Objective To determine the expression of membrane-bound B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) protein and its mRNA in vitro of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE),and to investigate the role of interferon-?(IFN-?) on the expression of BLyS.Methods PBMCs were obtained from 25 SLE patients (mean age of 31+14) and 20 healthy volunteers (mean age of 28?10).They were randomized into IFN-?(5 ng/ml) group and control group.PBMCs were col- lected at 0,6,12 and 24 h for BLyS mRNA assessment using semi-quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR).PBMCs were also collected at 72 h for membrane-bound BLyS protein detection using flow cy- tometry (FACS) and direct immunofluorescence.Results①The expression of BLyS mRNA and membrane- bound protein in PBMCs was significantly higher in individuals with SLE compared with healthy controls (P＜0.05);②IFN-?enhanced BLyS mRNA expression in PBMCs in both healthy controls and SLE patients,with the greatest effect at 6 h (stimulated vs unstimulated,0.42?0.19 vs 0.25?0.14,P＜0.01;0.59?0.28 vs 0.44?0.21,P＜0.01 );③IFN-?also increased the expression of membrane-bound BLyS protein in both healthy con- trols and individuals with SLE (FACs,mean fluorescence intensity,4.5+3.0 vs 3.7~2.6,P

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy and safety of etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha inhibitor, in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and investigate its effect on serum levels of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3).

METHODSForty-eight patients with AS received etanercept 25 mg twice a week for a treatment course of 12 weeks. The patients' symptoms, signs, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and side effects were observed before and after the treatment. The serum levels of MMP-3 was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSAll the patients completed the treatment. The degree of spinal pain and pain at night, the duration of morning stiffness, the finger-to-floor distance, BASDAI and BASFI were significantly improved after the treatment (P<0.05). Etanercept treatment resulted in a significant reduction in serum MMP-3 level in the AS patients to 31.22-/+10.26 ng/ml as compared with the level before treatment (46.17-/+25.74 ng/ml, P<0.05). The reduction of serum MMP-3 was positively correlated to decrement of ESR and CRP (r=0.397 and 0.474, respectively, P<0.05). The most common adverse events of etanercept included injection site reaction and upper respiratory infection.

CONCLUSIONEtanercept treatment has obvious therapeutic effects on AS without serious adverse effects. MMP-3 may be a potentially useful indicator to assess the effect of anti-TNF-alpha treatment in AS patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antirheumatic Agents ; therapeutic use ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Etanercept ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 ; blood ; Middle Aged ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor ; therapeutic use ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing ; blood ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Young Adult

Puerarin is a kind of isoflavone extracted from the root of Radix Pueraria .Studies showed that puerarin had a variety of functional activities, such as anti-inflammation, antioxidation, anti-osteoporosis , lowering blood glucose , anti-tumor and so on . The effects of puerarin for inflammation-related diseases are mainly summarized in this research , including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer .Realizing that anti-inflammation is the common mechanism for puerarin in treatment of these diseases , reference basis is expected to be offered for puerarin to play a broad application prospect in clinical practice .

OBJECTIVELyme disease and Human granulocytic anaplasmosis are tick-borne diseases caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum respectively. We have investigated infection and co-infection of the two diseases in the population of forest areas of eight provinces in China by measuring seroprevalence of antibodies against B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum.

METHODSForest areas in 8 provinces were chosen for investigation using whole sampling and questionnaire survey methods. 3 669 serum samples from people in the forest areas were tested for the presence of antibodies by indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA).

RESULTSSeroprevalence against B. burgdorferi was 3% to 15% and against A. phagocytophilum was 2% to 18% in the study sites in the 8 provinces in China. We also found co-infection of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum in 7 of the 8 provinces (the exception being the Miyun area in Beijing). The seroprevalence for both B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum was significantly higher among people exposed to ticks than among people who were not exposed to ticks.

CONCLUSIONWe conclude that both pathogens are endemic in the forest areas in the eight provinces, but the prevalence of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum differs between the provinces.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anaplasma phagocytophilum ; pathogenicity ; Anaplasmosis ; blood ; epidemiology ; Animals ; Borrelia burgdorferi ; pathogenicity ; Child ; China ; Coinfection ; Female ; Humans ; Lyme Disease ; blood ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Seroepidemiologic Studies ; Tick-Borne Diseases ; blood ; epidemiology ; Trees ; Young Adult

Objective　The metastasis mechanism of cholangiocarcinoma is complex, which may be related to epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT). This study focused on investigating the inhibition effects of allicin on TGF-β1 induced epithelium mesenchymal transition of human cholangiocarcinoma cells and its related mechanism, and providing theoretical basis for the application of allicin in the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma.　Methods　MTT assay were used to detect the inhibition effects of different concentrations of allicin on the human cholangiocarcinoma RBE cell proliferation, and the drug concentration of allicin was determined by IC50 of 24 h. The RBE cells were cultured and divided into control group, allicin group(130.7μmol/L), TGF-β1 group(10ng/mL) and allicin+ TGF-β1 group(130.7μmol/L+10ng/mL). Wound scratch and transwell invasion assay were performed to detect the migration and invasion ability of RBE cells after 24 hours. Western blots were applied to detect expression of EMT-related proteins (E-Cadherin, N-Cadherin, Vimentin, Snail) and NF-κB signaling pathways.　Results　The migration rates in allicin group and allicin+ TGF-β1 group were both decreased compared with that in the control group ( 9.25% ± 0.36% vs 28.19 %±0.66%, P<0.05) and TGF⁃β1 group(13.91%±0.75% vs 49.22%±0.27%, P<0.05). The invasion rates in allicin group and allicin+ TGF-β1 group were also decreased compared with that in the control group (6.59%±0.06% vs 33.48%±0.04%, P<0.05) and TGF⁃β1 group(9.4%± 0.05% vs 40.21%±0.12%, P<0.05). Compared with the control group, E-Cadherin expression was significantly increased, and N-Cadherin, Vimentin, Snail, NF-κB and p-NF-κB expression were significantly decreased in the allicin group (P<0.05). Compared with TGF-β1 group, E-Cadherin expression was significantly up-regulated, and N-Cadherin, Vimentin, Snail, NF-κB and p-NF-κB expression were significantly down-regulated in the allicin+ TGF-β1 group (P<0.05)．　Conclusion　These results indicate that allicin can inhibit the EMT induced by TGF-β1 on the human cholangiocarcinoma cell by blocking NF-κB signaling pathway, which may have potential value to be the drug candidate for the treatment of human cholangiocarcinoma in future.

Using the lipidomics method based on UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS, the change of phospholipid metabolism in lung tissue of mice induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury was analyzed to observe the regulation of abnormal lipids by Jiegeng Decoction and to explore the regulation effect of Jiegeng Decoction on LPS-induced acute lung injury. The lung tissue samples from control group, model group, dexamethasone (positive drug) group, and Jiegeng Decoction group were collected and the lipid components of the sample were extracted. All procedures over mice were performed in accordance with the Guidelines for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals of Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, and the experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of our university. The lipidomics technique of UHPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap/MS was used to study change of phospholipids in lung tissue of each group. LPS induced acute lung injury in mice with metabolic abnormalities of phospholipids, the specific performance of the PC was significantly upregulated, phosphatidyl ethanolamine (PE), phosphatidyl glycerol (PG), phosphatidyl serine (PS),phosphatidylinositol (PI) and other metabolic disorders, Jiegeng Decoction have a certain role in these phospholipids. LPS-induced acute lung injury caused disturbances of phospholipid in vivo, and Jiegeng Decoction regulates metabolic phospholipids.

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF), a water-soluble compound extracted from wine-processed Fructus corni, is a novel hepatic protectant for treating acute liver injury. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of 5-HMF in human L02 hepatocytes injured by D-galactosamine (GalN) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in vitro and to explore the underlying mechanisms of action. Our results showed that 5-HMF caused significant increase in the viability of L02 cells injured by GalN/TNF-α, in accordance with a dose-dependent decrease in apoptotic cell death confirmed by morphological and flow cytometric analyses. Based on immunofluorescence and Western blot assays, we found that GalN/TNF-α induced ER stress in the cells, as indicated by the disturbance of intracellular Ca(2+) concentration, the activation of protein kinase RNA (PKR)-like ER kinase (PERK), phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 alpha (eIF2α), and expression of ATF4 and CHOP proteins, which was reversed by 5-HMF pre-treatment in a dose-dependent manner. The anti-apoptotic effect of 5-HMF was further evidenced by balancing the expression of Bcl-2 family members. In addition, the knockdown of PERK suppressed the expression of phospho-PERK, phospho-eIF2α, ATF4, and CHOP, resulting in a significant decrease in cell apoptosis after the treatment with GalN/TNF-α. 5-HMF could enhance the effects of PERK knockdown, protecting the cells against the GalN/TNF-α insult. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that 5-HMF can effectively protect GalN/TNF-α-injured L02 hepatocytes against ER stress-induced apoptosis through the regulation of the PERK-eIF2α signaling pathway, suggesting that it is a possible candidate for liver disease therapy.
Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cornus ; chemistry ; Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; drug effects ; Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-2 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Furaldehyde ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology ; Galactosamine ; metabolism ; Hepatocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Protective Agents ; pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; metabolism ; eIF-2 Kinase ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

Objective Solamargine (SM), with its anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects, inhibits the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of various tumor cells. This study was to investigate the effects of SM on the proliferation and apoptosis of human esophageal cancer KYSE150 cells and its action mechanism. Methods We treated KYSE150 cells with SM at the concentrations of 0 (the blank control group), 2, 4, 6 and 8 μmol/L for 24 hours. Then, we observed the morphological changes of the cells under the inverted microscope, detected their proliferation and apoptosis by MTT assay and flow cytometry respectively, and determined the expressions of the classical NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins NF-κB, p-NF-κB, IKKα, IKKβ, IkBα and p-IkBα) and apoptosis-related proteins Bax, caspase-3, cleaved caspase-3 and Bcl-2 in different groups of the cells by Western blot. Results Compared with the blank control, the inhibition rate of the proliferation of the KYSE150 cells in the 2, 4, 6 and 8 μmol/L SM groups was increased significantly in a concentration-dependent manner (0 vs [15.03 ± 0.15]%, [47.94 ± 1.74]%, [68.72 ± 0.47]% and [77.51 ± 1.70]%, P<0.05), and so was the apoptosis rate ([8.17 ± 0.51]% vs [14.50 ± 0.73]%, [18.57 ± 2.08]%, [65.10 ± 10.88]% and [81.55 ± 5.48]%, P<0.05). The expression of the apoptosis-related protein Bax in the SM treated cells was up-regulated, those of Bcl-2, IKKα, IKKβ and p-IkBα down-regulated, and the activity of caspase-3 and cleaved caspase-3 promoted, all in a concentration-dependent manner, with statistically significant differences between the blank control and the 4, 6 and 8 μmol/L SM groups (P<0.05). Statistically significant differences were also found in the expressions of NF-κB, p-NF-κB and IkBα between the blank control and the 6 and 8 μmol/L SM groups (P<0.05). Conclusion Solamargine can significantly inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of KYSE150 cells, probably by suppressing the classical NF-κB signaling pathway.

The incidence of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) continues to rise, and there are no effective drugs to treat it. The immune microenvironment plays an important role in the development of ICC and is currently a research hotspot. Icaritin (ICA) is an innovative traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. It is considered to have potential immunoregulatory and anti-tumor effects, which is potentially consistent with the understanding of "Fuzheng" in the treatment of tumor in traditional Chinese medicine. However, whether ICA can be used to treat ICC has not been reported. Therefore, in this study, sgp19/kRas, an in situ ICC mouse model with intact immune system, was selected to evaluate the efficacy of ICA in the treatment of ICC in vivo for the first time, and the effects of ICA on the tumor immune microenvironment of ICC mice were analyzed by flow cytometry. This experiment was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Capital Medical University (approval number: AEEI-2023-138). In this study, sgp19/kRas ICC mouse model was treated with oral gavage of 100 mg·kg^-1 ICA. We found that ICA significantly inhibited tumor growth and tumor cell proliferation in the sgp19/kRas ICC mouse model after 3 weeks of treatment. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that ICA treatment markedly reduced the proportion of M2 macrophages and increased the number of CD3⁺CD4⁺ T cells. In vitro experiments demonstrated that ICA promoted macrophage polarization towards the M1 phenotype while inhibiting polarization towards the M2 phenotype. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis suggested that ICA enhanced Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) expression, influencing macrophage nitric oxide metabolism synthesis pathways and receptor-related activities, thereby regulating macrophage polarization. In summary, this study demonstrates that ICA treatment significantly delays tumor progression in sgp19/kRas ICC mouse models. Mechanistically, ICA may achieve its anti-ICC effects by upregulating TLR9 receptor expression levels, promoting macrophage polarization towards the M1 phenotype, and altering the tumor immune microenvironment.