Diabetes and periodontitis: the role of a high-glucose microenvironment in periodontal tissue cells and corresponding therapeutic strategies.

Background: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to the destruction of periodontal tissues and diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia. Both of these diseases affect many people worldwide. Epidemiological data have revealed a close relationship between periodontitis and diabetes.

Acupuncture attenuates myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced ferroptosis via the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Aims: To observe the effect of electro-acupuncture (EA) on cardiomyocytes ferroptosis induced by myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MIRI) in mice and to investigate whether this effect occurs via the nuclear factor-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) signalling pathway.

Materials And Methods: Firstly, Fe in the hearts and serum of mice from both the sham-operated (SO) group and MIRI group was measured to ascertain whether ferroptosis had occurred in the cardiomyocytes of mice in MIRI group. In the second phase, EA was administered, with sham acupuncture (SA) group as the comparator, to investigate the protective effects of EA on ferroptosis in MIRI cardiomyocytes and cardiac function.

Silence of HOTAIR promotes osteogenic differentiation and accelerates distraction osteogenesis by mediating FTO ubiquitination.

Background: Distraction osteogenesis(DO) is a valuable bone regeneration technique, yet its prolonged consolidation phase often entails pain, high costs, infection risks, and lifestyle disruptions. Finding adjunctive approaches to shorten treatment duration is thus of clinical significance. Long noncoding RNAs have been demonstrated to play pivotal roles in regulating bone formation, and homeobox transcript antisense intergenic RNA(HOTAIR) was also reported to regulate osteogenesis and bone formation.

[Mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine in treating vascular calcification in chronic kidney disease based on BMP and SIRT signaling pathways].

Vascular calcification significantly increases the incidence of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality patients with chronic kidney disease(CKD), severely affecting their health and lifespan. However, the mechanisms underlying vascular calcification in CKD remain incompletely understood, and the available therapeutic agents are limited. Research has found that the transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells(VSMCs) from a contractile phenotype to an osteoblast-like phenotype is a key step in CKD-related vascular calcification.

Screening of Genes Co-Associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Infectious Sudden Death in Infancy and Bioinformatics Analysis of Their Regulatory Networks.

Objectives: The common differentially expressed mRNAs in brain, heart and liver tissues of deceased sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and infectious sudden death in infancy (ISDI) confirmed by autopsy was screened by bioinformatics to explore the common molecular markers and pathogenesis of SIDS and ISDI.

Methods: The datasets of GSE70422 and GSE136992 were downloaded, the limma of R software was used to screen differentially expressed mRNA in different tissue samples of SIDS and ISDI decedents for overlapping analysis. The clusterProfiler of R software was used to conduct gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis.

The association between blood heavy metals and gallstones: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Aims: Exposure to heavy metals has been widely recognized as a risk factor for human health. However, there is limited information on the effects of blood heavy metals on gallstones. This study aims to investigate the relationship between blood heavy metals and gallstones using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Climate and geochemistry at different altitudes influence soil fungal community aggregation patterns in alpine grasslands.

Fungi represent key ecosystem factors that affect plant growth and development and improve soil structure and fertility. Due to changes in environmental conditions, fungi show strong spatial heterogeneity along altitudinal gradients. Current knowledge of the driving mechanisms and effects of soil fungal community construction at high altitudes is very limited on a regional scale.

Downregulation of hepcidin by norcantharidin in macrophage.

Norcantharidin (NCTD) is a demethylated analogue of cantharidin. It was recently demonstrated that NCTD reduces iron contents in the liver and spleen of mice , indicating that NCTD can affect iron metabolism hepcidin. Here, we investigated the effects of NCTD on expression of iron storage protein ferritin-light chain (Ft-L), transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1), divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), ferroportin 1 (Fpn1), hepcidin, iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1), IL-6, p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 in lipopolysaccharides (LPS)-treated RAW264.

The effect of doping and strain on superconductivity of T-graphene.

As an allotrope of graphene, T-graphene was predicted to be an intrinsic two-dimensional (2D) superconductor with a superconducting critical temperature () of about 20.8 K [Gu , Chin. Phys.

Chinese herbal injections versus intrapleural cisplatin for lung cancer patients with malignant pleural effusion: A Bayesian network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a common complication in patients with advanced lung cancer that can severely compromise the quality of life and limit life expectancy. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown that Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) may be beneficial in improving quality of life. This network meta-analysis (NMA) aims to explore several CHIs used for lung cancer patients with MPE.

Accumulation and translocation of traditional and novel organophosphate esters and phthalic acid esters in plants during the whole life cycle.

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) and phthalic acid esters (PAEs) are widespread contaminants in the environment. The variations of these chemicals in plants throughout their life cycle is little known. In this study, OPEs, OPE metabolites, and PAEs in peanut and corn grown under field conditions, soil, and air were measured to understand the uptake and translocation, distributions in the plant compartments, and metabolism in the plants.

Particle size-resolved emission characteristics of complex polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) mixtures from various combustion sources.

Combustion of domestic solid fuels is a significant source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Some oxygenated PAHs (o-PAHs) and PAHs with molecular weight of 302 (MW302 PAHs) are more toxic than the traditional 16 priority PAHs, whereas their emissions were much less elucidated. This study characterized the size-dependent emissions of parent PAHs (p-PAHs), o-PAHs, and MW302 PAHs from various combustion sources.

Five-Flavor Enteric-Coated Capsules for Ulcerative Colitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.

Background: Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, and mucopurulent bloody stool. In recent years, the incidence and prevalence of UC have been increasing consistently. Five-flavor enteric-coated capsule (FSEC), a licensed Chinese patent medicine, was specifically used to treat UC.

An evidence mapping of systematic reviews and meta-analysis on traditional Chinese medicine for ulcerative colitis.

Background: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been a proposed treatment option for ulcerative colitis (UC), however it has been difficult to understand the breadth and depth of evidence as various Chinese medicine therapies may produce effects differently. The aim of this evidence mapping is to visually understand the available evidence in the use of TCM in the treatment of UC, and to identify gaps in evidence to inform priorities of future research.

Methods: A systematic electronic literature search of six databases were performed to identify systematic reviews (SRs) on different Chinese medicine therapies in the treatment in UC.

Chinese Patent Medicine as Adjuvant for Mild-to-Moderate Active Ulcerative Colitis: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Chinese patent medicine for mild-to-moderate active ulcerative colitis (UC) using network meta-analysis (NMA).

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, Sino-Med, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP) databases to October, 2020. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on Chinese patent medicine for mild-to-moderate active UC.

[Effect of Erxian Decoction on proteomics and PI3K signaling pathway of osteoblasts stimulated by H2O2].

The present study aimed to explore the effect of Erxian Decoction on proteomics of osteoblasts stimulated by hydrogen peroxide(H_2O_2) and its protective mechanism with the H_2O_2-induced cell model of oxidative stress. The primary osteoblasts were cultured from the skulls of newborn rats(within 24 hours) and divided into a control group, a model group, a Fosamax group, and an Erxian Decoction group. Blank serum was added in the control group and model group, and the drug-containing serum was added correspondingly to the remaining two groups.

Acupuncture for ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.

Background: Ulcerative colitis, characterized by diarrhea, bloody stools and abdominal pain, is a chronic, idiopathic inflammatory disease of the colonic mucosa. In recent years, the incidence of ulcerative colitis presents an increasing trend year by year. Acupuncture, as a potential effective treatment for ulcerative colitis, is widely used in clinical practice.

Endoscopic full-thickness resection to treat active Dieulafoy's disease: A case report.

Background: At present, minimally invasive endoscopic treatment is mostly used for patients with actively bleeding Dieulafoy's lesions, , as it has the advantages of minimal trauma, short operation time and good hemostatic effect, although bleeding can easily recur postoperatively. Recently, extensive gastric cuneiform resection has been advocated for use in these patients because the constant-diameter artery follows a long path to the gastric mucosa.

Case Summary: A 47-year-old man was admitted to the hospital for repeated hematemesis and black stool, and he was diagnosed with Dieulafoy's disease.

Bioactive PLGA/tricalcium phosphate scaffolds incorporating phytomolecule icaritin developed for calvarial defect repair in rat model.

Background/objectives: For treatment of large bone defects challenging in orthopaedic clinics, bone graft substitutes are commonly used for the majority of surgeons. It would be proposed in the current study that our bioactive scaffolds could additionally serve as a local delivery system for therapeutic small molecule agents capable of providing support to enhance biological bone repair.

Methods: In this study, composite scaffolds made of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and tricalcium phosphate (TCP) named by P/T was fabricated by a low-temperature rapid prototyping technique.

Combining Pro-peptide Engineering and Multisite Saturation Mutagenesis To Improve the Catalytic Potential of Keratinase.

Keratinases are becoming biotechnologically important since they have shown potential in hydrolysis of recalcitrant keratins with highly rigid and strongly cross-linked structures. However, the large-scale application of keratinases has been limited by the inefficient expression level and low enzyme activity. In this work, we employed pro-peptide engineering and saturation mutagenesis to construct excellent keratinase variants with improved activities.

Sorption and desorption of phenanthrene on biodegradable poly(butylene adipate co-terephtalate) microplastics.

Biodegradable plastics, as alternatives to conventional plastics, are increasingly used, but their interactions with organic pollutants are still unknown. In this study, the sorption and desorption behaviors on a type of biodegradable plastic-poly(butylene adipate co-terephtalate) (PBAT) were investigated, and at the same time two types of conventional plastics-polyethylene (PE and PE) and polystyrene (PS) were used for comparison. Phenanthrene (PHEN) was chosen as one of representative organic pollutants.

MicroRNA-144-3p inhibits bone formation in distraction osteogenesis through targeting Connexin 43.

Distraction osteogenesis (DO), one of effective therapies for bone regeneration, has been received more attention in recent years. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been reported to play important roles in regulating osteogenesis and bone formation.

Comparing the osteoconductive potential between tubular and cylindrical beta-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds: An experimental study in rats.

Beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) has been widely used for bone regeneration for many years. However, there are few studies on the osteoconduction ability of different shaped β-TCP scaffolds. In this study, we compared the osteoconductive potential between the tubular and cylindrical β-TCP scaffolds in long bone defect animal model.