Effects of walking on epigenetic age acceleration: a Mendelian randomization study.

INTRODUCTION: Walking stands as the most prevalent physical activity in the daily lives of individuals and is closely associated with physical functioning and the aging process. Nonetheless, the precise cause-and-effect connection between walking and aging remains unexplored. The epigenetic clock emerges as the most promising biological indicator of aging, capable of mirroring the biological age of the human body and facilitating an investigation into the association between walking and aging. Our primary objective is to investigate the causal impact of walking with epigenetic age acceleration (EAA). METHODS: We conducted a two-sample two-way Mendelian randomization (MR) study to investigate the causal relationship between walking and EAA. Walking and Leisure sedentary behavior data were sourced from UK Biobank, while EAA data were gathered from a total of 28 cohorts. The MR analysis was carried out using several methods, including the inverse variance weighted (IVW), weighted median, MR-Egger, and robust adjusted profile score (RAPS). To ensure the robustness of our findings, we conducted sensitivity analyses, which involved the MR-Egger intercept test, Cochran's Q test, and MR-PRESSO, to account for and mitigate potential pleiotropy. RESULTS: The IVW MR results indicate a significant impact of usual walking pace on GrimAge (BETA = - 1.84, 95% CI (- 2.94, - 0.75)), PhenoAge (BETA = - 1.57, 95% CI (- 3.05, - 0.08)), Horvath (BETA = - 1.09 (- 2.14, - 0.04)), and Hannum (BETA = - 1.63, 95% CI (- 2.70, - 0.56)). Usual walking pace is significantly associated with a delay in epigenetic aging acceleration (EAA) (P < 0.05). Moreover, the direction of effect predicted by the gene remained consistent across RAPS outcomes and sensitivity MR analyses. There is a lack of robust causal relationships between other walking conditions, such as walking duration and walking frequency, on EAA (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our evidence demonstrates that a higher usual walking pace is associated with a deceleration of the acceleration of all four classical epigenetic clocks acceleration.

Latent class analysis of migraine associated vestibular-auditory symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the potential subgroups of migraines based on the patterns of migraine associated symptoms, vestibular and auditory symptoms using latent class analysis and to explore their characteristics. METHOD: A total of 555 patients with migraine participated in the study. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, photophobia, phonophobia, osmophobia, visual symptoms, vestibular symptoms (dizziness, vertigo), and auditory symptoms (tinnitus, hearing loss, aural fullness) were assessed. Latent class analysis was performed to identify subgroups of migraines. Covariates such as gender, age of migraine onset, frequency of migraine attacks per month, and family history were also considered. RESULTS: The analysis revealed four latent classes: the Prominent Vestibular; Prominent Nausea; Presenting Symptoms but not prominent or dominant; and Sensory Hypersensitivity groups. Various covariates, such as gender, age of migraine onset, and frequency of migraine attacks, demonstrated significant differences among the four groups. The Sensory Hypersensitivity group showed the presence of multiple sensory symptoms, earlier age of migraine onset, and higher proportion of females. The Prominent Vestibular group had the highest probability of dizziness or vertigo but lacked the presence of auditory symptoms. The Prominent Nausea group exhibited prominent nausea. The Presenting Symptoms but not prominent or dominant group comprised individuals with the highest migraine attacks per month and proportion of chronic migraine. CONCLUSION: This study identifies four subgroups of migraines based on the patterns of symptoms. The findings suggest potential different but overlapped mechanisms behind the vestibular and auditory symptoms of migraine. Considering the different patterns of migraine-related symptoms may provide deeper insights for patients' prognosis and clinical decision-making.

First Reports of Cladosporium tenuissimum Causing Leaf spots on Hydrangea macrophylla in Anhui province in China.

Forever Summer Hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) is a common flowering plant in the Yangtze River Valley area of China, and it is widely cultivated globally (Chen et al. 2015). In July 2023, H. macrophylla leaves exhibiting visible diseased lesions were reported in a nursery in Wuhu, Anhui Province, China. The incidence reached 40% in a 0.2 ha area. The primary disease symptom was multiple irregular necrotic spots (0.5 to 1 mm in diameter) appearing on the leaves. These spots on the leaves were faded yellow around the perimeter and grayish brown in the center.). 15 leaf samples were sterilized with 75% alcohol and rinsed three times in sterile distilled water, then transferred to antibiotic-added potato dextrose agar (PDA) for incubation at 27°C. The colonies were fluffy, flocculent, or hairy, dark green, gray-green to gray-brown in color, and spreading or protruding punctate with a colorless halo on PDA. The conidiophores were brown to dark brown, smooth or rough surface, mostly unbranched, clearly differentiated, erect or curved. The conidia displayed a light brown to brown hue, lemon shape, fusiform, elongated ellipsoid or others with obvious spore markings and spore umbilicus. Genomic DNA was extracted from fungal colonies on infected leaves of three collections separately (Braun et al. 2003) and the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS), actin (ACT) genes and partial translation elongation factor-l-alpha (EF) were amplified and sequenced using the primers ITS1/4 (Yin et al. 2012), ACT-512F/ACT-783R and EF 1-728F/986R (Carbone and Kohn 1999), respectively. DNA sequences of isolates were identical and deposited in GenBank (accession no. OR362754 for ITS, OR611929 for ACT and PP209106 for EF). The consensus sequences from ITS, EF and ACT showed 100%, 98.98% and 100% identical to Cladosporium strains (accession no. OQ186140.1, MT154169.1 and OL322092.1), respectively. To confirm the pathogenicity of the isolates, hydrangeas were planted in 15-cm pots containing commercial potting mix (one plant/pot). Three healthy plants were inoculated at the five to eight leaf stage by spraying 50 µL of the isolate conidial suspension (4 × 106 spores/mL) on healthy leaves. Three plants treated with sterile distilled water were used as controls. After inoculation, all plants were placed in a humidity chamber (>95% relative humidity, 26°C) for 48 h and then transferred to a greenhouse at 22/27°C. All inoculated leaves exhibited symptoms similar to those observed in the nursery 10 days after inoculation, while no symptoms were observed for control leaves. The fungus was re-isolated and confirmed to be C. tenuissimum. Based on the above morphological characterization and molecular identification, the causal agent for this leaf spot disease was identified as C. tenuissimum. Although C. tenuissimum has been reported to cause disease on H. paniculata in northern China (Li et al.2021), this is the first time that C. tenuissimum has been found on H. macrophylla in southern China. This new disease of H. macrophylla caused by C. tenuissimum is a threat to urban greening and is worth further investigation.

Liposomal Glutathione Augments Immune Defenses against Respiratory Syncytial Virus in Neonatal Mice Exposed in Utero to Ethanol.

We previously reported that maternal alcohol use increased the risk of sepsis in premature and term newborns. In the neonatal mouse, fetal ethanol (ETOH) exposure depleted the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), which promoted alveolar macrophage (AM) immunosuppression and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections. In this study, we explored if oral liposomal GSH (LGSH) would attenuate oxidant stress and RSV infections in the ETOH-exposed mouse pups. C57BL/6 female mice were pair-fed a liquid diet with 25% of calories from ethanol or maltose-dextrin. Postnatal day 10 pups were randomized to intranasal saline, LGSH, and RSV. After 48 h, we assessed oxidant stress, AM immunosuppression, pulmonary RSV burden, and acute lung injury. Fetal ETOH exposure increased oxidant stress threefold, lung RSV burden twofold and acute lung injury threefold. AMs were immunosuppressed with decreased RSV clearance. However, LGSH treatments of the ETOH group normalized oxidant stress, AM immune phenotype, the RSV burden, and acute lung injury. These studies suggest that the oxidant stress caused by fetal ETOH exposure impaired AM clearance of infectious agents, thereby increasing the viral infection and acute lung injury. LGSH treatments reversed the oxidative stress and restored AM immune functions, which decreased the RSV infection and subsequent acute lung injury.

Advances in methods and techniques for the study of polysaccharide in vivo processes and immunomodulatory mechanisms / 药学学报

In recent years, polysaccharides have received much attention because of their high safety and good immunological activity. The study of polysaccharide in vivo process is a key scientific problem that needs to be solved for polysaccharide drug development. Some progress has been made in the field of polysaccharide pharmacokinetics and immunomodulation. However, due to the lack of both chromogenic and light-absorbing groups and the complex molecular structure of polysaccharides, the in vivo processes and immunomodulatory mechanisms of polysaccharides have been slow to be investigated. The effective combination of multiple techniques can break the bottleneck of difficult tracing and unknown immunomodulatory mechanism of polysaccharides in vivo, and promote the development and utilization of polysaccharides. In this paper, we systematically summarize the key techniques in the study of polysaccharide in vivo processes and immunomodulatory mechanisms in order to provide technical references and research ideas for the study of polysaccharide in vivo processes and immunomodulatory mechanisms.

Clinical and pathological analysis of 345 cases of vulvar lichen sclerosus and a preliminary study on the frequency of maintenance treatment / 中华妇产科杂志

Objective: To analyze and summarize the clinical and pathological characteristics, management, and efficacy of patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS) through a single center large sample study, and preliminarily to explore the frequency of maintenance treatment medication for VLS. Methods: The clinical data of VLS patients in Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University from 2018 to 2021 were retrospectively collected. The clinicopathological characteristics (patients' age, course of disease, complicated disease history, family history, symptoms, signs and pathology), treatment and effects were retrospectively analyzed. The patients in the maintenance treatment stage were followed up regularly to explore the minimum frequency of individual medication to maintain the stability of the disease. Results: (1) General situation: a total of 345 patients with VLS were included in this study. The average age was (50.4±14.7) years (ranged from 8 to 84 years old), prevalence was highest in the 50-59 years group (30.1%, 104/345). Immune diseases occurred in 18.6% (33/177) of patients, 24.3% (43/177) of patients had allergic skin diseases, and 5.6% (10/177) of the patients' immediate family members had chronic vulvar pruritus or vulvar hypopigmentation. (2) Clinical features: the most common symptom was vulvar pruritus (96.1%, 196/204) among 204 patients with recorded symptoms. The most common sign was hypopigmentation of the vulva (96.3%, 206/214). The most common involved sites were labia minora (70.3%, 142/202), labia majora (67.8%, 137/202), and labial sulcus (59.4%, 120/202). The cumulative number of sites involved in 62 vulvar atrophy patients (2.7±1.1) was significantly higher than that in 152 non-atrophy patients (2.2±1.0; t=3.48, P=0.001). The course of vulvar atrophy was (9.3±8.5) years, which was significantly longer than that of non-atrophy patients [(6.6±5.6) years; t=2.04, P=0.046]. (3) Pathological features: among the 286 patients with electronic pathological sections, the most common pathological feature in the epidermis was epithelial nail process passivation (71.3%, 204/286). The common pathological features in the dermis were interstitial collagenization (84.6%, 242/286), and inflammatory cell infiltration (73.8%, 211/286). (4) Treatment: 177 patients received standardized treatment after diagnosis and were followed up regularly in our hospital. In the initial treatment stage, 26.0% (46/177) of the patients were treated with 0.05% clobetasol propionate cream, and 74.0% (131/177) of the patients were treated with 0.1% mometasone furoate ointment. The complete remission rates of the two methods were respectively 80.4% (37/46) and 74.0% (97/131), and there was no statistically significant difference (χ²=0.76, P=0.385). During maintenance treatment, 27.1% (48/177) of the patients took the medication twice a week, 35.0% (62/177) took the medication once a week, and 37.9% (67/177) took the medication once every 10 days. During follow-up after 6 months of maintenance treatment, there were no patients with recurrence of pruritus or progression of vulvar signs. Conclusions: The majority of VLS patients have itching, hypopigmentation, involvement of labia minora and labia majora, progressive atrophy, and inflammatory infiltration of dermis. Local treatments of mometasone furoate and clobetasol propionate have good initial therapeutic effects. The frequency exploration of individualized maintenance treatment could minimize the occurrence of adverse reactions when ensuring the stability of the patients' condition.

Luteimonas suaedae sp. nov., a novel bacterium isolated from rhizosphere of Suaeda aralocaspica (Bunge) Freitag & Schütze.

Light yellowish-white colonies of a bacterial strain, designated LNNU 24178T, were isolated from the rhizosphere soil of halophyte Suaeda aralocaspica (Bunge) Freitag and Schütze grown at Shihezi district, Xinjiang, PR China. Cells were Gram-stain-negative, non-flagellum-forming, rod-shaped and non-motile. The results of phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that LNNU 24178T represented a member of the genus Luteimonas and shared the highest sequence similarity with Luteimonas yindakuii CGMCC 1.13927T (97.1 %) and lower sequence similarity (< 97.0 %) to other known species. The genomic DNA G+C content of LNNU 24178T was 68.8 %. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) values between LNNU 24178T and Luteimonas yindakuii CGMCC 1.13927T, Luteimonas mephitis DSM 12574T, Luteimonas arsenica 26-35T and Luteimonas huabeiensis HB2T were 78.7, 78.6, 78.4 and 80.0 %, respectively. The digital DNA-DNA hybridisation (dDDH) values between LNNU 24178T and L. yindakuii CGMCC 1.13927T, L. mephitis DSM 12574T, L. arsenica 26-35T and L. huabeiensis HB2T were 22.0, 22.3, 22.2 and 23.5 %, respectively. The respiratory quinone detected in LNNU 24178T was ubiquinone-8 (Q-8). The major fatty acids (> 5.0 %) of LNNU 24178T were identified as iso-C15 : 0 (33.9 %), iso-C17 : 0 (8.7 %), iso-C11 : 0 (6.2 %), iso-C16 : 0 (5.7 %), C16 : 0 (5.3 %) and summed feature 9 (iso-C17 : 1ω9c/10-methyl C16 : 0) (21.1 %). The major polar lipids of LNNU 24178T were diphosphatidylglycerol (DPG), phosphatidylglycerol (PG), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), one unidentified phospholipid (PL), one unidentified glycolipid (GL) and three unidentified lipids. According to the data obtained from phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic analyses, strain LNNU 24178T represents a novel species of the genus Luteimonas, for which the name Luteimonas suaedae sp. nov. is proposed, with LNNU 24178T (= CGMCC 1.17331T= KCTC 62251T) as the type strain.

The Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes of 71 Duodenal Brunner's Gland Adenomas with Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to investigate outcomes of patients with duodenal Brunner's gland adenomas (BGAs) that were treated endoscopically. METHODS: We identified 71 consecutive patients treated at our center with endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for their duodenal tumors diagnosed pathologically as BGAs over the period between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2021. We retrospectively analyzed our experience and short- and long-term outcomes of ESD therapy on patients with BGAs. RESULTS: Among 71 BGA patients with an average age of 57 ± 11.7 years (range: 30-82), 48 (67.6%) were male and 23 (32.4%) were female. The accuracy of preoperative diagnosis with endoscopic ultrasonography was 44.0% (22/50). The H. pylori infection was found in 29 patients (29/71, 40.8%). The median size of BGAs was 1.5 cm (interquartile range [IQR] 0.8-2.7 cm). The most common location was the duodenum bulb (50/71, 64.8%). For the ESD procedure, the median operation time was 15.0 min (IQR 9.5-25.5 min). The en bloc and the complete resection rates were 97.2% and 92.3%, respectively. ESD-related mild acute obstructive pancreatitis was present in 2 patients (2/4, 50%) with BGAs located in the ampulla region. During the follow-up period, 1 patient with a positive peripheral margin experienced tumor recurrence 2 years after the initial ESD. There was no disease-related death for the cohort. CONCLUSION: ESD was an effective and safe therapeutic option for BGA patients with excellent outcomes. Long-term follow-up is needed.

The Use of Oblique-viewing Endoscopic Ultrasound for Accessing the Afferent Limb for Endoscopic Ultrasound-guided Biliary Drainage in Patients with Severe Stenotic Hepaticojejunal Anastomosis: One Case and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of hepaticojejunal anastomotic strictures in patients with surgically altered anastomosis is challenging. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biliary drainage is being established as a feasible biliary drainage procedure. How can oblique-viewing endoscopic ultrasound (OV-EUS) safely reach the treatment area in the afferent limb for EUS-guided hepaticojejunostomy? This is a key, meaningful, and challenging question. METHODS: A unique case of an OV-EUS-guided hepaticojejunostomy performed in a patient with severe stenotic hepaticojejunal anastomosis was reported, and the relevant literatures were reviewed. RESULTS: There are only 3 previous case reports of EUS-guided transanastomotic drainage using OV-EUS. The above 3 cases reported did not elaborate on the key treatment details of the procedure. Especially how can the OV-EUS safely reach the treatment area in the afferent limb? CONCLUSIONS: For patients with severe anastomotic stricture, when the retrograde or antegrade guide wire cannot pass through the stenosis to establish biliary drainage, OV-EUS can safely reach the treatment area in the afferent limb under the guidance of a fluoroscopic view and a guide wire. Thus, an OV-EUS-guided hepaticojejunostomy can be achieved.

Prognostic and immune implications of a novel 7-methylguanosine-related microRNA signature in breast invasive carcinoma: from exploration to validation.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to develop and validate a prognostic signature based on 7-methylguanosine-related (M7G-related) miRNAs for predicting prognosis and immune implications in breast invasive carcinoma (BRCA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: M7G-related miRNA data of BRCA were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)-penalized, univariate, and multivariate Cox regression analyses were used to construct the prognostic signature. Furthermore, the predictive validity was verified using Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival risk and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) plots. Internal random sampling verification was used to simplify and validate the signature. RT-qPCR was used to quantify the expression level of transcriptional profiles. The independent prognostic role of the risk score was validated using univariate and multivariate regression. Single-sample Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (ssGSEA) was used for functional and immune enrichment analysis. RESULTS: A total of 18 M7G-related miRNAs were identified to construct the prognostic signature in BRCA. The low-risk group exhibited significantly higher overall survival than the high-risk group in the KM survival plot (P < 0.001). The area under the curve (AUC) for 1-, 3-, and 5-year survivals in the ROC curve were 0.737, 0.724, and 0.702, respectively. The survival significance in the training and testing cohorts was confirmed by random sampling verification. The most prominent miRNAs in the signature were the miR-7, miR-139, miR-10b, and miR-4728. Furthermore, immune scores for B, mast, and Th1 cells varied between risk groups. Our research demonstrated that CD52 was the most positively correlated gene with immune cells and functions in BRCA. CONCLUSION: Our study presents a comprehensive and systematic analysis of M7G-related miRNAs to construct a prognostic signature in BRCA. The signature demonstrated excellent prognostic validity, with the risk score as an independent prognostic factor. These results provide critical evidence for further investigation of M7G miRNAs and offer new insights for BRCA patients in the context of effective immunotherapy.

The potential value of serum GP73 in the ancillary diagnosis and grading of liver cirrhosis.

This study is to evaluate the potential value of serum GP73 in ancillary cirrhosis diagnosis. 150 cirrhotic subjects and healthy subjects were retrospectively analyzed, and the two groups were compared in terms of Child‒Pugh grade. Serum GP73 was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Receiver operating characteristic curves were drawn to evaluate the diagnostic value of GP73, and the quantitative relationship between cirrhosis and GP73 was verified by logistic regression. The result showed in regard to serum biomarkers related to cirrhosis, the serum levels of GP73, TBIL, DBIL, and PT were higher and the ALB and PLT were lower in the cirrhosis group than in the control group (p = 0.000), and the area under the ROC curve of GP73 for diagnosing cirrhosis was 0.823 (p = 0.000), the cutoff value was 135 ng/ml, the sensitivity was 60.0%, and the specificity was 88.67%. Logistic regression analysis showed that GP73 > 135 ng/ml had an odds ratio of 11.735 (ß= 2.463, 95% CI: 6.432-21.411, p = 0.000) for diagnosing cirrhosis. Additionally, the Child‒Pugh A, B, and C groups had different levels of GP73 (χ2 =17.840, p = 0.000). A pairwise comparison between the groups showed that there was a significant difference between grades A and B (p = 0.004) and between grades A and C (p = 0.002), but there was no significant difference between grades B and C (p = 1.000). We found serum GP73 levels were elevated in patients with cirrhosis. When the GP73 level was >135 ng/ml, the potential risk of a cirrhosis diagnosis increased approximately 12-fold.

Transcriptional analysis on biomarkers of liver injury induced by anti-tuberculosis drugs / 上海预防医学

ObjectiveThe study utilized human transcriptome microarray to explore biomarkers for diagnosing drug-induced liver injury （DILI） caused by anti-tuberculosis drugs. MethodsA 6-month follow-up study was conducted on 152 patients treated with anti-tuberculosis drugs in designated hospitals in Shanghai. The blood samples were collected at the 0， 2， 4， 8， 12 and 24 weeks after treatment. According to the clinical biochemical indicators， the research subjects were divided into DILI cases （34 cases） and Control cases （118 cases）. Single factor analysis was conducted on the influencing factors between the two groups. In a 1∶1 matched DILI-control study， RNA samples of 13 pairs of cases were sequenced by the whole transcript expression mRNA array. Differentially expressed genes （DEGs） were screened by Hotelling's T2 value sequencing and the expression trend analysis of genes by STEM （short-time series expression miner）， and the functional enrichment and pathway analysis of DEGs were carried out. ResultsIn total 152 clinical cases， weight of patients was a risk factor for the occurrence of hepatotoxicity caused by anti-tuberculous drugs. Based on the analysis results of mRNA array， 513 DEGs were screened by Hotelling's T2 value sequencing method， which were enriched in 32 annotations of GO （Gene Ontology） analysis and 10 pathways of KEGG （Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes） analysis. One differential expression pattern was screened by STEM， which was enriched in 2 biological process notes of GO. Among them， the key genes AIM2， CD86， CXCL10 and non-coding RNAs SCARNA10， SNHG10 and SNORD105 are potential biomarkers of DILI caused by anti-tuberculosis drugs. ConclusionIn this research for biomarkers conducted on cases with liver injury caused by anti-tuberculosis drugs， biological pathways associated with hepatotoxicity are identified and a series of key genes related with drug-induced liver injury are found， which provides the basis for mechanism study and searching for earlier and more sensitive biomarkers.

Research Progress of BRAF Fusion in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer / 中国肺癌杂志

In advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), V-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) mutation is highly malignant and has poor prognosis, and currently Dabrafenib in combination with Trametinib is approved for first-line treatment of patients with BRAF V600 mutation. In addition to mutations, BRAF fusion can also occur. With the development of gene detection, the detection of BRAF fusion is gradually increasing, but there is a lack of effective therapeutic strategies for BRAF fusion. In this paper, we review the clinical characteristics, mechanism of action, and clinical treatment of BRAF fusion to provide a basis for the treatment of BRAF fusion in NSCLC patients.
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High-value utilization technology and approach of Chinese medicinal residues under background of "Dual Carbon" / 中国中药杂志

In recent years, the traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)industry has experienced rapid development, resulting in a significant amount of Chinese medicinal residues generated during the industrial manufacturing process. Currently, the main methods of handling Chinese medicinal residues include stacking, landfilling, and incineration, which lead to substantial resource waste and potential environmental pollution. With "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality"( "Dual Carbon")becoming national strategic goals, the TCM industry is ushering in a new wave of "low-carbon" trends, and the high-value utilization of Chinese medicinal residues has become a breakthrough for implementing a low-carbon economy in the TCM sector. From the perspective of a low-carbon economy, this article reviewed literature in China and abroad to summarize the microbial transformation technology, enzymatic conversion technology, biomass pyrolysis, gasification, hydrothermal liquefaction, and other high-value utilization technologies for Chinese medicinal residues. It also overviewed the applications of Chinese medicinal residue in feed additives, organic fertilizers, edible mushroom cultivation substrates, preparation of activated carbon for wastewater treatment, and new energy batteries. Considering the current status of resource utilization of Chinese medicinal residues, feasible strategies and suggestions for resource development and utilization were proposed to improve the quality and efficiency of the Chinese medicinal resource industry chain and promote green development, thereby providing research ideas and theoretical basis for achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.

Effect of CYFIP2 overexpression on biological function and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway of bladder cancer cell line T24 / 国际生物医学工程杂志

Objective:To investigate the effects of cytoplasmic fragile X mental retardation protein 1 binding protein 2 (CYFIP2) overexpression on the biological functions and Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways of bladder cancer T24 cells.Methods:The control group was T24 cells transfected with the empty pcDNA3 vector, and the overexpression group was T24 cells transfected with the CYFIP2 overexpression vector. The expression of CYFIP2 mRNA and protein was detected by reverse transcriptase, quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and Western Blot. The effect of CYFIP2 overexpression on T24 cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8. The effect of CYFIP2 overexpression on T24 cell migration and invasion was detected by Transwell. The effects of CYFIP2 overexpression on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in T24 cells were detected by Western Blot.Results:Compared with the control group, the expression levels of CYFIP2 mRNA and protein were increased in the overexpression group (all P < 0.001), and the cell proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities were reduced (all P < 0.01). β-catenin, c-Myc, and Cyclin D1 protein expression were down-regulated in CYFIP2 overexpressed T24 cells (all P < 0.05), while the protein levels of p-β-catenin were increased ( P < 0.05). Conclusions:CYFIP2 overexpression can inhibit T24 cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and its possible molecular mechanism is related to the inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

A preliminary study on the role of V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation in juvenile idiopathic arthritis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the expression of V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA) in peripheral blood of children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and its role in the pathogenesis of JIA.@*METHODS@#In this prospective study, peripheral blood was collected from 47 children with different subtypes of JIA and 10 healthy children. Flow cytometry was used to measure the expression levels of VISTA, interferon-γ (IFN-γ), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) on CD14+ mononuclear cells, CD4+ T lymphocytes, and CD8+ T lymphocytes.@*RESULTS@#The children with JIA had a significantly lower expression level of VISTA than the healthy children (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the expression of VISTA between the children with different subtypes of JIA, with the lowest expression level in those with systemic JIA (P<0.05). There was also a significant difference in the expression of VISTA between different immune cells, with a significantly higher expression level on the surface of monocytes (P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that VISTA was negatively correlated with the expression of IFN-γ and TNF-α on CD4+ T cells (r=-0.436 and -0.382 respectively, P<0.05), CD8+ T cells (r=-0.348 and -0.487 respectively, P<0.05), and CD14+ mononuclear cells (r=-0.582 and -0.603 respectively, P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The insufficient expression of VISTA may be associated with the pathogenesis of JIA, and enhancing the immunomodulatory effect of VISTA might be one option for the treatment of JIA in the future.

Single-cell analysis reveals an Angpt4-initiated EPDC-EC-CM cellular coordination cascade during heart regeneration

Mammals exhibit limited heart regeneration ability, which can lead to heart failure after myocardial infarction. In contrast, zebrafish exhibit remarkable cardiac regeneration capacity. Several cell types and signaling pathways have been reported to participate in this process. However, a comprehensive analysis of how different cells and signals interact and coordinate to regulate cardiac regeneration is unavailable. We collected major cardiac cell types from zebrafish and performed high-precision single-cell transcriptome analyses during both development and post-injury regeneration. We revealed the cellular heterogeneity as well as the molecular progress of cardiomyocytes during these processes, and identified a subtype of atrial cardiomyocyte exhibiting a stem-like state which may transdifferentiate into ventricular cardiomyocytes during regeneration. Furthermore, we identified a regeneration-induced cell (RIC) population in the epicardium-derived cells (EPDC), and demonstrated Angiopoietin 4 (Angpt4) as a specific regulator of heart regeneration. angpt4 expression is specifically and transiently activated in RIC, which initiates a signaling cascade from EPDC to endocardium through the Tie2-MAPK pathway, and further induces activation of cathepsin K in cardiomyocytes through RA signaling. Loss of angpt4 leads to defects in scar tissue resolution and cardiomyocyte proliferation, while overexpression of angpt4 accelerates regeneration. Furthermore, we found that ANGPT4 could enhance proliferation of neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, and promote cardiac repair in mice after myocardial infarction, indicating that the function of Angpt4 is conserved in mammals. Our study provides a mechanistic understanding of heart regeneration at single-cell precision, identifies Angpt4 as a key regulator of cardiomyocyte proliferation and regeneration, and offers a novel therapeutic target for improved recovery after human heart injuries.

Relationship between immune regulation and structure of polysaccharides / 中国中药杂志

Polysaccharides have significant immunomodulatory activity and have good development value in food and medicine fields. At present, there are many studies on the chemical structure and immune activity of polysaccharides, but the relationship between them of polysaccharides has not been fully explained, which limits the further development and utilization of polysaccharide resources. The immune activity of polysaccharides is closely related to their own structure. This paper systematically summarized the relationship between the relative molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, glycosidic bond types, chemical modification, and advanced conformation of polysaccharides and the immune regulation, aiming to provide references for the profound study of polysaccharide structure-activity relationship and utilization of polysaccharides.

Incidence and prognosis of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain: a national multi-center survey of 35 566 population / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.

Clinicopathological analysis of primary gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucoglandular lesion of endometrium / 中华病理学杂志

Objective: To investigate the clinical and pathological features of primary gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucoglandular lesions of the endometrium. Methods: Eight cases of primary gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucoglandular lesions of endometrium diagnosed between 2014 to 2022 were retrieved from pathology archives of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University, Shanghai, China. The clinical history, pathological sections and follow-ups were analyzed. Results: The eight patients ranged in age from 35 to 67 years, with an average age of 55.5 years. Seven patients were examined for high-risk human papillary virus (HPV) before operation. Only one of them was positive for high-risk HPV52. No cervical mucinous lesions were found in any of the patients. Two cases were invasive gastric (gastrointestinal)-type adenocarcinoma, 2 cases were benign gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucinous metaplasia, and the other 4 cases were atypical gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucinous gland hyperplasia. Microscopically, tumor cells showed mucous epithelium with gastrointestinal differentiation. Immunophenotyping showed that MUC6 was diffusely or focally positive in 5 cases, CK20 and CDX2 were positive in 3 cases. And p16 was negative or focally positive in 5 cases and strongly positive in 1 case. ER was expressed in both benign and atypical lesions, and weakly positive or negative in the invasive adenocarcinoma. p53 showed mutant expression in one case and wild-type expression in the rest. HPV in situ hybridization was negative. Conclusions: Primary gastric (gastrointestinal)-type mucoglandular lesions of the endometrium show various forms of gastrointestinal differentiation, which are high-risk HPV independent. Morphology combined with immunohistochemistry is helpful for the diagnosis, which can only be made on exclusion of cervical gastrointestinal glandular lesion, gastrointestinal metastatic carcinoma and the mucinous subtype of endometrioid carcinoma.