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The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the evolution of key Salvia enzyme genes and metabolite biological activity on mitochondrial quality control. Metabolomics and transcriptomics were performed to detect the metabolites of Salvia and 76AH1 (CYP450) genes and a maximum likelihood tree for Salvia was established. Additionally, the protein properties of 76AH were analyzed and the metabolite, as well as mitochondrial quality control, targets were downloaded from the TCMSP, BATMAN, and GeneCards databases and analyzed. Molecular docking of PINK1 with cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA was assessed and a molecular binding area was identified. Moreover, the specific types of Salvia secondary metabolites were accurately identified and quantified with nearly all AH1 genes having been sequenced. This study begins to elucidate the relationship between species evolution and biological activity. Specifically, the structural analysis demonstrates that cryptotanshinone and tanshinone IIA exhibit strong pharmacological activity in mitochondrial quality control.

Mesoporous titanium nanoparticles (MTN) have always been a concern and are considered to have great potential for overcoming antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In our study, MTN modified with functionalized UV-responsive ethylene imine polymer (PEI) was synthesized. The characterization of all products was performed by different analyses, including SEM, TEM, FT-IR, TGA, XRD, XPS, and N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. The typical antibacterial drug berberine hydrochloride (BH) was encapsulated in MTN-PEI. The process exhibited a high drug loading capacity (22.71 ± 1.12%) and encapsulation rate (46.56 ± 0.52%) due to its high specific surface area of 238.43 m2/g. Moreover, UV-controlled drug release was achieved by utilizing the photocatalytic performance of MTN. The antibacterial effect of BH@MTN-PEI was investigated, which showed that it could be controlled to release BH and achieve a corresponding antibacterial effect by UV illumination for different lengths of time, with bacterial lethality reaching 37.76% after only 8 min of irradiation. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the nanoparticles have also been studied. The MIC of BH@MTN-PEI was confirmed as 1 mg/mL against Escherichia coli (E. coli), at which the growth of bacteria was completely inhibited during 24 h and the concentration of 5 mg/mL for BH@MTN-PEI was regarded as MBC against E. coli. Although this proof-of-concept study is far from a real-life application, it provides a possible route to the discovery and application of antimicrobial drugs.

Orthopedic patients need to perform limb immobilization for several days to several weeks due to fracture or other special circumstances. When the function of a certain part or the whole body is restricted, the activity of osteoclasts will be enhanced and its life activity will surpass that of osteoblasts, so local or even whole body bone loss will occur. Acute bone loss usually occurs within a few weeks after the immobilization of limbs. At this stage, the patient’s bone mass will decrease sharply, and the patient is prone to osteoporotic refracture. After that, the bone mass will gradually recover, but the speed of bone formation and bone absorption is difficult to reach a balanced state, and the bone mass of patients will continue to decline after it has recovered to a certain degree. After acute progressive bone loss, a large number of bones were lost and the strength of bones decreased. It is often difficult to recover to the level before fracture for a long time, which undoubtedly increases the risk of osteoporosis and related refractures. According to this common phenomenon of bone loss, clinical treatment varies greatly. After a series of research and practice, clinicians summed up some rules and put forward some feasible suggestions, thus strengthening clinicians’ understanding of the treatment of acute bone loss, effectively improving the treatment effect of acute bone loss, having far-reaching significance for preventing and treating osteoporosis, reducing the risk of fracture, and improving the long-term prognosis of patients.

Abstract Background Percutaneous kyphoplasty is the main method in the treatment of thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fractures. However, much radiation exposure during the operation harms the health of surgeons and patients. In addition, the accuracy of this surgery still needs to be improved. This study aimed to assess the radiation exposure and clinical efficacy of Tirobot-assisted vertebroplasty in treating thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fracture. Methods Included in this retrospective cohort study were 60 patients (60–90 years) who had undergone unilateral vertebroplasty for thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fracture at our hospital between June 2019 and June 2020. All showed no systemic diseases and were assigned to Tirobot group (treated with Tirobot-assisted approach) and control group (treated with traditional approach). Fluoroscopic frequency, operative duration, length of stay (LOS), post-operative complications (cement leakage, infection, and thrombosis), and pre-operative and pre-discharge indexes (VAS score, JOA score, and Cobb’s angle) were compared. Results The fluoroscopic frequency (P < 0.001) and post-operative complications (P = 0.035) in Tirobot group were significantly lower than those in control group. The operative duration and LOS in the Tirobot group were shorter than those in the control group, but the differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.183). Pre-discharge VAS score and Cobb’s angle decreased, and JOA increased after surgeries in both groups. These three indexes showed a significant difference after surgery in each group (P < 0.001), but not between groups (P VAS = 0.175, P Cobb’s = 0.585, P JOA = 0.448). Conclusion The Tirobot-assisted vertebroplasty can reduce surgery-related trauma, post-operative complications, and patients’ and operators’ exposure to radiation. As a safe and effective strategy, this surgery can realize the quick recovery from thoracolumbar osteoporotic compression fracture.

Thoracolumbar fractures are usually treated by open posterior pedicle screw fixation. However, this procedure involves massive paraspinal muscle stripping, inflicting surgical trauma, and prolonged X-ray exposure. In this study, we observed 127 patients with single-segment injury thoracolumbar fractures. Thirty-six patients were treated by the modified Wiltse's paraspinal approach with minimally invasive channel system, while 91 patients were treated via traditional posterior approach. Operation time, intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative fluoroscopy frequency, screw placement accuracy, visual analogue scale score, and Cobb's angle of two groups were compared. The X-ray exposure times were notably reduced (4.2±1.6) in the new approach group (P<0.05). The pedicle screw placement accuracy and Cobb's angle after surgery were similar in the two groups. We conclude that modified Wiltse's paraspinal approach with spinal minimally invasive channel system surgery can significantly reduce the X-ray exposure times and is an alternative therapy for the thoracolumbar fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Hemoglobin is a precursor of antibacterial peptides. Our aim was to identify an antibacterial peptide in human endometrium. We tested the antimicrobial activities of hemoglobin and a derived peptide in vitro and in vivo in rats. METHODS Samples (n = 3) were scraped from the surface of endometrium. Acid-soluble proteins underwent electrophoresis followed by gel overlay assay and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Antibacterial activities were determined by agar radial diffusion assay. Purified peptides were further characterized by electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, N-terminal amino acid (AA) sequencing and protein structure analysis. A rat model was used to test the inhibitory activity of human hemoglobin on vaginal infection with Escherichia coli, using one experimental group (intravaginal hemoglobin, n = 9) and three control groups (n = 14). Vaginal histology was studied. RESULTS The purified peptide exhibited potent antibacterial activities against E. coli ML-35P. The N-terminal AA sequence was F L S F P T T K T Y, identical to AA 32–41 of the human hemoglobin α chain, and it had the same mass (m/z = 6776.8) as the α chain 32–93 AA fragment, with at least three α-helices. Histology indicated that the hemoglobin group changed significantly compared with the matrix control group (no treatment after infection): the surface layer of stratified squamous epithelium was smoother, inflammatory cell infiltration was relieved in the lamina propria and congestion pattern was decreased. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that erythrocytes from endometrium are another source of the antimicrobial molecules. Hemoglobin and its derived peptides may play a role in the host defense against pathogens in human vagina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]