OBJECTIVETo determine the relative resistance to HIV-1 infection of CD4 + T lymphocytes in HIV-exposed seronegative individuals (ESNs) in China.

METHODSHIV primary isolates were obtained from peripheral whole blood of HIV-infected persons. CD4 + T lymphocytes of Chinese ESNs were separated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells with magnetic cell sorting (MACS). The purified CD4 + T lymphocytes were cocultured with HIV primary isolates. The p24 level was detected and the culture medium was refreshed every 3 days within 2 weeks.

RESULTSFor M tropic HIV strains, p24 level was significantly lower in ESN group than in control group (P < 0.05); for some M tropic HIV strains, even no p24 replicated in ESN group. However, T tropic virus strains had no significant difference between these two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCD4 + T lymphocytes of Chinese ESNs may possess relative resistance to M tropic HIV strains, which may be one of the main influencing factors that result in ESN.

Adult ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; virology ; China ; Female ; HIV ; classification ; isolation & purification ; pathogenicity ; HIV Infections ; virology ; HIV Seronegativity ; immunology ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Male ; Sexual Partners

OBJECTIVETo investigate the functional relations between the putative proteins YpCD1.08, YpCD1.09, YpCD1.16 encoded in pCD1 plasmid of Yersinia pestis and its type III secretion system (T3SS).

METHODSMutants of YpCD1.08, YpCD1.09, YpCD1.16 were constructed using λ-Red recombinant system. The growth curves of the mutant strains cultivated in TMH medium with or without calcium at 26 °C and 37 °C were determined to analyze the low calcium response phenotype. The transcription levels of ΔYpCD1.08, ΔYpCD1.09, ΔYpCD1.16 in Yersinia pestis and the dependence to temperature were determined using real time RT-PCR after cultivation at 26 °C and 37 °C and extraction of RNA. A β-lactamases reporter system was adopted to study the influence of these genes on the translocation of effector YopE of T3SS.

RESULTSWhen grown in TMH medium without calcium at 26 °C and 37 °C, the growth curve of the YpCD1.08, YpCD1.09, YpCD1.16 mutants were similar to that of the wild-type strain, indicating that the low calcium response of all the mutants were normal. The ratios of YpCD1.08, YpCD1.09, YpCD1.16 gene transcriptional level at 37 °C and 26 °C were 2.3 ± 0.3, 2.3 ± 0.5 and 3.2 ± 0.7, respectively, indicating that these genes were transcribed in Yersinia pestis and their transcription regulations showed a temperature-dependence that was consistent with the well established temperature-dependent expression of Yersinia T3SS genes. The β-lactamases reporter assays demonstrated that ΔYpCD1.08 could translocate much higher level of YopE into HeLa cells, since that the light intensity ratio of 477/520 nm at 140 min was 2.5, whereas it was 1.8 for the wild-type strain, and the values in ΔYpCD1.09 and ΔYpCD1.16 were similar to the wild-type strain.

CONCLUSIONYpCD1.08, YpCD1.09, YpCD1.16 gene are likely to be the new members of T3SS, and the putative protein YpCD1.08 could play some roles in YopE secretion and translocation.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins ; secretion ; Bacterial Secretion Systems ; genetics ; Genes, Bacterial ; Plasmids ; Protein Interaction Mapping ; Yersinia pestis ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathogenicity

Aim To investigate the therapeutic effect of lanthanum hydroxide on renal injury and vascular calcification in rats caused by chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the underlying mechanism. Methods A CKD model was constructed by adenine, and the rats were randomly divided into model group, lanthanum hydroxide low, medium and high dose groups, lanthanum carbonate group and calcium carbonate group. After eight weeks, serum phosphorus ( Pi ), calcium (Ca), serum creatinine ( Scr), blood urea nitrogen ( BUN ), parathyroid hormone ( PTH ), fibroblast growth factor 23 ( FGF23 ) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b ( TARP-5b) levels were measured. Histopathological staining was used to assess the degree of calcification of blood vessels, and the expressions of smooth muscle protein 22α ( SM22α), Runt-related transcription factor 2 ( RUNX2 ), hypoxia inducible factor 1 ( HIF-1) pathway mRNA and protein expression in blood vessels were detected. Results Lanthanum hydroxide can significantly reduce the levels of Pi, Scr, BUN, PTH, FGF23 and TARP-5b in the serum of CKD rats, significantly reduce the calcium deposition of the thoracic aorta of CKD rats, the expression of BMP-2, VEGF in the cytoplasm, the expression of RUNX2, HIF-1α in the nucleus, and increase the mRNA and protein expression of SM22. Conclusion Lanthanum hydroxide can markedly improve hyperphosphatemia in CKD rats, and can improve vascular calcification in CKD rats by blocking HIF-1α signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the current situation and influencing factors of latent tuberculosis infection(LTBI)among close contacts of positive etiology pulmonary tuberculosis(PTB)patients,provide basis for formula-ting intervention measures for LTBI.Methods A multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was used to select close contacts of positive etiology PTB patients from 39 districts and counties in Chongqing City as the study objects.Demographic information was collected by questionnaire survey and the infection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected by interferon gamma release assay(IGRA).The influencing factors of LTBI were analyzed by x2 test and binary logistic regression model.Results A total of 2 591 close contacts were included,the male to female ratio was 0.69∶1,with the mean age of(35.72±16.64)years.1 058 cases of LTBI were detected,Myco-bacterium tuberculosis latent infection rate was 40.83％.Univariate analysis showed that the infection rate was dif-ferent among peoples of different age,body mass index(BMI),occupation,education level,marital status,wheth-er they had chronic disease or major surgery history,whether they lived together with the indicator case,and whether the cumulative contact time with the indicator case ≥250 hours,difference were all statistically significant(all P＜0.05);infection rate presented increased trend with the increase of age and BMI(both P＜0.001),and decreased trend with the increase of education(P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that age 45-54 years old(OR=1.951,95％CI:1.031-3.693),age 55-64 years old(OR=2.473,95％CI:1.279-4.781),other occupations(OR=0.530,95％CI:0.292-0.964),teachers(OR=0.439,95％CI:0.242-0.794),students(OR=0.445,95％CI:0.233-0.851),junior high school education or below(OR=1.412,95％CI:1.025-1.944),BMI＜18.5 kg/m2(OR=0.762,95％CI:0.586-0.991),co-living with indicator cases(OR=1.621,95％CI1.316-1.997)and cumu-lative contact time with indicator cases ≥250 hours(OR=1.292,95％CI:1.083-1.540)were the influential fac-tors for LTBI(all P＜0.05).Conclusion The close contacts with positive etiology PTB have a high latent infection rate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis,and it is necessary to pay attention to close contacts of high age,farmers,and frequent contact with patients,and take timely targeted interventions to reduce the risk of occurrence of disease.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the pharmacological mechanism of Bushen Huatan (BSHT) recipe in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: The active ingredients in the component drugs of the recipe were screened through TCMSP, and their potential targets were predicted by PubChem and Swiss target prediction. Genecards and OMIM were used to screen the therapeutic targets in the treatment of PCOS. The drug targets and disease targets were corrected using Uniprot, and the intersection targets were obtained. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed using STRING, and the intersection targets were analyzed with CytoNCA to screen the core targets. DAVID was used for GO enrichment analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis, and the core components and core targets were verified using AutoDock. Animal experiment was performed to verify the results using a female C57BL/6J mouse model of PCOS, treated daily with 1 mg/kg BSHT recipe granule for 35 days, and the ovarian expressions of the core targets and pathways were detected using Western blotting. RESULTS: We identified a total of 125 potential active ingredients from the 14 component drugs in the recipe, 990 drug targets, 4759 PCOS targets and 434 intersection targets. The core active ingredients of the recipe included β -Sitosterol, kaempferol, and quercetin, whose core targets included PIK3CA, PIK3R1, APP, AKT1, and MAPK1. GO enrichment analysis highlighted such processes as drug reaction, negative regulation of apoptosis, and positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase Ⅱ promoter. The enriched KEGG pathways included primarily the cancer pathway and PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Molecular docking showed that the core active ingredients had strong binding ability with the core targets. In the animal experiment, BSHT recipe was shown to improve the symptoms, down-regulate the expressions of PI3K and Akt proteins and up-regulate MAPK1 expression in the ovary of mice with PCOS. CONCLUSION The therapeutic mechanism of BSHT recipe for PCOS involves multiple active ingredients, multiple therapeutic targets and multiple pathways.
Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Female ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Network Pharmacology ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome/drug therapy*

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alzheimer Disease/diagnosis* ; Animals ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Cognitive Dysfunction ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Membrane Glycoproteins/blood* ; Mental Status and Dementia Tests ; Mice ; Middle Aged ; Models, Animal ; Morris Water Maze Test ; Parkinson Disease/diagnosis* ; ROC Curve ; Receptors, Immunologic/blood* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective: To compare the safety and efficacy of transmesenteric vein extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TEPS) and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in the treatment of cavernous transformation of the portal vein (CTPV). Methods: The clinical data of CTPV patients with patency or partial patency of the superior mesenteric vein treated with TIPS or TEPS treatment in the Department of Vascular Surgery of Henan Provincial People's Hospital from January 2019 to December 2021 were selected. The differences in baseline data, surgical success rate, complication rate, incidence rate of hepatic encephalopathy, and other related indicators between TIPS and TEPS group were statistically analyzed by independent sample t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Chi-square test. Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to calculate the cumulative patency rate of the shunt and the recurrence rate of postoperative portal hypertension symptoms in both groups. Results: The surgical success rate (100% vs. 65.52%), surgical complication rate (6.67% vs. 36.84%), cumulative shunt patency rate (100% vs. 70.70%), and cumulative symptom recurrence rate (0% vs. 25.71%) of the TEPS group and TIPS group were statistically significantly different (P < 0.05). The time of establishing the shunt [28 (2141) min vs. 82 (51206) min], the number of stents used [1 (12) vs. 2 (15)], and the length of the shunt [10 (912) cm vs. 16 (1220) cm] were statistically significant between the two groups (t = -3.764, -4.059, -1.765, P < 0.05). The incidence of postoperative hepatic encephalopathy in the TEPS group and TIPS group was 6.67% and 15.79% respectively, with no statistically significant difference (Fisher's exact probability method, P = 0.613). The pressure of superior mesenteric vein decreased from (29.33 ± 1.99) mmHg to (14.60 ± 2.80) mmHg in the TEPS group and from (29.68 ± 2.31) mmHg to (15.79 ± 3.01) mmHg in TIPS group after surgery, and the difference was statistically significant (t = 16.625, 15.959, P < 0.01). Conclusion: The best indication of TEPS is in CTPV patients with patency or partial patency of the superior mesenteric vein. TEPS improves the accuracy and success rate of surgery and reduces the incidence of complications.
Humans ; Portal Vein/surgery* ; Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic/methods* ; Hepatic Encephalopathy/etiology* ; Treatment Outcome ; Hypertension, Portal/complications* ; Retrospective Studies ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/etiology*

With prominent medicinal value, Gelsemium elegans has been overexploited, resulting in the reduction of the wild resource. As a result, artificial cultivation turns out to be a solution. However, this medicinal species is intolerant to low temperature, and thus genes responding to the low temperature are important for the cultivation of this species. Based on the transcriptome database of G. elegans at 4 ℃, 29 differentially expressed GeERF genes were identified. Bioinformatics analysis of 21 GeERF gene sequences with intact open reading frames showed that 12 and 9 of the GeERF proteins respectively clustered in DREB subgroup and ERF subgroup. GeDREB1 A-1-GeERF6 B-1, with molecular weight of 23.78-50.96 kDa and length of 212-459 aa, were all predicted to be hydrophilic and in nucleus. Furthermore, the full-length cDNA sequence of GeERF2B-1 was cloned from the leaves of G. elegans. Subcellular localization suggested that GeERF2B-1 was located in the nucleus. According to the quantitative reverse-transcription PCR(qRT-PCR), GeERF2B-1 showed constitutive expression in roots, stems, and leaves of G. elegans, and the expression was the highest in roots. In terms of the response to 4 ℃ treatment, the expression of GeERF2B-1 was significantly higher than that in the control and peaked at 12 h, suggesting a positive response to low temperature. This study lays a scientific basis for the functional study of GeERF transcription factors and provides gene resources for the improvement of stress resistance of G. elegans.
DNA, Complementary ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Temperature ; Transcription Factors/metabolism*

Objective:To analyze active components， its targets and signaling pathways of Shenlian formula based on network pharmacology， and explore the molecular mechanism of Shenlian formula in the treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease （ASCVD）， in order to provide a basis for the rational interpretation of the prescription compatibility of Shenlian formula. Method:Major chemical compounds of the formula were obtained by SymMap and Systematic pharmacology database and analysis platform of Traditional Chinese Medicine （TCMSP）， its target proteins were obtained by SymMap and ETCM Databases， and the pathogenic genes responsible for of ASCVD were obtained by DisGeNET and GEO Datebases. Protein targets of drugs and pathogenic genes of diseases were overlapped to obtain predicted targets of Shenlian Formula for ASCVD. Proteins-proteins interactions （PPI） network was built through the String Datebase. The Cytoscape 3.6.0 was used to explore the key compounds and targets of Shenlian formula on ASCVD. Then gene ontology （GO） enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes （KEGG） signaling pathway were analyzed to screen out the key targets of Shenlian Formula. Rat I/R model was adopted as representative disease model of ASCVD for experimental verification. Result:There were 59 candidate compounds， 67 predicted targets and 29 key targets of Shenlian formula on ASCVD. Key targets mainly included cyclooxygenase 2 （PTGS2）， estrogen receptor 1 （ESR1） and TP53. GO analysis showed that the biological functions of potential genes of Shenlian formula in treatment of ASCVD were mainly related to apoptotic， nitric oxide biosynthetic process， response to estradiol， angiogenesis， inflammatory response and oxidative stress and acute-phase response. KEGG pathway enrichment results showed that the pathways of potential genes of Shenlian formula in treatment of ASCVD mainly involved TNF signaling pathway， phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase （PI3K）/ protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway， hypoxia induction factor-1 （HIF-1） signaling pathway and apoptosis. Among them， the regulatory effect of Shenlian formula on apoptosis may act on not only TP53， but also different signaling pathways of apoptosis respectively， thus playing a synergistic effect. In vivo experimentation confirmed that Shenlian formula could significantly reduce the myocardial infarction area， improve the myocardial histopathological changes， and especially reduce myocardial mitochondrial injury. Further analysis showed that Shenlian formula can significantly inhibit the expressions of activated proteins in mitochondrial apoptosis pathway. Conclusion:Anti-atherosclerosis traditional Chinese medicine Shenlian formula could effectively intervene ASCVD， and its effect on mitochondrial apoptosis of myocardial cells is one of its mechanisms in protecting myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Objective: To summarize the follow-up outcomes of frontal drill out procedures (draf Ⅱb, extended draf Ⅱb and draf Ⅲ) using mucosal flaps, and discuss the surgical indications of different mucosal flaps and their potential benefits to the opening of the frontal neo-ostium. Methods: A total of 48 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis or frontal mucoceles treated by draf Ⅱb, extended draf Ⅱb and draf Ⅲ between 2013 and 2019 in Beijing TongRen Hospital were enrolled in this study. Twenty-four patients who were treated with mucosal flaps were considered as mucosal flap group (including 19 males and 5 females, aging from 19 to 71 years), and the other 24 patients who didn't have neo-ostium reconstruction were considered as control group (including 18 males and 6 females, aging from 21 to 63 years). The frontal neo-ostium crosssectional area was measured with osiriX^® 7 days and 1 year postoperatively. Lund-Kennedy score (LKS) was also completed to analyze the difference of therapeutic effect between mucosal flap group and control group. SPSS 23.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Results: The postoperative follow-up time was 18 to 102 months. The postoperative epithelialization time in the mucosal flap group and the control group was (2.5±0.9) months and (3.0±0.7) months (Mean±SD), respectively, with statistically significant (t=1.97, P=0.024). At the end of follow-up, 23 cases (95.8%) had well opened frontal neo-ostium, 1 case (4.2%) was re-stenosed, and there was no revision surgery in the mucosal flap group. In the control group, 16 cases (66.7%) had well opened frontal neo-ostium, 8 cases (33.3%) were re-stenosed, 4 cases (16.7%) had revision surgery. The mucosal flap group had much fewer stenosis cases than control group (χ²=4.92, P=0.027). The neo-ostium area in the mucosal flap group and the control group was reduced by (0.87±0.58) cm² and (1.54±1.15) cm² 1 year after operation respectively, with statistically significant (t=1.72, P=0.046). There was no case of frontal sinus atresia and no surgical complication in both groups. The two-factor repeated measurement analysis of variance after surgery showed that the average LKS of the mucosal flap group was 0.78 points lower than that of the control group. In other words, the influence of grafting technique on LKS was statistically significant (F=5.33, P=0.035). Conclusions: The application of mucosal flaps to cover the denuded bone during frontal drill out procedures can prohibit mucosal scar and new bone formation, and significantly reduce the stenosis rate of frontal neo-ostium.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Endoscopy/methods* ; Female ; Frontal Sinus/surgery* ; Humans ; Male ; Mucous Membrane/transplantation* ; Surgical Flaps