OBJECTIVE: Cigarette smoking exacerbates the progression of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The role of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in chronic lung diseases has gained attention; however, it remains unclear whether smoking-exacerbated lung damage in TB is associated with TLS. This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of pulmonary TLS in smokers with TB and to explore the possible role of TLS in smoking-related lung injury in TB. METHODS: Lung tissues from 36 male patients (18 smokers and 18 non-smokers) who underwent surgical resection for pulmonary TB were included in this study. Pathological and immunohistological analyses were conducted to evaluate the quantity of TLS, and chest computed tomography (CT) was used to assess the severity of lung lesions. The correlation between the TLS quantity and TB lesion severity scores was analyzed. The immune cells and chemokines involved in TLS formation were also evaluated and compared between smokers and non-smokers. RESULTS: Smoker patients with TB had significantly higher TLS than non-smokers ( P < 0.001). The TLS quantity in both the lung parenchyma and peribronchial regions correlated with TB lesion severity on chest CT (parenchyma: r = 0.5767; peribronchial: r = 0.7373; both P < 0.001). Immunohistochemical analysis showed increased B cells, T cells, and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 13 (CXCL13) expression in smoker patients with TB ( P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Smoker TB patients exhibited increased pulmonary TLS, which was associated with exacerbated lung lesions on chest CT, suggesting that cigarette smoking may exacerbate lung damage by promoting TLS formation.
Humans ; Male ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/immunology* ; Middle Aged ; Tertiary Lymphoid Structures/pathology* ; Adult ; Lung/pathology* ; Smoking/adverse effects* ; Smokers ; Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Objective To explore the distribution patterns of tongue and pulse manifestations and traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome elements in ischemic stroke(IS)patients of different genders and ages,thus to provide approaches for the prevention and treatment of stroke with TCM.Methods The criteria of six syndrome elements in Diagnostic Scale of Syndrome Elements in Ischemic Stroke were used for the comprehensive identification of syndrome elements in 5 254 cases of inpatients confirmed as IS at the first visit in Shenzhen Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from 2017 to 2023.Moreover,the tongue proper,tongue coating,and whose pulse manifestations ranking in the top five in terms of the frequency of occurrence were collected for comparison and analysis.Results(1)For the distribution of TCM syndrome elements in 5 254 cases of IS patients,phlegm-dampness syndrome was the most common syndrome type(3 544 cases,67.5%),and then came qi deficiency syndrome(653 cases,12.4%)and yin deficiency syndrome(453 cases,8.6%).There were statistically significant differences in the distribution of phlegm-dampness syndrome,internal heat syndrome,and yin deficiency syndrome between the male and the female(P＜0.01).And the distribution of phlegm-dampness syndrome,qi deficiency syndrome,internal wind syndrome,and internal heat syndrome in the youth differed from that in the middle-aged and elderly(P＜0.01).(2)The tongue and pulse manifestations in IS patients with the leading six detection rates which ranked in descending order of frequency of occurrence were as follows:dull tongue(1 993 cases,37.9%),dark red tongue(1 907 cases,36.3%),thin and white coating(1 885 cases,35.9%),wiry and slippery pulse(1 714 cases,32.6%),white and greasy coating(1 679 cases,32.0%),and wiry and thready pulse(1 609 cases,30.6%).The detection rates of tongue and pulse manifestations such as light red tongue,thin and white coating in the youth group were significantly higher than those in the middle-aged and elderly group,and the detection rates of dark red tongue,and tooth-marked tongue in the middle-aged and elderly group were significantly higher than those in the youth group,the differences all being statistically significant(P＜0.05).The female patients had higher detection rates of dull tongue,thin and white coating,thin and yellow coating,wiry and thready pulse,and deep and thready pulse than male patients,while the male patients had higher detection rates of dark red tongue,red tongue,white and greasy coating,yellow and thick-greasy coating,white and thick-greasy coating,wiry and slippery pulse,and slippery pulse than the females,and the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Higher detection rate of thin and white coating was shown in the youth female than that in the youth male,while higher detection rate of wiry and slippery pulse was shown in the youth male than that in the youth female,and the differences were all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).The middle-aged and elderly female patients had higher detection rates of dull tongue,thin and white coating,wiry and thready pulse,and deep and thready pulse than the middle-aged and elderly male patients,while the middle-aged and elderly male patients had higher detection rates of dark red tongue,red tongue,white and greasy coating,white and thick-greasy coating,yellow and thick-greasy coating,wiry and slippery pulse,and slippery pulse than the middle-aged and elderly female patients,the differences being all statistically significant(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusion Phlegm-dampness syndrome,qi deficiency syndrome,and yin deficiency syndrome exert a significant effect on IS,and phlegm-dampness syndrome is the most common syndrome type.Factors such as gender and age have influences on the distribution of TCM syndrome in patients with IS.

The fenrou zhijian is defined as potential gap between different layers in the three-dimensional network structure formed by the twelve meridian tendons. Various pathological changes of the meridian tendons lead to the adhesion and closure of fenrou zhijian, causing abnormal mechanical conduction of the meridian tendon system, which in turn leads to painful bi syndrome of meridian tendons. As such, restarting the fenrou zhijian is the key to acupuncture treatment for painful bi syndrome of meridian tendons. Under the guidance of musculoskeletal ultrasound, the level and the angle of needle insertion of acupuncture at fenrou zhijian could be accurately controlled, the efficacy of acupuncture is improved.
Humans ; Meridians ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Needles ; Pain ; Tendons/diagnostic imaging*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and establish a nomogram model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with 613 cases of neonatal asphyxia treated in 20 cooperative hospitals in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture from January to December 2019 as the asphyxia group, and 988 randomly selected non-asphyxia neonates born and admitted to the neonatology department of these hospitals during the same period as the control group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for neonatal asphyxia. R software (4.2.2) was used to establish a nomogram model. Receiver operator characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis were used to assess the discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, respectively. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that minority (Tujia), male sex, premature birth, congenital malformations, abnormal fetal position, intrauterine distress, maternal occupation as a farmer, education level below high school, fewer than 9 prenatal check-ups, threatened abortion, abnormal umbilical cord, abnormal amniotic fluid, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, emergency caesarean section, and assisted delivery were independent risk factors for neonatal asphyxia (P<0.05). The area under the curve of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia based on these risk factors was 0.748 (95%CI: 0.723-0.772). The calibration curve indicated high accuracy of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. The decision curve analysis showed that the model could provide a higher net benefit for neonates at risk of asphyxia. CONCLUSIONS The risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture are multifactorial, and the nomogram model based on these factors has good value in predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, which can help clinicians identify neonates at high risk of asphyxia early, and reduce the incidence of neonatal asphyxia.
Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Cesarean Section ; Risk Factors ; Asphyxia Neonatorum/etiology*

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus/physiology* ; Allosteric Regulation ; Nucleotidyltransferases

Aim To investigate the mechanism of RhoA/ROCK signaling pathway in abnormal aortic contractility in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) mice. Methods The experiment was divided into two groups, the control group (db/m mice) and the model group (db/db mice). Changes of the response to different methods were measured in aorta rings using a Multi Myograph System. At the same time, the protein expression changes of aortic smooth muscle contraction signaling pathway in mice were determined by Western method. Results Compared with the control group, the blood glucose and body weight levels of the mice in the T2DM group significantly increased, and the cardiac function was abnormal (P <0. 01). The contractile response of the aorta of the diabetic mice induced by the contractile agents Phe, 5-HT and CaCl

Objective: Comparative analyses of wild-type Clostridioides difficile 630 (Cd630) strain and pathogenicity locus (PaLoc) knockout mutant (ΔPaLoc) by using RNA-seq technology. Analysis of differential expression of Cd630 wild-type strain and ΔPaLoc mutant strain and measurement of its cellular virulence changes. Lay the foundation for the construction of an toxin-attenuated vaccine strain against Clostridioides difficile. Methods: Analysis of Cd630 and ΔPaLoc mutant strains using high-throughput sequencing (RNA-seq). Clustering differentially expressed genes and screening differentially expressed genes by DESeq software. Further analysis of differential genes using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment. Finally, cytotoxicity assays of ΔPaLoc and Cd630 strains were performed in the African monkey kidney epithelial cell (Vero) and the human colonic cell (Caco-2) lines. Results: The transcriptome data showed that the ΔPaLoc mutant toxin genes tcdA and tcdB were not transcribed. Compared to the wild-type strain, CD630_36010, CD630_020910,CD630_02080 and cel genes upregulated 17.92,11.40,8.93 and 7.55 fold, respectively. Whereas the hom2 (high serine dehydrogenase), the CD630_15810 (spore-forming protein), CD630_23230 (zinc-binding dehydrogenase) and CD630_23240 (galactitol 1-phosphate 5-dehydrogenase) genes were down-regulated by 0.06, 0.075, 0.133 and 0.183 fold, respectively. The GO and KEGG enrichment analyses showed that the differentially transcribed genes in ΔPaLoc were enriched in the density-sensing system, ABC transport system, two-component system, phosphotransferase (PTS) system, and sugar metabolism pathway, as well as vancomycin resistance-related pathways. Cytotoxicity assays showed that the ΔPaLoc mutant strain lost its virulence to Vero and Caco-2 cells compared to the wild-type Cd630 strain. Conclusion: Transcriptional sequencing analysis of the Cd630 and ΔPaLoc mutant strains showed that the toxin genes were not transcribed. Those other differential genes could provide a reference for further studies on the physiological and biochemical properties of the ΔPaLoc mutant strain. Cytotoxicity assays confirmed that the ΔPaLoc mutant lost virulence to Vero and Caco-2 cells, thus laying the foundation for constructing an toxin-attenuated vaccine strain against C. difficile.
Bacterial Proteins/metabolism* ; Bacterial Toxins/metabolism* ; Caco-2 Cells ; Clostridioides ; Clostridioides difficile/genetics* ; Humans ; Oxidoreductases/metabolism* ; Transcriptome ; Vaccines, Attenuated

In this study, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance(LF-NMR) and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) were employed to analyze the water distribution, status, and migration in the moistening process of Arecae Semen. Peleg model was adopted to study the water absorption kinetics of Arecae Semen moistened at different water temperatures(10, 30, and 50 ℃). The Arecae Semen samples soaked at different water temperatures all contained four water states: binding water T_(21), non-flowing water T_(22), free water T_(23), and unbound water T_(24). Non-flowing water had the largest increase in peak area during the moistening process, followed by free water. The peak areas of non-flowing water, free water, and total water were correlated with the water content(P<0.01). Therefore, LF-NMR can quickly and non-destructively predict the water content of Arecae Semen during moistening. The peak area of non-flowing water and the content of free water were correlated with the content of arecoline in the soaking solution(P<0.01), which indicated that the faster flow of non-flowing water and more free water corresponded to more arecoline dissolved. The MRI images showed that the water migration pathway varied at different soaking temperatures, and the moistening degree obtained by this means was consistent with that obtained based on traditional experience. The rate constant K_1 fitted by Peleg model decreased with the increase in water temperature, while the capacity constant K_2 showed an opposite trend. The Arrhenius equation fitting of K_1 with temperature showed that the activation energy of Arecae Semen in the moistening process was 32.98 kJ·mol~(-1). LF-NMR/MRI can be used to analyze the water status and content and determine the end moisturing point of Arecae Semen. Peleg model can accurately describe the water absorption properties of Arecae Semen in the moistening process. The findings of this study can guide the moistening optimization and mechanism research of other seed Chinese medicinal materials.
Areca ; Arecoline/analysis* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Kinetics ; Seeds/chemistry* ; Water/analysis*

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical treatment outcomes and the changes of the outcomes over time in extremely preterm twins in Guangdong Province, China. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed for 269 pairs of extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks who were admitted to the department of neonatology in 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province from January 2008 to December 2017. According to the admission time, they were divided into two groups: 2008-2012 and 2013-2017. Besides, each pair of twins was divided into the heavier infant and the lighter infant subgroups according to birth weight. The perinatal data of mothers and hospitalization data of neonates were collected. The survival rate of twins and the incidence rate of complications were compared between the 2008-2012 and 2013-2017 groups. RESULTS: Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of severe asphyxia and smaller head circumference at birth (P<0.05). The mortality rates of both of the twins, the heavier infant of the twins, and the lighter infant of the twins were lower in the 2013-2017 group compared with the 2008-2012 group (P<0.05). Compared with the 2008-2012 group, the 2013-2017 group (both the heavier infant and lighter infant subgroups) had lower incidence rates of pulmonary hemorrhage, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage (P-IVH), and neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) and a higher incidence rate of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS There is a significant increase in the survival rate over time in extremely preterm twins with a gestational age of <28 weeks in the 26 grade A tertiary hospitals in Guangdong Province. The incidences of severe asphyxia, pulmonary hemorrhage, PDA, P-IVH, and NRDS decrease in both the heavier and lighter infants of the twins, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia increases. With the improvement of diagnosis and treatment, the multidisciplinary collaboration between different fields of fetal medicine including prenatal diagnosis, obstetrics, and neonatology is needed in the future to jointly develop management strategies for twin pregnancy.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia/epidemiology* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Newborn/epidemiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To investigate the effect of CD33-targeted bi-specific and tri-specific T-cell engagers on T-cell proliferation and explore their cytotoxicity on leukemia cells. Methods: The CD33-targeted bi-specific T-cell engager (CD33-BiTE) and tri-specific T-cell engager (CD33-TriTE) expression vectors were successfully constructed and expressed through a eukaryotic cell expression system. CD33-BiTE and CD33-TriTE were purified by affinity chromatography. The effects of CD33-BiTE and CD33-TriTE on T cells were analyzed through in vitro experiments. Results: ① CD33-BiTE and CD33-TriTE were successfully constructed and purified and could compete with flow cytometry antibodies for binding to the target cells. ② After 12 days of co-culture with CD33-BiTE and CD33-TriTE, the number of human T cells were expanded to 33.89±19.46 and 81.56±23.62 folds, respectively. CD33-TriTE induced a stronger proliferation of T cells than CD33-BiTE (P<0.05) . ③ Both CD33-BiTE and CD33-TriTE induced specific dose-dependent cytotoxicity on CD33(+) leukemia cells. ④ Compared to CD33-TriTE, leukemia cells were prone to express PD-L1 when co-cultured with T cells and CD33-BiTE. CD33-TriTE induced powerful cytotoxicity on leukemia cells with high PD-L1 expression. Conclusion: CD33-BiTE and CD33-TriTE expression vectors were constructed, and fusion proteins were expressed in eukaryotic cells. Our results support the proliferative and activating effects of BiTE and TriTE on T cells. Compared to that of CD33-BiTE, CD33-TriTE induced a stronger proliferative effect on T cells and a more powerful cytotoxicity on leukemia cells with high PD-L1 expression.
B7-H1 Antigen/pharmacology* ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism* ; Sialic Acid Binding Ig-like Lectin 3/pharmacology* ; T-Lymphocytes