Correlation of expression of silencing information regulator 2 related enzyme 1 and tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis in articular effusion and knee osteoarthritis / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the correlation between the expression of silencing information regulator 2 related enzyme 1 (SIRT1), tumor necrosis factor like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) and knee osteoarthritis.@*METHODS@#Total of 103 patients with knee joint (knee osteoarthritis group) from February 2019 to August 2021 were selected including 40 males and 63 females with an average age of (62.02±6.09) years;according to the modified Mankin score, 103 patients were divided into mild group (Mankin score 1-4 points, 31 cases) and moderate group (Mankin score 5-8 points, 40 cases) and severe group (Mankin score ≥9, 32 cases). Another 105 physical examination volunteers were selected as the control group including 46 males and 59 females with an average age of (62.11±6.34) years old. The levels of SIRT1 and TWEAK in articular effusion and serum were detected in the knee osteoarthritis group, while serum SIRT1 and TWEAK were detected in the control group only. The relationship between SIRT1, TWEAK and the occurrence and disease of knee osteoarthritis were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Articular cavity fluid TWEAK, serum TWEAK, CRP, IL-6, IL-1β, white blood cell count and ESR were higher than those in the control group(P<0.05), articular cavity fluid SIRT1 and serum SIRT1 were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05). TWEAK level in the severe group was higher than that in the moderate and mild groups(P<0.05), SIRT1 was lower than that in the moderate and mild groups (P<0.05). The level of SIRT1 in articular cavity effusion was positively correlated with the serum level of SIRT1 (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with CRP, IL-6, IL-1β, white blood cell count, modified Mankin score and ESR (P<0.05). TWEAK level in articular cavity fluid was positively correlated with serum TWEAK level (P<0.05), C-reactive protein(CRP), interleukin(IL)-6, IL-1β, white blood cell count, modified Mankin score and erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR) (P<0.05). Body mass index, undertaking heavy physical work, and articular cavity fluid TWEAK were risk factors for the occurrence of knee osteoarthritis(P<0.05), and articular cavity fluid SIRT1 was a protective factor for the occurrence of knee arthritis (P<0.05). The area under curve(AUC) of SIRT1 and TWEAK for knee osteoarthritis was 0.641 and 0.653, and the AUC of SIRT1 and TWEAK for knee osteoarthritis was 0.879, which was higher than SIRT1 and TWEAK alone (z=6.105 and 6.225, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The level of SIRT1 in articular fluid in patients with knee arthritis is decreased and the level of TWEAK is increased. Low SIRT1 and high TWEAK are associated with the onset and exacerbation of knee osteoarthritis.

Inhibitory effects of gemcitabine hydrochloride combined with ferroptosis inducers on the proliferation of PANC-1 cells / 药学实践杂志

Objective To study the effects of three ferroptosis inducers Erastin (Era), sulfasalazine (SASP) and artesunate (Art) alone or combined with gemcitabine hydrochloride (hcGEM) on the proliferation inhibition of Human pancreatic cell line PANC -1. Methods The CCK-8 method was used to detect the inhibitory effects of different concentrations of Era, SASP and Art alone or combined with hcGEM on the proliferation of PANC-1, and the combination index (CI) was used to judge whether three ferroptosis inducers combined with hcGEM had synergistic inhibitory effect on PANC-1. Results The three ferroptosis inducers and hcGEM alone or in combination could significantly inhibit the activity of PANC-1. The inhibitory effects were enhanced with the concentration increasing. The CI values of hcGEM-Era 4∶1 or 1∶4 combination group and hcGEM-SASP 1∶400 combination group were less than 1.The CI values of hcGEM-Art 1∶4 or 1∶16 combination group were less than 1 only within a certain concentration range. Conclusion The inhibitory effects of the three ferroptosis inducers and hcGEM alone or in combination were dose-dependent. The combination of hcGEM and three ferroptosis inducers could synergistically inhibit the proliferation of PANC-1.

Research progress on induced autophagy for the treatment of oral cancer / 口腔疾病防治

@#Oral cancer has a high degree of malignancy, easily recurs, readily metastasizes and poor progonsis. Autophagy is a catabolic process induced in cells under stressful conditions. In recent years, studies have found that the activation of autophagy in epithelial cells can inhibit carcinogenesis and activate pathways such as mTOR and MAPK to activate autophagy in oral cancer cells and inhibit their survival. Inducing autophagy can degrade eukaryotic initiation factor 4E protein and inhibit oral cancer metastasis. Inducing autophagy in oral cancer cells can inhibit their proliferation and promote their apoptosis. Adding autophagy inducers to the treatment can help improve its efficacy and patient survival compared with chemoradiotherapy alone. In addition, the induction of autophagy in oral cancer cells can improve the body's immune function and enhance the efficacy of oral cancer immunotherapy. This article summarizes the relationship between autophagy and oral cancer and the role of induced autophagy in the treatment of oral cancer with the combined application of chemoradiotherapy and immunotherapy. The goal is to provide new ideas for inducing autophagy during the treatment of oral cancer, improving the therapeutic effect of oral cancer and the survival rate of patients. At present, the mechanism of action of induced autophagy in the treatment of oral cancer is not clear. Future research should study its mechanism of action, improve its therapeutic effect on oral cancer and develop autophagy inducers to accurately regulate and induce autophagy during the treatment of oral cancer.

Macrophage Activation Induced by TMAO through CD147 / MMPs / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a metabolite of intestinal flora, can promote Atherosclerosis (AS) in various ways. Current studies have found that it has a close relationship with plaque stability in clinical practice, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear at present. Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducers (CD147) / matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) regulate a signal pathway highly related to plaque stability, which can promote plaque instability and lead to cardiovascular adverse events by weakening the thickness of the fibrous cap. Therefore, in this study, the mouse macrophageRAW264. 7 was stimulated by TMAO to establish a cell model to observe the effects on CD147, MMP2, and MMP9, and the CD147 gene silencing model was further constructed by using the siRNA transfection method to explore the interaction between CD147 and MMP2 and MMP9. Rt-qPCR and Western blotting results showed that there was no significant change in the gene expression level of CD147 in mouse macrophage RAW264. 7, but significantly increased in protein levels (P < 0. 05), while MMP2 andMMP9 were increased in mRNA and protein levels (P<0. 05). The expression of CD147, MMP2, andMMP9 was significantly inhibited in CD147 siRNA transfected cells (P<0. 05). In conclusion, TMAO significantly increases the expression of MMP2 and MMP9 in mouse macrophages RAW264. 7, and this effect may be partially realized through the CD147/ MMP pathway.

Programmed Necrosis Inducers for Cancer Treatment / 中国医学科学院学报

Programmed necrosis,a mode of cell death independent of Caspase,is mainly mediated by receptor-interacting protein kinase-1 (RIPK1),receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 (RIPK3),and mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL).Studies have demonstrated that programmed necrosis has the dual role of promoting and inhibiting tumor growth and thus we can control the development of tumor by regulating programmed necrosis.The drugs capable of inducing programmed necrosis show potential anti-tumor activity.In addition,inducing programmed necrosis is an effective way to overcome tumor resistance to apoptosis.This paper summarized the mechanisms of programmed necrosis and its relationship with tumors.We focused on the antitumor activity of programmed necrosis inducers including natural products,chemotherapeutic drugs,death receptor ligands,kinase inhibitors,inorganic salts,metal complexes,and metal nanoparticles.These agents will provide new therapeutic candidates for the treatment of tumors,especially the tumors acquiring resistance to apoptosis.

Changes of humoral and cellular immune indexes in peripheral blood of children with Kawasaki disease at different stages / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To investigate the dynamic change characteristics of peripheral blood interferon-γ (INF-γ), interleukin (IL)-4 levels and T helper cell (Th)1/Th2 balance in acute, subacute and restoration stages of children with Kawasaki disease (KD).Methods:Forty-one children with KD received treatment in Women′s and Children′s Hospital Affiliated of School of Medicine University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu Women′s and Children′s Central Hospital from May 2017 to January 2020 were enrolled as the observation group, and 41 healthy children examinee from the same period were enrolled as the control group. Children with KD of the observation group were performed with tuberculin pure protein derivative (PPD) test when acute and restoration stage of KD respectively. Peripheral venous blood were drawn from KD children of the observation group in acute, subacute and restoration stage and the control group respectively, serum immune globulin IgG, IgA, IgM and IgE, serum IFN-γ and IL-4 levels were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).Results:Positive rates of PPD test in the restoration stage was higher than that in the acute stage: 65.85%(27/41) vs.17.07%(7/41), there was statistical difference ( χ2 = 20.10, P<0.05). The levels of serum IgG, IgA, IgM and IgE in the acute stage , subacute stage and restoration stagewere gradually decreased ( P<0.05). The levels of serum IgG, IgA, IgM and IgE in the restoration stage and the control group had no significant differences ( P>0.05). The levels of serum IFN-γ and IFN-γ/IL-4 in the acute stage , subacute stage and restoration stage were gradually increased ( P<0.05), the level of IL-4 was gradually decreased ( P<0.05), but the levels of serum IFN-γ, IL-4 and IFN-γ/IL-4 in the restoration stage and the control group had no significant differences ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Among the children with KD in acute stage, serum level of IFN-γ is decreased while serum IL-4 level is increased, and Th1/Th2 balance shifts to Th2. Along with the stabilization of disease, the levels of serum IFN-γ and IL-4 are normalized, and Th1/Th2 balance presents a recovering trend and they almost recover to normal after entering the restoration stage.

The novel ER stress inducer Sec C triggers apoptosis by sulfating ER cysteine residues and degrading YAP via ER stress in pancreatic cancer cells

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) is one of the most lethal malignancies. Although gemcitabine (GEM) is a standard treatment for PAAD, resistance limits its application and therapy. Secoemestrin C (Sec C) is a natural compound from the endophytic fungus Emericella, and its anticancer activity has not been investigated since it was isolated. Our research is the first to indicate that Sec C is a broad-spectrum anticancer agent and could exhibit potently similar anticancer activity both in GEM-resistant and GEM-sensitive PAAD cells. Interestingly, Sec C exerted a rapid growth-inhibiting effect (80% death at 6 h), which might be beneficial for patients who need rapid tumor shrinkage before surgery. Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) reverse assays show that Sec C sulfates cysteines to disrupt disulfide-bonds formation in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) proteins to cause protein misfolding, leading to ER stress and disorder of lipid biosynthesis. Microarray data and subsequent assays show that ER stress-mediated ER-associated degradation (ERAD) ubiquitinates and downregulates YAP to enhance ER stress via destruction complex (YAP-Axin-GSK-βTrCP), which also elucidates a unique degrading style for YAP. Potent anticancer activity in GEM-resistant cells and low toxicity make Sec C a promising anti-PAAD candidate.

Analysis of interleukin 1 receptor-associated kinase 1, disease activity and CD4 + T cell subsets in peripheral blood of rheumatoid arthritis patients / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective:To explore the expression level of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-1 (IRAK1) in the peripheral blood of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and analyze its relevance between disease activity and CD4 + T cell subsets. Methods:① The concentration of IRAK1 in the peripheral blood of 77 RA patients and 24 healthy controls were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). ② The demo-graphic and clinical data of the RA group including disease activity score with 28 joints (DAS28), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), CD4 + T cell subsets in peripheral blood. ③Independent sample t test or Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare the differences between the two groups. Spearman rank correlation test and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the correlation between IRAK1 expression level and clinical data. Results:① The IRAK1 level of the peripheral blood of RA patients was significantly higher than in the normal controls ( P<0.001). ② Compared to normal controls, the peripheral blood of the RA group, the absolute numbers and proportion of regulatory T (Treg) cells were decreased ( P<0.001), the absolute numbers and proportion of helper T (Th) 17 and the ratio of Th17/Treg were increased. Moreover, the ratio of Th17/Treg was also increased. ③ With the increase of disease activity in RA patients, the expression of IRAK1 also increased. The expression of IRAK1 in the peripheral blood of RA group was positively correlated with ESR, number of joints involved and DAS28, and had statistically significant difference between the two groups ( r=0.23, P<0.05; r=0.24, P<0.05; r=0.27, P<0.05). Meanwhile, it was sign-ificantly negatively correlated with the percentage of Treg ( r=-0.27, P<0.05), and was significantly positively correlated with the ratio of Th17/Treg ( r=0.23, P<0.05) . However, there was no significant correlation with the ratio of Th1/Th2( P>0.05). Furthermore, multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that the expression of IRAK1 in the peripheral blood of RA group was positively correlated with ESR and the number of joints involved ( β=0.34, P=0.019; β=0.27, P=0.004), and it was inversely correlated with percentage of Treg ( β=-0.23, P=0.047, R2=0.219). Conclusion:IRAK1 expression in the peripheral blood of RA patients is up-regulated and correlated with disease activity. The decrease of Treg and the imbalance of Th17/Treg caused by high expression of IRAK1 may be one of the main factors for the occurrence and development of RA. Interfering the expression of IRAK1 may be a potential new target for RA treatment.

Methylation status and expression of TWEAK gene promoter region in peripheral blood of patients with rheumatoid arthritis / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the relationship between tumor necrosis factor like weak inducer of apoptosis (TWEAK) gene and the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by detecting the DNA methylation level, mRNA expression level and serum protein concentration of TWEAK gene in peripheral blood.@*METHODS@#The MassARRAY method was used to detect the DNA methylation level of the TWEAK gene in the peripheral blood of 112 RA patients and 86 matched healthy volunteers. The real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction method was used to detect the mRNA expression level of the TWEAK gene in the peripheral blood of the subjects. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was used to detect the serum TWEAK protein concentration of the subjects. The TWEAK gene DNA methylation level, mRNA expression level and serum protein concentration between the RA group and the healthy control group were compared, and the relationship between it and the degree of disease activity analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The overall DNA methylation level of TWEAK gene and the DNA methylation levels of CpG_11, CpG_17.18.19.20, CpG_40.41.42 site in the RA group were higher than those in the healthy control group (P=0.002, P=0.01, P=0.006, P=0.002, respectively). The DNA methylation level of CpG_55.56 site in the high disease activity group was higher than that in the medium and low disease activity group (P=0.041). The expression level of TWEAK gene mRNA in the peripheral blood of the RA group was lower than that of the healthy control group (P=0.023). The expression level of TWEAK gene mRNA in the high disease activity group was lower than that in the medium and low disease activity group (P=0.035). The serum TWEAK protein concentration of the RA group was not significantly different from that of the healthy control group (P=0.508), but it was positively correlated with the mRNA expression level (r=0.482, P < 0.001).@*CONCLUSION@#The TWEAK gene is closely related to the onset and progression of RA, and its hypermethylation state may be one of the epigenetic mechanisms regulating its low mRNA expression, and it can be used as one of the important indicators for clinical monitoring and evaluation of RA.

The effect of CD 8+ CD 25+ FoxP3 + regulatory T cell expression levels on balance of helper T cells 1/ helper T cells 2 in peripheral blood of pregnant women with premature rupture of fetal membranes / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of CD 8+ CD 25+ FoxP3 + regulatory T cell (Treg) expression levels in peripheral blood of pregnant women with premature rupture of fetal membranes(PROM) on immune function of helper T cells (Th) 1/Th2. Methods:Thirty cases of pregnant women with PROM (PROM group), 30 cases of normal pregnant women (normal pregnancy group) and 30 cases of normal non-pregnant women (non-pregnancy group) who treated in Binhai County People′s Hospital from September 2019 to May 2020 were collected. Peripheral blood of each group was collected and the proportion of CD 8+ CD 25+ FoxP3 + Treg was determined by flow cytometry. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were extracted and FoxP3 mRNA was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The levels of Th1-related cytokines interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin (IL)-2, and Th2-related cytokines IL-10 and IL-4 were measured by Luminex liquid phase microarray. The effects of CD 8+ CD 25+ FoxP3 + Tregexpression on Th1/Th2 balance were analyzed. Results:The proportion of CD 8+ CD 25+ FoxP3 + Tregand the expression of FoxP3 mRNA in PROM groupand normal pregnancy group were lower than those in non-pregnancy group: (0.15 ± 0.03) %, (0.35 ± 0.09) % vs. (0.47 ± 0.11) %; 0.89 ± 0.11, 3.15 ± 0.67 vs. 3.75 ± 0.23 , the proportion of CD 8+ CD 25+ FoxP3 + Treg and the expression of FoxP3 mRNA in PROM groupwere lower than those in the normal pregnancy group , and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The levels of Th1-related cytokines IFN-γ and IL-2 in PROM group and normal pregnancy group were higher than those in non-pregnancy group, the level of Th2-related cytokines IL-4 was lower than that in non-pregnancy group , the levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 in PROM group were higher than those in normal pregnancy group, the level of IL-4 was lower than that in normal pregnancy group , and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). In PROM group, the proportion of CD 8+ CD 25+ FoxP3 + Treg and the expression of FoxP3 mRNA in peripheral blood were negatively correlated with Th1-related cytokines IFN-γ ( r = - 0.413, -0.451, P<0.05) and IL-22 ( r = -0.645, -0.535, P<0.05), and were positively correlated with Th2-related cytokines IL-4 ( r = 0.558, 0.469, P<0.05). Conclusions:The proportion of CD 8+ CD 25+ FoxP3 + Treg in peripheral blood of pregnant women with PROM is lower, and the expression level of related FoxP3 mRNA is lower, which all affecte the Th1/Th2 immune balance and cause Th1 immune drift, which may be the related immune mechanism of PROM.

Advances on roles of Th22 cells in human common viral infections / 中华临床感染病杂志

Na?ve CD4 + T cells differentiate into a variety of T helper (Th) subsets that secrete various cytokines to exert biological effects. Th22 cells, a novel identified CD4 + T cell subset, are distinct from Th1, Th2 and Th17 cell subsets. Th22 cells express chemokine receptors CCR4, CCR6 and CCR10, and secrete multiple cytokines such as IL-22, IL-13 and TNF-α, but not IL-17, IL-4 IFN-γ; and IL-22 is considered as major effector cytokine of Th22. The understanding on functions and differentiation mechanisms of Th22 cells have been constantly improved, and Th22 cells play important roles in human common viral infections. The article reviews the current advances about the characteristics, function, differentiation of Th22 cells, the roles of Th22 cells and the key molecules in several human common viral infections, which would provide novel immune strategies for the prevention and treatment of human viral infection.

Explore Mechanism of Modified Si Junzitang in Improving Acidic Microenvironment and Reversing Gastric Precancerous Lesions Based on MCT4/CD147 / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To observe the effect of modified Si Junzitang on the level of lactic acid in gastric mucosa and the expression of Carboxylic acid transporter 1（MCT1）， monocarboxylic acid transporter 4（MCT4）， and extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer （CD147）in rats with gastric precancerous lesions（GPL）. Method:Seventy-four SD male rats were randomly divided into normal group （12 rats） and model group （62 rats）. <italic>N</italic>-methyl-<italic>N'</italic>-nitro-<italic>N</italic>-nitrosoguanidine（MNNG）-ammonia compound method was used to establish GPL rat models， and at the 9^th week， the model rats were randomly divided into model group， folic acid group（2.7 mg·kg^-1）， modified Si Junzitang high， medium and low dose groups（12.6， 6.3， 3.15 g·kg^-1）， with 12 rats in each group. After intragastric administration for 12 weeks， the general conditions of the rats were observed. Hematoxylin-eosin（HE）staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of gastric mucosa in rats， chemical colorimetry was used to detect the content of lactic acid in gastric mucosa； immunohistochemistry and real-time polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）were used to detect MCT1， MCT4， CD147 protein and mRNA expression in gastric mucosal tissues. Result:Modified Si Junzitang significantly improved the pathological manifestations in GPL rats such as gastric mucosal epithelial gland structure， disorder of arrangement and cell atypia. Compared with the normal group， the lactic acid content of the gastric mucosa tissue in the model group increased significantly（<italic>P</italic><0.01）， and the protein and mRNA expressions of MCT1， MCT4， CD147 significantly increased（<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. Compared with the model group， the lactic acid content in each dose group of modified Si Junzitang was significantly reduced（<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， and the protein expression levels of MCT4 and CD147 were also significantly reduced in each dose group of modified Si Junzitang（<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）. The mRNA expression of MCT4 was significantly reduced in the middle and high dose groups（<italic>P</italic><0.05， <italic>P</italic><0.01）， and the mRNA expression of CD147 was significantly reduced in the high dose group（<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Modified Si Junzitang showed no significant regulatory effect on MCT1. Conclusion:Modified Si Junzitang can significantly improve the abnormal histopathology of gastric mucosal epithelium in GPL model rats. Its mechanism may be related to down-regulating the overexpression of MCT4 and CD147， inhibiting lactic acid outflow， and improving the acidic microenvironment of gastric mucosal epithelium.

Pharmacological insights into autophagy modulation in autoimmune diseases

As a cellular bulk degradation and survival mechanism, autophagy is implicated in diverse biological processes. Genome-wide association studies have revealed the link between autophagy gene polymorphisms and susceptibility of autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), indicating that autophagy dysregulation may be involved in the development of autoimmune diseases. A series of autophagy modulators have displayed protective effects on autoimmune disease models, highlighting the emerging role of autophagy modulators in treating autoimmune diseases. This review explores the roles of autophagy in the autoimmune diseases, with emphasis on four major autoimmune diseases [SLE, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), IBD, and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)]. More importantly, the therapeutic potentials of small molecular autophagy modulators (including autophagy inducers and inhibitors) on autoimmune diseases are comprehensively analyzed.

Proper use of T-lymphocyte immunity and interferon during KOVID-19 infection / Монголын Анагаах Ухаан

@#The risk of reinfection of the across mutation SARS-CoV-2 set the task of medicine to look for new ways to solve. One of these areas is the strengthening of innate T-lymphocyte immunity. Research on the use of an interferon inducer by stimulating innate T-lymphocyte immunity in order to innate prevent КОВИД-19 and its mutant forms and during the rehabilitation period after an illness, they give good scientific results and one of the future promising directions of prevention and treatment of КОВИД-19. Researchers have warned that the side effects of SARS-CoV-2 drugs include respiratory failure, decreased blood albumin levels, decreased red blood cells and platelets, anemia and coagulation disorders, jaundice, and liver damage. Adverse drug reactions include drug intoxication and adverse reactions, as well as immune reactions. For these reasons, the need to seek new methods of treatment and prevention and drugs has become one of the most pressing issues in modern medicine.

Research progress in the mechanism of kidney injury caused by SARS-CoV-2 / 公共卫生与预防医学

Following the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003 and the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2013, a new type of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) occurred at the end of 2019, which caused a global pandemic. Many infected people eventually died of multiple organ failure, among which kidney injury was one of the main complications of the virus. Kidney injury is of great significance for the condition judgment and prognosis evaluation of patients with new coronary pneumonia. Renin-Angiotensin-System (RAS), angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), cytokine storm, and extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (CD147) are considered to be closely related to the mechanism of kidney injury caused by SARS-CoV-2.

Effect of Tripterygium Glycosides on Differentiation and Balancing of Th17/Treg Cells in Rats With Experimental Colitis / 胃肠病学

Background: Immune factors play an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Clinical studies have shown that tripterygium glycosides is effective for the treatment of IBD. Aims: To investigate the effect of tripterygium glycosides on differentiation and balancing of Th17/Treg cells in rats with experimental colitis. Methods: Experimental colitis was induced by TNBS-ethanol method in rats to evaluate the therapeutic effect of tripterygium glycosides. After intragastrically administered with normal saline (model group), tripterygium glycosides or mesalazine, respectively once a day for two weeks, the disease activity index (DAI) was assessed, and the colonic mucosal injury was examined macro- and microscopically. Mononuclear cells of mesenteric lymph nodes were extracted, and the levels of Th17/Treg-related cytokines in the supernatant were detected by ELISA method. The expression of proinflammatory cytokines in colon tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results: The symptoms of experimental colitis were more severe in model group. DAI, gross morphological and histopathological score of colonic mucosal injury were significantly higher in model group than in tripterygium glycosides and mesalazine groups (P0.05). Compared with the model group, the levels of IL-23 and TNF-α in the supernatant of mesenteric lymph nodes mononuclear cells in mesalazine group, and the levels of IL-23, TNF-α and IL-6 in tripterygium glycosides group were significantly reduced (P0.05). In rats treated with mesalazine, the expression of IL-6 in colon tissues was down-regulated significantly (P<0.05). Conclusions: Tripterygium glycosides have the potential to inhibit the differentiation of Th17 cells and promote the differentiation of Treg cells in IBD. Regulating the imbalance of Th17/Treg cells might be one of the mechanisms of its therapeutic effect on IBD.

The Effectiveness of Trichoderma spp. against Downy Mildew Disease of Corn

Introduction: One of environmentally friendly method for controlling plant diseases is the use of Trichoderma spp. as a natural controlling agent. Objectives: The objective of this research was to find out the effectiveness of Trichoderma spp. against downy mildew disease. Methodology: This research was conducted in the Plant Pest and Disease Laboratory in the Plant Protection Department of Faculty of Agriculture in Lampung University. This research used completely randomized design consisting without treatment (0), Trichoderma spp. Gading Rejo Region (GDR) isolate (1) Trichoderma spp. Nusantara Tropical Farm (NTF) isolate (2), and Trichoderma spp. Trimurjo (TRJ) isolate (3) treatments which were applied to the plant growing points as fungicide (B) and as inducer of plant resistance to be applied in the plant roots (P). Results: The research results showed that the Trichoderma spp. treatments could reduce the disease occurrence at 4 and 5 days after inoculation, but they could not reduce the disease severity and improve stover dry weight of corn plant. Conclusion: The Trichoderma spp. Treatment as biofungicide and plant resistance inducer are effective against the incubation period and suppress the disease occurrence of downy mildew disease significantly at the early course of the disease.

Effects of cryptotanshinone on airway inflammation models in asthmatic mice through tweak/fnl4 and tgf-pl/smads signaling pathways / 中国药理学通报

Aim To explore the therapeutic effect of cryptotanshinone(CTS) on airway remodeling model of asthmatic mice, and the relationship between its mechanism and the TWEAK/Fn14 and TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. Methods Forty female BALB/c mice were used for our study, eight mice as a group, and were assigned into five groups, namely, control group, OVA model group, CTS treatment group (20, 40 mg·kg-1), and Dex positive control group (1 mg·kg-1). HE and PAS staining were used to observe lung histopathological changes in mice; Diff-Quick staining was employed to count the types of cells; ELISA was used to detect the contents of proinflammatory cytokines in BALF; Western blot was applied to analyze the contents of TWEAK, Fn14, TGF-β1, Smad2/3, Smad4 in lung tissues; immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression levels of TWEAK and TGF-β1 in lung tissues. Results CTS reduced the exudation of inflammatory cells and proliferation of goblet cells; CTS inhibited the generation of EOS, NEU, LYM and the total cells; CTS could reduce the level of proinflammatory cytokines of airway inflammation; the results of Western blot showed that CTS inhibited the protein expression of TWEAK, Fn14, TGF-β1, Smad2/3 and Smad4; immunohistochemical results indicated that CTS increased the expression of TWEAK and TGF-β1 in lung tissues. Conclusions CTS has therapeutic effect on the OVA-induced airway inflammation mouse model through TWEAK/Fn14 and TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathways.

Chronic oral administration of Passiflora incarnata extract has no abnormal effects on metabolic and behavioral parameters in mice, except to induce sleep / 한국실험동물학회지

Although the number of prescriptions and dependence on sleeping pills are increasing, the associations with unexpected abnormal behaviors and metabolic diseases caused by the overuse of sleeping pills are not well understood. In particular, such as abnormal eating-behavior and the occurrence of metabolic disorders caused by psychological unstable states are reported. For this reason, herbal medicine, which has not had such side effects in recent years, is attracting attention as an alternative medicine/food for sleeping inducer. We have used ethanol extracts from Passiflora incarnata (PI) to steadily obtain positive effects on sleep and brain microenvironment. However, as mentioned earlier, sleep-inducing efficacy can only be used safely if the behavioral and metabolic abnormalities do not appear.Thus, in this study, we used Phenomaster equipment to continuously monitor the movement, feeding, water consumption, gas changes, etc. in C57BL/6 mice at a dose of 500 mg/kg/day for 5 consecutive days with PI extract group compared with the control group. Before sacrifice, differences in body composition of mice were also compared. Monitoring of 24 h/5 days through the equipment showed no change in PI-treated group in anything except for significant decrease in blood melatonin levels and activity after PI administration. Taken together, the statistically insignificance of any behavioral and metabolic phenomenon produced by repeated treatment of PI are not only expected to have an accurate sleep effect, but are also free of side effects of the prescribed sleeping pills. This study has given us greater confidence in the safety of the PI extracts we use for sleep-inducer.

Effects of low-dose interleukin-2 on peripheral regulatory T cells counts of patients with psoriatic arthritis and its short-term clinical efficacy / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To study the expression of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients and the short-term efficacy of low doses of interleukin-2 (IL-2). Methods Ninety-five patients with PsA were enrolled as study subjects and 106 healthy people as control group. On the basis of conventional treatment, a total of 22 PsA patients were randomly selected and treated with low dose IL-2 (5 ×105 U/d, continuously used for 5 days, IH), and the disease condition and lymphocyte changes were observed. Flow cytometry was used to detect the absolute count of T subsets dominated by regulatory T cell(Treg) and T helper cell 17(Th17). Wilcoxon rank sum test, χ2 test and Spearman correlation analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results The absolute number of Th17 cells of PsA patients [7.2 (4.0, 12.8) cells/μl] was higher than that of the control group [5.9(4.0, 8.6) cells/μl] (Z=-1.997, P=0.046), the number of Treg cells [25 (17, 36) cells/μl] decreased compared with the control group [30 (23, 40) cells/μl] (Z=-2.957, Z=0.003), T/Treg [50 (36), 76)], B/Treg [7.6 (5.4, 11.5)], CD4+T/Treg [27 (21, 42)], CD8+T/Treg [20 (12, 30)], Th17/Treg [0.34(0.13, 0.51)], Th1/Treg [4.4(2.3, 7.2)], Th2/Treg [0.34(0.20, 0.53)], compared with control group T/Treg [40 (32, 54)], B/Treg [6.5 (4.2, 8.1)], CD4+T/Treg [20 (17, 25)], CD8+T/Treg [16 (11, 24)], Th17/Treg [0.19 (0.13, 0.31)], Th1/Treg [3.5 (1.8, 5.8)], Th2/Treg [0.24 (0.15, 0.39)] were significantly increased (Z=-3.365, -3.217,-5.285, -2.097, -1.69, -1.482, -2.304, P<0.05). Treg cells were negatively correlated with disease activity indexes TJC (r=-0.213, P=0.038), VAS (r=-0.299, P=0.003), PHGA (r=-0.287, P=0.005), DLQI (r=-0.208, P=0.043). Th17 cells increased from [6.3 (2.3, 11.5) cells/μl] to [11 (7, 20) cells/μl, Z=-2.808, P=0.005] after low-dose IL-2 treatment, Treg cells increased from [27 (15, 30) cells/μl] to [71 (37, 98) cells/μl, Z=-3.945, P<0.01]. Because the growth rate of Treg was much higher than Th17, Th17/Treg [before IL-2 treatment: 0.26 (0.11, 0.44), after IL-2 treatment: 0.14 (0.1, 0.35)] returned back to the normal range. After the treatment with IL-2, the patient's activity indicators were significantly improved, and there were no reversible adverse reactions. Conclusion The reduction of Treg cells may be involved in the occurrence and devel-opment of PsA. Low-dose IL-2 treatment can effectively promote the proliferation of Treg cells and the recovery of Th17/Treg balance, which is conducive to the improvement of the condition and good safety.