1.The status of peripheral CD4 + T subsets in patients with rheumatism and their changes after immuno-modulatory combination therapies
Jiaqian ZHANG ; Shengxiao ZHANG ; Jun QIAO ; Mengting QIU ; Xiaofeng LI
Chinese Journal of Rheumatology 2021;25(6):368-372
Objective:To examinethe absolute numbers of cluster of differentiation (CD4) + T cell subsets in peripheral blood of patients with rheumatism and further to develop a new immunomodulatory therapies which aimed to restore their imbalanced CD4 + T lymphocyte subpopulation. Methods:A total of 6 395 rheumatic patients [4 430 females, 1 965 males, mean age (49±15) years] and 206 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this retrospective cross-sectional study, which included rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Psoriatic arthritis (PsA), systemic sclerosis (SSc), primary Sj?gren′s syndrome (pSS), Be?het's disease (BD), dermatomyositis/polymyositis (DM/PM), gout and vasculitis. Some patients received treatment combined with immunoregulatory drugs (IMiDs) such as low-dose interleukin (IL)-2, rapamycin, metformin, retinoic acid and coenzyme Q10. The absolute numbers of T helper cell (Th)1, Th2, Th17 and regulatory T cell (Treg) in peripheral blood (PB) of these individuals were measured by Flow Cytometery (FCM). Independent sample t test and paired sample t test were used to compare the levels of CD4 + T cell subsets in PB of patients and HCs, before and after treatment respectively, and P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results:Compared with HCs, the mean absolute number of Treg was significantly decreased [(31±15) cell/μl vs (27±17) cell/μl, t=3.407, P<0.01] and the ratio of Th17/Treg was increased in all patients [(0.3±0.2) vs ( 0.4±0.7), t=-9.508, P<0.01]. There was a significant increase in the number of Th17 in patients with AS [(10±8) cell/μl, t=-5.403, P<0.01], PsA[ (11±11) cell/μl, t=-3.829, P<0.01], SSc [(7±6) cell/μl, t=3.114, P<0.01], BD [(11±9) cell/μl), t=-4.774, P<0.01] and gout [(11±9) cell/μl, t= -4.604, P<0.01) , and we observed lower level of Treg in patients with RA[(28±15) cell/μl, t=3.032, P<0.01], SLE [(21±21) cell/μl, t=6.836, P<0.01], AS [(28±15) cell/μl, t=2.216, P<0.05], SSc [(27±16) cell/μl, t=3.698, P<0.05], BD [(27±17) cell/μl, t=2.502, P<0.05], DM/PM [(27±22) cell/μl, t=2.974, P<0.01) and gout [(28±15) cell/μl, t=2.079, P<0.05). After IMiDs combination treatment, the levels of CD4 + T subsets were increased. Interestingly, the expansion of Treg was much more dramatical than those of other effector T cells, resulting in a decrease in ratios of Th17/Treg, especially in SLE [(0.6±1.0) vs (0.5±0.4), t=3.157 , P<0.01]. Conclusion:Impaired balance of pro- and anti-inflammatory immune cells, especially insufficiency of Treg, might be a cornerstone of the pathogenesis of rheumatism. The new immunomodulatory therapies could relatively specifically promote Treg proliferation and restored patients' autoimmune tolerance, which isexpected to provide a new strategy for the treatment of rheumatism.
2.Trausurethral bipolar plasmakinetic resection in treating urethral stricture:a clinical analysis in 46 cases
Hongfeng SHEN ; Shuyong YU ; Lin XIONG ; Lijun ZHANG ; Shengxiao CHEN
Chinese Journal of Primary Medicine and Pharmacy 2008;15(4):560-561
Objective To investigate the safety and effectiveness of transurethral bipolar plasmakinefic resection in treating urethral stricture. Methods Totally 46 patients with urethral stricture were treated with transurethral bipolar plasmakinetic resection, and they were followed up for 3~12 months to observe the clinical effects. Results The segments of urethral scar were accurately incised and resected in all the 46 cases,24~26F bougies could pass through the urethra smoothly, and miction should be kept unobstructed. Totally 41 cases were followed up postoperatively, the maximal flow rate(Qmax) was ( 18.6±4.1 ) ml/s, which was obviously ameliorated as compared with that before operation(t=14.25, P<0.05);sexual function had no obvious changes before and after operation;no serious complications of urethral massive bleeding, urinary incontinence, fistula of urethral diverticulum,urethral perforation, rectal injury, etc. was observed. Conclusion Transurethral bipolar plasmakinetic resection is an effective method for treating urethral stricture, because it has fewer complications, faster postoperative recovery and lower recurrence.
3.Study on the relationship between intestinal flora and peripheral blood cytokines in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Xufang YIN ; Mingxing ZHANG ; Shengxiao ZHANG ; Jia WANG ; Yifan ZHANG ; Yuan LI ; Xiaohong XIN ; Xiaofeng LI
Chinese Journal of Rheumatology 2021;25(1):1-7,c1-1,c1-2
Objective:To detect the characteristics of bacteria in the feces of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to further discover the relationship between intestinal flora and the status of peripheral cytokine, which might be able to provide new ideas for clinical treatment.Methods:The bacterial diversity and abundance of 111 RA patients and 100 age-and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) were detected by 16S high-throughput sequencing platform and compared. Based on the 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing platform, the 16S rDNA V3 region in the participants' fecal specimens were analyzed and compared to screen for different bacterial groups. Alpha diversity was analyzed by the mothur software and the screening for different flora was tested by using Mann-Whitney, and the relationship between intestinal flora and peripheral cytokines were analyzed, too.Results:There was no significant difference in gender ( χ2=0.005, P=0.947) and age ( t=0.728, P=0.467) between the two groups. Patients with RA had a lower chao1 index ( Z=-2.188, P=0.029) and ACE index ( Z=-2.078, P=0.038) of species richness, and the Shannon index ( Z=-2.064, P=0.039) and Simpion index ( Z=-2.064, P=0.039) of diversity index in the feces compared with those of HC. At the genus level, the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium ( Z=-2.388, P=0.017), Lactobacillus ( Z=-2.543, P=0.011), Clostridium sensu stricto ( Z=-3.842, P<0.01), Blautia ( Z=-2.064, P=0.039) , Clostridium Ⅺ ( Z=-2.682, P<0.01), Turicibacter ( Z=-2.437, P=0.015), Phascolarctobacterium ( Z=-3.524, P<0.01), Megasphaera ( Z=-2.87, P<0.01), Veillonella ( Z=-2.472, P=0.013), Citrobacter ( Z=-3.263, P<0.01) and Escherichia/Shigella ( Z=-4.265, P<0.01) in RA were significantly higher than those of HC ( P<0.05), Butyricimonas ( Z=-3.071, P=0.002), Odorbacter ( Z=-2.257, P=0.024), Blautia ( Z=-2.064, P=0.039), Clostridium_ⅩⅣb ( Z=-2.901, P<0.01), Lachnospiracea_incertae sedis ( Z=-2.159, P=0.031), Acetivibrio ( Z=-2.995, P<0.01), Butyricicoccus ( Z=-2.162, P=0.031) and Gemmiger ( Z=-2.949, P<0.01) relative abundance were significantly decreased in RA patients ( P<0.05). LEfSe analysis showed γ-proteobacteria and Lachnospiraceaehad the most significant difference between the two groups. Further, patients with high inflammatory cytokines such as IL-17 and TNF-α hada higher relative abundance of Prevotella. Conclusion:The diversity and abundance of intestinal flora in RA patients are significantly different from those of healthy population, which is closely related to the levels of inflammatory cytokines, suggesting imbalance of intestinal flora might be involved in the occurrence and development of RA.
4.Auxiliary reference significance of Blumensaat line for knee joint disease
Xiangyun CHENG ; Shengxiao ZHANG ; Wanquan CAO ; Gang WANG ; Yanhui LU ; Hong ZHU ; Ziquan YANG
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2016;20(44):6682-6688
BACKGROUND:With the development of sports medicine and research of radiologic imaging techniques, Blumensaat line (the radio-opaque line at the roof of the intercondylar notch) has been paid increasing attention. Blumensaat line is considered as measurement indexes of knee diseases. Taking advantage of the Blumensaat line, many surgeons and radiography physicians are trying to diagnose some knee diseases. OBJECTIVE:According to the knowledge about Blumensaat line in auxiliary diagnosis of knee disease, we hoped that it wil have a wide application in clinic. METHODS:A computer-based online search of CBM, CNKI, Wangfang Database and PubMed between 2000 and 2015 was performed for articles addressing Blumensaat line. We summarized its application as different diagnostic indicators. The key words were patel a alta, Blumensaat line, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and ACL reconstruction. Thirty-nine studies were accorded with the inclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Blumensaat line represents the tangential y hit part of the roof in the intercondylar fossa. The line can be used for diagnosing ACL injuries and directing ACL restruction. (1) Blumensaat line and patel a alta:Patel a heights can be measured with the use of Blumensaat method, modified Blumensaat method and modified Blumensaat ratio. Modified Blumensaat ratio was found by Japanese researchers in 2014 and it is efficient. (2) Blumensaat line and ACL injuries:Blumensaat angle is formed by Blumensaat line and ACL. If this angle is negative or it is greater than 15°, we can draw a conclusion that the ACL was hurt. (3) Harner’s method can be used for choosing an accurate isometric point and a perfect bone tunnel’s angel in ACL reconstruction.
5.Effects of sulforaphane on anxiety and fear memory in AD mice and its oxidative stress mechanism
Qichao GAO ; Weiran LI ; Shengxiao ZHANG ; Shifan CHAI ; Xinrui ZHAO ; Zhaojun WANG
Chinese Journal of Behavioral Medicine and Brain Science 2021;30(5):385-390
Objective:To explore the effects of sulforaphane (SFN), an activator of Nrf2, on anxiety and fear memory in Alzheimer's disease(AD) model mice and mechanism.Methods:The AD mice and wild type (WT) mice with the same background were randomly divided into four groups ( n=12 for each group): wild type + normal saline group (WT+ NS), wild type + sulforaphane (WT+ SFN), AD model + normal saline group (AD+ NS) and AD model + sulforaphane group (AD+ SFN). SFN was dissolved in normal saline (0.9% NaCl) and prepared solution with concentration of 1 g/L.According to body weight, mice in WT+ SFN group and AD+ SFN group were intraperitoneally injected with SFN (10 mg/kg), and mice in WT+ NS group and AD+ NS group were intraperitoneally injected with the same volume of normal saline once a day for 30 days.The open field test was used to detect the autonomous exploration ability and anxious behavior of mice.The elevated cross maze was used to detect the anxiety of mice.Conditional fear test was used to test the fear memory behavior of mice.Finally, the expression of superoxide dismutase(SOD) and malondialdehyde(MDA) in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex were detected by ELISA.Two-way ANOVA analysis was performed using GraphPad Prism 8.0.2 software. Results:In the open field test, the percentage of time in central region in AD+ SFN group ((9.99+ 0.37)%) was higher than that of AD+ NS group ((8.47+ 0.42)%) ( q=3.842, P<0.05). In the elevated cross maze, the percentage of time in open arm of AD+ SFN group ((26.2±1.6)%) was higher than that in AD+ NS group ((15.8±1.0)%) ( q=7.452, P<0.01). In the conditional fear test, all the mice of the four groups developed the fear memory, but AD+ SFN group showed higher freezing time ratio ((64.5±3.8)%) than AD+ NS group ((51.0±4.3)%)( q=5.266, P<0.01) in the testing stage.After SFN intervention, the important indicator of oxidative stress, the expression levels of SOD in hippocampus ( q=6.370, P<0.01) and cortex ( q=7.858, P<0.01) of AD mice increased, while the level of MDA in hippocampus ( q=5.146, P<0.05) and cortex ( q=5.833, P<0.01) decreased. Conclusion:SFN may inhibit oxidative stress through Nrf2 pathway, thereby improving anxiety and fear memory in AD mice.
6.Research progress on the mechanism of action of endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibitors
Luge HAO ; Qi ZHANG ; Shengxiao ZHANG ; Caiyun SHI ; Wei LI
Chinese Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology 2023;37(7):508-508
Endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS)is closely related to the mechanisms of multiple diseases,and regulation of ERS has become a therapeutic target for several diseases.Previous studies by our group have demonstrated that ERS can be alleviated and neuronal cells can be protected by downregulating ERS-related proteins such as GRP78,caspase12 and caspase3.The research on ERS inhibitors has progressed rapidly in recent years,and they can be classified into various types such as molecular chaperones,small molecule compounds and natural products,such as 4-phenylbutyric acid(4-PBA),tauroursodeoxycholic acid(TUDCA)and tumor necrosis factor α-stimulating factor 6(TSG-6),etc.These inhibitors can regulate the ERS signaling pathway through different pathways,such as:silent information regulator 1(SIRT1)promotes the expression of anti-apop-totic proteins by inhibiting the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway,thus reducing apoptosis.In addition,SIRT1 deacetylates XBP-1,regulates the IRE1α-XBP1 signaling pathway,and inhibits the expressions of GRP78 and CHOP,thereby reducing the protein load of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)and alleviating ERS;PDE4 inhibitor regu-lates c-Jun-mediated apoptotic pathway,reduces the interaction between IRE1 and TRAF2,and attenuates the level of c-Jun phosphorylation,thereby restoring ER homeostasis.In addition,PDE4 inhibitor activates the antioxidant-acting Nrf-2 pathway,decreases the concen-tration of intracellular calcium ion and reduces the pro-duction of ROS;TSG-6 exerts anti-inflammatory effects by regulating the secretion of inflammatory factors through PERK-eIF-2α-NF-κB p65 and IRE1α-TRAF2-NF-κB p65 signaling pathways.In-depth exploration of the potential mechanism of action of ERS inhibitors is of great signifi-cance for finding ways to treat related diseases by regu-lating ERS.
7.Investigation on endoplasmic reticulum stress mech-anism of ischemic stroke based on network pharma-cology
Caiyun SHI ; Qi ZHANG ; Luge HAO ; Shengxiao ZHANG ; Wei LI ; Lixia SHEN
Chinese Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology 2023;37(7):508-509
OBJECTIVE To investigate the mecha-nism of endoplasmic reticulum stress in cerebral isch-emic stroke from a theoretical perspective based on net-work pharmacology.METHODS GeneCards and OMIM databases were used to screen out the related targets of cerebral ischemic stroke and endoplasmic reticulum stress.And Venny2.1.0 was used to draw Venn's diagram to get the intersecting genes between cerebral ischemic stroke and endoplasmic reticulum stress.String data-base was used to get the protein-protein interaction(PPI)diagram and cytoscape was used for visualization analy-sis.The key genes were screened out by cytohubba plug-in,and enrichment analysis was performed.RESULTS Network pharmacology showed that there were 3744 cerebral ischemic stroke-related targets and 8675 endo-plasmic reticulum stress-related targets.After screening,41 common targets were got.There were 37 nodes,390 edges in the PPI network,namely,there were 37 interact-ing proteins and 390 interacting relationships.The key genes identified by cytohubba plug-in were IL-6,ALB,INS,TNF,AKT1,CASP3,MAPK3,TP53,SIRT1 and VEGF.The biological process involves reaction to oxida-tive stress,the regulation of neuron death,and negative regulation of cell differentiation,etc.;cellular components were related to the membrane raft,smooth endoplasmic reticulum,endoplasmic reticulum lumen and other com-ponents;molecular function aspects were related to sig-naling receptor activator activity,chaperone binding and protease binding.Enrichment analysis of pathway revealed that the intersecting targets were involved in PI3K/Akt pathway and protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum,etc.CONCLUSION The endoplasmic reticu-lum stress in cerebral ischemic stroke is related to the bi-ological processes of reaction to oxidative stress,the reg-ulation of neuron death,and negative regulation of cell differentiation,the mechanism may be related to neuroin-flammation and apoptosis.
8.Research progress in the role of endoplasmic reticu-lum stress in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury
Qi ZHANG ; Luge HAO ; Shengxiao ZHANG ; Caiyun SHI ; Wei LI
Chinese Journal of Pharmacology and Toxicology 2023;37(7):509-509
During cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury(CIRI),endoplasmic reticulum stress(ERS)leads to the development and progression of a series of deleterious physiological responses such as oxidative stress,dis-turbed calcium ion homeostasis,inflammation,apoptosis and autophagy.The unfolded protein response(UPR)is the main pathway activated by ERS,which regulates the expression of related factors within the endoplasmic reticu-lum(ER)and reduces protein translation levels.Prolonged and intense ERS may lead to cell death.Excessive ERS induces apoptosis mediated by C/EBP homologous pro-tein(CHOP),caspase-12 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase(JNK),thereby exacerbating brain damage.The thresh-old for the transition from adaptive mechanisms to apop-totic mechanisms during ERS depends on multiple fac-tors,including the cell status and environment,signaling pathway activity status,cumulative cascade,and the dose and time of ERS inducers.Further research is needed to completely elucidate the mechanism of ERS.Although the factors associated with the PERK and ATF6 path-ways are less extensively studied,their regulators still exist.Deficiency of protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B(PTP1B)leads to increased phosphorylation of PERK-eIF2α,while regulation of the proteasome and regulation of the XBP1 target gene WFS1 may also affect ATF6 sta-bility.In addition,differences in the structure,gene expres-sion,and metabolism of different types of neurons,as well as in their internal environment,may lead to differ-ences in their response to and impact on ERS.Differenc-es in UPR signaling pathways occur in hippocampal neurons and medial thalamic cells,and Purkinje cells and pyramidal cells may be more sensitive to ERS than other types of neurons.Our group's previous study found that ERS induced apoptosis in neurons after the onset of CIRI by regulating proteins such as GRP78,CHOP and caspase-12,but the effects of UPR activation on different cells need to be further investigated.
9.A study on difficulty measurement of nursing items in general wards in level three grade A hospitals in Beijing
Jing LENG ; Yan ZHANG ; Huaping LIU ; Shengxiao NIE ; Zhenhui WANG ; Hong SUN
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2015;(14):1634-1638
Objective To explore how to define the difficulty and time measurement of nursing items in general wards in level three grade A hospital in Beijing, so as to provide evidence for nursing workload measurement. Methods By literature review, we self-designed nursing items scale, and selected 30 nurses conveniently for the each item assessment of workload. After screening nursing items again, 10 nurse clinicians had been chosen for semi-structure interview. Finally, we selected 9 nurse clinicians to take part in the discussion meeting, in order to acquire a suitable difficulty assessment and time measurement of nursing items. Results Our study confirmed 64 nursing items at the end, and all items were suitable for difficulty assessment and time measurement, and included the work items of personal care assistant and field staffs, but never contained some items, which could not measure time, such as grade one nursing. Conclusions The nursing items had some certain development and updating recently in level three grade A hospital in Beijing, and this study acquires 64 nursing items, which are all normal clinical nursing activities and suitable for difficulty assessment and time measurement, can be cornerstone for a reasonable and accurate nursing workload measurement.
10.Working hour measurement of nursing work items suitable for difficulty evaluation and time measurement in general hospital
Jing LENG ; Zhenhui WANG ; Yan ZHANG ; Shengxiao NIE ; Hong SUN
Chinese Journal of Modern Nursing 2015;(17):2014-2017
Objective To explore a good operational method for nursing working hour measurement. Methods The research group identified nursing work items suitable for difficulty evaluation and time measurement, and the observation and standard measurement were used to get the data. Results 399 nurses were recruited from March to April, 2014, and their mean length of working years were (10. 24 ± 8. 12). A total of 1 887 nursing items time measurement were completed and the mean time of 59 nursing items were measured. The minimum of weighed took 23. 58 s, and the maximum of taking care of serious surgical patients took 1 934. 10 s. In addition, the time of 5 nursing work items of couldn′t get as they were uncommon in clinical nursing. Conclusions The quantitative performance evaluation could be achieved by working hour measurement, combined with the difficulty factor and frequency.