Infection-related glomerulonephritis (IRGN) is an immune-mediated glomerular injury triggered by infectious agents. This article reports a case of immune complex-mediated glomerulonephritis following acute hepatitis B virus infection, which continued to progress despite standard antiviral and immunosuppressive therapy. Given the significant elevation of soluble complement membrane attack complex (sC5b-9), an indicator of terminal complement pathway activation, the patient was treated with eculizumab. Following treatment, the patient's urine protein-to-creatinine ratio significantly decreased, hypoalbuminemia and hematuria markedly improved, and sC5b-9 levels declined. This case suggests that abnormal complement system activation may be a key mechanism driving disease persistence in some patients with IRGN. For those unresponsive to conventional therapy, complement function screening and targeted terminal complement pathway inhibition may represent an effective salvage strategy.

Bladder-preserving treatment has become a research focus due to its potential to balance therapeutic efficacy and quality of life.In recent years,the rapid development of immunotherapy has brought new opportunities for bladder-sparing strategies.In high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer(HR-NMIBC),emerging regimens such as bacillus calmette-guérin-based immunoenhancement,immuno-chemotherapy combinations,targeted therapy,and gene therapy have demonstrated encouraging efficacy and safety in trials like GU-123 and TRUCE-02,with complete remission rate ranging from 42％-100％.In muscle-invasive bladder cancer(MIBC),immunotherapy is being integrated with trimodal therapy,radiotherapy,chemotherapy,and antibody-drug conjugates,as evidenced by studies such as ReBirth and BTCRC-GU15-023,which reported significant improvements in bladder-intact event-free survival,progression-free survival,and complete remission rate.This review summarizes the latest advances in immunotherapy-based bladder-preserving strategies for both HR-NMIBC and MIBC,aiming to provide insights for future individualized treatment approaches.

Pharmacotranscriptomic profiles, which capture drug-induced changes in gene expression, offer vast potential for computational drug discovery and are widely used in modern medicine. However, current computational approaches neglected the associations within gene‒gene functional networks and unrevealed the systematic relationship between drug efficacy and the reversal effect. Here, we developed a new genome-scale functional module (GSFM) transformation framework to quantitatively evaluate drug efficacy for in silico drug discovery. GSFM employs four biologically interpretable quantifiers: GSFM_Up, GSFM_Down, GSFM_ssGSEA, and GSFM_TF to comprehensively evaluate the multi-dimension activities of each functional module (FM) at gene-level, pathway-level, and transcriptional regulatory network-level. Through a data transformation strategy, GSFM effectively converts noisy and potentially unreliable gene expression data into a more dependable FM active matrix, significantly outperforming other methods in terms of both robustness and accuracy. Besides, we found a positive correlation between RS_GSFM and drug efficacy, suggesting that RS_GSFM could serve as representative measure of drug efficacy. Furthermore, we identified WYE-354, perhexiline, and NTNCB as candidate therapeutic agents for the treatment of breast-invasive carcinoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and castration-resistant prostate cancer, respectively. The results from in vitro and in vivo experiments have validated that all identified compounds exhibit potent anti-tumor effects, providing proof-of-concept for our computational approach.

Objective To explore the effects of fecal microbiota transplantation on blood uric acid(UA)metabolism,adverse reactions,and gout control in patients with refractory gout.Methods A total of 102 patients with refractory gout in the First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Shantou University from June 2020 to June 2023 were randomly divided into two groups,with 51 cases in each group.Control group received benzbromarone and febuxostat treatment,while the observation group re-ceived fecal microbiota transplantation.The gout control status and occurrence of adverse reactions were observed in both groups;intestinal flora,UA,levels of C-reactive protein(CRP),interleukin-18(IL-18),interleukin-6(IL-6),and scores of joint pain,swelling and limited mobility were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.Results Five patients in each group were lost to follow-up.The total gout control rate in the observation group was 89.13％,which was significantly higher than 69.57％ in the control group(P＜0.05).At 4 and 12 weeks after treatment,the levels of Escherichia coli,UA,CRP,IL-18 and IL-6 as well as the scores of joint swelling,pain and limited mobility in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group,while the lev-els of Bifidobacterium,Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium to Escherichia coli(B/E)ratio were signifi-cantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.01).The total incidence of adverse reactions was 10.87％ in the observation group and 6.52％ in the control group,with no significant between-group difference(P＞0.05).Conclusion Fecal microbiota transplantation has a definite therapeutic effect for patients with refractory gout,which can significantly reduce UA level and control clinical symptoms,and its mechanism may be related to the correction of intestinal flora imbalance.

Bladder-preserving treatment has become a research focus due to its potential to balance therapeutic efficacy and quality of life.In recent years,the rapid development of immunotherapy has brought new opportunities for bladder-sparing strategies.In high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer(HR-NMIBC),emerging regimens such as bacillus calmette-guérin-based immunoenhancement,immuno-chemotherapy combinations,targeted therapy,and gene therapy have demonstrated encouraging efficacy and safety in trials like GU-123 and TRUCE-02,with complete remission rate ranging from 42％-100％.In muscle-invasive bladder cancer(MIBC),immunotherapy is being integrated with trimodal therapy,radiotherapy,chemotherapy,and antibody-drug conjugates,as evidenced by studies such as ReBirth and BTCRC-GU15-023,which reported significant improvements in bladder-intact event-free survival,progression-free survival,and complete remission rate.This review summarizes the latest advances in immunotherapy-based bladder-preserving strategies for both HR-NMIBC and MIBC,aiming to provide insights for future individualized treatment approaches.

Objective:To explore the causal relationships between human inflammatory proteins and keloids.Methods:This study was based on Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Human inflammatory proteins were considered as the exposure factors, and keloid was considered as the outcome. Data on 91 inflammatory proteins (14 824 samples) and keloids (668 samples) were obtained from the genome-wide association study database. A significance threshold was established to discern single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with inflammatory proteins as instrumental variables with the influence of weak instrumental variables being excluded. For the analysis of a single instrumental variable, the Wald ratio method was used; for the analysis of multiple instrumental variables, the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary method, with the weighted median method, simple mode method, weighted mode method, and MR-Egger method as supplementary methods to employ two-sample MR analysis to analyze the causal relationships between inflammatory proteins and keloids. Using the IVW method, weighted median method, and MR-Egger method to employ multi-sample MR (MVMR) analysis to evaluate the statistically significant inflammatory proteins in the above-mentioned two-sample MR analysis, thus validating their independent causal relationships with keloids. For SNPs of inflammatory proteins conformed to the hypothesis, the Cochran Q test was used to assess heterogeneity, the MR-Egger regression test and MR-PRESSO outlier test were used to evaluate horizontal pleiotropy, and the leave-one-out analysis was performed to assess reliability.Results:Seventy-five inflammatory proteins met the exposure factor criteria, with the number of SNPs reaching a significance threshold ranging from 1 to 7 082 (with F values all >10), indicating minimal potential for weak instrumental variable bias in this study. The IVW method analysis revealed significant causal relationships between eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), CD5, and osteoprotegerin and keloids (with odds ratios of 0.50, 0.61, and 0.71, respectively, 95% confidence intervals of 0.32-0.77, 0.41-0.89, and 0.52-0.97, respectively, P<0.05); the weighted median method confirmed a significant causal relationship between CD5 and keloids (with odds ratio of 0.61, 95% confidence interval of 0.38-0.97, P<0.05); the simple mode method, weighted mode method, and MR-Egger method confirmed no significant causal relationships between CD5 and osteoprotegerin and keloids ( P>0.05). The Wald ratio method analysis revealed a significant causal relationship between programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and keloids (with odds ratio of 1.83, 95% confidence interval of 1.06-3.15, P<0.05). Thus IVW method results were considered as the standard. The IVW method analysis confirmed that 4E-BP1, CD5, osteoprotegerin, and PD-L1 maintained significant causal relationships with keloids (with odds ratios of 0.43, 0.58, 0.70, and 1.95, respectively, 95% confidence intervals of 0.28-0.67, 0.39-0.86, 0.51-0.95, and 1.16-3.27, respectively, P<0.05). The MR-Egger method confirmed significant causal relationships between 4E-BP1 and CD5 and keloids (with odds ratios of 0.41 and 0.58, respectively, 95% confidence intervals of 0.22-0.77 and 0.39-0.88, respectively, P<0.05). The weighted median method confirmed significant causal relationships between 4E-BP1 and PD-L1 and keloids (with odds ratios of 0.46 and 2.06, respectively, 95% confidence intervals of 0.26-0.82 and 1.11-3.81, respectively, P<0.05). The Cochran Q test assessment indicated no significant heterogeneity in the SNPs of CD5 and osteoprotegerin that had significant causal relationships with keloids ( P>0.05). The MR-Egger regression test and MR-PRESSO outlier test showed no significant horizontal pleiotropy in the SNPs of CD5 and osteoprotegerin that had significant causal relationships with keloids ( P>0.05). The leave-one-out analysis confirmed that the significant causal relationships between CD5 and osteoprotegerin and keloids remained stable after sequentially removing individual SNP. Conclusions:Two-sample MR analysis and MVMR analysis confirmed significant causal relationships between 4E-BP1, CD5, and osteoprotegerin and keloids, all of which are protective factors for keloids.

Objective:To construct a VP8-mRNA vaccine using human rotavirus spike protein VP8 domain as the immunogen and analyze its immunogenicity in mice.Methods:The VP8-mRNA sequence was designed, optimized, and synthesized. The VP8 gene of rotavirus G1P[8] type was used to construct the plasmid pUC57-VP8-Kan-SapⅠ, which was then sequenced. The plasmid confirmed by sequencing was subjected to large-scale amplification and extraction, followed by linearization, in vitro transcription, and capping. The purified capped products were encapsulated with lipid nanoparticles using a microfluidic control apparatus. The encapsulated VP8-mRNA vaccine was administered intramuscularly to mice at 10, 15, and 20 μg. Serum samples were collected for antibody detection by ELISA. Cellular immune responses were detected by flow cytometry and ELISPOT. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way or two-way analysis of variance and Tukey-Kramer test. Results:The encapsulated VP8-mRNA vaccine was rounded and spherical, with a particle size of about 100 nm, a polymer dispersion index of 0.088, and an encapsulation rate of 92.3%. Two doses of VP8-mRNA vaccine immunization could induce a good immune response in mice. The level of IgG antibody induced after immunization in the 15 μg group was comparable to that of the 20 μg group, and there was no statistical difference ( P>0.05), but the antibody levels in the two groups were significantly higher than that in the 10 μg group ( P<0.000 1). VP8-mRNA vaccine could induce neutralizing antibodies against rotavirus G1 and G9 types. The highest level of neutralizing antibodies against rotavirus type G1 was observed in the 15 μg group, which was significantly higher than that in the 10 μg group ( P<0.05). All immunization groups exhibited good neutralizing ability against rotavirus G9 type. The results of ELISPOT showed that lymphocytes from mice in each vaccine group were able to secrete IFN-γ when stimulated with VP8 peptide. Flow cytometry showed that the proportions of CD8 + T cell subsets in the vaccine groups were higher than that in the control group. Conclusion:The VP8-mRNA vaccine has good immunogenicity in mice and can induce good humoral and T-cell immune responses.

Objective:To construct a VP8-mRNA vaccine using human rotavirus spike protein VP8 domain as the immunogen and analyze its immunogenicity in mice.Methods:The VP8-mRNA sequence was designed, optimized, and synthesized. The VP8 gene of rotavirus G1P[8] type was used to construct the plasmid pUC57-VP8-Kan-SapⅠ, which was then sequenced. The plasmid confirmed by sequencing was subjected to large-scale amplification and extraction, followed by linearization, in vitro transcription, and capping. The purified capped products were encapsulated with lipid nanoparticles using a microfluidic control apparatus. The encapsulated VP8-mRNA vaccine was administered intramuscularly to mice at 10, 15, and 20 μg. Serum samples were collected for antibody detection by ELISA. Cellular immune responses were detected by flow cytometry and ELISPOT. Statistical analysis was performed using one-way or two-way analysis of variance and Tukey-Kramer test. Results:The encapsulated VP8-mRNA vaccine was rounded and spherical, with a particle size of about 100 nm, a polymer dispersion index of 0.088, and an encapsulation rate of 92.3%. Two doses of VP8-mRNA vaccine immunization could induce a good immune response in mice. The level of IgG antibody induced after immunization in the 15 μg group was comparable to that of the 20 μg group, and there was no statistical difference ( P>0.05), but the antibody levels in the two groups were significantly higher than that in the 10 μg group ( P<0.000 1). VP8-mRNA vaccine could induce neutralizing antibodies against rotavirus G1 and G9 types. The highest level of neutralizing antibodies against rotavirus type G1 was observed in the 15 μg group, which was significantly higher than that in the 10 μg group ( P<0.05). All immunization groups exhibited good neutralizing ability against rotavirus G9 type. The results of ELISPOT showed that lymphocytes from mice in each vaccine group were able to secrete IFN-γ when stimulated with VP8 peptide. Flow cytometry showed that the proportions of CD8 + T cell subsets in the vaccine groups were higher than that in the control group. Conclusion:The VP8-mRNA vaccine has good immunogenicity in mice and can induce good humoral and T-cell immune responses.

Objective:To explore the causal relationships between human inflammatory proteins and keloids.Methods:This study was based on Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. Human inflammatory proteins were considered as the exposure factors, and keloid was considered as the outcome. Data on 91 inflammatory proteins (14 824 samples) and keloids (668 samples) were obtained from the genome-wide association study database. A significance threshold was established to discern single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) significantly associated with inflammatory proteins as instrumental variables with the influence of weak instrumental variables being excluded. For the analysis of a single instrumental variable, the Wald ratio method was used; for the analysis of multiple instrumental variables, the inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary method, with the weighted median method, simple mode method, weighted mode method, and MR-Egger method as supplementary methods to employ two-sample MR analysis to analyze the causal relationships between inflammatory proteins and keloids. Using the IVW method, weighted median method, and MR-Egger method to employ multi-sample MR (MVMR) analysis to evaluate the statistically significant inflammatory proteins in the above-mentioned two-sample MR analysis, thus validating their independent causal relationships with keloids. For SNPs of inflammatory proteins conformed to the hypothesis, the Cochran Q test was used to assess heterogeneity, the MR-Egger regression test and MR-PRESSO outlier test were used to evaluate horizontal pleiotropy, and the leave-one-out analysis was performed to assess reliability.Results:Seventy-five inflammatory proteins met the exposure factor criteria, with the number of SNPs reaching a significance threshold ranging from 1 to 7 082 (with F values all >10), indicating minimal potential for weak instrumental variable bias in this study. The IVW method analysis revealed significant causal relationships between eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4E-BP1), CD5, and osteoprotegerin and keloids (with odds ratios of 0.50, 0.61, and 0.71, respectively, 95% confidence intervals of 0.32-0.77, 0.41-0.89, and 0.52-0.97, respectively, P<0.05); the weighted median method confirmed a significant causal relationship between CD5 and keloids (with odds ratio of 0.61, 95% confidence interval of 0.38-0.97, P<0.05); the simple mode method, weighted mode method, and MR-Egger method confirmed no significant causal relationships between CD5 and osteoprotegerin and keloids ( P>0.05). The Wald ratio method analysis revealed a significant causal relationship between programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and keloids (with odds ratio of 1.83, 95% confidence interval of 1.06-3.15, P<0.05). Thus IVW method results were considered as the standard. The IVW method analysis confirmed that 4E-BP1, CD5, osteoprotegerin, and PD-L1 maintained significant causal relationships with keloids (with odds ratios of 0.43, 0.58, 0.70, and 1.95, respectively, 95% confidence intervals of 0.28-0.67, 0.39-0.86, 0.51-0.95, and 1.16-3.27, respectively, P<0.05). The MR-Egger method confirmed significant causal relationships between 4E-BP1 and CD5 and keloids (with odds ratios of 0.41 and 0.58, respectively, 95% confidence intervals of 0.22-0.77 and 0.39-0.88, respectively, P<0.05). The weighted median method confirmed significant causal relationships between 4E-BP1 and PD-L1 and keloids (with odds ratios of 0.46 and 2.06, respectively, 95% confidence intervals of 0.26-0.82 and 1.11-3.81, respectively, P<0.05). The Cochran Q test assessment indicated no significant heterogeneity in the SNPs of CD5 and osteoprotegerin that had significant causal relationships with keloids ( P>0.05). The MR-Egger regression test and MR-PRESSO outlier test showed no significant horizontal pleiotropy in the SNPs of CD5 and osteoprotegerin that had significant causal relationships with keloids ( P>0.05). The leave-one-out analysis confirmed that the significant causal relationships between CD5 and osteoprotegerin and keloids remained stable after sequentially removing individual SNP. Conclusions:Two-sample MR analysis and MVMR analysis confirmed significant causal relationships between 4E-BP1, CD5, and osteoprotegerin and keloids, all of which are protective factors for keloids.