Background: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of polyphenol extract from Phyllanthus emblica (PEEP) on cervical cancer cells and to explore the underlying mechanism. Methods: MTT assay was used to measure inhibition of proliferation of cervical cancer (HeLa) cells after treatment with PEEP at concentrations of 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 mg/ml for 48 hours. HeLa cells were treated with PEEP (150 mg/ml) for 48 hours in the following analysis. Karyomorphism was assessed by immunofluorescence using DAPI staining, and cell apoptosis and cell cycle were assessed using flow cytometry. Three apoptotic marker proteins, namely, Fas, FasL, and cleaved caspase-8, were assessed by western blotting. Results: PEEP inhibited the growth of HeLa cells, and the optimum concentration of PEEP was 150 mg/ml. In addition, the karyomorphism of HeLa cells after treatment with PEEP was abnormal. Furthermore, PEEP induced arrest of the HeLa cell cycle at G2/M phase, and triggered apoptosis. PEEP also induced significant Fas and FasL activation, and cleavage of caspase-8. Conclusions: Our study indicates that PEEP is effective in inhibiting HeLa cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and inducing apoptosis.

Background: Anti-angiogenic therapy has become one of the effective treatment methods for tumors. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as important regulators of tumorigenesis and angiogenesis in EC. However, the underlying mechanisms of lncRNA TRPM2-AS in EC are still not clear. Methods: We screened the differently expressed lncRNAs that were highly associated with poor prognosis and angiogenesis of EC by bioinformatics analysis, and constructed a ceRNA network based on the prognostic lncRNAs. The subcellular localization of TRPM2-AS was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and nuclear cytoplasmic fractionation assay. CCK-8, EdU, transwell, western blot, qRT-PCR and endothelial tube formation assay were used to evaluate the effects of TRPM2-AS on the proliferation, invasion, migration of EC cells and angiogenesis. The targeted microRNA (miRNA) of TRPM2-AS was predicted by bioinformatic methods. The interaction between TRPM2-AS and miR497-5p, miR497-5p and SPP1 were analyzed by RNA immunoprecipitation and dual-luciferase reporter assay. A subcutaneous tumor model was used to explore TRPM2-AS’s function in vivo. CIBERSORT was used to analyze the correlation between TRPM2-AS and immune cell immersion in EC. Results: We found that the expression of TRPM2-AS and SPP1 was aberrantly upregulated, while miR-497-5p expression was significantly downregulated in EC tissues and cells. TRPM2-AS was closely correlated with the angiogenesis and poor prognosis in EC patients. Mechanistically, TRPM2-AS could sponge miR-497-5p to release SPP1, thus promoting the proliferation, invasion and migration of EC cells and angiogenesis of HUVECs. Knockdown of TRPM2-AS in xenograft mouse model inhibited tumor proliferation and angiogenesis in vivo. In addition, TRPM2-AS plays a vital role in regulating the tumor immune microenvironment of EC, overexpression of TRPM2-AS in EC cells stimulated the polarization of M2 macrophages and angiogenesis through secreting SPP1 enriched exosomes. Conclusion: The depletion of TRPM2-AS inhibits the oncogenicity of EC by targeting the miR-497-5p/SPP1 axis. This study offers a better understanding of TRPM2-AS’s role in regulating angiogenesis and provides a novel target for EC treatment.

Synthetic and biological materials are commonly used for pelvic floor reconstruction. In this study, host tissue response and biomechanical properties of mesh fabricated from co-electrospun poly(L-lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) and fibrinogen (Fg) were compared with those of polypropylene mesh (PPM) in a canine abdominal defect model. Macroscopic, microscopic, histological, and biomechanical evaluations were performed over a 24-week period. The results showed that PLCL/Fg mesh had similar host tissue responses but better initial vascularization and graft site tissue organization than PPM. The efficacy of the PLCL/Fg mesh was further examined in human pelvic floor reconstruction. Operation time, intraoperative blood loss, and pelvic organ prolapse quantification during 6-month follow-up were compared for patients receiving PLCL/Fg mesh versus PPM. According to the pelvic organ prolapse quantification scores, the anterior vaginal wall 3 cm proximal to the hymen point (Aa point), most distal edge of the cervix or vaginal cuff scar point (C point), and posterior fornix point (D point) showed significant improvement (P<0.01) at 1, 3, and 6 months for both groups compared with preoperatively. At 6 months, improvements at the Aa point in the PLCL/Fg group were significantly more (P<0.005) than the PPM group, indicating that, while both materials improve the patient symptoms, PLCL/Fg mesh resulted in more obvious improvement.

Importance: Standard postpartum pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) can effectively reduce the incidence of pelvic floor dysfunction diseases. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the adherence of PFMT with smartphone application reminders on women in the postpartum period. Study Design: We conducted a randomized controlled trial. This single-center randomized (1:1) controlled study included primiparous women admitted to Tongji Hospital between March 2022 and June 2022 (ChiCTR2200059157). Every puerpera was given pelvic floor muscle (PFM) assessment and PFMT guidance at 6 weeks after delivery. After randomization, women in the intervention group received daily training reminders from the smartphone application WeChat. Adherence to PFMT, a symptom of stress urinary incontinence, and PFM characteristics were measured 3 months later. Results: A total of 148 participants were included in the final analysis (76 in the intervention group and 72 in the control group). The adherence rate of daily PFMT was higher in the intervention group than in the control group (53.9% vs 20.8%, P = 0.00) at 3-month follow-up. In addition, participants in the intervention group showed higher peak surface electromyography of PFMs (39.8 ± 6.2 vs 37.5 ± 5.9 μV, P = 0.03) and longer PFM endurance (8.1 ± 2.0 vs 7.3 ± 2.0 seconds, P = 0.01) than in the control group, whereas there was no difference between the 2 groups in International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire—Short Form (P = 0.60) and the Patient Global Impression of Improvement scores (P = 1.00). Conclusions: Smartphone application–based PFMT could increase adherence and improves electromyography of PFMs in the short term but did not affect stress urinary incontinence symptoms in women in the postpartum period.

Physical pain may lead to aggressive behavior in a social context. However, it is unclear whether this is related to changes of social information processing. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying pain-induced aggression using functional magnetic resonance imaging. In the experiment, 59 healthy participants were recruited: 31 were treated with topical capsaicin cream (pain group) and 28 with hand cream (control group). Participants completed a social network aggression task, during which they underwent two phases: feedback processing and attack exerting. The results revealed that participants in the pain group exhibited more aggression than those in the control group. During the feedback-processing phase, physical pain reduced brain activation in the right insula, left orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex, which typically exhibited stronger activation in response to negative (and positive) vs neutral social feedback in the control group. However, during the attack-exerting phase, pain did not significantly alter the activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest that pain increased aggression, while before that, it suppressed brain activities of the salience network involved in the process of salient social information and the value system associated with the value representation of social events.