AIM:To determine the effects and mechanisms of interleukin-22 (IL-22) on the fibroblast-like sy-noviocytes ( FLSs) from rheumatoid arthritis ( RA) patients.METHODS:RA-FLSs were cultured by tissue culture meth-od.RA-FLSs were incubated with different concentrations of IL-22 (0,1,10,100μg/L) for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h.The cell viability was examined by CCK-8 assay.IL-22 at concentration of 10 μg/L was used to stimulate RA-FLSs for 24 h, and the change of cell cycle distribution was identified by flow cytometry.The effects of IL-22 at concentrations of 0, 1, 10, 100μg/L and/or STA-21 (a STAT3 inhibitor at concentrations of 0, 25, 50μmol/L) on the protein levels of Bcl-2 and p-STAT3 in the RA-FLSs were determined by Western blot.RESULTS:Compared with control group, stimulation of rhIL-22 at different concentrations for 24 h, 48 h and 72 h, the cells viabilityof RA-FLSs were obviously increased ( P<0.05 ) . After co-cultured with 10 μg/L rhIL-22 for 24 h, the percentages of RA-FLSs were obviously increased in the G2/M+S phase and decreased in the G0/G1 phase.At the same time, rhIL-22 increased, but STA-21 decreased the protein levels of Bcl-2 but p-STAT3 in the RA-FLSs obviously (P<0.05).Treatment with STAT3 inhibitor STA-21 reversed the effect of IL-22-induced Bcl-2 upregulation in the RA-FLSs ( P<0.01 ) .CONCLUSION: STAT3 is critical in the process of IL-22-induced Bcl-2 upregulation in RA-FLSs, indicating that IL-22 may play a role in the apoptosis of RA-FLSs.

Objective To investigate any potential and independent demographic and serologic risk factors contributing to bone destruction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA) . Methods A total of 445 patients with RA were recruited in this study. Three autoantibodies including rheumatoid factor ( RF) , anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody ( anti-CCP antibody) and anti-citrullinated alpha-enolase peptide 1 antibody ( anti-CEP-1 antibody) were quantified by using specific ELISA kits. The hand radiographs of all subjects were graded by using the modified Sharp/van der Heijde score ( Sharp score) . The potential and in-dependent risk factors were assessed by using univariate linear regression analyses and the stepwise multiple regression analysis, respectively. Results Based upon the univariate regression analyses, 7 covariates were identified as the potential risk factors for bone destruction in patients with RA, which were female (β=0. 100, P=0. 035), longer disease duration (β=0. 498, P=3. 26×10-29), RF (β=0. 096, P=0. 042), younger age at onset (β=-0. 312, P=1. 60 × 10-11 ), anti-CCP antibody positive (β=0. 202, P=1.74×10-5), anti-CEP-1 antibody positive (β=0.148, P=0.017) and positive for either anti-CCP or anti-CEP-1 antibodies (β=0. 157, P=1. 42×10-3). However, smoking (β=-0. 121, P=0. 018) were identi-fied as the potential protective factors. The multiple regression analysis indicated that the longer disease du-ration (P=2. 24×10-15) and anti-CCP antibody positive (P=0. 012) were independent risk factors for bone destruction. Conclusion Female, longer disease duration, younger age at onset, RF, anti-CCP and anti-CEP-1antibodies are potential risk factors for bone damage in patients with RA. Moreover, longer disease du-ration and anti-CCP antibody are two independent risk factors contributing to bone destruction in RA.

Objective:To prepare ketoprofen-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles ( SLN) and evaluate the properties. Methods: The formula was optimized by orthogonal experiments with the encapsulation efficiency as the index. The optimal preparation was investiga-ted by the morphology, particle size, zeta potential and drug forms. The release property was characterized by a dialysis method and the release process was fitted. Results: The best formula was as follows: poloxamer 0. 1g, Tween-800. 2g, lecithin 0. 15g, glycerol monostearate 0. 05g and ketoprofen 50mg. The particles were spherical in shape with the encapsulation efficiency of 61. 95%, the par-ticle size was 151. 7 nm and the zeta potential was-30. 2 mV. The result of DSC indicated the drug dispersed in the lipid matrix was a-morphous and molecular state. The in-vitro release curve showed the release was rapid at the early stage and then slowed down with the accumulated amount up to (85. 11 ± 7. 62)% in 12h. The drug was released slowly from SLN with the matrix erosion. The release pro-file fitted well with a Higuchi equation. Conclusion: The solid lipid nanoparticles containing ketoprofen exhibit good quality and the preparation method is simple and feasible, therefore, it is valuable to be further studied.

Objective:To prepare ketoprofen-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles ( SLN) and evaluate the properties. Methods: The formula was optimized by orthogonal experiments with the encapsulation efficiency as the index. The optimal preparation was investiga-ted by the morphology, particle size, zeta potential and drug forms. The release property was characterized by a dialysis method and the release process was fitted. Results: The best formula was as follows: poloxamer 0. 1g, Tween-800. 2g, lecithin 0. 15g, glycerol monostearate 0. 05g and ketoprofen 50mg. The particles were spherical in shape with the encapsulation efficiency of 61. 95%, the par-ticle size was 151. 7 nm and the zeta potential was-30. 2 mV. The result of DSC indicated the drug dispersed in the lipid matrix was a-morphous and molecular state. The in-vitro release curve showed the release was rapid at the early stage and then slowed down with the accumulated amount up to (85. 11 ± 7. 62)% in 12h. The drug was released slowly from SLN with the matrix erosion. The release pro-file fitted well with a Higuchi equation. Conclusion: The solid lipid nanoparticles containing ketoprofen exhibit good quality and the preparation method is simple and feasible, therefore, it is valuable to be further studied.

Objective:To optimize the alcohol extraction process of herbal pair puerarin-berberine.Methods:Based on the etha-nol reflux extraction,the extraction quantity of total flavonoids,total alkaloid,puerarin and berberine hydrochloride were used as the e-valuation index,and the independent variables included the drug particle,ratio of solid to liquid, ethanol concentration, reflux dura-tion and reflux times. Significance analysis was evaluated by Plackett-Burman design,and then the extraction process was optimized by Box-Behnken response surface methodology.Results:The optimal extraction conditions of drug pair puerarin-berberine were as follows:the drug particle was 80 mesh,the ratio of solid to liquid was 1:13,the ethanol concentration was 75%,the reflux time was 60 min, and the reflux times was 4. Under the above conditions, the extraction quantity of total flavonoids, alkaloid, puerarin and berberine hydrochloride was 120.34,56.99,109.63 and 39.26 mg ·ml-1, respectively.Conclusion: The extraction process of herbal pair puerarin-berberine is reasonable and feasible optimized by Plackett-Burman design and Box-Behnken response surface methodology.

Objective To prepare curcumin-loaded(CUR)mesoporous silica nanoparticles(MSN)modified by polydopamine(PDA),and study their pharmaceutical properties,drug release in vitro and antitumor activity in vitro.Methods Mesoporous silica nanoparticles were synthesized by template method and modified with PDA.The pharmaceutical properties of the nanoparticles were investigated.The responsive release of drug-loaded preparations at different pH was studied.The biocompatibility of the carrier and the inhibition rate of cell growth in vitro of the drug-loaded preparations were evaluated.The uptake of the drug-loaded preparations by tumor cells was examined.Results The particle size of MSN was uniform.After the PDA modification,the drug release rate of CUR@MSN-PDA was significantly dependent on pH.The results of biocompatibility experiments showed that,the cell survival rate was above 85％after co-cultured with MDA-MB-231 cells for 24 h.The results of in vitro tumor cell growth inhibition test showed that,the growth inhibition rate of CUR@MSN-PDA on tumor cells was significantly higher than that of CUR@MSN.The results of cell uptake showed that the fluorescent strength of CUR@MSN-PDA in the cell was significantly stronger than that of the CUR@MSN.Conclusion The nano-carrier constructed has significant pH response and enhanced anti-tumor activity,which can provide a theoretical basis for the drug delivery of CUR.

Objective Find abnormal changes of plasma lipid metabolism-related proteins before 20 weeks of gestation in patients with hypertensive disorder of pregnancy(HDP), and preliminarily investigate the role of plasma apolipoprotein C4 elevation in HDP. Methods A nested case-control study was used. The plasma were collected from pregnant women who underwent routine prenatal examination in Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center from November 2014 to March 2017. Label-free mass spectrometry was used to detect the differences in plasma lipid metabolism-related proteins before 20 weeks of gestation between 12 pairs of HDP patients and normal controls, and different 48 pairs of samples were used for verification. The protein with the most significant difference multiples was screened to study its effects on monolayer permeability and nitric oxide secretion of endothelial cells. One-way ANOVA was used for comparison between groups, and P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant difference. Results Compared with the control, the lipid metabolism-related proteins, APOC4, Fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), Apolipoprotein E (APOE), Apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) and Beta-2-glycoprotein 1(APOH) raised to 1.94, 1.82, 1.59, 1.55 and 1.38 times, phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) decreased to 0.78 times in plasma before 20 weeks of pregnancy of patients with HDP (t value were 2.499, 2.497, 2.081, 2.098, 2.426 and 2.564, respectively, P<0.05). Cell experiments results showed that 50 ng / ml APOC4 significantly increased 20％ HUVEC single layer cell permeability to FITC-labeled dextran (F=455.4, P<0.01), and significantly decreased the level of nitric oxide in the supernatant of HUVEC culture by 25％ (F=61.92, P<0.01). Conclusions Before diagnosis, plasma protein levels involved in lipid metabolism in HDP patients have been changed, resulting in abnormal lipid metabolism. APOC4 can increase the permeability of vascular endothelial cells, inhibit endothelial source of NO secretion, cause endothelial dysfunction.

Objective:To search for circulating complement-related proteins that predict hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) based on reports of the development of gestational hypertension and proteinuria and to investigate the role of the complement system in the development of HDP.Methods:A nested case-control study was used, the serum samples of pregnant women who had been given birth or cesarean section in Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center from November 2014 to March 2017 were collected. A total of 60 HDP and 60 normal pregnant women were included and matched 1∶1 by age and gestational week. Unlabeled mass spectrometry was used to screen the differential expression of complement factors in serum samples of 12 pairs of HDP patients and normal pregnancy collected before 20 weeks of pregnancy, and another 48 pairs of serum samples of HDP patients and normal pregnant women were used for preliminary verification. It was selected when the fold change (FC) of complement factor expression was>1.2 or <0.8 and P<0.05. ROC curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of corresponding factors. Results:FC of serum C1s, C8 beta chain (C8β) and C1 inhibitor (C1-INH) of HDP patients were 1.19, 1.23, 0.73 ( t=2.07, 2.06, -3.40; P<0.05), respectively. FC of serum C1s, C8 β, C1-INH, factor H-related protein 5 (CFHR5), clusterin (CLU), and C-reactive protein (CRP) of PE patients were 1.39, 1.50, 0.72, 2.49,4.38, and 1.82 respectively ( t=4.36, 5.61, -3.70, 6.82, 8.70, 7.27; P<0.05).The AUC of combining C1s, C8 β and C1-INH was 0.89 in HDP. The AUC of CFHR5, CLU, and CRP in preeclampsia was 0.88, 0.92, and 0.91. Conclusions:Before HDP, the activation and regulation of classic complement pathway and alternative pathway were disordered in pregnant women. The combined detection of complement C1s, C8 β and C1-INH is expected to be used in the prediction of HDP, and CFHR5, CLU, and CRP are expected to be used in the prediction of preeclampsia.

Objective:To investigate risk factors for early mortality (EM) in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) and to build an EM-predictive model.Methods:In a cohort of 275 patients with NDMM, risk factors for EM at 6, 12, and 24 months after diagnosis (EM6, EM12, and EM24, respectively) were determined to establish a model to predict EM.Results:The rates of EM6, EM12, and EM24 were 5.5% , 12.7% , and 30.2% , respectively. The most common cause for EM was disease progression/relapse, accounting for 60.0% , 77.1% , and 84.3% of EM6, EM12, and EM24, respectively. EM6 was associated with corrected serum calcium >2.75 mmol/L and platelet count <100×10 9/L, whereas risk factors for EM12 included age >75 years, ISS Ⅲ, R-ISS Ⅲ, corrected serum calcium >2.75 mmol/L, serum creatinine >177 μmol/L, platelet count <100×10 9/L, and bone marrow plasma cell ratio ≥ 60% . In addition to the risk factors for EM12, EM24 was also associated with male sex and 1q21 gain. By multivariate analysis, age >75 years, platelet count <100×10 9/L, and 1q21 gain were independent risk factors for EM24 but there were no independent risk factors significantly associated with EM6 and EM12. Using a scoring system including these three risk factors, a Cox model for EM24 was generated to distinguish patients with low (score<3) and high (score ≥ 3) risk. The sensitivity and specificity of the model were 20.7% and 99.2% , respectively. Further, an internal validation performed in a cohort of 183 patients with NDMM revealed that the probability of EM24 in high-risk patients was 26 times higher than that in low-risk patients. Moreover, this model was also able to predict overall survival. The median overall survival of patients with scores of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 were 59, 41, 22, 17.5, and 16 months, respectively. Conclusion:In the study cohort, the EM6, EM12, and EM24 rates were 5.5% , 12.7% , and 30.2% , respectively, and disease progression or relapse were main causes of EM. An EM24-predictive model built on three independent risk factors for EM24 (age>75 years, platelet count<100×10 9/L, and 1q21 gain) might predict EM risk and overall survival.

In order to establish a rapid,specific and sensitive detection method for Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus(SEZ)and to understand the infection status of SEZ in horses ente-ring China,specific primers were designed and synthesized based on the conserved gene comB of standard strain SEZ(ATCC 43079)in this work.Then,the pMD19-T-comB recombinant plasmid was constructed and used as a standard positive template.After that,the fluorescence-based quantitative PCR(qPCR)detection method based on SYBR Green Ⅰ dye was established.Totally,477 equine entry serum samples from 6 countries,including Netherlands,Belgium,Japan,Germa-ny,Argentina and New Zealand,during 2018 to 2023,were randomly selected and detected for SEZ by the qPCR method.Results showed that the established qPCR method had specific amplification for only SEZ,which illustrated a good specificity.Sensitivity test of the method showed that the limited detection amount was 4.58 X101 copies/μL.And the repeatability test showed that the coef-ficient of variation of intra-batch repeatability was less than 0.5％,while the inter-batch repeat-ability was less than 3.0％,which indicated good repeatability and high stability.Retrospective a-nalysis showed that totally 11 of 477 positive samples were detected,with a relatively low positive rate of 2.31％(11/477).Among them,all the 40 samples from Netherlands in 2018 were negative(0/40).In the samples of 2019,one positive was detected from Belgium(1/20),while all other 36 samples which form Japan and Germany were negative.In the samples of 2021,three samples(3/34)from Japan and one sample(1/20)from Argentina were positive,and all the other 40 samples from the Netherlands were negative.In the samples of 2022,76 samples from Netherlands were all negative.While in the 2023,5(5/126)of 126 samples from Netherlands and one(1/88)of 88 from New Zealand were found positive with SEZ.To summarize,The SYBR Green Ⅰ qPCR method for the diagnosis of SEZ was successfully established,and it could provide necessary technical support for the rapid quarantine of China's entry-exit and port departments,as well as the epidemiological investigation of the disease.