Search

Tingyao Zhao,1,* Xinting Wang,2,* Qian Liu,2 Tianshu Yang,1 Huiyan Qu,1 Hua Zhou2 1Department of Cardiovascular Disease, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Cardiovascular Disease of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hua Zhou; Huiyan Qu, Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 528, Zhangheng Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, 201203, People’s Republic of China, Email zhouhua@shutcm.edu.cn; 1520043084@qq.comAbstract: Purpose: This study aimed to elucidate the potential molecular mechanisms by which GSRd improves cardiac inflammation and immune environment after MI.Materials and Methods: The potential target genes of GSRd were predicted using the STITCH database. In vivo, MI mice models were established by left anterior descending ligation and were divided into the sham group, MI + Vehicle group, and MI + GSRd group. DMSO, DMSO, and GSRd 50 μL/day were intraperitoneally injected, respectively. After 28 days, echocardiography, Masson staining, immunofluorescence staining, flow cytometry, RT-PCR, and Western blot were performed. Mice peritoneal macrophages were extracted in vitro, and Western blot was performed after GSRd and/or Akt inhibitor MK2206 intervention.Results: GSRd significantly improved mouse myocardial function, attenuated cardiac fibrosis, and inhibited inflammation and apoptosis in myocardial tissues after myocardial infarction. Meanwhile, GSRd increased non-classical Ly6Clow Mos/Mps while reduced of classical Ly6Chigh Mos/Mps at the same time in myocardial tissues. In addition, GSRd significantly reversed the activity of p-Akt and p-mTOR in the heart Mos/Mps after MI. In vitro studies showed that the activity of p-Akt and p-mTOR in peritoneal macrophages were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner after GSRd treatment. Furthermore, the AKT inhibitor MK2206 was found to block the enhanced activity of p-Akt and p-mTOR induced by GSRd in peritoneal macrophages.Conclusion: GSRd can enhance the transformation of Ly6Chigh Mos/Mps to Ly6Clow Mos/Mps in mice after MI by activating the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway, inhibiting cardiac dysfunction and promoting cardiac repair.Keywords: myocardial infarction, ginsenoside rd, monocytes/macrophages, Akt/mTOR

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore factors correlated with police cadets' perceived commitment to the police profession – whether or not personal attitudes and demographic characteristics can make a difference.Design/methodology/approachThe study used two-year longitudinal data collected from a population of 207 Chinese police cadets. Survey research based on pre-designed instruments was employed to collect the data.FindingsThe results from panel data analysis found that personal interest in adolescence and attitudes toward styles of policing were significant predictors. Specifically, attitudes toward community policing were positively related to the cadets' commitment to the police profession.Originality/valuePolice occupational commitment is essential since the commitment is closely linked to voluntary retention and organizational effectiveness. However, limited empirical research has been available regarding the factors associated with officers' identification and commitment to the occupation. This study provides insight into police officer training and recruitment and offers suggestions for future research.

Objective To screen cuproptosis-relatedlncRNAs and establish a prognostic model of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods Perl and R languages were used to collate the HCC transcriptome and clinical data downloaded from the TCGA database. Cuproptosis-related lncRNAs were obtained through co-expression analysis, and the total samples were randomly divided into the Train group and the Test group. Univariate Cox regression analysis, LASSO regression and multivariate Cox analysis were used to analyze the data of Train group to establish the prognostic model of cuproptosis-related lncRNAs. The accuracy of the model was verified by principal component analysis (PCA), ROC curve, and independent prognostic analysis. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis, tumor mutation burden correlation analysis, immunocorrelation analysis and drug sensitivity analysis were conducted in depth. Results Co-expression analysis showed 258 cuproptosis-related lncRNAs, univariate Cox regression analysis showed 31 lncRNAs were correlated with HCC prognosis, and multivariate Cox analysis showed 5 lncRNAs involved in model construction. They are LINC00426, AL590705.3, SPRY4-AS1, AL031985.3, and AC002091.2. Validation analysis showed that the survival of patients in the low-risk group was significantly better than that in the high-risk group, and the model could be used as an independent prognostic factor for HCC. Immunocorrelation analysis showed that patients in the high and low-risk groups significantly differed in immune-related functions and immune-related therapy, which was consistent with the GO and KEGG enrichment analysis results. Tumor mutation burden correlation and drug sensitivity analysis can further guide the diagnosis and treatment of HCC patients. Conclusion The HCC prognostic model constructed by 5 cuproptosis-related lncRNAs has high accuracy and has a certain reference value for clinical diagnosis and treatment of HCC patients.

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common primary liver cancer associated with a poor prognosis. ICC accounts for about 10% of primary liver malignancies but with increasing incidence in recent years. Recently, some studies suggested that minimally interventional therapy can be used in the treatment of ICC. However, there are few references on interventional therapy for the clinical treatment of ICC. Herein we reported a case of a 48-year-old man who suffered from ICC. The patient was diagnosed with ICC by computerized tomography scan and pathological biopsy. The patient was completely cured by minimally interventional therapy with iodine-125 seed implantation. These results provide an important reference for the treatment option of ICC.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between extracurricular activities, stress, and suicidal ideation and to examine the mediating effect of stress between extracurricular activities and suicidal ideation in Chinese college students. Method: A total of 6446 college students were surveyed with a web-based online data collection system using the self-made demographic questionnaire, Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire—Revised (SBQ-R), and the 21-Item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). SPSS 24.0 was used for descriptive statistics and correlation analysis, and the bootstrap method in the process procedure for SPSS Version 3.4.1 was used to construct the mediating effect model. Results: Gender, school grades, living area, and family income status were influencing factors for suicidal ideation, stress, and extracurricular activities. Extracurricular activities were negatively correlated with stress (r = −0.083, p < 0.001) and suicidal ideation (r = −0.039, p < 0.01). Extracurricular activities had no direct predictive effect on college students’ suicidal ideation (c = −0.198, CI: −0.418, 0.023), while stress had a mediating effect between extracurricular activities and suicidal ideation; the indirect mediating effect was 0.159. Conclusions: Extracurricular activities indirectly predict college students’ suicidal ideation through stress. A variety of extracurricular activities can decrease the stress and suicidal ideation of college students and benefit their mental health.

Disclosure of HIV status offers potential benefits to individuals and is also good for public health. Limited studies have been conducted to gain insight into the current situation and associated factors of HIV disclosure among HIV-positive Chinese men who have sex with men (MSM) in the era of "treat all." We carried out a cross-sectional study among MSM receiving antiretroviral therapy from October 2020 to January 2021 at a hospital in Jinan, China. We used univariate and multivariable logistic regression to examine the factors associated with general disclosure and disclosure to family, friends, and sexual partners. Of the 585 participants recruited, 62.2% reported HIV disclosure, among which 25.3% had disclosed their status to family members, 25.3% had disclosed it to friends, and 28.4% had disclosed it to partners. The findings suggest that HIV disclosure is more likely to occur among individuals who are younger, married/cohabiting, and who self-identify as homosexual/bisexual. Participants with higher education levels or personal monthly incomes are less likely to disclose their HIV status. Furthermore, related factors of disclosure vary across the types of disclosure targets. Given the positive outcomes of disclosure, interventions and implementation research to facilitate it are urgently needed for MSM.

Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is beneficial for several gastrointestinal diseases because it alters the intestinal microbiota of recipients. The efficacy of FMT is related to the microbial structure and composition of the donor. Mild moxibustion is a non-invasive and safe traditional Chinese therapy that can regulate the gut microbiota. In this study, we investigated whether moxibustion improved the efficacy of FMT in donors using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mouse model. Normal mice were treated with mild moxibustion at acupoints ST25 and ST36 for 7 days. DSS (2%) was administered for 7 days to induce colitis. FMT was performed on Day 8 and lasted for 7 days. The effect of FMT on mice with DSS was observed on Day 21. Using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunofluorescence, we analyzed the pathology and cell proliferation after FMT in DSS mice. In addition, using 16 S rDNA sequencing analysis, we investigated the gut microbiota of mice. The results indicated that moxibustion altered the colonic microbial community and increased the relative abundance of specific bacteria without changes in morphology and physiological function in normal mice. FMT using donors with moxibustion reduced body weight loss, inflammation, abnormal microbial community structure, and the relative abundance of some bacteria. These results provide potential strategies for the safe and targeted improvement of FMT donors.粪菌移植(Fecal Microbiota Transplantation, FMT)通过直接改变肠道菌群结构对消化系统疾病发挥治疗作用。研究显示, 粪菌移植疗效与供体肠道菌群结构有关。温和灸是一种无创、安全的传统中医疗法, 能够调节肠道菌群结构。本实验通过分析艾灸对正常小鼠的影响, 以及由其产生的供体菌群对葡聚糖硫酸钠(Dextran Sulfate Sodium, DSS)诱导的实验性溃疡性结肠炎小鼠的影响, 研究艾灸是否能够改善供体粪菌移植的疗效。实验每日于正常小鼠双侧“天枢”(ST25)、“足三里”(ST36)穴进行温和灸, 为期7天。选择2% DSS自由饮用7天以造模实验性溃疡性结肠炎, 第8天开始为期7天的粪菌移植, 随后于第21天取材以观察粪菌移植对DSS小鼠的影响。使用苏木精和伊红染色法观察小鼠结肠组织病理学改变, 评估远端结肠中肥大隐窝的数量；使用免疫荧光染色法评估局部炎症反应和增殖表达；使用16S rDNA菌群测序法评估各组小鼠结肠菌群群落结构。实验结果显示, 艾灸“天枢”, “足三里”未改变正常小鼠基本生理表现, 但显著增加了小鼠结肠部分细菌的相对丰度；艾灸供体的菌群移植改善了DSS小鼠的体重下降、炎症、异常的菌群结构和部分细菌的相对丰度。这些结果为安全和有针对性地改善粪菌移植供体提供了潜在的策略。.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is one of the most abundant internal modifications of mRNA, which plays important roles in gene expression regulation, and plant growth and development. Vir-like m6A methyltransferase associated (VIRMA) serves as a scaffold for bridging the catalytic core components of the m6A methyltransferase complex. The role of VIRMA in regulating leaf development and its related mechanisms have not been reported. Here, we identified and characterized two upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) VIRMA genes, named as GhVIR-A and GhVIR-D, which share 98.5% identity with each other. GhVIR-A and GhVIR-D were ubiquitously expressed in different tissues and relatively higher expressed in leaves and main stem apexes (MSA). Knocking down the expression of GhVIR genes by the virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS) system influences leaf cell size, cell shape, and total cell numbers, thereby determining cotton leaf morphogenesis. The dot-blot assay and colorimetric experiment showed the ratio of m6A to A in mRNA is lower in leaves of GhVIR-VIGS plants compared with control plants. Messenger RNA (mRNA) high-throughput sequencing (RNA-seq) and a qRT-PCR experiment showed that GhVIRs regulate leaf development through influencing expression of some transcription factor genes, tubulin genes, and chloroplast genes including photosystem, carbon fixation, and ribosome assembly. Chloroplast structure, chlorophyll content, and photosynthetic efficiency were changed and unsuitable for leaf growth and development in GhVIR-VIGS plants compared with control plants. Taken together, our results demonstrate GhVIRs function in cotton leaf development by chloroplast dependent and independent pathways.

N6-methyladenosine (m

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease that can eventually lead to degeneration, fibrosis, fractures, and defects of the articular cartilage. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) is a key substance in many processes, such as epigenetic regulation and cell-cycle and cell-differentiation modulation, and its relationship with OA has been repeatedly verified.The study intended to clarify the influence of lncRNA nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1), lncRNA NEAT1, on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced OA chondrocytes through sponge adsorption of microRNA-378 (miR-378) and to provide novel insights into future diagnosis and treatment of OA.The research team performed an animal study.The study took place in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Linyi People's Hospital in Linyi, Shangdong, China.The study's animals were 10 Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, 3-5 days old and 10-15 g in weight, of the specific-pathogen-free (SPF) grade.The rat chondrocytes for the positive control group (the model group) were treated with 500 ng/mL of LPS to induce OA. Chondrocytes treated with the same amount of normal saline were used as the negative control group. The chondrocytes of the LPS-induced rats were into six groups: (1) a positive control group transfected with NEAT1-interfering RNA, the sh-NEAT1 group; (2) a negative control group not transfected with NEAT1-interfering RNA, the NEAT1 empty vector (NC-NEAT1) group; (3) an intervention group co-transfected with NEAT1 interfering RNA and the miR-378 inhibitor sequence (Inh-miR-378 the sh-NEAT1+ Inh-miR-378 group; (4) a negative control group transfected with NEAT1 interfering RNA but not transfected with the miR-378 inhibitor sequence, the sh-NEAT1+ miR-378 negative control (NC-miR-378) group; (5) a negative control group transfected with the miR-378 inhibitor sequence but not transfected with NEAT1 interfering RNA, the NEAT1 empty vector (NC-NEAT1) + Inh-miR-378 group; (6) a negative control group not transfected with either NEAT1 interfering RNA or the miR-378 inhibitor sequence, the NC-NEAT1 + NC-miR-378 group.An OA-chondrocyte model was induced by LPS and measurements of NEAT1 and miR-378 expression were made by real-time quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)- polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Then, small NEAT1-interfering RNA (sh-NEAT1), empty vector NEAT1 (NC-NEAT1), inhibitor-sequence-miR-378 (Inh-miR-378), and negative-control-miR-378 (NC-miR-378) were transfected into cells, and cell viability and apoptosis rate were measured. Finally, the study verified the relationship between NEAT1 and miR-378.Compared to the control group, NEAT1 was significantly elevated in the model group, and its miR-378 was significantly decreased. Silencing NEAT1 can enhance OA-chondrocyte activity and decrease apoptosis. When NEAT1 and miR-378 were inhibited together, as shown fort the NC-NEAT1 + NC-miR-378 group, NEAT1 expression, as well as the multiplication and apoptosis ability of the OA-model cells, were the same as those of cells transfected with an empty vector, the NC-NEAT1 group. Also, the NEAT1 + NC-miR-378 group's cell activity was lower than that of the sh-NEAT1+NC-miR-378 group but higher than that of the NC-NEAT1 + Inh-miR-378 group. Finally, higher fluorescence activity occurred for NEAT1-mutant type (MUT) transfected with Inh-miR-378.NEAT1, which is highly expressed in OA, mediates LPS-induced OA-chondrocyte activity through sponge adsorption of miR-378.

Background and Objectives: Kanli granule (KG) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which has a significant effect on chronic heart failure (CHF). KG takes "warming and invigorating the heart and kidney Yang Qi, promoting water and blood circulation" as the treatment principle, which can make the heart Yang vibrate, the kidney water transpiration, and the blood promote the circulation of water without the danger of stopping warter blood stasis. However, due to the complexity of TCM, the action mechanism of KG is unclear. In this study, we employed a network pharmacology approach combined with experimental verification to investigate the mechanism of KG in the treatment of CHF. Materials and methods: The active ingredients and targets of KG were searched by TCMSP and TCM database@Taiwan databases, and the CHF-related targets were collected from DisGeNET, OMIM and TTD databases. Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) signal pathway analysis were carried out through DAVID database. Furthermore, the bubble diagrams of GO analysis and KEGG signal pathway analysis are made on OmicShare platform. The network diagram of "herbs–ingredients–targets–pathways" was constructed by Cytoscape3.7.0 software. We established a TAC induced CHF mice model to verify the protective mechanism of KG. Results: 30 active ingredients of KG were screened for the prevention and treatment of CHF, and 37 targets for the prevention and treatment of CHF by the active components of KG, including SERCA2a, PLB. GO analysis showed that there were 219 items related to biological process, 32 items related to cellular composition and 42 items related to molecular function. There are 81 related KEGG signaling pathways, including calcium signaling pathway. The results of animal experiments showed that KG significantly improved cardiac function in CHF mice by reducing LVEF, FS, NT -proBNP, and KG significantly improved cardiac structure in CHF mice by decreasing LVIDd, LVPWd, and the extent of cardiac fibrosis. Further mechanistic studies revealed that KG upregulated SERCA2a expression and activity to ameliorate CHF. Conclusion: KG may prevent and treat CHF by acting on calcium signaling pathway, increasing SERCA2a expression and improving cardiac function and cardiac structure.

Background: CD28 expression is correlated with malignancy development in long-term survivors after liver transplantation. Immune cell activation is mediated by the interaction of CD28 with CD4 and CD8. Objectives: In this study, we attempted to investigate the expression level and prognostic value of CD28 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: A total of 54 HCC patients with complete clinical information were examined. The expression level of CD28 in HCC tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlations of CD28 expression with clinical characteristics, CD4+/CD8+ T-cells, and prognosis in HCC were analyzed. The expression profile of CD28 and survival time of HCC patients were retrieved from the TCGA database, followed by survival analysis. Results: The positive expression rate of CD28 in HCC tissues was 70.73%. The CD28 expression was significantly higher in the positive expression group (area: 659174.9 ± 670060, IOD: 123348.3 ± 106348.6) than in the negative expression group (area: 8405.7 ± 9983.3, IOD: 1959.6 ± 2117.7) (P < 0.01). The CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts were 526.13 ± 258.17 cells/µL and 383.93 ± 223.39 cells/µL, respectively. The expression level of CD28 was significantly related to the degree of differentiation and the number of CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells (P < 0.05). The survival time of patients was longer in the positive CD28 expression group than in the negative expression group. Based on the CD28 expression profiles of 406 HCC patients retrieved from the TCGA database, patients with high CD28 expression showed a better prognosis than those with low expression (P < 0.05). Conclusions: CD28 may play a vital role in the occurrence, development, and prognosis of HCC by interacting with CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells. Thus, CD28 could be suggested as the immune checkpoint target for HCC treatment.

Continuous tapes of polypropylene (PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) were produced using a novel multiplication co-extrusion process. The structure of the PP/HDPE tapes consists of co-continuous PP and HDPE domains aligned in the extrusion direction, forming a fiber-like composite structure with individual domain thicknesses of 200–500 nm. This unique structure created a significantly large contact interface between the polymer domains. AFM images suggest strong interfacial interactions between incompatible PP and HDPE domains. Orientation at 130 °C was possible due to the enhanced adhesion arising from epitaxial crystallization and the large interfacial area. The modulus, tensile strength, and orientation factor of the oriented composite tapes increased as the draw ratio increased. The existence of two independent shish kabab-like morphologies in the oriented tapes at different draw ratios was indicated by the appearance of two melting peaks for each material. After one-step orientation at 130 °C to a draw ratio of 25, the moduli of the oriented tapes increased to approximately 10 GPa, and the tensile strength increased to approximately 540 MPa. These oriented tapes are stiffer and stronger than commercial tapes and do not fibrillate during the orientation process indicating some interfacial interaction between the domains.