Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of transcription factor SOX5 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and serum in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The relative expression of representative genes of the SOX gene family in the PBMCs from RA patients were detected by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR), and serum levels of SOX5 expression were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 30 RA patients, 27 osteoarthritis (OA) patients and 30 healthy controls (HC). The expression levels of SOX5 in PBMCs were detected by RT-PCR after stimulated with IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-17 for 24 hours. The relationship between SOX5 and receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) was detected by co-Immunoprecipitation (co-IP). The formation of TRAP-positive cells after silence SOX5 in osteoclast precursor cell treated with RANKL was observed by Tartrate-resistant acid phasphate stain (TRAP). The differences were tested using one-way ANOVA followed by Student-Newman-Keuls post hoc analysis Correlations were analyzed using Pearson's analysis. Results SOX5 was predominantly expressed in the PBMCs of RA as compared with other SOX family genes in PBMC. PBMC levels of SOX5 in RA patients (21±19) were higher than the OA patients (10±8) and healthy control group (5±4)(F=8.343, P<0.01). While, Serum levels of SOX5 in RA patients [(19132±12054) pg/ml were higher than the OA patients [(9065±15172) pg/ml] and healthy control group [(3242±1251) pg/ml] (F=15.31, P<0.01). IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-17 led to the up-regulation of SOX5 expression in PBMCs. IL-6, TNF-α, IL-1β promoted the interaction of SOX5 and RANKL in PBMCs. Silencing SOX5 reduced the formation of TRAP-positive cells in osteoclast precursor cell treated with RANKL. Conclusion Our results have proven that transcriptional factor SOX5 regulates the expression of RANKL and participates in the process of RA bone erosion. Inhibition of SOX5 expression may be a new therapy target of RA.

Objective:To evaluate the hemodynamic changes and short-term (one year) outcomes after superficial temporal artery(STA)-middle cerebral artery (MCA) bypass by vascular ultrasonography.Methods:Operation group included a total of 41 hemispheres of 38 patients who underwent STA-MCA bypass for severe stenosis or occlusion of MCA or severe stenosis or occlusion of internal carotid artery(ICA), or Moyamoya disease at Xuanwu Hospital between August 2017 and June 2020. The following examinations were performed in all patients: cranial MRI, CT perfusion imaging, and cerebral angiography. All of the patients were retrospectively followed up for one year postsurgery. Normal group included a total of 40 hemispheres of 20 healthy people who had been examined by vascular ultrasonography of carotid artery and intracranial artery. Inner diameter, peak systolic velocity (PSV), end-diastolic velocity (EDV), mean velocity (MV), resistance index (RI), pulsatility index (PI) and flow of STA, PSV, EDV, MV, PI, RI of external carotid artery (ECA) and PSV, EDV, MV, PI, RI of MCA at 1 week, 6 months and 12 months after STA-MCA bypass of operation group were compared with normal group.Results:①Inner diameter, PSV, MV and flow of STA were increased significantly in operation group at 1 week, 6 and 12 months than normal group (all P<0.05). The flow of STA was decreased significantly from 1 week to 12 months after operation (all P<0.05), but Inner diameter, PSV and MV were only decreased gradually from 1 week to 12 months after operation (all P>0.05). ②STA/ECA PI and RI decreased significantly after operation compared with normal group (all P<0.01). Conclusions:Vascular ultrasonography is a non-invasive examination which can objectively evaluate the extracranial and intracranial hemodynamic changes after STA-MCA bypass, and provide reference effectiveness of the operation. The flow of STA has decreased gradually from 1 week to 12 months after operation to achieve the homeostasis, but it is still higher than normal.STA/ECA PI and RI can be a steady indirect pointer to show the fluency of bypass.

OBJECTIVETo establish a gene identification method of Yersinia pestis and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis for plague surveillance.

METHODSAccording to the specific genomic sequences of Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis, i.e. "pestis Island (PeI)" and "pseudotuberculosis Island (PsI)" and the published genomic sequences of 12 strains of Y. pestis and 4 strains of Y. pseudotuberculosis, the specific identification primers of these sequences were designed.

RESULTSA total of 52 strains of Y. pestis and 57 strains of Y. pseudotuberculosis and other intestinal bacteria strains were tested with PCR. Of the 5 pairs of Y. pestis identification primers, PeI2 and PeI11 were specific for Y. pestis. Besides Y. pestis, the primers PeI1, PeI3 and PeI12 could detect part of 57 Y. pseudotuberculosis strains. Of the 5 pairs of Y. pseudotuberculosis identification primers, PsI1 could detect all the 52 strains of Y. pestis and 57 strains of Y. pseudotuberculosis. PsI7, PsI16, PsI18 and PsI19 were specific for Y. pseudotuberculosis.

CONCLUSIONThe primers PsI1, PeI 2 and PeI11, PsI7, PsI16, PsI18 and PsI19 can be used in the rapid identification of Y. pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis, which can be also used to explore the circulation of atypical Y. pestis in quiescent plague foci.

Base Sequence ; China ; epidemiology ; DNA Primers ; Genomics ; Humans ; Plague ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Population Surveillance ; methods ; Yersinia pestis ; genetics ; Yersinia pseudotuberculosis ; genetics

A series of 2-(((5-akly/aryl-1-pyrazol-3-yl)methyl)thio)-5-alkyl-6-(cyclohexylmethyl)-pyrimidin-4(3)-ones were synthesized and their anti-HIV-1 activities were evaluated. Most of these compounds were highly active against wild-type (WT) HIV-1 strain (IIIB) with EC values in the range of 0.0038-0.4759 μmol/L. Among those compounds, had an EC value of 3.8 nmol/L and SI (selectivity index) of up to 25,468 indicating excellent activity against WT HIV-1. anti-HIV-1 activity and resistance profile studies suggested that compounds and displayed potential anti-HIV-1 activity against laboratory adapted strains and primary isolated strains including different subtypes and tropism strains (ECs range from 4.3 to 63.6 nmol/L and 18.9-219.3 nmol/L, respectively). On the other hand, it was observed that those two compounds were less effective with EC values of 2.77 and 4.87 μmol/L for HIV-1A (K103N + Y181C). The activity against reverse transcriptase (RT) was also evaluated for those compounds. Both and obtained sub-micromolar IC values showing their potential in RT inhibition. The pharmacokinetics examination in rats indicated that compound has acceptable pharmacokinetic properties and bioavailability. Preliminary structure-activity relationships and molecular modeling studies were also discussed.