In order to explore the possible role and molecular mechanism of the combined action of leech and bear bile in liver and gallbladder diseases, this study first used network pharmacology methods to screen the components and targets of leech and bear bile, as well as the related target genes of liver and gallbladder diseases. The selected key genes were subjected to interaction network and GO/KEGG enrichment analysis. Then, using sodium oleate induced HepG2 cell lipid deposition model and DL-ethionine induced mouse fatty liver model, the activity of leech and bear bile alone and in combination in reducing liver fat was evaluated in vitro and in vivo, and the expression of key pathway related proteins suggested by network pharmacology was detected by Western blot. The results of network pharmacology analysis showed that the active ingredients of leech and bear bile have 295 intersecting targets with liver and gallbladder related diseases, involving more than 200 signaling pathways, including the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and phospholipase D signaling pathway closely related to glucose and lipid metabolism. The results of in vitro validation experiments showed that both leech and bear bile, alone and in combination, can significantly inhibit the lipid deposition induced by sodium oleate in human liver cells, reduce the triacylglycerol level in cell culture supernatant, and inhibit the lipid content in liver cells. The observation results of Nile red staining confocal microscopy showed that the combination of leech and bear bile had better activity in reducing lipid deposition in liver cells compared to using them alone. In a mouse fatty liver model, the combination of leech and bear bile can better reduce elevated organ indices, blood lipids, and liver lipid levels, as well as lower the levels of serum liver injury biomarkers. The animals used in this experiment and related disposal meet the requirements of animal welfare. Before the experiment, it was reviewed and approved by IACUC, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The Western blot experiment results showed that the combination of leech and bear bile can significantly upregulate the expression levels of p-PI3K and p-Akt proteins, and increase the p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt ratios, which is consistent with the predicted results of network pharmacology. The combination of leech and bear bile has great potential for treating fatty liver disease, and activating the PI3K/Akt pathway may be one of the important mechanisms for reducing lipid deposition in liver cells.

Tropane alkaloids (TAs) are a class of anticholinergic drugs widely used in clinical practice and mainly extracted from plant, among which Atopa belladonna is the main commercial drug source. It is of great industrial value to obtain TAs in large quantities by plant metabolic engineering. In TAs pathway, cytochrome oxidase CYP82M3 catalyze the synthesis of tropinone and then tropinone reductase I (TRI) compete with TRII for tropinone to form tropine leading to the TAs synthesis (drainage). In this study, based on the "increasing flow and drainage" metabolic engineering strategy, two genes, namely HnCYP82M3 and DsTRI from Hyoscyamus niger and Datura stramonium, respectively, were overexpressed in the hair roots of A. belladonna, with a view to promote the TAs accumulation. The HnCYP82M3 gene was cloned from the root of H. niger, and it encoded amino acid with 91.7% sequence identity with AbCYP82M3 from A. belladonna. Overexpression of HnCYP82M3 alone did not affect the content of TAs in hair roots of A. belladonna, indicating that CYP82M3 was not a key enzyme in TAs biosynthesis. Simultaneous overexpression of HnCYP82M3 and DsTRI greatly promoted the accumulation of the three TAs, and the contents of hyoscyamine, anisodamine and scopolamine were 4.97 times, 2.83 times and 2.19 times that of the control, respectively, and the increase amplitude was greater than that of single overexpression of DsTRI. This study showed that the "increasing flow and drainage" strategy of enzyme genes co-expression at branch points was a promising metabolic engineering method to effectively improve the biosynthesis of TAs in A. belladonna, and laid a theoretical and technical foundation for the large-scale industrial acquisition of TAs.

Activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)by Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1(Keap1)alkylation plays a central role in anti-inflammatory therapy.However,activators of Nrf2 through alkylation of Keap1-Kelch domain have not been identified.Deoxynyboquinone(DNQ)is a natural small molecule discovered from marine actinomycetes.The current study was designed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effects and molecular mechanisms of DNQ via alkylation of Keap1.DNQ exhibited signif-icant anti-inflammatory properties both in vitro and in vivo.The pharmacophore responsible for the anti-inflammatory properties of DNQ was determined to be the α,β-unsaturated amides moieties by a chemical reaction between DNQ and N-acetylcysteine.DNQ exerted anti-inflammatory effects through activation of Nrf2/ARE pathway.Keap1 was demonstrated to be the direct target of DNQ and bound with DNQ through conjugate addition reaction involving alkylation.The specific alkylation site of DNQ on Keap1 for Nrf2 activation was elucidated with a synthesized probe in conjunction with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.DNQ triggered the ubiquitination and subsequent degra-dation of Keap1 by alkylation of the cysteine residue 489(Cys489)on Keap1-Kelch domain,ultimately enabling the activation of Nrf2.Our findings revealed that DNQ exhibited potent anti-inflammatory capacity through α,β-unsaturated amides moieties active group which specifically activated Nrf2 signal pathway via alkylation/ubiquitination of Keap1-Kelch domain,suggesting the potential values of targeting Cys489 on Keap1-Kelch domain by DNQ-like small molecules in inflammatory therapies.

Trastuzumab has improved survival rates in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2(HER2)-positive breast cancer(BC),but drug resistance leads to treatment failure.Natural killer(NK)cell-mediated antibody-dependent cell cytotoxicity(ADCC)represents an essential antitumor immune mechanism of trastuzumab.Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)has been used for centuries to treat diseases because of its capacity to improve immune responses.Xianling Lianxia formula(XLLXF),based on the principle of"strengthening body and eliminating toxin",exhibits a synergistic effect in the trastuzumab treatment of patients with HER2-positive BC.Notably,this synergistic effect of XLLXF was executed by enhancing NK cells and ADCC,as demonstrated through in vitro co-culture of NK cells and BC cells and in vivo inter-vention experiments.Mechanistically,the augmented impact of XLLXF on NK cells is linked to a decrease in cytokine inducible Src homology 2(SH2)containing protein(CISH)expression,which in turn activates the Janus kinase 1(JAK1)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 5(STAT5)pathway.Collectively,these findings suggested that XLLXF holds promise for enhancing NK cell function and sensitizing pa-tients with HER2-positive BC to trastuzumab.

[Objective]To explore the regulatory mechanism of hypoxia exposure on carbon metabolism pathway in spleen of mice.[Methods]C57BL/6 mice were raised at altitudes of 400 m and 4 200 m,with 5 mice in each group.After 30 days,spleen tissues were aseptically removed for analysis of differentially expressed genes,proteins,and metabolites using transcriptome sequencing,proteomics,and non-targeted metabolomics.GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were conducted to explore key pathways.The key genes and protein in the pathway were validated by RT-qPCR and Western blot.[Results]Transcriptome sequencing revealed a significant difference in the expression of 4 213 genes in hypoxic exposure,of which 1 947 were up-regulated and 2 266 were down-regulated.The analysis of differentially expressed proteins showed that 166 proteins were up-regulated and 39 proteins were down-regulated.The results of non-targeted metabolomics showed that 133 different metabolites were screened under high altitude hypoxia condition,of which 95 were up-regulated and 38 were down-regulated.KEGG enrichment analysis showed that differentially expressed genes,differentially expressed proteins and differentially expressed metabolites were enriched into the carbon metabolic pathway.Therefore,the key genes and proteins in the carbon metabolic pathway were verified.The mRNA and protein expressions of PGAM2、ENO3、PRPS2、PGLS、RPE、IDH3A、SUCLA2 and MDH2 were significantly down-regulated in the carbon metabolism pathway.[Conclusion]Low oxygen environment at high altitude weakens glycolysis,tricarboxylic acid cycle and pentose phosphate pathway by inhibiting the carbon metabolism pathway of the body,resulting in oxidative stress and energy metabolism imbalance.

Objective:To construct a signature for identifying active tuberculosis (TB) based on the relative expression orderings (REOs) of gene expression within a single sample.Methods:Using peripheral whole blood samples from 75 active TB and 69 latently infected individuals from four datasets as the training set, and highly stable REO patterns were extracted from the gene expression profile of the two groups of samples. Then, the gene pairs that reversed the REO pattern between the two groups were selected, and each gene pair was ranked in descending order based on their reversal degree. Finally, the top k gene pairs with the highest classification accuracy were selected as the signature for independent dataset validation. Results:A signature composed of seven gene pairs, denoted as 7-GPS, was constructed from the training set. The accuracy rate for 7-GPS to distinguish active TB from latently infected samples was 88.89%, and the accuracy rate for distinguishing active TB from normal samples was 90.09%. In the mixed validation data from different detection platforms, the AUC value for distinguishing active TB from latently infected samples was 0.914 (95% CI: 0.881-0.948), and the AUC value for distinguishing active TB from normal samples was 0.934 (95% CI: 0.904-0.964). In addition, the four genes ETV7, BATF2, ANKRD22 and CARD17P from this signature tended to be highly expressed in peripheral blood samples of active TB, and their expression values were significantly related to the duration of anti-tuberculosis treatment in clinical. Conclusion:The 7-GPS signature is robust and suitable for individualized analysis of a single peripheral blood sample. It has certain clinical application potential.

Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of ascending aorta banding technique combined with typeⅠhybrid aortic arch repair for the aortic arch diseases. Methods The clinical data of patients undergoing ascending aorta banding technique combined with type Ⅰ hybrid arch repair for aortic arch diseases from March 2019 to March 2022 in Beijing Anzhen Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. The technical success, perioperative complications and follow-up results were evaluated. Results A total of 44 patients were collected, including 35 males and 9 females, with a median age of 63.0 (57.5, 64.6) years. The average EuroSCORE Ⅱ score was 8.4%±0.7%. The technical success rate was 100.0%. All patients did not have retrograde type A aortic dissection and endoleaks. One patient died of multiple organ failure 5 days after operation, the in-hospital mortality rate was 2.3%, and the remaining 43 patients survived and were discharged from hospital. The median follow-up period was 14.5 (6-42) months with a follow-up rate of 100.0%. One patient with spinal cord injury died 2 years after hospital discharge. One patient underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair at postoperative 3 months due to new entry tears near to the distal end of the stent. Conclusion Ascending aorta banding combined with typeⅠhybrid arch repair for the aortic arch diseases does not need cardio-pulmonary bypass. Ascending aorta banding technique strengthens the proximal anchoring area of the stent to avoid risks such as retrograde type A dissection, endoleak and migration. The operation owns small trauma, rapid recovery, low mortality and a low rate of reintervention, which may be considered as a safe and effective choice in the treatment of the elderly, high-risk patients with complex complications.

Ceria nanoparticles(CeO2 NPs)have become popular materials in biomedical and industrial fields due to theirpotential applications in anti-oxidation,cancer therapy,photocatalytic degradation of pollutants,sensors,etc.Many methods,including gas phase,solid phase,liquid phase,and the newly proposed green synthesis method,have been reported for the synthesis of CeO2 NPs.Due to the wide application of CeO2 NPs,concerns about their adverse impacts on human health have been raised.This review covers recent studies on the biomedical applications of CeO2 NPs,including their use in the treatment of various diseases(e.g.,Alzheimer's disease,ischemic stroke,retinal damage,chronic inflammation,and cancer).CeO2 NP toxicity is discussed in terms of the different systems of the human body(e.g.,cytotoxicity,genotoxicity,respiratory toxicity,neurotoxicity,and hepatotoxicity).This comprehensive review covers both fundamental discoveries and exploratory progress in CeO2 NP research that may lead to practical developments in the future.

Objective Viral encephalitis is an infectious disease severely affecting human health.It is caused by a wide variety of viral pathogens,including herpes viruses,flaviviruses,enteroviruses,and other viruses.The laboratory diagnosis of viral encephalitis is a worldwide challenge.Recently,high-throughput sequencing technology has provided new tools for diagnosing central nervous system infections.Thus,In this study,we established a multipathogen detection platform for viral encephalitis based on amplicon sequencing. Methods We designed nine pairs of specific polymerase chain reaction(PCR)primers for the 12 viruses by reviewing the relevant literature.The detection ability of the primers was verified by software simulation and the detection of known positive samples.Amplicon sequencing was used to validate the samples,and consistency was compared with Sanger sequencing. Results The results showed that the target sequences of various pathogens were obtained at a coverage depth level greater than 20×,and the sequence lengths were consistent with the sizes of the predicted amplicons.The sequences were verified using the National Center for Biotechnology Information BLAST,and all results were consistent with the results of Sanger sequencing. Conclusion Amplicon-based high-throughput sequencing technology is feasible as a supplementary method for the pathogenic detection of viral encephalitis.It is also a useful tool for the high-volume screening of clinical samples.

Objective:To construct a signature for identifying active tuberculosis (TB) based on the relative expression orderings (REOs) of gene expression within a single sample.Methods:Using peripheral whole blood samples from 75 active TB and 69 latently infected individuals from four datasets as the training set, and highly stable REO patterns were extracted from the gene expression profile of the two groups of samples. Then, the gene pairs that reversed the REO pattern between the two groups were selected, and each gene pair was ranked in descending order based on their reversal degree. Finally, the top k gene pairs with the highest classification accuracy were selected as the signature for independent dataset validation. Results:A signature composed of seven gene pairs, denoted as 7-GPS, was constructed from the training set. The accuracy rate for 7-GPS to distinguish active TB from latently infected samples was 88.89%, and the accuracy rate for distinguishing active TB from normal samples was 90.09%. In the mixed validation data from different detection platforms, the AUC value for distinguishing active TB from latently infected samples was 0.914 (95% CI: 0.881-0.948), and the AUC value for distinguishing active TB from normal samples was 0.934 (95% CI: 0.904-0.964). In addition, the four genes ETV7, BATF2, ANKRD22 and CARD17P from this signature tended to be highly expressed in peripheral blood samples of active TB, and their expression values were significantly related to the duration of anti-tuberculosis treatment in clinical. Conclusion:The 7-GPS signature is robust and suitable for individualized analysis of a single peripheral blood sample. It has certain clinical application potential.