Humulus lupulus L. extract and its active constituent xanthohumol attenuate oxidative stress and nerve injury induced by iron overload via activating AKT/GSK3ß and Nrf2/NQO1 pathways.

Hops, the dried female clusters from Humulus lupulus L., have traditionally been used as folk medicines for treating insomnia, neuralgia, and menopausal disorders. However, its pharmacological action on iron overload induced nerve damage has not been investigated. This study aims to evaluate the protective effects of hops extract (HLE) and its active constituent xanthohumol (XAN) on nerve injury induced by iron overload in vivo and in vitro, and to explore its underlying mechanism. The results showed that HLE and XAN significantly improved the memory impairment of iron overload mice, mainly manifested as shortened latency time, increased crossing platform times and spontaneous alternation ratio, and increased the expression of related proteins. Additionally, HLE and XAN significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX) activities, and remarkably decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) level in hippocampus. Also, HLE and XAN apparently reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) content of PC12 cells induced by iron dextran (ID), and improved the oxidative stress level. Moreover, HLE and XAN significantly upregulated the expression of nuclear factor E2-related factor (Nrf2), NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), SOD, phosphorylated AKT (p-AKT), and phosphorylated GSK3ß (p-GSK3ß) both in hippocampus and PC12 cells. These findings demonstrated the protective effect of HLE and XAN against iron-induced memory impairment, which is attributed to its antioxidant profile by activation of AKT/GSK3ß and Nrf2/NQO1 pathways. Also, it was suggested that hops could be a potential candidate for iron overload-related neurological diseases treatment.

Analysis of ABO gene mRNA expression in peripheral blood of patients with acute myeloid leukemia / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To investigate the expression characteristics of ABO gene mRNA in peripheral blood of patients with acute myeloid leukemia. 【Methods】 The RNA-seq data of acute myeloid leukemia in TCGA database and the whole blood RNA-seq data in GTEx database were downloaded. The difference of ABO gene mRNA expression between acute myeloid leukemia and GTEx whole blood samples was analyzed by R software, and the relationship between ABO gene mRNA expression and DNA methylation, immune infiltration and prognosis was analyzed. 【Results】 The expression level of ABO gene mRNA in acute myeloid leukemia(median: 1.333, P25: 3.654, P75: 0.401)was significantly lower than that in the control group(median: 3.576, P25: 3.747, P75: 3.470)(P<0.001). The expression level of ABO gene mRNA in acute myeloid leukemia was negatively correlated with the methylation of + 82(r=-0.249, P<0.001), + 618(r=-0.268, P<0.001), + 1 080(r=-0.105, P<0.001) and + 1 409(r=-0.210, P<0.001) at downstream of transcription start site, and positively correlated with the immune infiltration of nine types of immune cells (B cells, CD8 T cells, Cytotoxic cells, pDC, T cells, T helper cells, Tcm, Tfh and Treg) (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in overall survival between patients with high (median survival time: 366 days, confidence interval: 304-731 days) and low (median survival time: 731 days, confidence interval: 335-1 402 days) expression of ABO gene mRNA in acute myeloid leukemia (P>0.05). 【Conclusion】 The mRNA expression of ABO gene in peripheral blood of patients with acute myeloid leukemia is decreased, which is associated with DNA methylation of the first intron of ABO gene and immune infiltration, but not with the prognosis.

The prognostic and predictive value of plasma D-dimer in children with neuroblastoma: a 7-year retrospective analysis at a single institution

Purpose@#Elevated plasma D-dimer level is a poor prognostic factor for many solid tumors. However, limited research has been conducted on D-dimer in children with neuroblastoma (NB), and its clinical significance remains unclear. The present study investigated the clinical and prognostic significance of D-dimer in pediatric NB patients. @*Methods@#A retrospective analysis of all newly admitted NB patients was conducted from January 2014 to December 2020.Baseline clinicopathological features, preoperative laboratory parameters, and follow-up information were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the relationship between D-dimer level, clinical features, and the prognostic value. @*Results@#Among 266 patients, the median value of D-dimer was 2.98 ng/mL, of which 132 patients showed elevated D-dimer levels before surgery (>2.98 ng/mL). Univariate analysis revealed that elevated D-dimer was significantly associated with age, hemoglobin, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, neuron-specific enolase, 24-hour vanillylmandelic acid, overall survival, and so on (P < 0.05). Patients with elevated D-dimer levels had shorter median overall survival time when compared with normal D-dimer levels (P = 0.01). The prognosis was better in patients with normal D-dimer levels when combined with lower age, ganglioneuroblastoma tumor type, lower stage on International Neuroblastoma Staging System, low-risk group, and without bone metastasis or bone marrow metastasis. The continuous increase of D-dimer level after treatment indicated tumor recurrence or progression. @*Conclusion@#A high D-dimer level is associated with low overall survival, and an elevated D-dimer level after treatment indicates tumor recurrence and progression. D-dimer can be used as one of the evaluation factors for NB treatment or prognosis.

Corneal epithelial remodeling following stromal lenticule addition keratoplasty combined with corneal collagen cross-linking for the treatment of keratoconus / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM: To observe the epithelial remodeling of femtosecond laser-assisted stromal lenticule addition keratoplasty combined with corneal collagen cross-linking(SLAK-CXL)in patients with progressive keratoconus, investigate the remodeling rules of corneal epithelial and influencing factors, and provide clinical data for further refractive correction.METHODS: Retrospective and observational study. A total of 28 keratoconus patients(29 eyes)who received SLAK-CXL from September 2020 to October 2021 were included. Preoperative and postoperative visual acuity, intraocular pressure(IOP), diopter, keratometry and corneal epithelial thickness(CET)were recorded. The trend of CET change was observed. The factors affecting CET were analyzed according to the thickness and depth of the lenticule.RESULTS: Flattest meridian keratometry(Kf)and steepest meridian keratometry(Ks)at 1mo postoperatively were significantly larger than those preoperatively(P&#x003C;0.05). The thinnest corneal thickness(TCT)at 1, 2, 6mo and 1a postoperatively were significantly larger than preoperative(P&#x003C;0.05). The CET changed with time, with the central CET showing a larger variation tendency. The CET of superior, superior nasal, nasal, superior temporal in paracentral area were thinned, the CET of superior, temporal, superior temporal in midperipheral area were thinned, while the CET of superior nasal was thickened in peripheral area at 1, 2, 6mo and 1a postoperatively. The variation of CET was not correlated with the thickness or depth of lenticule at 1a postoperatively(P&#x003E;0.05).CONCLUSIONS: It is firstly found that the corneal morphology has changed after SLAK-CXL. CET decreases and then increases and then decreases again. At 1a postoperatively, the CET of the central and paracentral areas is thinner, while the CET of the midperipheral and peripheral areas is thicker. The degree of epithelial remodeling is not correlated with lenticule thickness or depth.

Relationship between Fok polymorphism of vitamin-D receptor gene and hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy in Han nationality of Qinghai province / 解剖学报

[ Abstract] Objective To investigate the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) Fok (rs2228570 / rs10735810) of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene and hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy (HDCP) in Han nationality women of Qinghai province. Methods A total of 137 Han nationality HDCP subjects (HDCP group) and 146 Han nationality normal pregnant subjects (control group) were selected from Qinghai province. The Fok polymorphism typing in HCDP group and control group was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) . The mutation was confirmed by sequencing. SPSS 19. 0 statistical software was used to test whether there were significant differences between two groups in general clinical data, genotype and allele frequency distribution. Results The frequency of FF Ff ff genotype of Fok in HDCP group and control group were 51. 82%, 37. 96%, 10. 22% and 34. 93%, 43. 15%, 21. 92% respectively (

Identified novel heterozygous HTRA1 pathogenic variants in Chinese patients with HTRA1-associated dominant cerebral small vessel disease.

Background: Homozygous and compound heterozygous mutations in HTRA1 cause cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL). Recently, heterozygous pathogenic variants in HTRA1 were described in patients with autosomal dominant cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). Here, we investigated the genetic variants in a cohort of Chinese patients with CSVD. Methods: A total of 95 Chinese index patients with typical characteristics of CSVD were collected. Whole exome sequencing was performed in the probands, followed by Sanger sequencing. Pathogenicity prediction software was applied to evaluate the pathogenicity of the identified variants. Results: We detected five heterozygous HTRA1 pathogenic variants in five index patients. These pathogenic variants included four known variants (c.543delT, c.854C>T, c.889G>A, and c.824C>T) and one novel variant (c.472 + 1G>A). Among them, c.854C>T, c.824C>T, and c.472 + 1G>A have never been reported in China and c.889G>A was once reported in homozygous but never in heterozygous. Three of them were distributed in exon 4, one in exon 2, and another splicing variant in intron 1. Four out of five probands presented typical features of CARASIL but less severe. The common clinical features included lacunar infarction, cognitive decline, alopecia, and spondylosis. All of them showed leukoencephalopathy, and the main involved cerebral area include periventricular and frontal area, centrum semiovale, thalamus, and corpus callosum. Anterior temporal lobes and external capsule involvement were also observed. Three probands had intracranial microbleeds. Conclusion: Our study expanded the mutation spectrum of HTRA1, especially in Chinese populations, and provided further evidence for "hot regions" in exon 1-4, especially in exon 4, in heterozygous HTRA1 pathogenic variants. Our work further supported that patients with heterozygous HTRA1 pathogenic variants presented with similar but less-severe features than CARASIL but in an autosomal dominantly inherited pattern.

Genetic spectrum of NOTCH3 and clinical phenotype of CADASIL patients in different populations.

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral autosomal-dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is a relatively common cerebral small vessel disease. NOTCH3 has been identified as the causative gene of CADASIL. Clinical variability and genetic heterogeneity were observed in CADASIL patients and need to be further clarified. AIMS: The aim of the study was to clarify genetic spectrum of NOTCH3 and clinical phenotype of CADASIL patients. METHODS: Suspected CADASIL patients were collected by our center between 2016 and 2021. Whole exome sequencing was performed to screen NOTCH3 mutations of these patients. Genetic and clinical data of CADASIL patients from previous studies were also analyzed. Studies between 1998 and 2021 that reported more than 9 pedigrees with detailed genetic data or clinical data were included. After excluding patients carrying cysteine-sparing mutations, genetic data of 855 Asian pedigrees (433 Chinese; 226 Japanese, and 196 Korean) and 546 Caucasian pedigrees, in a total of 1401 CADASIL pedigrees were involved in mapping mutation spectrum. Clinical data of 901 Asian patients (476 Chinese patients, 217 Japanese patients, and 208 Korean patients) and 720 Caucasian patients, in a total of 1621 patients were analyzed and compared between different populations. RESULTS: Two novel mutations (c.400T>C, p.Cys134Arg; c.1511G>A, p.Cys504Tyr) and 24 known cysteine-affecting variants were identified in 36 pedigrees. Genetic spectrums of Asians (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean) and Caucasians were clarified, p.R544C and p.R607C were the most common mutations in Asians while p.R1006C and p.R141C in Caucasians. For clinical features, Asians were more likely to develop symptoms of TIA or ischemic stroke (p < 0.0001) and cognitive impairment (p < 0.0001). Nevertheless, Caucasians had a higher tendency to present migraine (p < 0.0001) and psychiatric disturbance (p < 0.0001). The involvement of temporal pole was more likely to happen in Caucasians (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The findings help to better understand the clinical variability and genetic heterogeneity of CADASIL.

Differences in non-suicidal self-injury behaviors between only-child and non-only-child adolescents with mood disorders: a cross-sectional study / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the differences in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors between only-child and non-only-child adolescents with mood disorders.@*METHODS@#A three-stage sampling method was used to perform a cross-sectional survey of 529 adolescents, aged 12-18 years, who had mood disorders and NSSI behaviors. These adolescents were sampled from the outpatient service of 20 mental hospitals in 9 provinces of China from August to November 2020. A self-made questionnaire was used to collect general demographic data. The Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation, Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Stress Mindset Measure-General, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Multidimensional Students' Life Satisfaction Scales, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were used to collect the information on self-injury behaviors and psychological factors in these adolescents.@*RESULTS@#A total of 529 adolescents with mood disorders and NSSI behaviors were surveyed, among whom 375 were only-child adolescents and 154 were non-only-child adolescents. Compared with the non-only-child group, the only-child group had a significantly higher total score of Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation (P<0.05) .The type and frequency of self-injury in the only-child group were significantly higher than those in the non-only-child group (P<0.05). Psychological analysis showed that compared with the non-only-child group, the only-child group had a significantly lower score of self-esteem (P<0.05) and significantly higher scores of psychological distress and depressive symptoms (P<0.05). The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the score of suicidal ideation was positively correlated with the frequency of NSSI behaviors in both only-child and non-only-child adolescents with mood disorders (P<0.05); in the only-child adolescents, the level of self-esteem was negatively correlated with the frequency of NSSI behaviors (P<0.05), and the score of stress perception was positively correlated with the frequency of NSSI behaviors (P<0.05); in the non-only-child adolescents, the score of anxious emotion was positively correlated with the frequency of NSSI behaviors (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Among the adolescents with mood disorders and NSSI behaviors, the only-child adolescents tend to have a higher frequency of self-injury and poorer mental health, and therefore, the only-child adolescents with mood disorders and NSSI behaviors need more attention.

Association between Internet gaming disorder and sleep quality among junior middle school student of Xi an City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the association of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and sleep quality in adolescents of Xi an, thereby providing theoretical evidence for prevention of IGD and improvement of sleep quality of adolescents.@*Methods@#A total of 1 181 adolescents from 3 middle schools of Xi an were randomly selected between August, 2019 and February, 2020. These adolescents were assessed by a series of questionnaires, including basic information questionnaire, IGD and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Univariate analysis and multivariate Logistic regression model were used to evaluate the association between IGD and insomnia.@*Results@#Among 929 junior middle school students who participated in online games and the IGD Diagnostic Questionnaire was filled out in the past 12 months, the prevalence of IGD was 20.0%(186). Univariate analyses indicated that gender,whether single family, whether they living with their parents, whether they were addicted to online games, whether they could control the time of online games, and the severity of insomnia influenced IGD ( χ 2=17.11, 8.33, 202.92, 91.23, 29.06, P <0.05). The multivariate Logistic regression of the total population showed that participating in online games was not associated with the severity of insomnia ( OR = 1.62 , 95% CI =0.92-0.85, P >0.05). The people who participated in online games in the past 12 monthsthe severity of insomnia was positively correlated with the risk of IGD ( OR =3.56，95% CI =1.92-6.61, P <0.01).@*Conclusion@#Internet gaming disorder become a severe situation in the middle school students. The severity of insomnia might become the risk factor of IGD, so social should pay more attention to the prevention of internet addiction.

Association between Internet gaming disorder and sleep quality among junior middle school student of Xi an City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the association of Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and sleep quality in adolescents of Xi an, thereby providing theoretical evidence for prevention of IGD and improvement of sleep quality of adolescents.@*Methods@#A total of 1 181 adolescents from 3 middle schools of Xi an were randomly selected between August, 2019 and February, 2020. These adolescents were assessed by a series of questionnaires, including basic information questionnaire, IGD and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI). Univariate analysis and multivariate Logistic regression model were used to evaluate the association between IGD and insomnia.@*Results@#Among 929 junior middle school students who participated in online games and the IGD Diagnostic Questionnaire was filled out in the past 12 months, the prevalence of IGD was 20.0%(186). Univariate analyses indicated that gender,whether single family, whether they living with their parents, whether they were addicted to online games, whether they could control the time of online games, and the severity of insomnia influenced IGD ( χ 2=17.11, 8.33, 202.92, 91.23, 29.06, P <0.05). The multivariate Logistic regression of the total population showed that participating in online games was not associated with the severity of insomnia ( OR = 1.62 , 95% CI =0.92-0.85, P >0.05). The people who participated in online games in the past 12 monthsthe severity of insomnia was positively correlated with the risk of IGD ( OR =3.56，95% CI =1.92-6.61, P <0.01).@*Conclusion@#Internet gaming disorder become a severe situation in the middle school students. The severity of insomnia might become the risk factor of IGD, so social should pay more attention to the prevention of internet addiction.

Real-world study evaluating the incidence of liver damage conditions in patients with primary liver cancer using immune checkpoint inhibitor-based combination therapy / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of immune checkpoint inhibitor-based combination therapy-induced liver damage in patients with primary liver cancer. Methods: Clinical data of 65 hospitalized cases of primary liver cancer treated with programmed cell death-1 its ligand programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-1/PD-L1) antibody in the Department of Infectious Diseases of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 1, 2018 to March 31, 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The degree of liver injury before and after treatment was assessed according to CTCAE v5.0. Patients were grouped according to gender, age, presence or absence of cirrhosis, baseline Child-Pugh score, BCLC stage, and treatment regimen to compare the incidence of liver injury under different conditions. The χ (2) test or rank-sum test was used for comparison among multiple groups. Results: 46 cases (70.77%) had liver damage of any grade according to the CTCAE V5.0 criteria during the treatment and observation period. All 6 cases who received standardized anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) treatment developed liver damage. 10 (15.38%), 15 (23.08%), 19 (29.23%), and 2 (3.08%) cases had grade 1, 2, 3, and 4 liver damage respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of liver damage between male and female patients (68.33% and 100%, P = 0.180). There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of liver damage among different age groups (P = 0.245). The incidence of liver damage in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic group was 72.22%, and 63.64% (P = 0.370), respectively. The incidence of liver damage in patients with baseline Child-Pugh class A, B, and C were 71.43%, 61.11% and 100%, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.878). The incidence of liver damage was not statistically significantly different under different BCLC stages (P = 1.000). The incidence of liver damage in the PD-1/PD-L1 antibody monotherapy, PD-1/PD-L1 antibody combined with targeted drug therapy, and PD-1/PD-L1 antibody combined with TACE/radiofrequency ablation treatment group were 60.00%, 67.85%, and 86.67%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of liver damage between the treatment regimen (P = 0.480). Conclusion: Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy-induced liver damage is common in patients with primary liver cancer; however, it rarely severely endangers the patient's life. Additionally, patient's gender, age, presence or absence of cirrhosis, baseline liver function, BCLC stage and the immunotherapy regimen has no effect on the incidence of immune-related liver damage.

COSSH score and associated risk stratification in predicting short-term prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure / 中华临床感染病杂志

Objective:To evaluate the prognostic efficacy of the Chinese Group on the Study of Severe Hepatitis B (COSSH) acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) II score (COSSH ACLF IIs) and associated risk stratification in predicting short-term prognosis of patients with hepatitis B virus-related ACLF (HBV-ACLF).Methods:Clinical data of 224 patients with HBV-ACLF admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College and the First Hospital of Quanzhou, Fujian Medical University from January 2018 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into survival group ( n=171) and fatal group ( n=53) according to 28-day survival status. The values of the COSSH ACLF IIs, the Chronic Liver Failure-Consortium (CLIF-C) ACLF score (CLIF-C ACLFs), the CLIF-C organ failure score (CLIF-C OFs), the Model of End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score (MELDs), the MELD-sodium score (MELD-Nas), and the Child-Turcotte-Pugh score (CTPs) for 28-day mortality prediction were compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). The patients were divided into groups according to COSSH ACLF classification and COSSH ACLF IIs risk stratification, respectively. The differences in 28-day mortality between groups were compared by Kaplan-Meir method, and the consistency of the two ACLF classification systems was compared by Kappa consistency test. Results:The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of the COSSH ACLF IIs in 28-day mortality prediction were 0.885, 0.981 and 0.731, respectively. For predicting 28-day mortality, the COSSH ACLF IIs achieved a higher AUC than the CLIF-C OFs, the MELDs, the MELD-Nas, and the CTPs ( P<0.01), while there was no significant difference in AUC between the COSSH ACLF IIs and the CLIF-C ACLFs ( Z=1.696, P=0.090). The cumulative 28-day mortality rates significantly increased with the ascending of COSSH ACLF grade and risk strata of the COSSH ACLF IIs (11.7%, 43.5% and 93.3%, P<0.001; 14.2%, 41.0% and 81.3%, P<0.001). The two ACLF grading systems showed a consistency in severity stratification of HBV-ACLF patients (Kappa=0.478, P<0.001). Conclusion:The COSSH ACLF IIs shows an excellent prognostic performance in predicting short-term mortality of HBV-ACLF patients. Using the new risk stratification scale can simplify the severity stratification of HBV-ACLF patients.

A Case Series of Olfactory Dysfunction in Imported COVID-19 Patients: A 12-Month Follow-Up Study / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#The scientific community knows little about the long-term influence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on olfactory dysfunction (OD). With the COVID-19 pandemic ongoing worldwide, the risk of imported cases remains high. In China, it is necessary to understand OD in imported cases.@*Methods@#A prospective follow-up design was adopted. A total of 11 self-reported patients with COVID-19 and OD from Xi'an No. 8 Hospital were followed between August 19, 2021, and December 12, 2021. Demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory and radiological findings, and treatment outcomes were analyzed at admission. We surveyed the patients via telephone for recurrence and sequelae at the 1-, 6-, and 12-month follow-up.@*Results@#Eleven patients with OD were enrolled; of these, 54.5% (6/11) had hyposmia and 45.5% (5/11) had anosmia. 63.6% (7/11) reported OD before or on the day of admission as their initial symptom; of these, 42.9% (3/7) described OD as the only symptom. All patients in the study received combined treatment with traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, and 72.7% (8/11) had partially or fully recovered at discharge. In terms of OD recovery at the 12-month follow-up, 45.5% (5/11) reported at least one sequela, 81.8% (9/11) had recovered completely, 18.2% (2/11) had recovered partially, and there were no recurrent cases.@*Conclusions@#Our data revealed that OD frequently presented as the initial or even the only symptom among imported cases. Most OD improvements occurred in the first 2 weeks after onset, and patients with COVID-19 and OD had favorable treatment outcomes during long-term follow-up. A better understanding of the pathogenesis and appropriate treatment of OD is needed to guide clinicians in the care of these patients.

Effect of storage time on the chemokine storage and chemokine scavenging function of erythrocyte atypical chemokine receptor 1 / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To determine the effect of storage time on the chemokine storage and chemokine scavenging function of erythrocyte atypical chemokine receptor 1(ACKR1). 【Methods】 Samples from six bags of red blood cells product, split into two gruoups(10 mL each), were stored in a refrigerator and sampled on day 5 and day 25 during storage, respectively, to measure the concentrations of CCL5, CXCL8 and CCL11 and the ACKR1 chemokine scavenging function of erythrocytes. In addition, 42 erythrocyte products(1 mL each), stored for 5 to 25 days, were sampled to measure the expression of ACKR1 and the concentrations of chemokines CCL5, CXCL8 and CCL11 on the erythrocyte membrane. 【Results】 Compared with RBCs stored for 5 days, no difference in the concentration of CCL5(467.7±250.2 pg/mL vs 586.9±209.5pg/mL, P>0.05) and CCL11(122.2±30.3pg/mL vs 125.5 ±32.7pg/mL, P>0.05)were noticed in erythrocyte lysates stored for 25 days, but the concentrations of CXCL8 decreased significantly(42.4±5.3pg/mL vs 24.3± 5.9pg/mL, P0.05). 【Conclusion】 Erythrocytes are the main places for storing ACKR1 binding chemokines. During the storage, the chemokine scavenging of erythrocyte ACKR1 and some intracellular the ACKR1 binding chemokines are reduced.

Influencing Factors Regulating the Expression of the Macrophage Migration Inhibitor Factor (MIF) Gene / 中国生物化学与分子生物学报

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a widely expressed multipotent cytokine that participates and plays an important role in various inflammatory and immune diseases‚ and is a biomarker or therapeutic target of many diseases. MIF is highly conserved in phylogeny and there are specific binding sites of various transcription factors in its promoter region‚ which can regulate the expression of MIF. MIF functions both inside and outside cells‚ and MIF is constitutively expressed. Therefore‚ it is of great significance to study the related factors that regulate MIF gene expression and stimulate MIF secretion. This article summarizes and classifies the related factors affecting MIF gene expression by briefly describing the binding sites on the MIF gene and MIF promoter. According to the way of binding with the MIF gene‚ it can be divided into:(1) binding to specific sites of MIF gene promoters to change transcription activity; (2) binding to MIF CATT5-8 microsatellite repeats to change highly expressed MIF alleles (3) non-coding RNAs regulating MIF expression; (4) related factors affecting MIF secretion. By reviewing the four types of related factors that regulate MIF gene expression‚ we will understand the regulatory mechanism and influencing factors of MIF gene expression‚ in order to provide a theoretical basis for its treatment of related diseases.

A novel ceruloplasmin mutation identified in a Chinese patient and clinical spectrum of aceruloplasminemia patients.

Aceruloplasminemia (ACP) is a rare disorder of iron overload resulting from ceruloplasmin (CP) variants. Because of its rarity and heterogeneity, the diagnosis of ACP is often missed or misdiagnosed. Here, we aim to present a clinical spectrum of ACP and raise more attention to the early diagnosis. Whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed in a Chinese female patient suspected with ACP and her clinical data were collected in detail. The PubMed databases was searched for published ACP patients within the last decade, and we present a systematic review of their clinical features with data extracted from these researches. A novel pathogenic variant (c.2689delC) and a known pathogenic variant (c.606dupA) within ceruloplasmin gene were identified in our patient and confirmed the diagnosis of ACP. Then we reviewed 51 ACP patients including the case we reported here. A possible timeline of symptoms was discovered, anemia appears first (29.7 years old on average), followed by diabetes (37.3 years old) and finally neurological symptoms (50.7 years old). The delay in diagnosis was significantly shortened in patients without neurological symptoms. Biochemical triad including anemia, low to undetectable serum ceruloplasmin, low serum iron and/or hyperferritinemia, showed better sensitivity in diagnosis than clinical triad including diabetes, neurological symptoms, and retinal degeneration. Due to the variable symptom spectrum, patients with ACP often visit different departments, which can lead to misdiagnosis. Clinical attention needs to be paid to symptoms and tests that have a warning effect. Prompt diagnosis in the early stage of the disease can be beneficial.

Eight months follow-up study on pulmonary function, lung radiographic, and related physiological characteristics in COVID-19 survivors.

To describe the long-term health outcomes of patients with COVID-19 and investigate the potential risk factors. Clinical data during hospitalization and at a mean (SD) day of 249 (15) days after discharge from 40 survivors with confirmed COVID-19 (including 25 severe cases) were collected and analyzed retrospectively. At follow-up, severe cases had higher incidences of persistent symptoms, DLCO impairment, and higher abnormal CT score as compared with mild cases. CT score at follow-up was positively correlated with age, LDH level, cumulative days of oxygen treatment, total dosage of glucocorticoids used, and CT peak score during hospitalization. DLCO% at follow-up was negatively correlated with cumulative days of oxygen treatment during hospitalization. DLCO/VA% at follow-up was positively correlated with BMI, and TNF-α level. Among the three groups categorized as survivors with normal DLCO, abnormal DLCO but normal DLCO/VA, and abnormal DLCO and DLCO/VA, survivors with abnormal DLCO and DLCO/VA had the lowest serum IL-2R, IL-8, and TNF-α level, while the survivors with abnormal DLCO but normal DLCO/VA had the highest levels of inflammatory cytokines during hospitalization. Altogether, COVID-19 had a greater long-term impact on the lung physiology of severe cases. The long-term radiological abnormality maybe relate to old age and the severity of COVID-19. Either absent or excess of inflammation during COVID-19 course would lead to the impairment of pulmonary diffusion function.

3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone inhibits hypoxia-associated human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell proliferation by reducing Ca2+ influx.

The present study aimed to assess the effects of 3,4-dihydroxyacetophenone (DHAP) on human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs). HPASMCs were divided into the normoxia group (NG), hypoxia group (HG), and hypoxia and 0.6×10-4 mol/L (HD1), 1.9×10-4 mol/L (HD2) and 6.0×10-4 mol/L (HD3) DHAP treatment groups. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow-cytometrically. HPASMC growth was examined by the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and MTT assays. Intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) was measured by laser scanning confocal microscopy. Compared with the NG, the HG showed significantly increased HPASMC proliferation (P<0.05); meanwhile, cells treated with DHAP showed decreased proliferation compared with the HG (P<0.05). Hypoxia enhanced cell cycle progression and DHAP partly restored cell cycle distribution toward the status of NG cells. Furthermore, CDK2 levels were markedly increased in hypoxic cells (P<0.05), while DHAP treatment starkly decreased CDK2 levels in comparison with the HG (P<0.05). Moreover, hypoxia increased intracellular [Ca2+] levels compared with normoxia (P<0.05); meanwhile, DHAP treatment decreased [Ca2+]i compared with the HG (P<0.05). These findings suggested that DHAP inhibits hypoxia-induced proliferation of HPASMCs involving [Ca2+]i reduction. Therefore, DHAP should be considered an ideal candidate for the prevention and/or treatment of hypoxia-associated pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary vascular remodeling.

TGM6 might not be a specific causative gene for spinocerebellar ataxia resulting from genetic analysis and functional study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether TGM6 is a specific causative gene for spinocerebellar ataxia type 35 (SCA35). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The next-generation sequencing (NGS) data consisted of 47 SCA, 762 non-SCA patients and 2827 normal controls were analyzed. The allele frequencies of low frequent and deleterious TGM6 variants were compared. Functional studies were performed in five widely distributed variants (V314M, R342Q, P347L, V391M, L517W). RESULTS: Two TGM6 detrimental variants were identified in one SCA patient, 14 in non-SCA patients and 43 in normal controls, the allele frequencies of TGM6 variants did not differ among the SCA and other controls. Seven reported pathogenic variants (c.7 + 1G > T, c.331C > T, c.1171G > A, c.1478C > T, c.1528G > C, c.1550 T > G and c.1722_1724delAGA) were identified in patients with various neurologic diseases or normal controls. All the 5 widely distributed variants led to destabilization and significantly reduction of enzymatic activity of TG6 as the reported pathogenic mutations. CONCLUSIONS: TGM6 might not be a specific causative gene for SCA35, the relevant clinical consult or diagnostic should be pay more attention.

Role for Biochemical Assays and Kayser-Fleischer Rings in Diagnosis of Wilson's Disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Wilson disease is an autosomal recessive disorder that impairs copper homeostasis and is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in ATP7B, which encodes a copper-transporting P-type ATPase. Patients have variable clinical manifestations and laboratory test results, resulting in diagnostic dilemmas. We aimed to identify factors associated with symptoms and features of Wilson disease from a large cohort, over 15 years. METHODS: We collected data from 715 patients (529 with symptoms, 146 without symptoms, and 40 uncategorized) and a genetic confirmation of Wilson's disease (mean age of diagnosis, 18.84 years), recruited from 3 hospitals in China from 2004 through 2019. We analyzed clinical data along with serum levels of ceruloplasmin (available from 636 patients), 24-hr urinary copper excretion (collected from 131 patients), Kayser-Fleisher rings (copper accumulation in eyes, with neurologic data from 355 patients), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) abnormalities. Differences among the groups were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey multiple comparison test. RESULTS: Of the 529 patients with symptoms, 121 had hepatic features, 355 had neurologic features, 28 had osteomuscular features (premature osteoarthritis, skeletal deformities, and pathological bone fractures), and 25 had psychiatric symptoms. Age of onset was significantly younger in patients with hepatic (16.94 ± 1.03 years; P = .0105) or osteomuscular features (13 ± 1.33 years; P = .0001) than patients with neurological features (19.48 ± 0.46 years). Serum levels of ceruloplasmin differed among asymptomatic patients and patients with osteomuscular or neurologic symptoms of Wilson disease. Serum levels of ceruloplasmin ranged from 18.93 mg/L to approximately 120.00 mg/L (quantiles of 0.025 to approximately 0.975). Fifty-one of 131 patients (39%) had urinary copper excretion levels below 100 µg/24 hr; there was significant variation in levels of urinary copper excretion between patients older than 14 years vs 14 years or younger. Of the 355 patients with neurologic features, 244 patients (69%) had abnormal findings from MRI and Kayser-Fleisher rings; only 1 patient with abnormal findings from brain MRI was negative for Kayser-Fleisher rings. CONCLUSIONS: Serum level of ceruloplasmin, 24-hour urinary copper excretion, and Kayser-Fleisher rings can be used to identify patients who might have Wilson disease. Patients with serum levels of ceruloplasmin below 120 mg/L and children with urinary copper excretion above 40 µg should undergo genetic testing for Wilson's disease. Patients with movement disorders and brain MRI abnormalities without Kayser-Fleisher rings are not likely to have Wilson disease.