Objective: To research the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects of Qifangbimin particle.Methods: The anti-inflammatory effects were observed by the methods of xylene-induced ear-swelling in mice and cotton-ball induced granuloma in rats.The anti-allergic effects were evaluated by the method of passive skin allergy model in rats and ear-heterogeneous passive skin allergy model in mice.Results: In the treatment groups with Qifangbimin particle, the swelling degree of ear edema induced by dimethylbenzene in mice was significantly suppressed when compared with that in the control groups (P<0.01 or 0.05) , however, the particle had no significantly inhibitory effect on granulation tissue hyperplasia induced by cotton-ball in rats.The Qifangbimin particle groups obviously decreased the absorbance value of locus coeruleus on rats' back (P<0.01 or 0.05), and Qifangbimin particle at high dose significantly reduced the absorbance value of locus coeruleus of auricle in mice (P<0.01 or 0.05).Conclusion: Qifangbimin particle has significant anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects.

Objective To establish a simple animal model of cough variant asthma(CVA)through sensitizing Brown-Norway(BN)rats with ovalbumin(OVA). Methods A total of 36 BN rats were randomly divided into three groups, including the normal control group,the model control group and the montelukast group. BN rats in the model group and the montelukast group were intraperitoneally administered with 2.0 mg of OVA and 100 mg of Al(OH)3,and the same volume of sterile saline was given to the normal group by intraperitoneal injection. Boosting was carried out by intraperitoneal administration with 0.01 mg of OVA and 100 mg of Al(OH)33 weeks later,and the rats in the normal group were injected with the same dose of physiological saline. Three weeks later,the actively sensitized BN rats were challenged with aerosolized OVA for 7 times on alternative days,and the rats in the normal group were treated with sterile saline instead of OVA. At the same time, the montelukast group was given 1.3 mg/kg of montelukast 30 minutes before atomization by intragastric administration once a day for 2 weeks,and the normal group and the model group were given the same volume of water. The tests of cough sensitivity to capsaicin and bronchial responsiveness were performed 24 h after the last administration. Results Compared with the normal group, the times of coughing(P< 0.01)and the lung resistance(RL)(P< 0.05)in the model group were significantly increased,while the lung compliance(Cdyn)was significantly decreased(P< 0.05). There was a significant difference(P < 0.05)in the times of coughing caused by capsaicin between the model group and the montelukast group. Compared with the model group,RLin the montelukast group was decreased significantly(P< 0.05), and Cdynwas increased significantly(P< 0.05). Conclusions This rat model of CVA is similar to a variety of clinical features of CVA and is easy to operate. Thus it can be used as an effective animal model of CVA.

Objective:To screen the characteristic genes of early-onset pre-eclampsia (EOSP) and to analyze their association with immune cell infiltration based on bioinformatics analysis and machine learning methods.Methods:In the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, the mRNA sequences of placental tissues from women with EOSP and normal pregnancy were retrieved using the term "early-onset pre-eclampsia". The R language was used for background correction, standardization, summarization, and probe quality control. Annotation packages were downloaded for ID conversion and the expression matrices were extracted. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the EOSP and the normal pregnancy in the metadata were analyzed after correcting for batch effects using the limma package. Characteristic genes were identified through the support vector machine (SVM) -recursive feature elimination (RFE) method and the LASSO regression model. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to judge the diagnostic efficiency of the characteristic genes. Placental tissues were retrospectively collected for verification from 15 patients with EOSP and 15 with normal pregnancy who were delivered at Beijing Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023. The expression of characteristic genes was verified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot, which were further validated in the validation dataset. Finally, the CIBERSORT algorithm was used to analyze the relative proportion of infiltrating immune cell in EOSP. A t-test was used for differential analysis. Results:Three gene datasets were downloaded, including GSE44711 (eight cases each for EOSP and normal pregnancy), GSE74341 (seven cases for EOSP and five cases for normal pregnancy), and GSE190639 (13 cases each for EOSP and normal pregnancy). A total of 29 DEGs were screened after combining the GSE44711 and GSE74341 datasets, including 27 upregulated and two downregulated genes. Gene ontology enrichment analysis showed that these genes are mainly involved in the secretion of gonadotropins, female pregnancy, regulation of endocrine processes, secretion of endocrine hormones, and negative regulation of hormone secretion. Eight characteristic genes ( EBI3, HTRA4, TREML2, TREM1, NTRK2, ANKRD37, CST6, and ARMS2) were screened using the LASSO regression algorithm combined with SVM-RFE algorithm and the expression differences of these characteristic genes were verified as statistically significant by qRT-PCR and Western blot (all P<0.05, except for CST6). Logistic regression algorithm showed that the AUC (95% CI) of TREML2, ANKRD37, NTRK2, TREM1, HTRA4, EBI3, and ARMS2 were 0.979 (0.918-1.000), 0.969 (0.897-1.000), 0.969 (0.892-1.000), 0.979 (0.918-1.000), 0.990 (0.954-1.000), 0.990 (0.954-1.000), and 0.903 (0.764-1.000). Immune cell infiltration analysis indicated that the infiltration ratio of M2 macrophages in the placental tissue from EOSP was significantly lower than that in the normal pregnancy (0.167±0.074 vs. 0.462±0.091, P=0.002), but the infiltration ratios of monocytes and eosinophils were significantly higher (0.201±0.004 vs. 0.085±0.006; 0.031±0.001 vs. 0.001±0.000, both P<0.05). The correlation analysis between characteristic genes and infiltrating immune cells found that the seven characteristic genes were closely related to the immune cells (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Seven characteristic genes that are critical for the prediction and early diagnosis of EOSP are screened using bioinformatics analysis and machine-learning algorithms in this study, which provides new research targets and a basis for the prevention and treatment of preeclampsia in the future.

Nucleic acid drugs are highly applicable for cancer immunotherapy with promising therapeutic effects, while targeting delivery of these drugs to disease lesions remains challenging. Cationic polymeric nanoparticles have paved the way for efficient delivery of nucleic acid drugs, and achieved stimuli-responsive disassembly in tumor microenvironment (TME). However, TME is highly heterogeneous between individuals, and most nanocarriers lack active-control over the release of loaded nucleic acid drugs, which will definitely reduce the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we have developed a light-controllable charge-reversal nanoparticle (LCCN) with controlled release of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [Poly(I:C)] to treat triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) by enhanced photodynamic immunotherapy. The nanoparticles keep suitably positive charge for stable loading of Poly(I:C), while rapidly reverse to negative charge after near-infrared light irradiation to release Poly(I:C). LCCN-Poly(I:C) nanoparticles trigger effective phototoxicity and immunogenic cell death on 4T1 tumor cells, elevate antitumor immune responses and inhibit the growth of primary and abscopal 4T1 tumors in mice. The approach provides a promising strategy for controlled release of various nucleic acid-based immune modulators, which may enhance the efficacy of photodynamic immunotherapy against TNBC.