Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression levels of lymphocyte activation gene-3(LAG-3)and pen-traxin-3(PTX3)and the disease severity of the patients with allergic rhinitis(AR).Methods A total of 128 AR patients visited the Department of Otolaryngology,Chengdu Integrated TCM and Western Medicine Hospital from January 2021 to June 2023 were retro-spectively selected as the research subjects(AR group).According to the severity of the condition,the patients were further divided into the mild group(n=40),moderate group(n=42),and severe group(n=46).In addition,80 healthy volunteers who underwent physical examinations in our hospital were selected as the control group.The clinical data such as the gender,age,body mass index(BMI),allergens,and disease onset time of all subjects were recorded and analyzed,and all patients were scored using the Score For Allergic Rhinitis(SFAR).The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was used to detect the expression levels of serum LAG-3 and PTX3 in all subjects.The correlation between the expression levels of serum LAG-3 and PTX3 was analyzed by the Pearson correla-tion analysis.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum LAG-3 and PTX3 levels,both individually and in combination,for AR.Results The expression levels of serum LAG-3 in the AR group(468.74±104.32 μg/L)were significantly lower than that in the control group(691.53±184.65 μg/L,t=7.795,P<0.05),while those of ser-um PTX3 in the AR group(24.83±7.54 ng/L)were significantly higher than that in the control group(17.34±5.37 ng/L,t=7.793,P<0.05).The expression levels of serum LAG-3 in the AR patients with positive immunoglobulin(IgE)and SFAR score≥7 were 442.46±92.37 μg/L and 448.27±103.24 μg/L,respectively,which were significantly lower than that in the AR patients with negative IgE(497.61±115.32 μg/L)and SFAR score<7(498.66±112.76 μg/L,P<0.05).While the expression levels of serum PTX3 in the AR patients with positive IgE and SFAR score≥7 were 28.24±8.17 ng/L and 26.43±8.73 ng/L,respectively,which were significantly higher than that in the AR patients with negative IgE(21.08±6.25 ng/L)and SFAR score<7(22.51±6.89 ng/L,P<0.05).Com-pared with the mild group,the expression levels of serum LAG-3 in both the moderate and severe groups were reduced,and that of ser-um LAG-3 in the severe group was significantly lower than that in the moderate group.While the expression levels of serum PTX3 showed an opposite trend,and the levels of serum PTX3 in the severe group were significantly higher than that in the moderate group(P<0.05).The Pearson correlation results showed a significant negative correlation between serum LAG-3 and PTX3 levels in AR pa-tients(r=-0.402,P=0.000).The analysis of the ROC curve showed that the area under the ROC curve(AUCROC),sensitivity,and specificity of the combination of serum LAG-3 and PTX3 in the diagnosis of AR were 0.881,89.80％,and 73.80％,respectively,which were better than that of serum LAG-3 and PTX3 alone.Conclusion The combined detection of serum LAG-3 and PTX3 for the diagnosis of AR has higher clinical application value and may be used to evaluate the severity of the disease.

Objective To investigate the expression level and clinical application value of circular RNA hsa_circ_0001766 in gastric cancer(GC)tissues and serum of patients with GC.Methods The PCR amplification products from GES-1 cells of normal gastric mucosa were analyzed for the cyclic sites of hsa_circ_0001766 by the Sanger sequencing technique.The expression levels of hsa_circ_0001766 in GES-1 cells treated or untreated with RNase R(RNase R)were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR).The expression levels of hsa_circ_0001766 in GC and adjacent tissues of 73 GC patients and serum samples of 34 GC patients were also detected by qRT-PCR.The receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve was used to evaluate the clinical diag-nostic value of hsa_circ_0001766 in GC.The correlations between hsa_circ_0001766 and clinicopathological parameters in GC patients were also analyzed.Results There was cyclic sites in hsa_circ_0001766 and RNase R had no significant impact on the expression lev-el of hsa_circ_0001766 in GES-1 cells(t=1.678,P=0.169).Compared with adjacent tissues,the expression levels of hsa_circ_0001766 in GC tissues were significantly up-regulated(U=1 360,P<0.001).Compared with healthy controls,the expres-sion levels of hsa_circ_0001766 in serum of GC patients were significantly up-regulated(U=375,P<0.001).The area under the ROC curve(AUCROC),sensitivity,and specificity of hsa_circ_0001766 in GC tissues for diagnosing GC were 0.759(95％CI:0.682-0.837,P<0.000 1),79.45％,and 68.49％,respectively.The AUCROC,sensitivity,and specificity of serum hsa_circ_0001766 in diagnosing GC were 0.773(95％CI:0.662-0.884,P<0.000 1),73.53％,and 72.12％,respectively.The expression levels of hsa_circ_0001766 in GC tissues were correlated with lymph node metastasis(x2=5.509,P=0.019)and TNM staging(x2=5.161,P=0.023).The 3-year survival rate of GC patients with high expression of hsa_circ_0001766 in GC tissues was significantly lower than that with low ex-pression(x2=3.700,P=0.037).Conclusion The hsa_circ_0001766 in GC tissues and serum of GC patients is highly expressed,and its change in the expression level is of great significance for the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of GC patients.

Objective To investigate the role and clinical significance of Calpain activity and 145 kDa cleavage fragments of αⅡ-spec-trin breakdown products(SBDP145)in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE).Methods 124 patients with confirmed SLE and de-tailed clinical data were collected as the SLE group,and 75 healthy individuals who underwent physical examination during the same period were selected as the control group.Their serum samples were collected,and serum SBDP145 levels and Calpain activity were de-tected by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)and substrate-based method,respectively.The Mann-Whitney U test,Spearman rank correlation,univariate and multivariate Logistic regression,and receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve were used to evaluate the clinical value of Calpain activity and SBDP145 in the diagnosis and assessment of SLE.Results Compared with healthy controls,serum Calpain activity([17.000[8.5000,33.500]RFU vs 7.500[4.000,12.500]RFU)and SBDP145 levels(5.283[3.532,9.463]ng/mL vs 1.472[0.994,2.212]ng/mL)in SLE patients were significantly increased(Z=-9.229,P<0.001;Z=-6.881,P<0.001).Furthermore,the Calpain activity was significantly correlated with SLE disease activity index(SLEDAI-2K)score(r=0.349,P<0.001).Logistic regression analysis showed that the increased Calpain activity and SBDP145 levels were significantly associated with the occurrence of SLE(OR=1.164,95％CI:1.016-1.334,P=0.029;OR=3.822,95％CI:1.928-7.574,P<0.001).The ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve(AUCROC)of serum Calpain activity in distin-guishing SLE and healthy controls was 0.762(95％CI:0.697-0.827).When the cut-off value was 13.75 RFU,its sensitivity and speci-ficity were 63.1％and 81.1％,respectively.The AUCROC of serum SBDP145 levels in distinguishing SLE and healthy controls was 0.891(95％CI:0.845-0.936).When the cut-off value was 2.377 ng/mL,its sensitivity and specificity were 88.7％and 80.0％,re-spectively.The AUCROC,sensitivity,and specificity of combining the two with traditional SLE clinical indicators,including complement C3,erythrocyte sedimentation rate,and anti-dsDNA antibodies,in the diagnosis of SLE reached 0.986(95％CI:0.972-1.000),93.3％,and 96.0％,respectively.The Spearman correlation analysis results showed that the organ damage index(SDI)score of SLE patients was positively correlated with serum Calpain activity and SBDP145 levels(r=0.342,P<0.001;r=0.250,P=0.005).Con-clusion The elevated Calpain activity and SBDP145 levels are closely related to the occurrence and development of SLE,suggesting that they may be served as potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and assessment of SLE patients.

Objective To establish an efficient and stable one-step real-time quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)method for detecting mi-croRNA-like small RNAs(milRNAs)encoded by novel Bunyavirus and evaluate its clinical application value.Methods Three kinds of milRNAs encoded by novel Bunyavirus,including sRNA S-1480,sRNA M-692,and sRNA L-4706,were selected based on prelimi-nary screening.The specific qRT-PCR primers and reaction systems for them were designed and optimized.The sensitivity,specificity,and clinical applicability of the method were further evaluated by standard curve drawing,primer concentration/sequence optimization,fluorescent dye optimization,product sequencing verification,and serum specimen detection of 20 patients infected with novel Bunya-virus and 20 healthy controls.Results A one-step qRT-PCR detection system was successfully established.The standard curve con-structed with standard substance showed a good linear relationship in the range of 10 fmol/L to 100 nmol/L(R2>0.98).The detection limits for three kinds of milRNAs were 10 fmol/L.The analysis results of the receiver operating characteristics(ROC)curve showed that sRNA S-1480(AUCROC=0.972 5),sRNA M-692(AUCROC=0.757 5),sRNA L-4706(AUCROC=0.957 5),and their combina-tion(AUCROC=0.995 0)could effectively distinguish the patients infected with novel Bunyavirus from healthy controls.Conclusion The established one-step qRT-PCR detection system exhibits high sensitivity and provides an efficient and reliable alternative for the clinical diagnosis of novel Bunyavirus infection.

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of the combined screening of thyroid stimulating hormone(TSH)and seven candidate pathogenic genes of congenital hypothyroidism(CH)for CH.Methods 16 645 newborns delivered in Nanjing Women and Children's Healthcare Hospital from July 2022 to July 2023 were performed the screening of TSH.Their DNA was extracted from dried blood spots and the chip capture second-generation sequencing technology was used to detect the candidate pathogenic genes,in-cluding dual oxidase 2(DUOX2),dual oxidase maturation factor 2(DUOXA2),prophet of pit-1(PROP1),thyroid-stimulating hor-mone receptor(TSHR),thyroid peroxidase(TPO),thyroglobulin(TG),and paired box 8(PAX8).The sensitivity,specificity,pos-itive predictive value(PPV),and negative predictive value(NPV)of the screening of TSH,candidate genes,and their combination for CH were analyzed.Results A total of 13 CH patients were screened out based on sensitive thyroid stimulating hormone(sTSH)and free thyroxine(FT4),including 3 patients with hyperthyrotropinemia.Among them,11 were screened out by TSH alone,4 were screened out by candidate genes alone,and 2 were screened out by the combination of TSH and candidate genes.The sensitivity,speci-ficity,PPV,and NPV of TSH for screening CH were 84.62％,99.23％,7.91％,and 99.97％,respectively.The sensitivity,specifici-ty,PPV,and NPV of candidate genes for screening CH were 30.77％,99.87％,15.38％,and 99.87％,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,PPV,and NPV of the combination of TSH and candidate genes for screening CH were 100％,99.09％,7.88％,and 100％,respectively.The primary mutant gene in the samples with positive candidate genes was DUOX2(85.71％),mainly point muta-tions,among which the c.1588A>T variant was the most common(16.67％).PAX8(14.29％)was the second most common variation,and all of the variation point were c.280G>A.No positive samples for the pathogenic variants of DUOXA2,TSHR,PROP1,TPO,and TG were detected.Conclusion The combined screening of TSH and candidate genes helps to improve the screening efficacy of CH.The genetic etiology of CH in Nanjing area may be mainly the variation of DUOX2 and PAX8 genes.

Objective To investigate serum exosomal miRNA spectrum in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM)and eval-uate its clinical value in the diagnosis of GDM complicated with premature delivery.Methods Serum samples of pregnant women with GDM registered and delivered in our hospital were collected and divided into the premature delivery group and term labor group based on pregnancy outcomes,with 22 cases in each group.Serum exosomal miRNAs were sequenced,and the differentially expressed miRNAs were further verified by fluorescence quantitative PCR.The receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drew according to the verified expression level of miRNAs,and the value of exosomal miRNAs in the diagnosis of GDM complicated with premature de-livery was analyzed.The potential functions of candidate miRNAs were predicted using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG).Results A total of 94 differentially expressed miRNAs,including 50 up-regulated and 44 down-regulated,were identified in the premature delivery group and term labor group.The verification results of fluorescence quantitative PCR showed that 7 miRNAs had significant difference between the two groups(P<0.05).Moreover,the expression trend was consistent with the sequencing results.The analysis results of the ROC curve showed that the seven miRNAs had good diagnostic efficacy for GDM combined with premature delivery.The areas under the ROC curve(AUCROC)of hsa-miR-16-5p,hsa-miR-25-3p,hsa-miR-30b-5p,and hsa-miR-92a-3p were all more than 0.7.Their sensitivity and specificity were 0.375 and 1.000,0.563 and 0.941,0.563 and 0.824,and 0.765 and 0.647,respectively.The binary logistic regression analysis showed that the AUCROC of the combination of hsa-miR-16-5p,hsa-miR-25-3p,hsa-miR-30b-5p,and hsa-miR-92a-3p for the diagnosis of GDM complicated with premature delivery increased to 0.982,and that its sensi-tivity and specificity were both more than 0.850.These candidate miRNAs were related to the ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis pathway,actin cytoskeleton regulatory pathway,mTOR signaling pathway,and P53 signaling pathway.Conclusion Serum exosomal miRNAs in GDM patients complicated with premature delivery have significant difference,which may be served as potential diagnostic markers.

Objective To investigate the coagulation abnormalities and molecular genetic characteristics of a family with asymptomatic inherited fibrinogen disorders(IFD).Methods The clinical data of a family with IFD,including 5 individuals from two generations,were collected.Their peripheral blood coagulation indicators were detected.The coding sequences of FGA,FGB and FGG genes were amplified by PCR and Sanger sequencing was used to identify the candidate variants,which were further validated in the family mem-bers.The bioinformatic software was used to analyze the pathogenicity and conservation of the missense mutation and its effect on the spatial structure and function of the protein.Results The IFD patients had significantly low fibrinogen antigen(Fg:Ag)concentration and fibrinogen coagulation(Fg:C)activity concentration as well as prolonged thrombin time(TT),while coagulation indicators of the unaffected relatives were normal.The results of Sanger sequencing showed that all IFD patients carried a heterozygous missense variant of c.1001A>C(p.Asn334Thr)in the FGG gene.The bioinformatic analysis suggested that Asn334Thr was a pathogenic variant,while homology analysis indicated that the Asn334 locus was highly conserved in evolution.The analysis of protein spatial structure showed that the Asn334Thr mutation altered hydrogen bonds between amino acids.Conclusion The heterozygous missense variant c.1001A>C(p.Asn334Thr)in the FGG gene may be the pathogenic cause of the proband.The finding enriches the spectrum of FGG gene mutations and provides experimental evidence for the genetic counseling of affected families.

Objective To investigate the effect of resveratrol on the proliferation,apoptosis,and migration of breast cancer cells and its mechanism and correlation with immune cell infiltration.Methods The network pharmacology and bioinformatics(GEPIA and KM-PLOT databases)were used to predict the target genes of breast cancer regulated by resveratrol,and their expression levels in breast cancer and correlations with immune cell infiltration were verified.The effects of resveratrol on the proliferation,cell cycle and apopto-sis,and migration of breast cancer cells were determined by the CCK-8 assay,flow cytometry,and cell scratch test,respectively.The mRNA expression levels of related target genes were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qRT-PCR).Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlations of the expression levels of related genes with immune cell infiltration.Results The expression levels of TP53 and VEGFA genes in breast cancer tissues were significantly higher than those in normal tissues(Z=-4.181 and-8.763,P＜0.05).In the GEPIA database,the expression level of CDKN1A gene in breast cancer tis-sues was significantly higher than that in normal tissues(Z=-2.135,P＜0.05).In the KMPLOT database,the expression level of HIF1α gene in breast cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in normal tissues(Z=-2.269,P＜0.05).Pearson correlation a-nalysis showed that the expression level of TP53 gene was positively correlated with B cell infiltration(partial.cor=0.102,P＜0.01).The expression level of HIF-1α was positively correlated with the infiltration of CD8+T cells,CD4+T cells,monocytes,neutrophils,and dendritic cells(partial.cor=0.39,0.159,0.284,0.325,and 0.294,P＜0.01).The expression level of VEGFA gene was positive-ly correlated with neutrophil infiltration(partial.cor=0.141,P＜0.01).The expression level of CDKN1A gene was positively correlated with the infiltration of CD8+T cells,monocytes,neutrophils,and dendritic cells(partial.cor=0.081,0.209,0.11,and 0.09,P＜0.01).Resveratrol could inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells,and the IC50 and IC25 values of breast cancer cells were 150 μmol/L and 50 μmol/L,respectively,after 48 hours of treatment with resveratrol.In addition,resveratrol could also arrest breast cancer cells in G1 phase,induce their apoptosis,and inhibit their migration.After treating breast cancer cells with resveratrol for 24 hours,with the increase of resveratrol concentration from 50 μmol/L to 150 μmol/L,the mRNA expression levels of TP53 and HIF1α genes increased gradually,with a significant difference between the two groups(P＜0.05).After treating breast cancer cells with res-veratrol for 48 hours,the expression level of VEGFA mRNA was significantly decreased,and there was a significant difference between the two groups(P＜0.05).Conclusion TP53,HIF-1α,VEGFA,and CDKN1A genes are the action targets of resveratrol in breast cancer,which are mainly involved in the regulation of immune cell infiltration in breast cancer.Resveratrol inhibits the proliferation of breast cancer cells,induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis,and inhibits cell migration by regulating the P53-HIF1α/CDKN1A-VEGFA signaling pathway.

Objective To identify serum metabolic markers served in the clinical diagnosis of ulcerative colitis(UC).Methods Ser-um samples from 29 UC patients,31 Crohn's disease(CD)patients,and 21 matched healthy controls(HC)admitted to Department of Gastroenterology,Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital during September 2022 and March 2024 were collected.The ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-orbitrap mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q Exactive HF-X)technology was used to detect and analyze serum metabolites.A partial least squares discrimination analysis(PLS-DA)model was constructed,and the metabolites significantly up-regulated in UC were screened based on the variable importance in projection(VIP)score＞1,P value＜0.05,and fold change(FC)＞1.2.The pathway enrichment analysis was performed using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)database to reveal the biological pathways involved in the metabolites.The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUCROC)was calculated to evaluate the diagnostic potential of the differential metabolites.Results A total of 1 522 metabo-lites were identified from the three sample groups.Among them,4 metabolites,namely leucodopachrome(VIP=1.964,P＜0.05,FC=1.916),tetrahydrodipicolinate(VIP=1.74,P＜0.05,FC=2.65),N-ethylmaleimide(VIP=1.519,P＜0.05,FC=1.597),and 5,6-dihydroxyindole(VIP=3.018,P＜0.05,FC=1.575),were significantly up-regulated in UC.Their AUCROC values for distinguishing UC from CD were 0.788(95%CI:0.655-0.921),0.773(95%CI:0.639-0.907),0.834(95%CI:0.720-0.949),and 0.899(95%CI:0.821-0.977),respectively,while those for distinguishing UC from HC were 0.966(95%CI:0.924-1.000),0.926(95%CI:0.857-0.995),0.969(95%CI:0.928-1.000),and 0.910(95%CI:0.830-0.990),respectively.KEGG pathway analysis showed that the up-regulated metabolites in UC were primarily enriched in biological pathways such as tyrosine metabolism,glycerophospholipid me-tabolism,and arachidonic acid metabolism.Conclusion The serum metabolic profile of UC patients is significantly changed,and the four differential metabolites mentioned above may serve as effective biomarkers for the differential diagnosis of UC,CD,and HC.

Objective To investigate the clinicopathological parameters and risk factors of the patients with connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease(CTD-ILD)complicated with Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)viraemia.Methods The CTD-ILD pa-tients admitted to Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine,Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2023 to April 2024 were collected.Based on the detection results of EBV DNA,the patients were divided into the EBV DNA(+)group and EBV DNA(-)group.The clinicopathological parameters of the two groups were analyzed.Results Out of 162 CTD-ILD patients who underwent EBV DNA testing,a total of 28 were found to have EBV viraemia.The levels of serum albumin([32.7±4.1]g/L vs[34.8±3.8]g/L,t=2.559,P＜0.05),oxygenation index([268.5±94.0]mmHg vs[323.2±120.9]mmHg,t=2.062,P＜0.05),and percentages of predicted diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide([30.9±15.3]% vs[44.9±18.8]%,t=2.127,P＜0.05])in the EBV DNA(+)group were significantly lower than those in the EBV DNA(-)group,while the levels of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH,[369.1±206.2]U/L vs[298.8±128.7]U/L,t=2.335,P＜0.05)were significantly higher than that in the EBV DNA(-)group.The acute exacerbation of ILD in the EBV DNA(+)group was more common than that in the EBV DNA(-)group(P＜0.05).Multivariate Lo-gistic analysis showed that honeycombing and low oxygenation index were independent risk factors of CTD-ILD patients complicated with EBV viraemia.Conclusion The CTD-ILD patients complicated with EBV viraemia have poorer oxygenation and are more prone to suf-fer from acute exacerbation of ILD.Honeycombing in chest HRCT and low oxygenation index are independent risk factors of CTD-ILD patients complicated with EBV viraemia.