Clinical and experimental study on angiopoietin-like protein 8 associated with proliferative diabetic retinopathy

AIM：To confirm the role of angiopoietin-like protein 8（Angptl 8） in proliferative diabetic retinopathy（PDR）.METHODS：The sera and aqueous humor of 10 PDR patients and 10 non-diabetic retinopathy（NDR） patients（idiopathic macular hole patients） were collected and the expression of Angptl 8 was detected by enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay（ELISA）.Experimental diabetes mice model was induced with streptozotocin.The expression of glycosylated hemoglobin and Angptl 8 in sera was detected.Recombinant Angptl 8 was re-infused into wild type（WT） diabetic mice and spatial frequency threshold and contrast sensitivity were measured.In vitro retinal pigment epithelium（RPE） were stimulated by recombinant Angptl 8 for 24 h.MMT assay were used to detect cell proliferation.At the same time,q RT-PCR and Western blot was used to measure the expression of proliferation-related factors in PRE cells.RESULTS：The expression of Angptl 8 was markedly increased in the sera and aqueous humor of PDR patients（F=99.02,P〈0.0001 in sera;t=10.42,P〈0.0001 in aqueous）.After successfully establishing the diabetic mice model,we found that glycosylated hemoglobin and Angptl 8 expression levels were increased.Re-infusion of recombinant Angptl 8 into WT diabetic mice could further decrease spatial frequency threshold and contrast sensitivity（P〈0.01）.In vitro,RPE cells stimulated by recombinant Angptl 8could increase the relative absorbance of MMT assay（1.486±0.042 vs 1.000±0.104,P〈0.05） and proliferating cell nuclear antigen（PCNA） expression（0.55±0.01 vs 0.29±0.03,P〈0.05）.The proliferative effect of Angptl 8 is mainly mediated by increasing the expression of proliferation-activating factors cyclin A1（4.973±0.205 vs 2.720±0.197,P〈0.05）,cyclin F（5.690±0.219 vs 4.297±0.292,P〈0.05） and E2 F2（2.297±0.102 vs 1.750±0.146,P〈0.05）,and reducing the expression of proliferation-inhibiting factors cdkn1（2.370±0.074 vs 3.317±0.135,P〈0.05） and cdkn2（4.793±0.065 vs 5.387±0.149,P〈0.05）.CONCLUSION：The expression of Angptl 8 is increased in PDR,and the increased Angptl 8 can promote proliferation and increase proliferation-related factors.

Clinical effects of nonconvulsive electrotherapy combined with mindfulness-based stress reduction and changes of serum inflammatory factors in depression

BACKGROUND Depression is a common and serious psychological condition,which seriously affects individual well-being and functional ability.Traditional treatment methods include drug therapy and psychological counseling;however,these methods have different degrees of side effects and limitations.In recent years,nonconvulsive electrotherapy(NET)has attracted increasing attention as a noninvasive treatment method.However,the clinical efficacy and potential mechanism of NET on depression are still unclear.We hypothesized that NET has a positive clinical effect in the treatment of depression,and may have a regulatory effect on serum inflammatory factors during treatment.AIM To assess the effects of NET on depression and analyze changes in serum inflammatory factors.METHODS This retrospective study enrolled 140 patients undergoing treatment for depression between May 2017 and June 2022,the observation group that received a combination of mindfulness-based stress reduction(MBSR)and NET treatment(n=70)and the control group that only received MBSR therapy(n=70).The clinical effectiveness of the treatment was evaluated by assessing various factors,including the Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD)-17,self-rating idea of suicide scale(SSIOS),Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI),and levels of serum inflammatory factors before and after 8 wk of treatment.The quality of life scores between the two groups were compared.Comparisons were made using t and χ^(2) tests.RESULTS After 8 wk of treatment,the observation group exhibited a 91.43%overall effectiveness rate which was higher than that of the control group which was 74.29%(64 vs 52,χ^(2)=7.241;P<0.05).The HAMD,SSIOS,and PSQI scores showed a significant decrease in both groups.Moreover,the observation group had lower scores than the control group(10.37±2.04 vs 14.02±2.16,t=10.280;1.67±0.28 vs 0.87±0.12,t=21.970;5.29±1.33 vs 7.94±1.35,t=11.700;P both<0.001).Additionally,there was a notable decrease in the IL-2,IL-1β,and IL-6 in both groups after treatment.Furthermore,the observation group exhibited superior serum inflammatory factors compared to the control group(70.12±10.32 vs 102.24±20.21,t=11.840;19.35±2.46 vs 22.27±2.13,t=7.508;32.25±4.6 vs 39.42±4.23,t=9.565;P both<0.001).Moreover,the observation group exhibited significantly improved quality of life scores compared to the control group(Social function:19.25±2.76 vs 16.23±2.34;Emotions:18.54±2.83 vs 12.28±2.16;Environment:18.49±2.48 vs 16.56±3.44;Physical health:19.53±2.39 vs 16.62±3.46;P both<0.001)after treatment.CONCLUSION MBSR combined with NET effectively alleviates depression,lowers inflammation(IL-2,IL-1β,and IL-6),reduces suicidal thoughts,enhances sleep,and improves the quality of life of individuals with depression.