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Background: Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is a chronic autoimmune disease that poses a risk factor for papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The present study aimed to identify the key genes shared by HT and PTC for advancing the current understanding of their shared pathogenesis and molecular mechanisms., Methods: HT- and PTC-related datasets (GSE138198 and GSE33630, respectively) were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Genes significantly related to the PTC phenotype were identified using weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified between PTC and healthy samples from GSE33630, and between HT and normal samples from GSE138198. Subsequently, functional enrichment analysis was performed using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). Transcription factors and miRNAs regulating the common genes in PTC and HT were forecasted using the Harmonizome and miRWalk databases, respectively, and drugs targeting these genes were investigated using the Drug-Gene Interaction Database (DGIdb). The key genes in both GSE138198 and GSE33630 were further identified via Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. The expression of key genes was verified in external validation set and clinical samples using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC)., Results: In total, 690 and 1945 DEGs were associated with PTC and HT, respectively; of these, 56 were shared and exhibited excellent predictive accuracy in the GSE138198 and GSE33630 cohorts. Notably, four genes, Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1B ( ADH1B ), Active BCR-related ( ABR ), alpha-1 antitrypsin ( SERPINA1 ), and lysophosphatidic acid receptor 5 ( LPAR5 ) were recognized as key genes shared by HT and PTC. Subsequently, EGR1 was identified as a common transcription factor regulating ABR, SERPINA1 , and LPAR5 expression. These findings were confirmed using qRT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis., Conclusion: Four ( ADH1B, ABR, SERPINA1 , and LPAR5 ) out of 56 common genes exhibited diagnostic potential in HT and PTC. Notably, this study, for the first time, defined the close relationship between ABR and HT/PTC progression. Overall, this study provides a basis for understanding the shared pathogenesis and underlying molecular mechanisms of HT and PTC, which might help improve patient diagnosis and prognosis., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Liu, Yin, Wang, Li, Dong and Peng.)

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest: None.

Objective: To explore the clinical value of ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation in the treatment of retroperitoneal tumors. Methods: The clinical data of 13 patients with retroperitoneal tumors treated with ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to January 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. The ablation effect was evaluated and the postoperative complications were observed. The changes of tumor volume before and after radiofrequency ablation were compared. Results: The symptoms of pain and dyspepsia were significantly improved after radiofrequency ablation, and the hospital stay was (9.2±2.9) days. The tumor was ablated completely in 10 cases, tumor residual in 1 case and tumor metastasis in 2 cases. One patient had postoperative duodenal perforation complicated with intra-abdominal infection, and no serious complications occurred in other patients. There were 20 lesions in 13 patients. The maximum diameter of 20 lesions before operation and 1, 3, 6 months after operation were (39.5±15.9) mm, (30.6±4.9)mm, (15.6±7.7) mm and (9.9±3.1) mm, respectively, the maximum diameters of 1, 3 and 6 months after operation were smaller than that before operation ( P <0.05). Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation is a real-time, accurate, safe and effective minimally invasive treatment with few complications, and has a high clinical value for retroperitoneal tumors.

Competing Interests: Conflicts of interests: All authors declared no conflicts of interests.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves are the dry leaves of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. Modern studies have shown that Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves and its extracts have many pharmacological effects, such as regulating hypothalamus pituitary ovary (HPO) axis function, estrogen like effects, correcting insulin resistance (IR), regulating lipids, and reducing weight, which are consistent with the clinical manifestations in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. PCOS patients often have HPO axis disorder, low estrogen, high androgen, high IR complication rate, and obesity. Previous preclinical studies have shown that total flavonoids from Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves (TFEL) can improve the imbalance in sex hormone secretion in perimenopausal animal models by regulating the function of the HPO axis. Thus, it is important to understand if flavonoids are the active parts of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv. leaves that interfere with polycystic ovary syndrome with insulin resistance (PCOS-IR), and determine the regulatory role they play in sex hormones and IR?, Aim of the Study: Investigate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT) signaling pathway in the ovary and kisspeptin/insulin like growth factor/leptin receptor1/androgen receptor (Kiss1/IGF-1/LEPR/AR) in the HPO axis to determine the mechanism of TFEL intervention in a rat model of PCOS-IR model rats., Materials and Methods: A rat model of PCOS-IR was established using a high-fat diet (49 d) combined with letrozole (1 mg/kg·d, for 28 d). Then, metformin (300 mg/kg·d) and TFEL (220 mg/kg·d, 110 mg/kg·d, and 55 mg/kg·d) were administered continuously for 21 days. At the end of the experiment, samples were taken and the related indexes were measured., Results: TFEL reduced the body weight, Lee's index, ovarian index, ovarian area and ovarian volume, increased serum E 2 , SHBG levels and ISI, decreased serum levels of T, LEP, INS, and FBG (whole blood), and reduced the HOMA-IR in rats with PCOS-IR. TFEL downregulate Kiss1, IGF-1, and AR in the arcuate nucleus of hypothalamus, and upregulate Kiss1, downregulate IGF-1 and AR in the pituitary gland, and upregulate Kiss1, downregulate IGF-1, LEPR, and AR in the ovary of rats with PCOS-IR. TFEL could downregulate p-IRS-1 Ser307 , upregulate IRS-1, p-IRS-1 Tyr895 , PI3Kp85α, p-PI3Kp85α, AKT, p-AKT, and GLUT4 in the ovary, and ameliorated histopathological changes in the ovary and pancreas of rats with PCOS-IR., Conclusion: TFEL can inhibit ovarian hyperplasia, regulate disorders of glucose and lipid metabolism and improve the secretion of sex hormones, by regulating the expression of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway-related proteins in the ovary and Kiss1/IGF-1/LEPR/AR in the HPO axis., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Herein, we reported a green biosynthesis method of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) at microwave irradiation condition by using pectin as a stabilizer and ascorbic acid as a reducing agent. Under the optimum conditions, CuNPs1 and 2 were synthesized under microwave times 0 and 3 min, respectively. Transmission electron microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests showed that CuNPs1 and 2 had irregular polygon particles with average diameters of 61.9 ± 19.4 and 40.9 ± 13.6 nm, respectively. Zeta potentials of CuNPs1 and 2 were -45.2 and -48.7 mV, respectively. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy techniques were used to characterize the properties of CuNPs. Furthermore, inhibition zone tests showed that CuNPs2 exhibited higher antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Aspergillus japonicus than CuNPs1. The antibacterial activities were also studied by the bacterial growth kinetics in broth media, and CuNPs2 exhibited lower minimum bactericidal concentrations than CuNPs1.

Due to the increasing incidence of central nervous system diseases,especially the increasing incidence and mortality of stroke,brain-targeted drug delivery has attached more and more attention. Nasal administration,as one of the ways of brain-targeted administration,can effectively make the drug delivered to the brain in a targeted way after by passing the blood-brain barrier,providing a new idea for the treatment of central nervous system diseases. Therefore,it is a promising administration way. In recent years,the treatment of encephalopathy by nasal administration of traditional Chinese medicine has become a hot topic in the research of traditional Chinese medicine. Ischemic stroke is one of the most important diseases endangering human health. Nasal administration has a history of thousands of years in treatment of stroke. Modern medical research has proved that there is a subtle connection between the nasal cavity and the brain,and the complex and ingenious structure of the nasal cavity provides the possibility for drugs delivery to the brain through the nose. Drug administration through nasal cavity has obvious advantages in treatment of central nervous system diseases represented by ischemic stroke. Nasal administration is characterized by non-invasion,low infection,rapid absorption and brain targeting. The author will expound the theoretical basis of brain targeting of nasal administration from the aspects of anatomy and physiology,and summarize the transport pathway of drugs through the nose into the brain,the in vitro and in vivo experimental research basis of the " nose-brain"pathway,and the clinical nasal administration of traditional Chinese medicine to prevent cerebral ischemia. It provides a reference for better research of drugs to prevent and treat cerebral ischemia injury through the " nose-brain"pathway and lays a foundation for further research of the " nose-brain" pathway.

Objective: To study the effects of the different components of the total flavonoids and total saponins from Mao Dongqing's active site on the rats of TIA model, determine the optimal reactive components ratio of Mao Dongqing on the rats of TIA. Methods: TIA rat model was induced by tail vein injection of tert butyl alcohol, the blank group was injected with the same amount of physiological saline, then behavioral score wasevaluated. Determination the level of glutamic acid in serum, the activity of Na+-K+-ATP enzyme, CA ++ -ATP enzyme and Mg ++ -ATP enzyme in Brain tissue, observe the changes of hippocampus in brain tissue, the comprehensive weight method was used to evaluate the efficacy of each component finally. Results: The contents of total flavonoids and total saponins in the active part of Mao Dongqing can significantly improve the pathological changes of brain tissue in rats, improve the activity of Na + -K + -ATP enzyme, Ca ++ -ATP enzyme and Mg ++ -ATP enzyme in the brain of rats, and reduce the level of glutamic acid in serum. The most significant of the contents was the ratio of 10:6., Conclusion: The different proportions of total flavonoids and total saponins in the active part of Mao Dongqing all has a better effect on the rats with TIA, and the ratio of 10:6 is the best active component for preventing and controlling TIA.

Salinity is a major abiotic stress in agriculture. Here, we report that SODIUM POTASSIUM ROOT DEFECTIVE3 (NaKR3), which encodes a heavy metal-associated domain protein, is involved in salt tolerance in Arabidopsis. The results of quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that NaKR3 was induced by high salinity and osmotic stresses, but not by Cu(2+) stress. Transient expression of NaKR3-GFP in Arabidopsis protoplasts showed that the NaKR3 protein was localized in the cytosol. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants constitutively expressing NaKR3 under the control of the cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter exhibited increased tolerance to salt treatment. Furthermore, overexpression of NaKR3 increased the expression of SOS1 and SOS3, but decreased the accumulation of salt-induced proline. Taken together, our results indicate that NaKR3 is involved in the salt stress response in Arabidopsis.

Betaine was an endogenous catabolite of choline, which could be isolated from vegetables and marine products. Betaine could promote the metabolism of homocysteine in healthy subjects and was used for hyperlipidemia, coronary atherosclerosis, and fatty liver in clinic. Recent findings shown that Betaine rescued neuronal damage due to homocysteine induced Alzheimer's disease (AD) like pathological cascade, including tau hyperphosphorylation and amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition. Aβ was derived from amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, and was a triggering factor for AD pathological onset. Here, we demonstrated that Betaine reduced Aβ levels by altering APP processing in N2a cells stably expressing Swedish mutant of APP. Betaine increased α-secretase activity, but decreased β-secretase activity. Our data indicate that Betaine might play a protective role in Aβ production.

Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) is one of the techniques of acupuncture and is believed to be an effective alternative and complementary treatment in many disorders. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects and mechanisms of EA at acupoint Zusanli (ST36) on the plasticity of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) in partial bowel obstruction., Methods: A Sprague Dawley rat model of partial bowel obstruction was established and EA was conducted at Zusanli (ST36) and Yinglingquan (SP9) in test and control groups, respectively. Experiments were performed to study the effects and mechanisms of EA at Zusanli on intestinal myoelectric activity, distribution and alteration of ICCs, expression of inflammatory mediators, and c-Kit expression., Results: 1) EA at Zusanli somewhat improved slow wave amplitude and frequency in the partial obstruction rats. 2) EA at Zusanli significantly stimulated the recovery of ICC networks and numbers. 3) the pro-inflammatory mediator TNF-α and NO activity were significantly reduced after EA at Zusanli, However, no significant changes were observed in the anti-inflammatory mediator IL-10 activity. 4) EA at Zusanli re-expressed c-Kit protein. However, EA at the control acupoint, SP9, significantly improved slow wave frequency and amplitude, but had no effect on ICC or inflammatory mediators., Conclusions: We concluded that EA at Zusanli might have a therapeutic effect on ICC plasticity, and that this effect might be mediated via a decrease in pro-inflammatory mediators and through the c-Kit signaling pathway, but that the relationship between EA at different acupoints and myoelectric activity needs further study.

Objective: To clone tpn17 and tpn47 genes of Treponema pallidum and then construct their prokaryotic expression systems,to establish ELISAs based on rTpN17 and rTpN47 as antigens and to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the ELISAs for detection of serological diagnosis of syphilis., Methods: The whole length of tpn17 and tpn47 genes was amplified by PCR and then their prokaryotic expression systems were constructed. SDS-PAGE was used to measure the expression of the target recombinant proteins rTpN17 and rTpN47. Ni-NTA affinity chromatography was applied to extract rTpN17 and rTpN47, while Western blot was performed to determine the specific immunoreactivity of rTpN17 and rTpN47. By using rTpN17 and rTpN47 as the coated antigen, respectively, ELISAs (rTpN17-ELISA and rTpN47-ELISA) were established to detect serum samples from 200 healthy individuals, 25 RA patients, 17 SLE patients and 211 syphilis patients. The detection effects of the ELISAs were compared to those of TRUST and TPHA., Result: The sequence similarity of the cloned tpn17 and tpn47 genes was 100 % compared with the corresponding sequences in GenBank. The expression outputs of rTpN17 and rTpN47 were approximately 37.2 % and 26.8 % of the total bacterial proteins, respectively. Both the extracted rTpN17 and rTpN47 could take place remarkable conjugation reactions to the sera with positive antibody against Treponema pallidum.The positive detection rate of TPHA (99.1%) was the highest (P<0.001). The positive detection rates of rTpN17-ELISA (85.3 %) and rTpN47-ELISA (84.3 %) were similar (P>0.05). The positive detection rates of TRUST (72.5 %) was lower than that of rTpN17-ELISA (P=0.001) but similar to that of rTpN47-ELISA (P=0.014). The detection results of all the serum samples from healthy individuals, RA patients and SLE patients were negative, whereas 7.1 % (3/42) of the samples from RA or SLE patients were positive., Conclusion: rTpN17 and rTpN47 are still maintaining their original immunoreactivity. The ELISAs using rTpN17 or rTpN47 as the antigen are rapid, simple and convenient, higher sensitivity and specificity methods for serological screening and detection of syphilis.

Objective: To explore the expression of tyrosine phosphatase containing C-src homology SH-2 (SHP-1 and SHP-2) in benign prostate hyperplasia., Methods: With En Vision two-step method, the expression of SHP-1 and SHP-2 was detected in 10 cases of normal prostate tissue, 30 cases of BPH, 20 cases of PIN, 20 cases of high differential Pca and 20 cases of low differential Pca., Result: The expression of SHP-2 in normal group was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm of secretive cells and basal cells, and a little part in the nucleu. In BPH it was distributed equally in the plasm and nucleu. In PIN, high differential Pca and low differential Pca, SHP-2 expressed mainly in nucleu. The average dyeing index of SHP-2 in each group is 0.4, 1.7, 2.1, 2.2 and 2.6. SHP-1 positive expression in normal prostate, BPH, PIN and high differential Pca showed differentiating layer staining in the cytoplasm of secretive cells and basal cells, while not in low differential Pca. The average dyeing index of SHP-1 in each group is 1.8, 1.8, 1.5, 1.2 and 0.4., Conclusion: There are transformation in signal transduction relation with SHP-1 and SHP-2 in the progress of prostate cell proliferation, differentiation and malignant. The abnormal activation and distribution of SHP-2 might induce prostate reconstruction and hyperplasia, even carcinoma.