China.

PARTICIPANTS

patients aged 3-month-old to 6-year-old undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia.

INTERVENTION

patients were randomly allocated to either tramadol (n = 109) or oxycodone (n = 89) as main postoperative opioid analgesic. Tramadol or oxycodone were administered with a loading dose at the end of surgery (1 or 0.1 mg.kg^-1, respectively), then with a parent-controlled intravenous device with fixed bolus doses only (0.5 or 0.05 mg.kg-1, respectively), and a 10-min lockout time.

OUTCOMES

the primary outcome was adequate postoperative pain relief, defined as a face, legs, activity, cry, and consolability (FLACC) score < 4/10 in the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU), with no need for an alternative rescue analgesia. FLACC was measured 10 min after extubation then every 10 min until discharge from PACU. Analgesia was currently conducted with the boluses of either tramadol or oxycodone if FLACC was ≥ 3, up to three bolus doses, after what rescue alternative analgesia was administered.

RESULTS

tramadol and oxycodone provided a similar level of adequate postoperative pain relief in PACU and in the wards. No significant differences were either noted for the raw FLACC scores, the bolus dose demand in PACU, the time between the first bolus dose and discharge from PACU, analgesic drug consumption, bolus times required in the wards, function activity score, or the parents' satisfaction. The main observed side effects in both groups were nausea and vomiting, with no difference between groups. However, patients in the oxycodone group showed less sedation levels and had a shorter stay in the PACU, compared with the tramadol group.

CONCLUSIONS

an adequate postoperative analgesia can be achieved with intravenous oxycodone, this with less side effects than tramadol. It can therefore be a choice for postoperative pain relief in pediatric patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The study was registered at www.chictr.org.cn (Registration number: ChiCTR1800016372; date of first registration: 28/05/2018; updated date:06/01/2023).

Baicalin alleviates silica-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis by inhibiting TLR4/NF-?B pathway in rats

Silicosis is an occupational lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust. The disease is characterized by early lung inflammation and late irreversible pulmonary fibrosis. Here we report the effect of Baicalin, a main flavonoid compound from the roots of Chinese herbal medicine Huang Qin on silicosis in a rat model. Results showed Baicalin (50 or 100 mg/kg/day) can mitigate the silica-induced lung inflammation and reduce the harm of alveolar structure and the blue region of collagen fibers in rat lung at 28 days after administration. At the same time, Baicalin also diminished the level of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) in lung tissues. The protein expression of collagen I (Col-1), alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and vimentin were down-regulated while E-cadherin (E-cad) was increased in Baicalin-treated rats. In addition, the Toll Like Receptor 4 (TLR4)/ nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway was enabled at 28 days after silica infusion, and the treatment of Baicalin diminished the expression of TLR4 and NF-?B in the lungs of rat with silicosis. These results suggested that Baicalin inhibited the pulmonary inflammatory and fibrosis in a rat model of silicosis, which could be attributed to inhibition of the TLR4/NF-kappaB pathway.

Baicalin alleviates silica-induced lung inflammation and fibrosis by inhibiting TLR4/NF-?B pathway in rats

Silicosis is an occupational lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust. The disease is characterized by early lung inflammation and late irreversible pulmonary fibrosis. Here we report the effect of Baicalin, a main flavonoid compound from the roots of Chinese herbal medicine Huang Qin on silicosis in a rat model. Results showed Baicalin (50 or 100 mg/kg/day) can mitigate the silica-induced lung inflammation and reduce the harm of alveolar structure and the blue region of collagen fibers in rat lung at 28 days after administration. At the same time, Baicalin also diminished the level of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) in lung tissues. The protein expression of collagen I (Col-1), alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and vimentin were down-regulated while E-cadherin (E-cad) was increased in Baicalin-treated rats. In addition, the Toll Like Receptor 4 (TLR4)/ nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) pathway was enabled at 28 days after silica infusion, and the treatment of Baicalin diminished the expression of TLR4 and NF-?B in the lungs of rat with silicosis. These results suggested that Baicalin inhibited the pulmonary inflammatory and fibrosis in a rat model of silicosis, which could be attributed to inhibition of the TLR4/NF-kappaB pathway.

Effect of preoperative pulmonary artery pressure on the prognosis of end-stage heart failure patients after heart transplantation

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effect of preoperative pulmonary artery pressure on perioperative outcome of end-stage heart failure patients undergoing heart transplantation.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis was undertaken on the clinical data of patients receiving heart transplantation in the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery of our hospital from March 2017 to March 2022. A ROC curve analysis was developed between mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and postoperative mortality using mPAP as diagnostic criteria. Patients were divided into groups based on this threshold to determine the best mPAP threshold value for predicting postoperative nosocomial mortality, and the differences in preoperative and intraoperative data, postoperative complications, and clinical prognosis of patients in the two groups were compared. Patients were followed up to draw the survival curve of patients in the two groups.

RESULTS

The study enlisted the participation of 105 patients. ROC curve research revealed that preoperative pulmonary artery pressure was substantially linked with death following heart transplantation, with mPAP = 30.5mmHg being the best threshold. The group with mPAP ≥ 30.5mmHg had a greater incidence of postoperative ECMO support (28.2% vs. 10.6%, P = 0.021) and a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality (15.4% vs. 1.5%, P = 0.019) than the group with mPAP < 30.5mmHg. The postoperative survival rates of 105 patients were 91.3%, 88.7%, 81.6%, and 77.5% at 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively, however, there was no significant difference between the two groups of patients in the postoperative intermediate-far survival rate (P = 0.431).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative pulmonary artery pressure in patients with end-stage heart failure is intimately correlated with perioperative prognosis of heart transplant recipients. The optimal cut-off mPAP value in predicting perioperative prognosis of heart transplant recipients is 30.5mmHg. In the high mPAP group, perioperative ECMO support rate and perioperative mortality rate are high, which do not affect the medium and long-term prognosis of the recipients undergoing heart transplantation.

Effectiveness of prophylactic antimicrobial levofloxacin against postureteroscopic lithotripsy infection: A multicenter prospective open-label randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

To verify the appropriate prophylactic agent to prevent ureteroscopic lithotripsy infection, which is safe, effective, convenient, reasonable, and with best pharmacoeconomic benefit ratio, to provide evidence for clinical practice.

METHODS

This study is a multicenter, open-label, randomized, positive drug-controlled trial design. From January 2019 to December 2021, patients with ureteral calculi who were going to undergo retrograde flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy were selected from urology departments in 5 research centers. The patients enrolled were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group according to the random number table by blocking randomization. In the experimental group (Group A), 0.5 g levofloxacin was given 2 to 4 hours before surgery. In the control group (Group B), cephalosporin was injected 30 minutes before surgery. The infectious complications, the incidence of adverse drug reactions and the economic benefit ratio were compared between the 2 groups.

RESULTS

A total of 234 cases were enrolled. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups at baseline. Postoperative infection complications were 1.8% in the experimental group, which was significantly lower than 11.2% in control group. The type of infection complication in both groups was asymptomatic bacteriuria. The cost of drugs in the experimental group was 19.89 ± 13.11 yuan, which was significantly lower than cost of drugs in the control group of 41.75 ± 30.12 yuan. The levofloxacin application had favorable cost-effectiveness ratio. The difference in safety between 2 groups was not significant.

CONCLUSION

The application of levofloxacin is safe, effective, and low-cost regimen for postureteroscopic lithotripsy infection prevention.

MiR-107 Activates NF- κ B versus A β Analysis of the regulatory effect of 1-42 induced apoptosis in Alzheimer's disease cells

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the acute degenerative diseases of the brain that occurs in the central nervous system. This disease is caused by the abnormal deposition of insoluble plaques and peptide amyloid beta (Aβ), the formation of nodules, and synaptic disorder. The formation of these nodes disrupts the functioning of neural circuits and changes in behavioral response due to the activation of neurotransmitter receptors. Research in recent years has shown that microRNAs play an effective role in Alzheimer's disease and neurotransmitter factors. Recently, miR-107 is effective in the pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) through the regulation of NF-κB signaling pathway. Experiments conducted using the dual luciferase method and western blot analysis also showed that miR-107 in primary neurons affects neurotransmitter factors in Alzheimer's disease through the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. The results showed that the reduction of miR-107 expression through the regulation of the NF-κB signaling pathway leads to the suppression of cell apoptosis in Alzheimer's patients. On the other hand, increasing the expression of miR-107 leads to increasing the breaking process of Amyloid precursor protein (APP). This factor increases the production of amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide plaques and increases the expression of the BACE1 gene, which ultimately leads to the induction of apoptosis and induction of Alzheimer's disease.

Organic solvent-free starch-based green electrospun nanofiber mats for curcumin encapsulation and delivery

Developing green and efficient methods for the delivery of active food substances is a sustained demand for food scientists and industries. In this work, for the first time, we prepared a curcumin (CUR)-loaded starch-based fast-dissolving nanofiber by electrospinning technology. This green nanofiber was obtained by incorporating CUR with octenyl succinic anhydride starch (OSA) and pullulan (PUL) matrix using pure water as the solvent. To overcome the poor water-solubility and bioavailability of CUR, hydroxypropyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) was used to form inclusion complexes. Phase solubility test results showed that by introducing HPβCD, the water-solubility of CUR was obviously improved. The prepared electrospun nanofibers were systematically characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), encapsulation efficiency testing, solubility testing and antioxidant activity testing. The results demonstrated that CUR was well encapsulated into HPβCD and OSA/PUL/CUR-HPβCD electrospun nanofibers with fine morphology and fast-dissolving character were successfully prepared. It is worth noting that the whole process and raw materials were green, suggesting that the prepared fast-dissolving nanofiber has great application potential in the food and pharmaceutical fields.

X-Ray-Triggered Carbon Monoxide and Manganese Dioxide Generation based on Scintillating Nanoparticles for Cascade Cancer Radiosensitization

Carbon monoxide (CO) is an endogenous signaling molecule with broad therapeutic effects. Here, a multifunctional X-ray-triggered carbon monoxide (CO) and manganese dioxide (MnO2) generation nanoplatform based on metal carbonyl and scintillating nanoparticles (SCNPs) is reported. Attributed to the radioluminescent characteristic of SCNPs, UV-responsive Mn2(CO)10 is not only indirectly activated to release CO by X-ray but can also be degraded into MnO2. A high dose of CO can be used as a glycolytic inhibitor for tumor suppression; it will also sensitize tumor cells to radiotherapy. Meanwhile MnO2, as the photolytic byproduct of Mn2(CO)10, has both glutathione (GSH) depletion and Fenton-like Mn2+ delivery properties to produce highly toxic hydroxyl radical (•OH) in tumors. Thus, this strategy can realize X-ray-activated CO release, GSH depletion, and •OH generation for cascade cancer radiosensitization. Furthermore, X-ray-activated Mn2+in vivo demonstrates an MRI contrast effect, making it a potential theranostic nanoplatform.

Research on Ecological Land Expansion: A Case Study of Haixing County of China

As China’s natural resource governance has turned to high-quality management, establishing reasonable and ecological land-use patterns is an effective means of promoting natural resource utilization and improving the quality of the ecological environment. Therefore, this study used ecological land as the expansion source to construct an ecological land-use pattern with the minimum cumulative resistance model in Haixing County, China, based on regional food security, ecological security, and construction land expansion patterns. This work also involved designing ecological corridors, radiation channels, strategic nodes, and other ecological components. The results demonstrate that (1) the ecological land source is 7976.93 hm2, accounting for 9.19% of the total area. It is mainly distributed in the southeast of the county, mainly in the river system and woodland; (2) the food security situation of Haixing County can be divided into four zones, most of which are agricultural adjustment areas, indicating that the ecological security of cultivated land in this area needs to be improved; (3) the ecological security level of Haixing County is divided into four areas, and the ideal safety zone accounts for the smallest area, indicating that the regional ecological situation is very unstable; (4) construction land expansion zone is divided into four parts. A suitable construction zone occupies the largest area and is mainly distributed around the current construction land; (5) the expansion of the ecological land-use pattern of Haixing County includes four zones, 15 ecological corridors, 12 radiation channels, and 35 strategic nodes, which is conducive to optimal land allocation from an ecological security perspective. This paper puts forward some suggestions for ecological protection and intensive urban development.

Is first pregnancy age associated with hypertension in the Chinese rural women population?

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between first pregnancy age and hypertension later in the life of women from Chinese rural areas.

Methods

In total, 13,493 women were enrolled in the Henan Rural Cohort study. Logistic regression and linear regression were used to evaluate the association between first pregnancy age and hypertension and blood pressure indicators [including systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP)]. The restricted cubic spline was used to examine the dose-response relationship between the first pregnancy age and hypertension or blood pressure indicators.

Results

After adjusting for potential confounders, each 1-year increase in first pregnancy age was associated with a 0.221 mmHg increase in SBP values, a 0.153 mmHg increase in DBP values, and a 0.176 mmHg decrease in MAP values (all P < 0.05). The β of SBP, DBP, and MAP showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing with increasing first pregnancy age and there was no statistical significance after first pregnancy age beyond 33 years on SBP, DBP, and MAP, respectively. A 1-year increment in first pregnancy age was associated with a 2.9% [OR (95% CI): 1.029 (1.010, 1.048)] higher odds of prevalent hypertension. The odds of hypertension increased sharply and then eventually leveled off with an increment of first pregnancy age after adjusting for potential confounders.

Conclusion

First pregnancy age might increase the risk of hypertension later in life and might be an independent risk factor for hypertension in women.

Gelatin-based anticancer drug delivery nanosystems: A mini review

Drug delivery nanosystems (DDnS) is widely developed recently. Gelatin is a high-potential biomaterial originated from natural resources for anticancer DDnS, which can effectively improve the utilization of anticancer drugs and reduce side effects. The hydrophilic, amphoteric behavior and sol-gel transition of gelatin can be used to fulfill various requirements of anticancer DDnS. Additionally, the high number of multifunctional groups on the surface of gelatin provides the possibility of crosslinking and further modifications. In this review, we focus on the properties of gelatin and briefly elaborate the correlation between the properties and anticancer DDnS. Furthermore, we discuss the applications of gelatin-based DDnS in various cancer treatments. Overall, we have summarized the excellent properties of gelatin and correlated with DDnS to provide a manual for the design of gelatin-based materials for DDnS.

A Systematic Review of the Measurement Properties of Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability Scale for Pediatric Pain Assessment

Purpose

We performed this systematic review to summarize the psychometric properties of Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability (FLACC) scale in pediatric patients in different settings.

Methods

Two investigators independently searched PubMed, EMBASE, OVID and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) for eligible studies through July 2021. We assessed the psychometric properties using the modified critical appraisal tool (CAT). Finally, we systematically reviewed the results of the included studies.

Results

A total of 15 studies were eventually included. The overall quality of each eligible study was low to moderate. The FLACC scale has been available in different versions and in different settings. Although eligible studies have demonstrated significant clinical benefit in assessing postoperative pain in pediatric patients aged 0 to 10 years from post-anesthetic care unit (PACU), pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and inpatient unit, and in assessing procedural pain in pediatric patients aged 0.5 to 7 years from emergency unit, immunization center and PICU, mostly without test-retest analysis.

Conclusion

Although the absence of a gold standard of pain assessment, the currently available data support the usefulness of the FLACC from the perspective of criterion validity. Therefore, the FLACC scale can be considered for measuring observational pain in infants and children. However, further studies are still needed to provide more robust evidence.

Exposure to the environmentally toxic pesticide maneb induces Parkinson's disease-like neurotoxicity in mice: A combined proteomic and metabolomic analysis

Maneb is a typical dithiocarbamate fungicide that has been extensively used worldwide. Epidemiological evidence shows that exposure to maneb is an environmental risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the mechanisms underlying maneb-induced neurotoxicity have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we exposed SH-SY5Y cells to maneb at environmentally relevant concentrations (0, 0.1, 5, 10 mg/L) and found that maneb dose-dependently decreased the cell viability. Furthermore, maneb (60 mg/kg) induced PD-like motor impairment in α-synuclein A53T transgenic mice. The results of tandem mass tag (TMT) proteomics and metabolomics studies of mouse brain and serum revealed significant changes in proteins and metabolites in the pathways involved in the neurotransmitter system. The omics results were verified by targeted metabolomics and Western blot analysis, which demonstrated that maneb induced disturbance of the PD-related pathways, including the phenylalanine and tryptophan metabolism pathways, dopaminergic synapse, synaptic vesicle cycle, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. In addition, the PD-like phenotype induced by maneb was attenuated by the asparagine endopeptidase (AEP) inhibitor compound #11 (CP11) (10 mg/kg), indicating that AEP may play a role in maneb-induced neurotoxicity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying maneb-induced PD-like phenotypes using multiomics analysis, which identified novel therapeutic targets for PD associated with pesticides and other environmental pollutants.

Astaxanthin Activated the Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway to Enhance Autophagy and Inhibit Ferroptosis, Ameliorating Acetaminophen-Induced Liver Injury

Acetaminophen (APAP)-induced liver injury (AILI) is a common liver disease in clinical practice. Only one clinically approved drug, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), for the treatment of AILI is available in clinics, but novel treatment strategies are still needed due to the complicated pathological changes of AILI and the side effects of NAC. Here, we found that astaxanthin (ASX) can prevent AILI through the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway. After treatment with ASX, there was a positive activation of the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in AILI models both in vivo and in vitro accompanied by enhanced autophagy and reduced ferroptosis. In APAP-challenged L02 liver cells, ASX reduced autophagy and enhanced apoptosis of the cells. Furthermore, we developed ASX-loaded hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSN@ASX) to improve the aqueous solubility of ASX and targeted delivery of ASX to the liver and then significantly improve the therapeutic effects. Taken together, we found that ASX can protect against AILI by activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway, which mainly affects oxidative stress, autophagy, and ferroptosis processes, and the HMSN@ASX nanosystem can target the liver to enhance the treatment efficiency of AILI.

RNA sequencing and integrative analysis reveal pathways and hub genes associated with TGFβ1 stimulation on prostatic stromal cells

Objective: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common urological disease in elderly men. The transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) plays an important role in the proliferation and differentiation of BPH stroma. However, it is not clear yet which important pathways and key genes are the downstream of TGFβ1 acting on prostatic stromal cells.

Methods: GSE132714 is currently the newer, available, and best high-throughput sequencing data set for BPH disease and includes the largest number of BPH cases. We examined the TGFβ1 expression level in BPH and normal prostate (NP) by analyzing the GSE132714 data set as well as carrying out immunohistochemistry of 15 BPH and 15 NP samples. Primary prostatic stromal cells (PrSCs) were isolated from five fresh BPH tissues. RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analysis were used to reveal important pathways and hub genes associated with TGFβ1 stimulation on PrSCs.

Results: TGFβ1 was upregulated in BPH stroma compared to NP stroma. A total of 497 genes (244 upregulated and 253 downregulated) were differentially expressed in PrSCs with and without TGFβ1 stimulation. The Gene Ontology revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in progesterone secretion, interleukin-7 receptor binding, and CSF1-CSF1R complex. The Wnt signaling pathway, PI3K−Akt signaling pathway, JAK−STAT signaling pathway, and Hippo signaling pathway were screened based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses. FN1, SMAD3, CXCL12, VCAM1, and ICAM1 were selected as hub genes according to the degree of connection from the protein–protein interaction (PPI) network.

Conclusion: This study sheds some new insights into the role of TGFβ1 in BPH stroma and provides some clues for the identification of potential downstream mechanisms and targets.

Affinity ultrafiltration and UPLC-HR-Orbitrap-MS based screening of neuraminidase inhibitors from Angelica pubescens

Traditional Chinese medicine is a rich source of natural products and has a long history of use because of its remarkable clinical efficacy. In the present study, the chemical constitutes of Angelica pubescens were studied by ultra high performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UPLC-HR-Orbitrap-MS). A total of 78 compounds were identified and the main composition were coumarins and phenolic acids. Then, the neuraminidase was incubated with extract of Angelica pubescens to screen the neuraminidase inhibitors by affinity ultrafiltration methods. As a result, 13 small molecules were discovered to interact with neuraminidase for the first time. In vitro neuraminidase inhibitory activity of the screened compounds and extract of Angelica pubescens was tested, and isochlorogenic acid C, isochlorogenic acid B, osthole, chlorogenic acid, xanthotoxin, phellopterin and imperatorin were proved to have this activity. In addition, molecular docking analysis was conducted to predict the potential docking position. This study may provide a reference for the medical substance basis in Angelica and the clinical usage of this drug.

Anticancer effects of natural phytochemicals in anaplastic thyroid cancer (Review)

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is an aggressive and lethal malignancy having a dismal prognosis. Phytochemicals are bioactive components obtained from plants that have been proven useful to treat numerous diseases. Phytochemicals are also an important source of novel anticancer drugs and an important area of research due to the numerous available candidates that can potentially treat cancers. This review discusses naturally occurring phytochemicals and their derivatives that show promising anticancer effects in anaplastic thyroid cancer. Anticancer effects include cell growth inhibition, induction of apoptosis, promoting cell cycle arrest, suppressing angiogenesis, modulating autophagy, and increasing the production of reactive oxygen species. Phytochemicals are not only prospective candidates in the therapy of anaplastic thyroid cancer but also exhibit potential as adjuvants to improve the anticancer effects of other drugs. Although some phytochemicals have excellent anticancer properties, drug resistance observed during the use of resveratrol and artemisinin in different anaplastic thyroid cancer cell lines is still a problem. Anaplastic thyroid cancer cells have several biological, clinical, and drug-resistance features that differ from differentiated thyroid cancer cells. Phytochemicals such as resveratrol and quercetin exhibit different biological effects in anaplastic thyroid cancer and differentiated thyroid cancer. Tumor cells depend on increased aerobic glycolysis by mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation to provide energy for their rapid growth, invasiveness, and drug resistance. Phytochemicals can alter signaling cascades, modulate the metabolic properties of cancer cells, and influence the mitochondrial membrane potential of anaplastic thyroid cancer cells. These findings enrich our knowledge of the anticancer effects of phytochemicals and highlight alternative therapies to prevent drug resistance in anaplastic thyroid cancer.

The Distribution, Seasonal Abundance, and Environmental Factors Contributing to the Presence of the Asian Longhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis longicornis, Acari: Ixodidae) in Central Appalachian Virginia

Over the past decade, Haemaphysalis longicornis, the Asian longhorned tick, has undergone a geographic range expansion in the United States, from its historical range in east Asia. This tick has been characterized by its frequent parasitism of livestock, an ability to reproduce through parthenogenesis, and its ability to transmit a variety of vector-borne pathogens to livestock, wildlife, and human hosts in its native geographic range. Thus far in the United States, 17 states have reported H. longicornis populations, including 38 counties in Virginia. These numbers come from presence-absence reports provided to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but little has been reported about this ticks' seasonality in Virginia or its habitat preferences. Our current study detected H. longicornis populations in seven of the nine surveyed counties in Virginia. Haemaphysalis longicornis were observed in multiple habitat types including mixed hardwood forests and pastures, with abundant H. longicornis populations detected at one particular pasture site in Wythe County. This study also attempted to investigate environmental conditions that may be of importance in predicting tick presence likelihood. While sample size limited the scope of these efforts, habitat type and climatic metrics were found to be important indicators of H. longicornis collection success and abundance for both the nymphal and larval life stages. This current study reports useful surveillance data for monitoring these tick populations as they become established in the western half of Virginia and provides insight into their current distribution and maintenance over a large study region.

Chl1, an ATP-Dependent DNA Helicase, Inhibits DNA:RNA Hybrids Formation at DSB Sites to Maintain Genome Stability in S. pombe

As an ATP-dependent DNA helicase, human ChlR1/DDX11 (Chl1 in yeast) can unwind both DNA:RNA and DNA:DNA substrates in vitro. Studies have demonstrated that ChlR1 plays a vital role in preserving genome stability by participating in DNA repair and sister chromatid cohesion, whereas the ways in which the biochemical features of ChlR1 function in DNA metabolism are not well understood. Here, we illustrate that Chl1 localizes to double-strand DNA break (DSB) sites and restrains DNA:RNA hybrid accumulation at these loci. Mutation of Chl1 strongly impairs DSB repair capacity by homologous recombination (HR) and nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ) pathways, and deleting RNase H further reduces DNA repair efficiency, which indicates that the enzymatic activities of Chl1 are needed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. In addition, we found that the Rpc37 subunit of RNA polymerase III (RNA Pol III) interacts directly with Chl1 and that deletion of Chl1 has no influence on the localization of Rpc37 at DSB site, implying the role of Rpc37 in the recruitment of Chl1 to this site.

Multivalent Interaction of Beta-Catenin With its Intrinsically Disordered Binding Partner Adenomatous Polyposis Coli

The Wnt signalling pathway plays key roles in cell proliferation, differentiation and fate decisions in embryonic development and maintenance of adult tissues, and the twelve Armadillo (ARM) repeat-containing protein β-catenin acts as the signal transducer in this pathway. Here we investigate the interaction between β-catenin's ARM repeat domain and the intrinsically disordered protein adenomatous polyposis coli (APC). APC is a giant multivalent scaffold that brings together the different components of the so-called "β-catenin destruction complex", which drives β-catenin degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Mutations and truncations in APC, resulting in loss of APC function and hence elevated β-catenin levels and upregulation of Wnt signalling, are associated with numerous cancers including colorectal carcinomas. APC has a long intrinsically disordered region (IDR) that contains a series of 15-residue and 20-residue binding regions for β-catenin. Here we explore the multivalent nature of the interaction of β-catenin with the highest affinity APC repeat, both at equilibrium and under kinetic conditions. We use a combination of single-site substitutions, deletions and insertions to dissect the mechanism of molecular recognition and the roles of the three β-catenin-binding subdomains of APC.

Dexmedetomidine attenuates hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte injury by promoting telomere/telomerase activity: Possible involvement of ERK1/2-Nrf2 signaling pathway

Dexmedetomidine (Dex), an α2-adrenergic receptor (α2-AR) agonist, possesses cardioprotection against ischaemic/hypoxic injury, but the exact mechanism is not fully elucidated. Since telomere/telomerase dysfunction is involved in myocardial ischemic damage, the present study aimed to investigate whether Dex ameliorates cobalt chloride (CoCl_2; a hypoxia mimic agent in vitro)-induced the damage of H9c2 cardiomyocytes by improving telomere/telomerase dysfunction and further explored the underlying mechanism focusing on ERK1/2-Nrf2 signaling pathway. Result showed that Dex increased cell viability, decreased apoptosis, and reduced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy as illustrated by the decreases in cell surface area and the biomarker levels for cardiac hypertrophy including atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and myosin heavy chain β (β-MHC) mRNA and protein in CoCl₂ -exposed H9c2 cells. Intriguingly, Dex increased the telomere length and telomerase activity as well as telomere reverse transcriptase (TERT) protein and mRNA levels in H9c2 cells exposed to CoCl₂ , indicating that Dex promotes telomere/telomerase function under hypoxia. In addition, Dex remarkably diminished the ROS generation, reduced MDA content, and increased antioxidative signaling as evidenced by the increases in SOD and GSH-Px activities. Furthermore, Dex increased the ratio of P-ERK1/2/T-ERK1/2 and P-Nrf2/T-Nrf2 and enhanced Nrf2 nuclear translocation in CoCl₂ -subjected H9c2 cells, suggesting that Dex promotes the activation of the ERK1/2-Nrf2 signaling pathway. These novel findings indicated that Dex attenuates myocardial ischemic damage and reduces myocardial hypertrophy by promoting telomere/telomerase function, which may be associated with the activation of the ERK1/2-Nrf2 signaling pathway in vitro. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The Pathological G51D Mutation in Alpha-Synuclein Oligomers Confers Distinct Structural Attributes and Cellular Toxicity

A wide variety of oligomeric structures are formed during the aggregation of proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Such soluble oligomers are believed to be key toxic species in the related disorders; therefore, identification of the structural determinants of toxicity is of upmost importance. Here, we analysed toxic oligomers of α-synuclein and its pathological variants in order to identify structural features that could be related to toxicity and found a novel structural polymorphism within G51D oligomers. These G51D oligomers can adopt a variety of β-sheet-rich structures with differing degrees of α-helical content, and the helical structural content of these oligomers correlates with the level of induced cellular dysfunction in SH-SY5Y cells. This structure–function relationship observed in α-synuclein oligomers thus presents the α-helical structure as another potential structural determinant that may be linked with cellular toxicity in amyloid-related proteins.

Secular trends of age at menarche and the effect of famine exposure on age at menarche in rural Chinese women

BACKGROUND

Over the past few decades, more studies have suggested that the age at menarche (AAM) has continued to decline. However, the AAM for women in resource-constrained areas is not clear. Moreover, the association between the China famine and AAM is still unclear in rural regions.

AIM

The study aimed to investigate the secular trends of AAM for women born between 1935 and 2000 and to further explore the effect of famine on AAM in rural China.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

The study included 23444 women participants from the baseline study of Henan Rural Cohort study. Changing AAM over time was analysed using linear regressions. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to analyse the association between famine exposure and AAM subgroups.

RESULTS

The age-standardized mean AAM was 14.74 years. The average AAM declined from 16.98 years for those born in 1935 to 13.87 years for those born in 2000, a decline of 0.077 years per 1 year and 0.729 years per decade. Compared to the reference group, women exposed to famine during fetal, early childhood, middle childhood, and late childhood were 1.376 (95% CI, 1.071 - 1.769), 1.848(95% CI, 1.512 - 2.259), 2.084(95% CI, 1.725 - 2.518), and 2.146 (95% CI, 1.788 - 2.576) times more likely to be ≥18 years of AAM than unexposed famine women, respectively.

CONCLUSION

AAM showed a decreasing trend in rural China. Furthermore, both fetal and childhood famine exposure, especially in late childhood, were positively associated with increased AAM compared to unexposed famine.

Enhancement of membrane fouling mitigation and trace organic compounds removal by electric field in a microfiltration reactor treating secondary effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant

Applying an electric field in the membrane filtration was an effective method to alleviate membrane fouling and enhance the trace organic compounds (TrOCs) removal. The secondary effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant was used as feed water to evaluate the performance of the electric field coupled microfiltration system. Applying a 1.25 V voltage reduced 22.9% membrane fouling by electrophoretic force, and the membrane fouling was alleviated by 70.8% at 3 V by electrochemical oxidation and electric field force. At 3 V, active chlorine and hydroperoxide generated on the electrodes and the acidic environment formed around the anode significantly inhibited the growth of microorganisms and their attachment on the membrane surface, and thus reduced the membrane fouling formed by microorganisms. Electrochemical oxidation also removed the protein in wastewater and changed the main organic components of membrane fouling from microorganisms, protein, and polysaccharide to humic substances and polysaccharide. Furthermore, the electrophoretic force and acidic environment reduced the electrostatic repulsion of humic substances and made them tend to aggregate and form hydrophilic porous fouling structures, which obviously lowered filtration resistance and showed significant membrane fouling mitigation. Also, the electric field effectively enhanced the removal of target TrOCs through electrochemical oxidation and electric field force improving the elimination of TrOCs from 8.5% ~ 26.1% at 0 V to 35.9% ~ 84.8% at 3 V.

D-Galactose-Induced Accelerated Aging Model on Auditory Cortical Neurons by Regulating Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Vitro

OBJECTIVES

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is much more prevalent with age, affecting not only peripheral but central auditory system. We have previously established an aging model of peripheral auditory system in vitro using cultured cochlear basilar membrane. However, there is no ideal accelerated aging model on central auditory system in vitro. To establish the aging model, auditory cortical neurons (ACNs) were primary cultured and treated with either vehicle or different doses of D-galactose (D-gal). We studied the effect of D-gal on ACNs by evaluating the hallmarks of aging, including cell proliferation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial function, and neuronal apoptosis. Compared with the control group, cell viability was significantly inhibited in the D-gal-treated group in a dose-dependent manner. The production of reactive oxygen species was strongly increased in the D-gal-treated group. Meanwhile, the level of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, which is a biomarker of DNA oxidative damage, was even higher in the D-gal-treated group than that in the control group. Conversely, the levels of ATP and mitochondrial membrane potential were notably decreased in the D-gal-treated group contrast to that in the control group. Furthermore, the number of neuronal apoptosis in the D-gal-treated group, compared with that in the control group, was dramatically increased in a dose-dependent approach. Together, our results demonstrate that ACNs treated with D-gal in vitro display senescence characteristics by regulating oxidative stress and apoptosis, indicating accelerated aging model on ACNs are successfully established. And the model provides a promising approach for exploring underlying mechanisms of the ARHL.

Wound microenvironment-responsive glucose consumption and hydrogen peroxide generation synergistic with azithromycin for diabetic wounds healing

Rationale: Chronic wounds are one of the common complications of diabetes. Due to the physiological conditions of diabetic patients, these wounds are more susceptible to bacterial infections and the formation of bacterial biofilms, leading to the inefficiency of conventional antibiotic treatment.

Methods: Here, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles (HMSN) were used as the nanocarriers for co-delivery of azithromycin (AZM) and glucose oxidase (GOX), achieving a remarkable synergistic effect in chronic diabetic wounds. GOX possesses the catalytic ability to consume glucose and produce H₂O₂ in the diabetic wound area. The down-regulation of local glucose could effectively improve the chronic diabetic wound microenvironment. Meanwhile, the generated H₂O₂ effectively inhibits bacterial growth and eradicates bacterial biofilms with the synergism of antibiotics AZM.

Results: In the bacteria-infected diabetic cutaneous wound models, the reduction of glucose, generation of H₂O₂, and release of AZM could effectively reduce the bacterial infection and promote the wounds healing. Moreover, there is no obvious toxicity behavior after the treatment.

Conclusions: Therefore, the designed nanosystem could effectively accelerate the diabetic wound healing process by the amelioration of the hyperglycemia microenvironment and the eradication of bacterial biofilms around the wounds, making them promising candidates for clinical transformation.