Astragaloside promotes the secretion of MSC-derived exosomal miR-146a-5p by regulating TRAF6/NF-κB pathway to attenuate inflammation in high glucose-impaired endothelial cells.

This study aimed to explore the potential of using mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) pre-treated with Astragaloside IV (ASIV) to alleviate inflammation in high glucose (HG)-damaged endothelial cells. MSC-Exos were isolated from untreated MSCs and ASIV-pre-treated MSCs, and their characteristics were assessed. The expression of miR-146a-5p in MSC-Exos was determined, and it was found that ASIV treatment enhanced its expression.

Blood metabolites, neurocognition and psychiatric disorders: a Mendelian randomization analysis to investigate causal pathways.

Background: Neurocognitive dysfunction is observationally associated with the risk of psychiatric disorders. Blood metabolites, which are readily accessible, may become highly promising biomarkers for brain disorders. However, the causal role of blood metabolites in neurocognitive function, and the biological pathways underlying their association with psychiatric disorders remain unclear.

Exosomal miR-151-3p in saliva: A potential non-invasive marker for gastric cancer diagnosis and prognosis modulated by Sijunzi decoction (SJZD) in mice.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prominent malignancies that originate in the epithelial cells of the gastric mucosa and is one of the main causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide. New circulating biomarkers of exosomal RNA might have great potential for non-invasive early prognosis of GC. Sijunzi Decoction (SJZD) is a typical representative formula of the method of benefiting Qi and strengthening the spleen in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

Exosomes Derived from Astragaloside IV-pretreated Endothelial Progenitor Cells (AS-IV-Exos) Alleviated Endothelial Oxidative Stress and Dysfunction Via the miR-210/ Nox2/ROS Pathway.

Background: Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes induces oxidative stress, leading to damage to the vascular system. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects and mechanisms of AS-IV-Exos in alleviating endothelial oxidative stress and dysfunction caused by high glucose (HG).

Methods: Histopathological changes were observed using HE staining, and CD31 expression was assessed through immunohistochemistry (IHC).

Endothelial Progenitor-Cell-Derived Exosomes Induced by Astragaloside IV Accelerate Type I Diabetic-wound Healing via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Pathway in Rats.

Objective: We explore the effects of endothelial progenitor cell (EPC)-derived exosomes (EPCexos) and of astragaloside IV (ASIV)-stimulated EPCexos (ASIV-EPCexos) on type I diabetic-wound healing, and determine the basic molecular mechanisms of action.

Methods: EPCs were exposed to different concentrations of ASIV to generate ASIV-EPCexos. A chronic-wound healing model involving streptozotocin-stimulated diabetic rats was established.

Discovery of β-sitosterol's effects on molecular changes in rat diabetic wounds and its impact on angiogenesis and macrophages.

Diabetes care, particularly for diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs)-related complications, increases treatment costs substantially. Failure to provide timely and appropriate treatment for severe DFUs significantly increases amputation risk. Neovascularization and macrophage polarization play an important role in diabetic wound healing during different stages of the wound repair process.

Astragaloside IV promotes exosome secretion of endothelial progenitor cells to regulate PI3KR2/SPRED1 signaling and inhibit pyroptosis of diabetic endothelial cells.

Background Aims: Treating chronic non-healing diabetic wounds and achieving complete skin regeneration has always been a critical clinical challenge.

Methods: In order to address this issue, researchers conducted a study aiming to investigate the role of miR-126-3p in regulating the downstream gene PIK3R2 and promoting diabetic wound repair in endothelial progenitor cell (EPC)-derived extracellular vesicles. The study involved culturing EPCs with astragaloside IV, transfecting them with miR-126-3p inhibitor or mock plasmid, interfering with high glucose-induced damage in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and treating diabetic skin wounds in rats.

Metabolomics and Cytokine Analysis for Identification of Schizophrenia with Auditory Hallucination.

Purpose: To investigate the metabolic profile and biomarkers of schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations (AHs).

Methods: A total of 18 schizophrenic patients with the symptom of pure AHs (pAHs), 28 without AH (nAHs) and 43 age-matched healthy persons (Con) were enrolled in this study. Participants in pAHs and nAHs groups had relapsed into exacerbations of psychosis after self-discontinuing antipsychotics for at least one month; blood samples were drawn prior to restarting anti-psychotic treatment.

UVB irradiation differential regulate miRNAs expression in skin photoaging.

Background: UVB irradiation can cause acute damage such as sunburn, or photoaging and melanoma, all of which are major health threats.

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the mechanism of skin photoaging induced by UVB radiation in mice through the analysis of the differential expression of miRNAs.

Methods: A UVB irradiation photoaging model was constructed.

Changes of immune-related factors in the blood of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients receiving monotherapy.

Schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD) are associated with abnormal expression of immune-related factors (IRFs), which have been proposed as biomarkers of either disease diagnosis (trait markers) or treatment (state markers). However, the state markers have been found to be less reproducible than the trait markers in previous studies. In the current study, we focused on the changes of IRFs in blood of SCZ and BPD patients receiving monotherapy.

miR-92b-3p Exerts Neuroprotective Effects on Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Cerebral Injury via Targeting NOX4 in a Rat Model.

The necessity to increase the efficiency of organ preservation has pushed researchers to consider the mechanisms to minimize cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Hence, we evaluated the role of the miR-92b-3p/NOX4 pathway in cerebral I/R injury. A cerebral I/R injury model was established by blocking the left middle cerebral artery for 2 h and reperfusion for 24 h, and a hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) model was established.

Dynamical regional activity in putamen distinguishes bipolar type I depression and unipolar depression.

Objectives: Intrinsic human brain activity is time-varying and dynamic. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about the dynamic regional activity differences between unipolar depression (UD) and bipolar type I depression (BD-I), and whether their differential pattern can help to distinguish these two patient groups who are prone to misdiagnosis in clinical practice.

Method: In this study, we used the dynamical fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (dfALFF) to examine the resting-state dynamical regional activity in 40 BD-I, 42 UD, and 44 healthy controls (HCs).

Decreased Cortical Folding of the Fusiform Gyrus and Its Hypoconnectivity with Sensorimotor Areas in Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: Neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormal cortical folding pattern and disruptive functional connectivity in major depressive disorder (MDD). Combining structure and function in the same population may further our understanding of the neuropathological mechanisms of MDD.

Method: Sixty-two patients with MDD and 61 healthy controls (HCs) underwent structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

A transcriptome-wide association study identifies susceptibility genes for Parkinson's disease.

Genome-wide association study (GWAS) has seen great strides in revealing initial insights into the genetic architecture of Parkinson's disease (PD). Since GWAS signals often reside in non-coding regions, relatively few of the associations have implicated specific biological mechanisms. Here, we aimed to integrate the GWAS results with large-scale expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in 13 brain tissues to identify candidate causal genes for PD.

Successful Treatment of Psychiatric Symptoms after Traumatic Brain Injury Using Deep Brain Stimulation to the Anterior Limb of Internal Capsule-Nucleus Accumbens.

Psychiatric symptoms are common after traumatic brain injury (TBI), and some patients have poor drug therapeutic efficacy. We report a successfully treated case of psychiatric symptoms after TBI using deep brain stimulation (DBS) to the anterior limb of internal capsule (ALIC)-nucleus accumbens (NAc) in a 76-year-old woman. The patient suffered from auditory hallucination, mood changes, and insomnia caused by TBI.

Chaihu-Longgu-Muli decoction relieves epileptic symptoms by improving autophagy in hippocampal neurons.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Chaihu-Longgu-Muli decoction (CLMD) is a well-known ancient formula in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to relieve disorder, clear away heat, tranquilize the mind and allay excitement. It has been used for the therapy of neuropsychiatric disorders such as epilepsy, dementia, insomnia, anxiety, and depression for several centuries in China.

Aim Of The Study: This paper is based on the assumption that the mechanism by which CLMD relieves epileptic symptoms in rats is associated with improving autophagy.

A Novel Prognostic Signature of Transcription Factors for the Prediction in Patients With GBM.

: Although the diagnosis and treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) is significantly improved with recent progresses, there is still a large heterogeneity in therapeutic effects and overall survival. The aim of this study is to analyze gene expressions of transcription factors (TFs) in GBM so as to discover new tumor markers. : Differentially expressed TFs are identified by data mining using public databases.

Inflammation-related biomarkers in major psychiatric disorders: a cross-disorder assessment of reproducibility and specificity in 43 meta-analyses.

Inflammation is a natural defence response of the immune system against environmental insult, stress and injury, but hyper- and hypo-inflammatory responses can trigger diseases. Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammation is involved in multiple psychiatric disorders. Using inflammation-related factors as biomarkers of psychiatric disorders requires the proof of reproducibility and specificity of the changes in different disorders, which remains to be established.