Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic interstitial lung disease, is characterized by aberrant wound healing, excessive scarring and the formation of myofibroblastic foci. Although the role of alternative splicing (AS) in the pathogenesis of organ fibrosis has garnered increasing attention, its specific contribution to pulmonary fibrosis remains incompletely understood. In this study, we identified an up-regulation of serine/arginine-rich splicing factor 7 (SRSF7) in lung fibroblasts derived from IPF patients and a bleomycin (BLM)-induced mouse model, and further characterized its functional role in both human fetal lung fibroblasts and mice. We demonstrated that enhanced expression of Srsf7 in mice spontaneously induced alveolar collagen accumulation. Mechanistically, we investigated alternative splicing events and revealed that SRSF7 modulates the alternative splicing of pyruvate kinase (PKM), leading to metabolic dysregulation and fibroblast activation. In vivo studies showed that fibroblast-specific knockout of Srsf7 in conditional knockout mice conferred resistance to bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Importantly, through drug screening, we identified lomitapide as a novel modulator of SRSF7, which effectively mitigated experimental pulmonary fibrosis. Collectively, our findings elucidate a molecular pathway by which SRSF7 drives fibroblast metabolic dysregulation and propose a potential therapeutic strategy for pulmonary fibrosis.

The PIF7 gene is a member of the bHLH family, playing a pivotal role in plant germination. However, its roles in tea plants (Camellia sinensis) remain largely unexplored. In this study, we cloned the phytochrome-interacting factor gene CsPIF7 to elucidate its role in the germination of tea plants. Subcellular localization analysis demonstrated that CsPIF7 was localized in the nucleus. Yeast one-hybrid and dual-luciferase reporter assays demonstrated that CsPIF7 directly bound to a specific region (7-321 bp) of the CsEXP promoter, thereby repressing the expression of CsEXP. These findings suggest that CsPIF7 may modulate the germination of tea plants by inhibiting the expression of CsEXP. Quantitative real-time PCR results showed that both CsPIF7 and CsEXP exhibited high expression levels in tea buds, with different expression patterns in response to abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. Furthermore, both CsPIF7 and CsEXP were upregulated under cold stress at 4 ℃, indicating their involvement in the cold response of tea plants. Taken together, these results suggest that CsPIF7 regulates CsEXP expression in an ABA-dependent manner, thereby influencing the germination of tea plants. This study provides both theoretical and experimental insights into the molecular mechanisms governing the germination of tea plants, laying the groundwork for further exploring the role of PIF7 in plant development and stress responses.
Camellia sinensis/metabolism* ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Abscisic Acid/pharmacology* ; Germination/genetics* ; Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Cold Temperature

Pyroptosis is a newly discovered kind of cell death modality that, due to its association with innate immunity, plays a crucial role in cytolysis and inflammatory cytokine release during host defense against infection. In recent years, studies have shown that pyroptosis plays an important role in the occurrence and development of liver diseases. This article introduces and elaborates on the most recent research progress on pyroptosis in liver diseases based on the morphological features, molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms.

46XY simple gonadal hypoplasia, also known as Sweyer syndrome, patients often due to primary amenorrhea or pubertal secondary sex characteristics do not develop the doctor, its combined gonadal tumor is more likely, in the treatment process is often recommended prophylactic removal of gonads, postoperative hormone replacement therapy. We describe two patients diagnosed with Sweyer syndrome, one with gonadowlastoma and mature teratoma, and one with nodular Leydig cell hyperplasia and ectopic adrenal tissue, and reviews the literature.

Objective To construct a non-trace deletion mutant of exlA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strain NY8755(NY8755ΔexlA)and investigate the basic characteristics of pore-forming toxin ExlA.Methods The NY8755ΔexlA was constructed using the secondary homologous recombination method.C57BL/6J female mice ages 6 to 8 weeks were infected with NY8755 and NY8755 ΔexlA via aerosolized intratraheal inoculation respectively.Within 7 days of infection,the survival and weight changes of the mice were observed and recorded before the proinflammatory cytokines in the bronchoal-veolar lavage fluid(BALF)of the infected mice in the two groups were detected.Results The sequencing results showed that NY8755 ΔexlA was constructed.After 1×107 CFU NY8755 and NY8755 ΔexlA were infected,all the mice in the wild-type strain group died within 48 hours,while those in the mutant strain group began to die after 48 hours,and 40%of them remained alive 7 days later.The weight of surviving mice in the mutant strain group decreased but recovered gradually.After 12 hours of infection,there were more bloody exudates(redder in color)in the BALF of the wild-type strain group than in the mutant strain group,and the contents of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β(IL-1β)and interleukin-17A (IL-17A)were significantly different. Conclusion Pseudomonas aeruginosa pore-forming toxin ExlA is the key pathogenic virulence factor of the exlA-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa,which can significantly affect the survival status of mice and cause obvious inflammation in mice. Very little information is available on the action mechanisms of ExlA. In this study, The NY8755ΔexlA and the C57BL/6J mouse models infected with NY8755 and NY8755ΔexlA have been constructed that may be used for the investigation of pathogenesis of exlA-positive Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Objective To investigate the expression of lymphoid enhancer binding factor 1(LEF1)in B cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders(B-CLPD)and estimate its value in the differential diagnosis of the subtype of B-CLPD.Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 58 patients diagnosed with B-CLPD by using bone marrow biopsy samples or lymphnode biopsy samples from Hematology Department of The Second People′s Hospital of Wuhu from September 2018 to June 2023,as well as 20 bone marrow biopsy samples which were diagnosis as non-hematologic malignancy in the control group.Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of LEF1 in 78 samples,and statistical analysis was conducted.Results In all 78 cases,16 of 20 chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL)patients were LEF1 positive,the positive rate was 80%;mantle cell lymphoma 1/12;Follicular lymphoma 1/5;marginal zone cell lymphoma 0/11;Lymphoplasmacyticlymphom 0/8;hairy cell leukemia 0/2;in Control group no patient was LEF1 positive(P = 0.000).The expression of LEF1 is correlated with CD200 and CLL score(P<0.05).In the LEF1 negative group with 4 CLL patients,2 were detected with +12 chromosomal abnormality,the detective rate was higher than that of the LEF1 positive group(P>0.05).Conclusion LEF1 was a sensitive and specific diagnosis marker in CLL and B-CLPD subtype.

OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the safety of paroxetine in the treatment of pregnant patients with depression in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy， and provide reference for rational clinical use of it. METHODS Retrieved from Cochrane Library， PubMed， Embase， VIP， CNKI， Wanfang database and SinoMed database， by manual search， randomized controlled studies or observational studies were collected on depression patients who were given paroxetine vs. selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor （SSRI） in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy during the inception to Aug. 2022. Methodological qualities of the included studies were assessed by Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0 or Newcastle-Ottawa Scale （NOS）. Meta-analysis was performed with RevMan 5.4.1 software. RESULTS Finally， 9 observational studies were included， and all included studies were of high quality in NOS scale. Meta-analysis was performed on 8 cohort studies. Meta-analysis showed that the total incidence of adverse pregnancy outcomes of mothers and infants [RR＝0.99， 95%CI（0.89，1.10），P＝0.87]， total incidence of maternal adverse pregnancy outcomes [RR＝0.98， 95%CI （0.87，1.10）， P＝0.69] and premature birth [RR＝0.89， 95%CI （0.43， 1.83）， P＝0.75] in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy were lower than that with other SSRI， without statistical significance. The incidence of neonatal complications with paroxetine in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy was higher than that with other SSRI， but the difference was not statistically significant [RR＝1.02， 95%CI （0.82，1.29）， P＝0.84]. One study reported that the incidence of neonatal pulmonary hypertension in paroxetine group was higher than that in other SSRI group （0.4% vs. 0.3%）. CONCLUSIONS The safety of peroxetine in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy is comparable with that of other SSRI， but it is necessary to be alert to the occurrence of neonatal pulmonary hypertension.

Objective:To compare the outcomes of watch&wait (W&W) strategy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer who achieved complete clinical response (cCR) after neoadjuvant therapy, with those who obtained pathological complete response (pCR) after total mesorectal excision (TME).Methods:This is a retrospective cohort analysis study. Patients histologically proven with locally advanced rectal adenocarcinoma (stage Ⅱ-Ⅲ) who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were eligible between January 2014 and December 2019. In whom we included patients who had cCR offered management with W&W strategy after completing neoadjuvant therapy and follow-up ≥1 year (W&W group), and patients who did not have cCR but pCR after TME (pCR group). The primary endpoints were 3-year and 5-year overall survival (OS), colostomy-free survival (CFS), disease-free survival (DFS), non-local regrowth disease-free survival (NR-DFS), and organ preservation rate. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for survival analysis and log-rank test was performed. For comparative analysis, we also derived one-to-one paired cohorts of W&W versus pCR using propensity-score matching (PSM).Results:A total of 118 patients were enrolled, 49 of whom had cCR and managed by W&W, 69 had pCR, with a median follow-up period of 49.5 months (12.1-79.9 months). No difference was observed in the 3-year OS (97.1% vs. 96.7%) and 5-year OS (93.8% vs. 90.9%, P=0.696) between the W&W and pCR groups. Patients managed by W&W had significantly better 3-year and 5-year CFS (89.1% vs. 43.5%, P<0.001), better 3-year DFS (83.6% vs. 97.0%) and 5-year DFS (83.6% vs. 91.2%, P=0.047) compared with those achieving pCR. The 3-year NR-DFS (95.9% vs. 97.0%) and 5-year NR-DFS (92.8% vs. 97.0%, P=0.407) did not significantly differ between the W&W and pCR groups. Local regeneration occurred in six cases, and 87.7% of patients had successful rectum preservation in the W&W group. In the PSM analysis (34 patients in each group), absolutely better CFS (90.1% vs. 26.5%, P<0.001) was noted in the W&W group. A median interval of 17.5 weeks was observed for achieving cCR, while only 23.9% of patients achieved cCR within 5 to 12 weeks from radiation completion. Patients with short-course sequential chemoradiotherapy achieved cCR significantly later when compared with those with long-course concurrent chemoradiotherapy (19.0 vs. 9.8 weeks, P<0.001). Conclusions:The oncological outcomes of W&W strategy in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer are safe and effective, significantly improving the quality of life. Longer interval for cCR evaluation may improve rectal organ preservation rate.

Objective:To improve the level of clinical diagnosis and treatment by analyzing the clinical features and relevant factors of cryptococcosis neoformans in patients with connective tissue disease(CTD).Methods:Twelve patients with CTD and cryptococcosis neoformans infection in Peking University People's Hospital from January 2010 to April 2021 were retrospectively enrolled. Clinical and laboratory data, treatment and outcome were collected and analyzed. Independent sample t-test or Rank-sum test was used. Results:The age of the patients ranged from 18 to 85 years old(mean 51 years old), all of whom were female. None of them were exposed to pigeons and their feces. Of the 12 patients, 3 patients suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, 7 patients had systemic lupus erythematosus, 1 patient was diagnosed with primary Sj?gren 's syndrome, and 1 patient was diagnosed as undifferentiated connective tissue disease. Four cases were cryptococcal meningitis, 8 were pulmonary cryptococcosis. None of the 12 patients had immunodeficiency virus infection. All 12 patients were given glucocorticoid alone or combined with immunosuppressive or biological agents. All were detected with positive cryptococcus neoformans antigen in serum; 6 got lumbar puncture, 2 cases were positive for ink stain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture were positive in 2, in whom 3 had high intracranial pressure, in which the highest one was more than 600 mmH 2O (1 mmH 2O=0.009 8 kPa); 7 cases underwent lung biopsy. Among these patients, all were positive for cryptococcosis neoformans in lung tissue pathological examination; 6 had the number of peripheral lymphocytes less than 1.0×10 9/L, and 2 were detected for the number of CD4 + T cell, which was significantly decreased. As for the initial anti-fungal drug therapy, all cases were treated with fluconazole intravenously; 2 were treated with combined amphotericin, 1 was treated with combined fluorocytosine, 1 was treated with amphotericin and fluorocytosine. Then oral flu-conazole was prescribed as sequential therapy. The whole treatmentcourse ranged from 4 to 21 months. Eleven patients were cured, and 1 was relieved. Conclusion:Patients with connective tissue disease complicated with cryptococcus neoformans infection have atypical clinical symptoms. Treatment with immunosuppressive drugs and glucocorticoids are related causes. Patients with decreased peripheral blood lymphocytes, especially CD4 + T cell, are more susceptible to infection. Early diagnosis and timely treatment are the key to improve the prognosis and cure of the disease.

In recent years, with the development of rectal cancer treatment mode, the anal preservation rate in rectal cancer patients has been gradually increased. In addition to preserving the anal shape, the preservation of anal function is also gradually valued. In this article, literature review on anal function related to radiotherapy and chemotherapy for rectal cancer patients was conducted, aiming to elaborate the evaluation criteria and research status of anal function in rectal cancer patients.