BACKGROUND: The primary limitation to kidney transplantation is organ shortage. Recent progress in gene editing and immunosuppressive regimens has made xenotransplantation with porcine organs a possibility. However, evidence in pig-to-human xenotransplantation remains scarce, and antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) is a major obstacle to clinical applications of xenotransplantation. METHODS: We conducted a kidney xenotransplantation in a brain-dead human recipient using a porcine kidney with five gene edits (5GE) on March 25, 2024 at Xijing Hospital, China. Clinical-grade immunosuppressive regimens were employed, and the observation period lasted 22 days. We collected and analyzed the xenograft function, ultrasound findings, sequential protocol biopsies, and immune surveillance of the recipient during the observation. RESULTS: The combination of 5GE in the porcine kidney and clinical-grade immunosuppressive regimens prevented hyperacute rejection. The xenograft kidney underwent delayed graft function in the first week, but urine output increased later and the single xenograft kidney maintained electrolyte and pH homeostasis from postoperative day (POD) 12 to 19. We observed AMR at 24 h post-transplantation, due to the presence of pre-existing anti-porcine antibodies and cytotoxicity before transplantation; this AMR persisted throughout the observation period. Plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin treatment mitigated the AMR. We observed activation of latent porcine cytomegalovirus toward the end of the study, which might have contributed to coagulation disorder in the recipient. CONCLUSIONS 5GE and clinical-grade immunosuppressive regimens were sufficient to prevent hyperacute rejection during pig-to-human kidney xenotransplantation. Pre-existing anti-porcine antibodies predisposed the xenograft to AMR. Plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin were safe and effective in the treatment of AMR after kidney xenotransplantation.
Transplantation, Heterologous/methods* ; Kidney Transplantation/methods* ; Heterografts/pathology* ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/administration & dosage* ; Graft Survival/immunology* ; Humans ; Animals ; Sus scrofa ; Graft Rejection/prevention & control* ; Kidney/pathology* ; Gene Editing ; Species Specificity ; Immunosuppression Therapy/methods* ; Plasma Exchange ; Brain Death ; Biopsy ; Male ; Aged

Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease, is markedly influenced by both immune and inflammatory reactions throughout its progression. Dendritic cells, as pivotal antigen-presenting entities, play a crucial role in the initiation of immune responses and the preservation of immunological homeostasis. Accumulating data indicates that dendritic cells are present in healthy arteries and accumulate significantly in atherosclerotic plaques. Novel immunotherapeutic approaches and vaccination protocols have yielded substantial clinical advancements in managing chronic inflammatory diseases, with dendritic cell-centric modalities emerging for atherosclerotic management. In this review, we delineate the essential functions and underlying mechanisms of dendritic cells and their subsets in the modulation of atherosclerotic inflammation and immune responses. We underscore the immense promise of dendritic cell-based immunotherapeutic strategies, including vaccines and innovative combinations with nanotechnological drug delivery platforms for atherosclerosis treatment. We also discuss the challenges associated with dendritic cell immunotherapy and provide perspectives on the future direction of this field.

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Objective:To prepare anti-human IgE nanobody by phage display technology,and to establish a method for hyper-sensitivity detection of cat dander specific IgE antibody.Methods:Allergen bio-information of cat was searched in WHO/IUIS Allergen Database.After synthesizing sequence,recombinant cat dander allergenic protein Fel d 1 was expressed and purified in prokaryotic ex-pression system.Human IgE was used to immunize Bactrian camel and RNA were extracted from lymphocyte to construct phage dis-play library.Library capacity,diversity and insertion rate were analyzed,anti-human IgE nanobody were obtained by screening and identification.A magnetic particle chemical method for cat dander specific IgE antibody detection was established using recombinant allergen-coupled magnetic particles and acridine ester-labeled nanobodies.Results:Capacity of phage display library was 1.88×108 cfu/ml,insertion rate was 93.6%,and purity of nanobody was>95%.Linear range of the method based on nanobody was 0.1～100 U/ml,who was consistent with ImmunoCAP detection system by clinical data.Conclusion:Nanobody-based cat dander specific IgE antibody hypersensitivity assay is successfully prepared,providing a technical basis for auxiliary diagnosis of cat allergic diseases.

Objective To investigate the mechanism by which lectin-like oxidized low density lipoprotein receptor-1(LOX-1)regulates hyperglycemic-induced myocardial fibroblast(CFs)fibrosis through the glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)pathway.Methods CFs were isolated,cultured and identified.LOX-1 RNAi lentiviral vector was constructed and infected CFs.The experimental groups were as follows:Normal control(NC)group,High glucose(HG)group,LV-LOX-1,LV-Con group,Hypertonic(HPG)group.After LV-LOX-1 and LV-Con were infected with CFs,adding 25 mmol/L glucose to culture CFs for 24 h,they were denoted as HG+LV-LOX-1 group and HG+LV-Con group.Cells in HG+LV-LOX-1 group and HG+LV-Con group were treated with 10 μ mol/L SB216763 and 10 μ mol/L STATTIC for 24 h,respectively,and then they were recorded as HG+LV-LOX-1+SB216763 group,HG+LV-Con+SB216763 group,HG+LV-LOX-1+STATTIC group and HG+LV-Con+STATTIC group.CCK-8 was used to detect the activity of CFs,and the expression levels of mRAN and protein of LOX-1,collagen type I(COL-I),thioredoxin 5(TXNDC5),GSK-3β,STAT3,p-GSK-3β and p-STAT3 were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot.Results CFs infected with LOX-1 RNAi lentiviral vector were obtained,which showed green under fluorescence microscopy.Compared with HG and HG+LV-Con groups,the mRNA expressions of LOX-1,COL-I and TXNDC5 were decreased in HG+LV-LOX-1 group(P<0.05).Compared with HG+LV-LOX-1 group,mRNA expressions of COL-I and TXNDC5 were decreased in HG+LV-LOX-1+SB216763 and HG+LV-LOX-1+STATTIC groups(P<0.05).Compared with HG and HG+LV-Con groups,p-GSK-3β protein expression was increased in HG+LV-LOX-1 group(P<0.05),while LOX-1,p-STAT3,COL-I,TXNDC5 protein expression was decreased in HG+LV-LOX-1 group(P<0.05).Compared with HG+LV-LOX-1 group,p-GSK-3β protein expression was increased in HG+LV-LOX-1+SB216763 group(P<0.05),while the protein expressions of p-STAT3,COL-I and TXNDC5 were decreased in HG+LV-LOX-1+SB216763 and HG+LV-LOX-1+STATTIC groups(P<0.05).Conclusion LOX-1,GSK-3β,STAT3,TXNDC5,and COL-I are involved in high glucose induced CFs fibrosis.LOX-1 promotes the expression of TXNDC5 and COL-I through GSK-3β/STAT3 pathway,and inhibition of LOX-1 can inhibit high glucose induced CFs fibrosis.

Objective To investigate the molecular mechanism of lectin-like oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1(LOX-1)in the regulation of high glucose induced phagocytosis dysfunction of mouse microglia(BV2 microglia).Methods BV2 cells were cultured in vitro,lentivirus LOX-1RNAi vector(LV-LOX-1)and lentivirusempty vector(LV-Con)were constructed and divided into normal control(NC)group,HG group,LV-LOX-1 group and LV-Con group.After infecting BV2 cells with LV-LOX-1 and LV-Con,the cells were cultured with 25 mmol/L glucose for 24 h,and then divided into HG+LV-LOX-1 group and HG+LV-Con group.After treatment of HG+LV-LOX-1 and HG+LV-Con infected BV2 microglia with 15 μmol/L FH535(β-catenin inhibitor)and AEBSF(ATF6α inhibitor)for 24 h,respectively,they were denoted as HG+LV-LOX-1+FH535 group,HG+LV-Con+FH535 group,HG+LV-LOX-1+AEBSF group,and HG+LV-Con+AEBSF group.Transfection efficiency was determined by fluorescence microscopy,RT-PCR and Western blot.Cell viability was detected b CCK-8.RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of LOX-1,β-catenin,ATF6α and milk fat globular-surface growth factor Ⅷ(MFG-E8)in each group.Results After 72 h of LV-LOX-1 infection,the cells in LV-LOX-1 and LV-Con groups showed a lot of green fluorescence,but not in NC group.Compared with NC group,the mRNA and protein expression of LOX-1 and ATF6α were increased(P<0.05),while the mRNA and protein expression of MFG-E8 and β-catenin decreased in HG group(P<0.05).Compared with HG+LV-Con group,the mRNA and protein expression of LOX-1 and ATF6α were decreased(P<0.05),while the mRNA and protein expression of MFG-E8 and β-catenin increasedin HG+LV-LOX-1 group(P<0.05).Compared with HG+LV-LOX-1 group,the mRNA and protein expressions of MFG-E8 and β-catenin were decreased(P<0.05),and the mRNA and protein expressions of ATF6α and p-β-catenin and p-ATF6α were increased in HG+LV-LOX-1+FH535 group(P<0.05).Compared with HG+LV-LOX-1 group,the mRNA and protein expression were increased(P<0.05),ATF6α mRNA and protein expression and p-ATF6α protein expression were decreased MFG-E8 in HG+LV-LOX-1+AEBSF group(P<0.05).Conclusions LOX-1,MFG-E8,β-catenin and ATF6α are involved in the regulation of phagocytosis of BV2 cells.LOX-1 promotes the phagocytosis dysfunction of BV2 microglia induced by high glucose through β-catenin/ATF6α signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the accuracy and feasibility of shear wave elastography(SWE)combined with superb microvascular imaging(SMI)for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.Methods A total of 190 patients with thyroid nodu-les detected in the Ultrasound Department of our hospital from January 2021 to December 2022 who underwent ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy or exhibited postoperative histopathological improvement were selected as the study subjects.Among them,a total of 224 thyroid nodules(74 benign and 150 malignant nodules)were detected,all of whom underwent thyroid ultrasonography,SWE,and SMI.The parameters related to the Young's modulus of the tissue as well as the condition of fine blood flow and perforating vessels were calculated.Using histopathological results as the gold standard to construct receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves,observe the effectiveness of SWE combined with SMI in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules,and compare the efficacy of different examination methods in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules.Results There were significant differences in the internal composition,echo,margin,cal-cification,and aspect ratio between the benign and malignant thyroid nodules(all P<0.05);however,there was no significant difference in the average diameter of the benign and malignant nodules(P>0.05).There were statistically significant differences in maximum elas-ticity,mean elasticity,elasticity ratio,microvascular score,peak shear wave velocity,and average shear wave velocity between the benign and malignant thyroid nodules(all P<0.05).The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve of the maximum elastic value was the highest,while the optimal diagnostic threshold was 29.52 kPa.The optimal diagnostic threshold for the microvascular flow score was 2.3 points.In terms of diagnostic efficacy,SWE combined with SMI showed the highest sensitivity(94.67%)and specificity(94.59%).Conclusion SWE combined with SMI can further improve the diagnostic efficiency of benign and malignant thyroid nodules and achieve quantitative evaluation and dynamic observation of lesions,which has application and promotion value.

Objective:To observe the effects of nutritional status on the surgical outcomes, nutritional indicators, and renal anemia of maintenance hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism undergoing parathyroidectomy.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 35 patients who underwent maintenance hemodialysis with secondary hyperparathyroidism at Huadu District People′s Hospital of Guangzhou from January 2016 to January 2021. All patients underwent total parathyroidectomy with autologous forearm transplantation due to ineffective drug treatment. Before surgery, patients were divided into three groups based on their nutritional status scores: no malnutrition group (0-1 points), mild malnutrition group (2-4 points), and moderate to severe malnutrition group (5-12 points). The changes in serum parathyroid hormone, blood calcium, blood phosphorus, blood albumin, and other indicators were observed at different time points before and after surgery in different groups of patients.Results:The serum parathyroid hormone, blood phosphorus, and calcium phosphorus product of maintenance hemodialysis patients with different nutritional status who underwent parathyroidectomy at 3, 6, and 12 months were significantly decreased compared with preoperative levels, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There were no significant changes in albumin, lymphocyte count, and total cholesterol levels in patients without malnutrition at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery compared with preoperative levels (all P>0.05); The lymphocyte count of patients with mild malnutrition increased significantly at 6 and 12 months after surgery compared to preoperative levels (all P<0.05). The levels of albumin and total cholesterol in patients with moderate to severe malnutrition increased significantly at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery compared with preoperative levels (all P<0.05). The Hb levels of patients without malnutrition and those with mild malnutrition increased significantly at 6 and 12 months after surgery compared with preoperative levels (all P<0.05); The Hb levels of patients with moderate to severe malnutrition increased significantly at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery compared with preoperative levels (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Nutritional status affects the long-term outcomes of parathyroidectomy in hemodialysis patients, and parathyroidectomy can significantly improve the nutritional and anemia status of hemodialysis patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. This effect is more pronounced in patients with moderate to severe malnutrition before surgery.

Objective:To combine ultrasound and clinical characteristics for predicting the treatment time of strontium 90( 90Sr) radioisotope applicator therapy for pathological scars when the therapeutic effect meets the clinical effective criteria. Methods:From September 2022 to October 2023, 48 patients (90 lesions) with pathological scars who underwent 90Sr radioisotope applicator therapy at the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University were prospectively collected. The clinically effective criteria of 90Sr radioisotope applicator therapy for pathological scars were defined as a reduction of the superficial height of the scar higher than 50%. All lesions were divided into short period treatment group (2 months, 38 lesions) and long period treatment group (>2 months, 52 lesions) according to the duration of treatment when the therapeutic effect met the clinical criteria. Univariate comparative analyses of ultrasound and clinical characteristics between the two groups were performed. The statistically significant variates were used to build a multivariate logistic regression model for analyzing the independent predictors of the treatment time of 90Sr radioisotope applicator therapy for pathological scars. Results:Family history, blood flow signal, disease duration, age, and scar Young′s modulus were independent predictors of the effective treatment time of 90Sr radioisotope applicator therapy for pathological scars (all P<0.05). By using the selected variables, a predictive model was developed, area under the ROC curve (AUC) were 0.886 (95% CI=0.817-0.955, P<0.001), and the calibration curve showed that the model was well calibrated(χ 2=5.668, P=0.684). Conclusions:The multivariate logistic regression model with family history, blood flow signal, disease duration, age, and scar Young′s modulus could be used to predict the treatment time of 90Sr radioisotope applicator therapy for pathologic scars, which can help to guide the design of treatment plan, reduce unnecessary radiation damage, and improve patient compliance.

Objective:To report the results of national surveillance on the distribution and antimicrobial resistance profile of clinical Gram-positive bacteria isolates from bloodstream infections in China in 2022.Methods:The clinical isolates of Gram-positive bacteria from blood cultures in member hospitals of National Bloodstream Infection Bacterial Resistant Investigation Collaborative System（BRICS）were collected during January 2022 to December 2022. Antibiotic susceptibility tests were conducted by agar dilution or broth dilution methods recommended by Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute（CLSI）. WHONET 5.6 and SPSS 25.0 software were used to analyze the data.Results:A total of 3 163 strains of Gram-positive pathogens were collected from 51 member units，and the top five bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus（ n=1 147，36.3%），coagulase-negative Staphylococci（ n=928，29.3%）， Enterococcus faecalis（ n=369，11.7%）， Enterococcus faecium（ n=296，9.4%）and alpha-hemolyticus Streptococci（ n=192，6.1%）. The detection rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus（MRSA）and methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative Staphylococci（MRCNS）were 26.4%（303/1 147）and 66.7%（619/928），respectively. No glycopeptide and daptomycin-resistant Staphylococci were detected. The sensitivity rates of Staphylococcus aureus to cefpirome，rifampin，compound sulfamethoxazole，linezolid，minocycline and tigecycline were all >95.0%. Enterococcus faecium was more prevalent than Enterococcus faecalis. The resistance rates of Enterococcus faecium to vancomycin and teicoplanin were both 0.5%（2/369），and no vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium was detected. The detection rate of MRSA in southern China was significantly lower than that in other regions（ χ2=14.578， P=0.002），while the detection rate of MRCNS in northern China was significantly higher than that in other regions（ χ2=15.195， P=0.002）. The detection rates of MRSA and MRCNS in provincial hospitals were higher than those in municipal hospitals（ χ2=13.519 and 12.136， P<0.001）. The detection rates of MRSA and MRCNS in economically more advanced regions（per capita GDP≥92 059 Yuan in 2022）were higher than those in economically less advanced regions（per capita GDP<92 059 Yuan）（ χ2=9.969 and 7.606， P=0.002和0.006）. Conclusions:Among the Gram-positive pathogens causing bloodstream infections in China， Staphylococci is the most common while the MRSA incidence decreases continuously with time；the detection rate of Enterococcus faecium exceeds that of Enterococcus faecalis. The overall prevalence of vancomycin-resistant Enterococci is still at a low level. The composition ratio of Gram-positive pathogens and resistant profiles varies slightly across regions of China，with the prevalence of MRSA and MRCNS being more pronounced in provincial hospitals and areas with a per capita GDP≥92 059 yuan.