基于网络药理学和分子对接技术分析筒鞘蛇菰多糖治疗肝损伤的作用机制及体内实验研究＊

目的 基于网络药理学探讨并分析筒鞘蛇菰（Balanophora involucrata Hook. f.，BIH）治疗肝损伤的作用及分子机制，并通过大鼠体内实验验证相关预测靶点及筒鞘蛇菰提取物-蛇菰多糖（Polysaccharides of Balanophora involucrata Hook. f.，BPS）对实验性肝损伤的保护作用。方法 化学专业数据库、TCMID和TCMSP平台检索筒鞘蛇菰组成的化合物及可能靶点，以肝损伤为关键词检索GeneCards和网站，获得相关靶点，绘制Venn图，选交集靶点，将“化合物-靶点和疾病-靶点”关系导入Cytoscape V3.7.2软件，获得化合物-靶点-疾病的三重网络，对化合物及相关靶点蛋白行分子对接，并用交集靶点绘制蛋白互作网络图及进行GO生物功能和KEGG信号途径富集分析。结果 筒鞘蛇菰主要成分有11个化合物，其中与肝损伤有37个交集靶点，高度关联靶点包括NOS3、ESR1、TNF、MAOA、PTGS2、IL10等，GO和KEGG富集分析发现筒鞘蛇菰治疗肝损伤的分子机制，可能与调节肾上腺素能信号通路、cGMP-PKG信号及神经活性配体-受体交互通路等有关，而且ADRA1B、ADRA2A、ADRA2C、ADRB1/2等基因高度富集于这些通路中。动物体内实验发现BPS灌胃处理可减轻肝组织损伤、调控血清炎症因子肿瘤坏死因子α（Tumor necrosis factor， TNF-α）和白细胞介素10（IL-10）水平、提高抗氧化酶超氧化物歧化酶（superoxide dismutase，SOD）活性，并增强肝组织内氧化应激相关蛋白核因子E2相关因子2（NF-E2-related factor 2，NRF2）和醌NADH脱氢酶1（NQO1）的表达，从而抑制大鼠体内氧化应激损伤、减轻炎症反应和细胞凋亡，达到保护实验性肝损伤的作用。结论 本研究初步确定筒鞘蛇菰治疗肝损伤的有效成分、“化合物-蛋白-靶点”关联网络及发挥作用的分子机制，并通过动物体内实验证实蛇菰多糖保护肝损伤的机制与上调NRF2/NQO1通路来减轻氧化应激反应性损伤、减轻肝细胞凋亡有关。     

Limited clinical activity of palbociclib and ribociclib monotherapy in advanced cancers with cyclin D-CDK4/6 pathway alterations in the Dutch DRUP and Australian MoST trials

The Dutch Drug Rediscovery Protocol (DRUP) and the Australian Cancer Molecular Screening and Therapeutic (MoST) Program are similar nonrandomized, multidrug, pan-cancer trial platforms that aim to identify signals of clinical activity of molecularly matched targeted therapies or immunotherapies outside their approved indications. Here, we report results for advanced or metastatic cancer patients with tumors harboring cyclin D-CDK4/6 pathway alterations treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors palbociclib or ribociclib. We included adult patients that had therapy-refractory solid malignancies with the following alterations: amplifications of CDK4, CDK6, CCND1, CCND2 or CCND3, or complete loss of CDKN2A or SMARCA4. Within MoST, all patients were treated with palbociclib, whereas in DRUP, palbociclib and ribociclib were assigned to different cohorts (defined by tumor type and alteration). The primary endpoint for this combined analysis was clinical benefit, defined as confirmed objective response or stable disease ≥16 weeks. We treated 139 patients with a broad variety of tumor types; 116 with palbociclib and 23 with ribociclib. In 112 evaluable patients, the objective response rate was 0% and clinical benefit rate at 16 weeks was 15%. Median progression-free survival was 4 months (95% CI: 3-5 months), and median overall survival 5 months (95% CI: 4-6 months). In conclusion, only limited clinical activity of palbociclib and ribociclib monotherapy in patients with pretreated cancers harboring cyclin D-CDK4/6 pathway alterations was observed. Our findings indicate that monotherapy use of palbociclib or ribociclib is not recommended and that merging data of two similar precision oncology trials is feasible.     

Effects of state reinsurance programs on health insurance exchange premiums and insurer participation

Objective

The aim of the study was to estimate the effect of the state-based reinsurance programs through the section 1332 State Innovation Waivers on health insurance marketplace premiums and insurer participation.

Data Source

2015 to 2022 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Insurance Exchange Compare Datasets.

Study Design

An event study difference-in-differences (DD) model separately for each year of implementation and a synthetic control method (SCM) are used to estimate year-by-year effects following program implementation.

Data Collection/Extraction Methods

Not applicable.

Principal Findings

Reinsurance programs were associated with a decline in premiums in the first year of implementation by 10%–13%, 5%–19%, and 11%–17% for bronze, silver, and gold plans (p < 0.05). There is a trend of sustained declines especially for states that implemented their programs in 2019 and 2020. The SCM analyses suggest some effect heterogeneity across states but also premium declines across most states. There is no evidence that reinsurance programs affected insurer participation.

Conclusion

State-based reinsurance programs have the potential to improve the affordability of health insurance coverage. However, reinsurance programs do not appear to have had an effect on insurer participation, highlighting the need for policy makers to consider complementary strategies to encourage insurer participation.     

Hepatotoxicity of cantharidin is associated with the altered bile acid metabolism

Cantharidin (CTD) is an effective antitumor agent. However, it exhibits significant hepatotoxicity, the mechanism of which remains unclear. In this study, biochemical and histopathological analyses complemented with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS)-based targeted metabolomic analysis of bile acids (BAs) were employed to investigate CTD-induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Sixteen male and female Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups: control and CTD (1.0 mg/kg) groups. Serum and liver samples were collected after 28 days of intervention. Biochemical, histopathological, and BA metabolomic analyses were performed for all samples. Further, the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity were identified via multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses. In addition, metabolite–gene–enzyme network and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses were used to identify the signaling pathways related to CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. The results revealed significantly increased levels of biochemical indices (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and total bile acid). Histopathological analysis revealed that the hepatocytes were damaged. Further, 20 endogenous BAs were quantitated via UHPLC-MS/MS, and multivariate and metabolic pathway analyses of BAs revealed that hyocholic acid, cholic acid, and chenodeoxycholic acid were the key biomarkers of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity. Meanwhile, primary and secondary BA biosynthesis and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism were found to be associated with the mechanism by which CTD induced hepatotoxicity in rats. This study provides useful insights for research on the mechanism of CTD-induced hepatotoxicity.     

The Role of Oral Health in the Acquisition and Severity of SARS-CoV-2: A Retrospective Chart Review

ObjectiveStudies have shown that gingival crevices may be a significant route for SARS-CoV-2 entry. However, the role of oral health in the acquisition and severity of COVID-19 is not known.DesignA retrospective analysis was performed using electronic health record data from a large urban academic medical center between 12/1/2019 and 8/24/2020. A total of 387 COVID-19 positive cases were identified and matched 1:1 by age, sex, and race to 387 controls without COVID-19 diagnoses. Demographics, number of missing teeth and alveolar crestal height were determined from radiographs and medical/dental charts. In a subgroup of 107 cases and controls, we also examined the rate of change in alveolar crestal height. A conditional logistic regression model was utilized to assess association between alveolar crestal height and missing teeth with COVID-19 status and with hospitalization status among COVID-19 cases.ResultsIncreased alveolar bone loss, OR = 4.302 (2.510 – 7.376), fewer missing teeth, OR = 0.897 (0.835–0.965) and lack of smoking history distinguished COVID-19 cases from controls. After adjusting for time between examinations, cases with COVID-19 had greater alveolar bone loss compared to controls (0.641 ± 0.613 mm vs 0.260 ± 0.631 mm, p < 0.01.) Among cases with COVID-19, increased number of missing teeth OR = 2.1871 (1.146– 4.174) was significantly associated with hospitalization.ConclusionsAlveolar bone loss and missing teeth are positively associated with the acquisition and severity of COVID-19 disease, respectively.     

淄博市放射工作人员外周血淋巴细胞微核率分析

[摘要]?目的?探讨GeneXpert MTB/RIF检测技术在肺结核诊断中的应用价值。方法?以2020年7月—2021年6月在天门市第一人民医院治疗的疑似肺结核患者107例作为研究对象，所有患者均留取痰标本，进行痰涂片、痰培养、GeneXpert MTB/RIF检测、比例法药敏试验。以培养法和比例法药敏结果为金标准，计算GeneXpert MTB/RIF检测结核分枝杆菌（Mycobacterium tuberculosis，MTB）及其对于利福平耐药性检测的灵敏度、特异度、与金标准的的一致率。结果?107例疑似肺结核患者中，痰涂片阳性39例（36.45%），涂片阴性68例（63.55%）。以痰培养结果为金标准，GeneXpert MTB/RIF检测TBM的灵敏度为85.42%（41/48），特异度为88.14%（52/59）。GeneXpert MTB/RIF与痰培养诊断一致率为86.92%（93/107）；进一步分析，GeneXpert MTB/RIF检测痰涂片阳性患者MTB的灵敏度为97.22%（35/36），特异度为33.33%（1/3），检测涂片阴性患者MTB的灵敏度为50.00%（6/12），特异度为91.07%（51/56）。以比例法药敏结果为金标准，确认痰培养阳性36例患者中利福平耐药有4例（11.11%），敏感的有32例（88.89%）；GeneXpert MTB/RIF检测痰培养阳性患者利福平耐药的灵敏度为75.00%（3/4），特异度为93.75%（30/32）。GeneXpert MTB/RIF与比例法药敏试验一致率为91.67%。结论?GeneXpert MTB/RIF检测技术对于肺结核诊断以及利福平的耐药分析具有重要实用价值，可以作为金标准。