AIM:To observed the protective effect of diminazene aceturate ( DIZE) , an angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) activator, on diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats.METHODS:Male Wistar rats (n=30) were randomly divided into normal control (NC) group, DN group and DIZE group (each group consisted of 10 rats).The rats in DN group and DIZE group were induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin at dose of 65 mg/kg.After 12 weeks, the rats in DIZE group and DN group received subcutaneous injection of DIZE (15 mg· kg -1 · d-1 ) or vehicle for 4 weeks. The samples of blood and urine were collected at week 16, and ratio of kidney weight to body weight (KW/BW), plasma glucose (GLU), 24 h urinary protein (24UP) and serum creatinine (SCr) were measured.The renal pathological changes in each group were observed by periodic acid-Schiff ( PAS) staining and immunohistochemistry .The levels of AngⅡ and Ang-(1-7) in the plasma, and TGF-β1 and VCAM-1 in the renal tissues were measured by ELISA .The mRNA and protein levels of collagen I and FN were determined by quantification real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry .The effects of DIZE on the expression of ACE2 in DN rats were determined by Western blot .RESULTS:DIZE remarkably increased the expression of ACE2 and Ang-(1-7) in DN rats.Compared with NC group , the GLU, KW/BW, 24UP, SCr, and the ex-pression of collagen I , FN, TGF-β1 and VCAM-1 in DN group and DIZE group were increased .However , after treatment of the DN rats with DIZE, these indicators were decreased except the KW/BW.The GLU showed no significant change . CONCLUSION:DIZE raised the activity of ACE2 and increased the expression of Ang-(1-7), thus alleviating fibrosis and inflammation in the kidney and having therapeutic potential for diabetic nephropathy .

Colorectal tumors often create an immunosuppressive microenvironment that prevents them from responding to immunotherapy.Cannabidiol(CBD)is a non-psychoactive natural active ingredient from the cannabis plant that has various pharmacological effects,including neuroprotective,antiemetic,anti-inflammatory,and antineoplastic activities.This study aimed to elucidate the specific anticancer mechanism of CBD by single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNA-seq)and single-cell ATAC sequencing(scATAC-seq)technologies.Here,we report that CBD inhibits colorectal cancer progression by modulating the suppressive tumor microenvironment(TME).Our single-cell transcriptome and ATAC sequencing results showed that CBD suppressed M2-like macrophages and promoted M1-like macrophages in tumors both in strength and quantity.Furthermore,CBD significantly enhanced the interaction between M1-like macrophages and tumor cells and restored the intrinsic anti-tumor properties of macrophages,thereby preventing tumor progression.Mechanistically,CBD altered the metabolic pattern of macro-phages and related anti-tumor signaling pathways.We found that CBD inhibited the alternative acti-vation of macrophages and shifted the metabolic process from oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid oxidation to glycolysis by inhibiting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B signaling pathway and related downstream target genes.Furthermore,CBD-mediated macrophage plasticity enhanced the response to anti-programmed cell death protein-1(PD-1)immunotherapy in xenografted mice.Taken together,we provide new insights into the anti-tumor effects of CBD.

AIM: Given the biofilm formation abili- ty of different ST-type Klebsiella pneumoniae, our study was aimed at exploring the inhibitory and clearance of azithromycin combined with levofloxacin on the biofilm of Klebsiella pneumoniae of different ST-types and providing a new strategy for the prevention of biofilm formation in the treatment of post-infectious Klebsiella pneumoniae. METHODS: 9 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae from all susceptibility groups, 19 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae producing extended-spectrum β - lactamases (ESBLs), and 37 strains of Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) were randomly collected from the samples of patients hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College from August 2019 to November 2021. The isolates were identified using VITEK MS IVD KB V3.2 and VITEK 2-Compact 60. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed to analyze the homology of each strain; crystal violet staining was used for semi -quantitative detection of biofilm to compare the differences in biofilm formation ability between different ST-type Klebsiella pneumoniae. Different ST-type strains were selected, and the partial inhibitory concentration index (FICI) was calculated by micro broth dilution method to judge the combination effect and select the optimal combination concentration; crystalline violet staining method was used to investigate the inhibition and clearance effect of azithromycin combined with levofloxacin on the biofilm of different ST-type Klebsiella pneumoniae; laser scanning confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to observe the structural changes of the biofilm of Klebsiella pneumoniae before and after the effect of the antibacterial drugs. RESULTS: MLST typing results showed that the sensitive group of Klebsiella pneumoniae strains had 8 sequences such as ST86, ST727, etc., the ESBLs group strains belonged to 14 sequence types such as ST15, ST37, ST11, etc., of which ST15 accounted for 26.32% (5 / 19). The CRKP group strains belonged to 9 sequence types such as ST11, ST15, ST656, etc., of which ST11 accounted for 48.65% (18/37), ST15 accounted for 27.03% (10/37); ST15 (ESBLs), ST11 (CRKP), ST15 (CRKP) type Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilms all reached maturity on the 5th day, the ST15 (ESBLs) group had a stronger ability to produce material to be membranous than the ST15 (CRKP) group. The ST11 (CRKP) group had a stronger ability to produce material to be membranous than the ST15 (CRKP) group (P<0.01); the results of azithromycin combined with levofloxacin drug sensitivity showed that it had an additive effect on different ST-type Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria; in the inhibition of biofilm formation and clearance test, the 2×MIC azithromycin group and the combined concentration group had a stronger inhibition of biofilm formation of different ST-type Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria, and the inhibitory ability of the combined group was better than that of the single-drug group, and the highest inhibition rate could reach 89.93%; the clearance effects were all combined drug group>azithromycin>levofloxacin, and the highest clearance rate was 44.79%. CONCLUSION: There are differences in biofilm formation ability between different ST-type Klebsiella pneumoniae, and azithromycin combined with levofloxacin has a better inhibitory effect on different ST-type Klebsiella pneumoniae biofilm, conbined application can be used in the treatment of biofilm infections early stage.

BACKGROUND: Significant brain volume deviation is an essential phenotype in children with neurodevelopmental delay (NDD), but its genetic basis has not been fully characterized. This study attempted to analyze the genetic factors associated with significant whole-brain deviation volume (WBDV). METHODS: We established a reference curve based on 4222 subjects ranging in age from the first postnatal day to 18 years. We recruited only NDD patients without acquired etiologies or positive genetic results. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical exome sequencing (2742 genes) data were acquired. A genetic burden test was performed, and the results were compared between patients with and without significant WBDV. Literature review analyses and BrainSpan analysis based on the human brain developmental transcriptome were performed to detect the potential role of genetic risk factors in human brain development. RESULTS: We recruited a total of 253 NDD patients. Among them, 26 had significantly decreased WBDV (<-2 standard deviations [SDs]), and 14 had significantly increased WBDV (>+2 SDs). NDD patients with significant WBDV had higher rates of motor development delay (49.8% [106/213] vs . 75.0% [30/40], P  = 0.003) than patients without significant WBDV. Genetic burden analyses found 30 genes with an increased allele frequency of rare variants in patients with significant WBDV. Analyses of the literature further demonstrated that these genes were not randomly identified: burden genes were more related to the brain development than background genes ( P  = 1.656e -9 ). In seven human brain regions related to motor development, we observed burden genes had higher expression before 37-week gestational age than postnatal stages. Functional analyses found that burden genes were enriched in embryonic brain development, with positive regulation of synaptic growth at the neuromuscular junction, positive regulation of deoxyribonucleic acid templated transcription, and response to hormone, and these genes were shown to be expressed in neural progenitors. Based on single cell sequencing analyses, we found TUBB2B gene had elevated expression levels in neural progenitor cells, interneuron, and excitatory neuron and SOX15 had high expression in interneuron and excitatory neuron. CONCLUSION Idiopathic NDD patients with significant brain volume changes detected by MRI had an increased prevalence of motor development delay, which could be explained by the genetic differences characterized herein.
Child ; Humans ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders/epidemiology* ; Genetic Testing ; Phenotype ; Brain/pathology* ; Genetic Background ; SOX Transcription Factors/genetics*

Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care Units, Neonatal ; Logistic Models ; Phenotype ; Risk Factors