中南大学学报(医学版)最新文献

Objectives: Malignant melanoma is highly aggressive, prone to early metastasis, and associated with extremely poor prognosis, posing a serious threat to human health. Identifying molecular mechanisms that inhibit metastasis is of great significance for improving treatment and prognosis. Interleukin-37 (IL-37), an anti-inflammatory cytokine, has not only been linked to various inflammatory diseases but also exhibits anti-tumor properties. This study aims to explore the effect of IL-37 on melanoma metastasis in vivo by establishing a murine model of pulmonary metastasis.

Methods: Mouse melanoma B16F1 cells were transfected with either IL-37 overexpression plasmid (IL-37 oe) or empty vector. Three groups were set: An IL-37 oe group (transfection reagent+IL-37 oe plasmid), a Vector group (transfection reagent+vector plasmid), and a Blank group (transfection reagent only). C57 mice were randomly divided into 3 groups (n=3 per group) and injected intravenously with logarithmic-phase B16F1 cells under sterile conditions. Mice were weighed every 3 days. After 1 month, mice were euthanized by cervical dislocation, and organs including lungs, heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys were harvested. Lung metastases were photographed and counted. Organs were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, embedded in paraffin, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE).

Results: Western blotting confirmed successful plasmid transfection. There were no significant differences in body weight among the 3 groups over the 28-day period (P>0.05). Lung tumors were observed upon dissection, indicating successful metastasis modeling. HE staining showed no morphological differences in the heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys between groups. The numbers of lung metastases in the Blank, Vector, and IL-37 oe groups were (24.00±2.08), (24.67±0.88), and (5.33±1.45), respectively. The IL-37 oe group had significantly fewer lung metastases than the other 2 groups (P<0.05), while no difference was observed between the Blank and Vector groups.

Conclusions: IL-37 significantly inhibits lung metastasis of malignant melanoma cells in mice without affecting body weight or major organs. It may serve as a potential molecular target for gene therapy or immunotherapy of malignant melanoma.

Objectives: Pelvic floor sensory training is commonly used in clinical practice for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI); however, there is a lack of comparative studies evaluating pelvic floor sensation between women with SUI and healthy controls. Additionally, normative data for two-point discrimination thresholds in the female pelvic floor region remain scarce. This study aims to compare the results of 4 sensory tests in the pelvic floor region between women with mild SUI and healthy women, in order to provide reference values for two-point discrimination thresholds in this area.

Methods: From April 1 to October 30, 2023, 108 healthy women [(32.5±3.6) years] and 90 women with mild SUI [(32.9±3.3) years] were recruited from the Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University. Participants underwent 4 sensory tests in the pelvic floor region: Two-dot discrimination, weight perception, shape recognition, and 9-grid localization. The results were compared between the 2 groups.

Results: Compared with healthy women, those with mild SUI had lower sensitivity and higher thresholds in 2-dot discrimination tests in the pelvic floor region (all P<0.001). No significant differences were found between groups in weight perception, shape recognition, or grid localization tests (P>0.05).

Conclusions: Women with mild stress urinary incontinence have impaired two-point discrimination ability in the pelvic floor region.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation, with vascular endothelial dysfunction being one of its key pathogenic mechanisms. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), a class of progenitor cells capable of vascular repair and regeneration, play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of COPD. In COPD patients, the number and function of circulating EPCs are significantly reduced, which is closely associated with disease severity, lung function decline, acute exacerbations, nutritional status, and comorbidities. Environmental factors such as smoking, nicotine, electronic cigarettes, and particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) can markedly impair both the function and quantity of EPCs. The underlying mechanisms may involve the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGF/VEGFR), C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 12/C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCL12/CXCR4) signaling pathways, and various cytokine regulations. Moreover, animal studies have shown that intratracheal transplantation of EPCs can significantly improve lung function and pathological changes in emphysema models, suggesting that targeting EPCs may be a promising therapeutic strategy for COPD. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of EPC mobilization, homing, and dysfunction, and evaluating the efficacy and safety of their clinical application, may offer new insights into the treatment of COPD and other chronic lung diseases.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative disease of the skeletal system and muscular system, and its pathogenesis remains unclear, leading to a lack of effective therapeutic strategies. Ribonucleic acid binding proteins (RBP), as key regulators of post-transcriptional processes, can specifically bind to targeted ribonucleic acids (RNA) and modulate their function and fate. By regulating various aspects of RNA metabolism, including transcription, splicing, modification, stabilization, and translation, RBPs influence the onset and progression of OA. Exploring the regulatory mechanisms of RBPs under physiological and pathological conditions, elucidating the role of RBPs in the occurrence and development of OA, and discussing current challenges and future directions in RBPs research, hold significant importance for the treatment of OA by targeting RBPs.

Objectives: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) play important roles in the pathological processes of angiogenesis-related diseases such as cancer and diabetic retinopathy. This study aims to identify global research trends and hotspots in the field of lncRNAs in angiogenesis-related diseases and to explore future research directions.

Methods: Relevant literature published between 2012 and 2022 was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). A total of 1 516 articles on lncRNAs and angiogenesis-related diseases were included for bibliometric analysis. CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used to analyze publication countries, institutions, journals, authors, co-cited references, and key words.

Results: The number of publications in this field has shown a steadily increasing trend from 2012 to 2022, peaking in 2021. China has the highest number of publications, while the United States ranked highest in centrality. Nanjing Medical University was the most prolific institution. Liu Y was the most productive author, while Wang Y ranked first in co-citation frequency. Cell was the most frequently cited journal. The latest terms of burst key words were vascular remodeling, dysfunction, heart, target, suppress, and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Conclusions: From 2012 to 2022, research on lncRNAs in angiogenesis-related diseases has grown significantly. China leads in publication volume, while the United States holds the most academic influence. Emerging research hotspots such as vascular remodeling and dysfunction point to key directions for future research.

Objectives: Over 25% of the global population is affected by metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), yet its pathogenesis remains unclear. Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) may be involved in the onset and progression of MAFLD. Adenosine 5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase α2 (AMPKα2), a key regulator of hepatic energy metabolism, may influence MAFLD development via ERS modulation. This study aims to investigate the role of AMPKα2 in a high-fat diet-induced MAFLD mouse model and its regulatory effect on the inositol-requiring enzyme 1 alpha (IRE1α)-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling pathway.

Methods: Liver-specific AMPKα2 knockout mice on a C57BL/6 background were generated and subjected to MAFLD induction. Mice were divided into four groups: wild-type control (WT+Chow, basic diet for 12 weeks), wild-type high-fat diet (WT+HFD, high-fat diet for 12 weeks), AMPKα2 knockout control (AMPKα2 KO+Chow), and AMPKα2 knockout high-fat diet (AMPKα2 KO+HFD). Blood glucose, lipid levels, and liver function were assessed post-treatment. Liver histology was analyzed using Oil Red O, hematoxylin-eosin, Masson, and Sirius Red staining. Western blotting was used to evaluate the expression of AMPKα2, ERS markers, autophagy, apoptosis, and ferroptosis-related proteins.

Results: Compared with the WT+Chow group, the WT+HFD group showed significantly elevated blood glucose, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (all P<0.01); histological analyses revealed hepatic steatosis, vacuolization, and fibrosis, with a significantly increased non-alcoholic steatohepatitis activity score (NAS) (P<0.001). Phosphorylated IRE1α and the autophagy marker microtubule-associated protein light chain (LC) 3II/LC3I were markedly upregulated, while apoptotic proteins (Cleaved-Caspase 3, BAX, Bcl-2) and ferroptosis markers (SLC7A11, GPX4) showed no significant change (P>0.05). In the AMPKα2 KO+HFD group, blood glucose, ALT, and AST levels were significantly reduced compared to the WT+HFD group. Histological improvements were observed with reduced vacuolization and lipid accumulation. Expression of p-IRE1α, JNK, and LC3II/LC3I was significantly decreased (P<0.05).

Conclusions: Hepatic AMPKα2 knockout alleviates high-fat induced MAFLD, potentially by inhibiting the IRE1α-JNK pathway and reducing autophagy.

Hepatitis B is a global public health concern. Inducing hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) through vaccination is a crucial preventive strategy. However, individuals show varying immune responses to the hepatitis B vaccine. Based on HBsAb levels, individuals can be categorized as high responders, low responders, or non-responders. T cells and their subsets play critical roles in modulating this response, and the composition of the T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire also influences immune responsiveness. Investigating the characteristics of T cells, their subsets, and TCR repertoires in individuals with differential responses post-vaccination may provide theoretical guidance for optimizing vaccine design and immunization strategies.

Objectives: Peripheral whole blood cell counts have been used as prognostic indicators for various cancers, but their predictive value in nasopharyngeal carcinoma remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic significance of the pretreatment hemoglobin×lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (HLMR) in non-recurrent, non-metastatic NPC patients undergoing definitive radiotherapy.

Methods: Clinical and follow-up data from 805 NPC patients who completed definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. Pretreatment hemoglobin, lymphocyte count, and monocyte count were collected to calculate HLMR. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the optimal cut-off value of HLMR. Patients were then classified into high and low HLMR groups. The association between HLMR and clinicopathological characteristic was assessed using chi-square tests. Independent prognostic factors for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were identified using Cox proportional hazards models. A nomogram was constructed based on the independent predictors to estimate patient survival rates, and internal validation was performed using a validation cohort.

Results: The ROC curve identified 605.5 as the optimal HLMR cut-off value for predicting 5-year survival. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that T stage (HR=1.886, 95% CI 1.331 to 2.673, P<0.001), N stage (HR=2.021, 95% CI 1.267 to 3.225, P=0.003), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score (HR=3.991, 95% CI 1.257 to 12.677, P=0.019), concurrent chemoradiotherapy regimen (HR=0.338, 95% CI 0.156 to 0.731, P=0.006), and HLMR (HR=0.648, 95% CI 0.460 to 0.912, P=0.013) were independent prognostic factors for OS. A nomogram including T stage, N stage, and HLMR in the training cohort was constructed to predict 3-, 5-, and 7-year OS, with a C-index of 0.713. The area under the curves for predicting 3-, 5-, and 7-year OS were 0.744, 0.665, and 0.682, respectively. Calibration curves showed good agreement between predicted and observed survival rates. The above results were further confirmed in the validation cohort.

Conclusions: Pretreatment HLMR may serve as a promising prognostic biomarker for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Postpartum visit are maternal and child health services provided by primary care workers at the homes of postpartum women within one week after hospital discharge. However, China currently lacks detailed work guidelines and standardized protocols for such services, making it difficult to effectively assess the competency of postpartum visitors and improve service quality. This study reviewed 24 Chinese and English articles retrieved using a combination of subject and free terms, selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The key components of postpartum visit competency were summarized into 3 dimensions: Health assessment, health education, and communication/coordination. While home visitors were generally capable of performing basic physical examinations and providing health education for mothers and newborns, they often lacked the ability to deliver more specialized maternal and infant care. Factors affecting the effectiveness of postpartum visit services included the personal characteristics, technical skills, and training of the visitors. Strategies to improve competencies involve reforming training methods, enhancing home visit skills, and standardizing procedures. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive tools to assess postpartum visit competency.