The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) plays a crucial role in regulating many physiological processes. Activating the AhR-CYP1A1 axis has emerged as a novel therapeutic strategy against various inflammatory diseases. Here, a practical in situ cell-based fluorometric assay was constructed to screen AhR-CYP1A1 axis modulators, via functional sensing of CYP1A1 activities in live cells. Firstly, a cell-permeable, isoform-specific enzyme-activable fluorogenic substrate for CYP1A1 was rationally constructed for in-situ visualizing the dynamic changes of CYP1A1 function in living systems, which was subsequently used for discovering the efficacious modulators of the AhR-CYP1A1 axis. Following screening of a compound library, LAC-7 was identified as an efficacious activator of the AhR-CYP1A1 axis, which dose-dependently up-regulated the expression levels of both CYP1A1 and AhR in multiple cell lines. LAC-7 also suppressed macrophage M1 polarization and reduced the levels of inflammatory factors in LPS-induced bone marrow-derived macrophages. Animal tests showed that LAC-7 could significantly mitigate DSS-induced ulcerative colitis and LPS-induced acute lung injury in mice, and markedly reduced the levels of multiple inflammatory factors. Collectively, an optimized fluorometric cell-based assay was devised for in situ functional imaging of CYP1A1 activities in living systems, which strongly facilitated the discovery of efficacious modulators of the AhR-CYP1A1 axis as novel anti-inflammatory agents.

Notum, a negative feedback regulator of the Wnt signaling, has emerged as a promising target for treating glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). This study showcases an efficient strategy for discovering the anti-Notum constituents from herbal medicines (HMs) as novel anti-GIOP agents. Firstly, a rapid-responding near-infrared fluorogenic substrate for Notum was rationally engineered for high-throughput identifying the anti-Notum HMs. The results showed that Bu-Gu-Zhi (BGZ), a known anti-osteoporosis herb, potently inhibited Notum in a competitive-inhibition manner. To uncover the key anti-Notum constituents in BGZ, an efficient strategy was adapted via integrating biochemical, phytochemical, computational, and pharmacological assays. Among all identified BGZ constituents, three furanocoumarins were validated as strong Notum inhibitors, while 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MP) showed the most potent anti-Notum activity and favorable safety profiles. Mechanistically, 5-MP acted as a competitive inhibitor of Notum via creating strong hydrophobic interactions with Trp128 and Phe268 in the catalytic cavity of Notum. Cellular assays showed that 5-MP remarkably promoted osteoblast differentiation and activated Wnt signaling in dexamethasone (DXMS)-challenged MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. In dexamethasone-induced osteoporotic mice, 5-MP strongly elevated bone mineral density (BMD) and improved cancellous and cortical bone thickness. Collectively, this study constructs a high-efficient platform for discovering key anti-Notum constituents from HMs, while 5-MP emerges as a promising anti-GIOP agent.

Human carboxylesterase 2A (hCES2A) plays pivotal roles in prodrug activation and hydrolytic metabolism of ester-bearing chemicals. Targeted inhibition of intestinal hCES2A represents a feasible strategy to mitigate irinotecan-triggered gut toxicity (ITGT), but the orally active, selective, and efficacious hCES2A inhibitors are rarely reported. Here, a novel drug-like hCES2A inhibitor was developed via three rounds of structure-based drug design (SBDD) and structural optimization. Initially, donepezil was identified as a moderate hCES2A inhibitor from 2000 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs. Following two rounds of SBDD and structural optimization, a donepezil derivative (B7) was identified as a strong reversible hCES2A inhibitor. Subsequently, nine B7 carbamates were rationally designed, synthesized and biologically assayed. Among all synthesized carbamates, C3 showed the most potent time-dependent inhibition on hCES2A (IC₅₀ = 0.56 nmol/L), excellent specificity and favorable drug-like properties. C3 could covalently modify the catalytic serine of hCES2A with high selectivity, while this agent also showed favorable safety profiles, high intestinal exposure, and impressive effects for ameliorating ITGT in both human intestinal organoids and tumor-bearing mice. Collectively, this study showcases a rational strategy for developing drug-like and serine-targeting covalent inhibitors against target serine hydrolase(s), while C3 emerges as a promising orally active drug candidate for ameliorating ITGT.

Objective:To summarize the clinical and genetic characteristics, treatment and prognosis of four children with Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) due to variants of TRPC6 gene. Methods:Clinical data of four children with SRNS admitted to Children′s Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University between May 2020 and August 2022 were collected. Peripheral blood samples were collected from the children and their parents, and whole exome sequencing was carried out. Sanger sequencing was used to verify the pathogenicity of the candidate variants among the children and their parents.Results:All of the four children were found to harbor heterozygous variants of the TRPC6 gene, including c. 523C>T (p.R175W), c. 1327T>A (p.F443I), c. 430G>C (p.E144Q) (unreported previously), and c. 523C>T (p.R175W), which were all missense variants. Two of the children have shown a simple type, whilst two have shown a nephritis type, none had extrarenal phenotype. Comprehensive renal pathology of three children revealed focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Two children were treated with steroids combined with calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), among whom one showed significant improvement in symptoms. Conclusion:Discoveries of the novel c. 430G>C variant and the new SRNS phenotype of the c. 1327T>A variant have expanded the mutational and phenotypic spectrum of the TRPC6 gene, which has provided a reference for clinical diagnosis and genetic counseling for the families.

Objective:To investigate the related factors of cerebral collateral circulation in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI).Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on 4 483 inpatients with ACI admitted to the Renqiu Kangji Xintu Hospital from January 2014 to November 2018 were selected as the research subjects. According to transcranial Doppler (TCD) and CT angiography(CTA) examination results, they were divided into the group with collateral circulation (154 cases) and the group without collateral circulation (4 329 cases) according to the presence of collateral circulation. The related factors affecting the formation of cerebral collateral circulation in the two groups were statistically analyzed. According to the Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, 0 - 1 score was defined as good discharge outcome, and mRS ≥ 3 scores was defined as bad discharge outcome. The relationship between collateral circulation opening and poor discharge outcome was analyzed.Results:Compared with the group without collateral circulation, age: 67.00 (61.00, 73.00) years vs. 65.00 (57.00, 72.00) years, history of stroke: 52.59% (81/154) vs. 32.08% (1 389/4 329), carotid artery stenosis: 85.71% (132/154) vs. 20.23%(876/4 329), homocysteine (Hcy): 16.85 (13.00, 28.03) μmol/L vs. 15.00 (11.00, 21.00) μmol/L, significantly promoted the formation of collateral circulation, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). After adjusting for confounding factors, age ( OR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.95 - 0.99), stroke history ( OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.11 - 2.32), carotid artery stenosis ( OR = 23.63, 95% CI 14.64 -38.11) and Hcy ( OR = 1.01, 95% CI 1.00 -1.02) were independent factors promoting the formation of cerebral collateral circulation in ACI patients ( P<0.05), carotid artery stenosis was a significant promoting factor, OR value was 23.63. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that the model predicted the area under the curve value of cerebral collateral circulation opening reached 0.869. Among 4 483 ACI patients, 798 cases (17.80%) had poor discharge outcome, including 18 cases (11.68%) with collateral circulation and 780 cases (18.01%) without collateral circulation, suggesting that the incidence of adverse discharge outcome was lower in the group with collateral circulation ( P<0.05), OR = 0.60, 95% CI 0.36 - 0.99, suggesting that the formation of cerebral collateral circulation was a factor promoting the good prognosis of ACI patients. Conclusions:Age, history of stroke, carotid artery stenosis and Hcy are correlated with the formation of cerebral collateral circulation in ACI patients. Existing model can effectively predict the formation of cerebral collateral circulation in ACI patients, and the formation of cerebral collateral circulation is closely related to the discharge outcome of ACI patients.

In the context of global digitalization, the digitalization development of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is inevitable. The construction of digital China should comply with the development trend of the information age and the general situation of domestic and international development, be forward-looking, scientifically planned, and coordinated to promote. The "14th Five Year Plan" also clearly pointed out that "Internet plus TCM" should be elevated to the level of national development strategy, and the digitalization transformation of TCM will definitely become a consensus for the transformation and development of TCM disciplines in the new era and new period. Based on the materials, this paper analyzed the dilemmas faced by the modernization of TCM culture dissemination, and put forward corresponding countermeasures, with a view to contributing to the power of TCM to promote the construction of digital China.

BACKGROUND: Cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) are a small subset of cells in tumors that exhibit self-renewal and differentiation properties. CSCs play a vital role in tumor formation, progression, relapse, and therapeutic resistance. B7-H3, an immunoregulatory protein, has many protumor functions. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying the role of B7-H3 in regulating gastric cancer (GC) stemness. Our study aimed to explore the impacts of B7-H3 on GC stemness and its underlying mechanism. METHODS: GC stemness influenced by B7-H3 was detected both in vitro and in vivo . The expression of stemness-related markers was examined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and flow cytometry. Sphere formation assay was used to detect the sphere-forming ability. The underlying regulatory mechanism of B7-H3 on the stemness of GC was investigated by mass spectrometry and subsequent validation experiments. The signaling pathway (Protein kinase B [Akt]/Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 [Nrf2] pathway) of B7-H3 on the regulation of glutathione (GSH) metabolism was examined by Western blotting assay. Multi-color immunohistochemistry (mIHC) was used to detect the expression of B7-H3, cluster of differentiation 44 (CD44), and Nrf2 on human GC tissues. Student's t -test was used to compare the difference between two groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between two molecules. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. RESULTS: B7-H3 knockdown suppressed the stemness of GC cells both in vitro and in vivo . Mass spectrometric analysis showed the downregulation of GSH metabolism in short hairpin B7-H3 GC cells, which was further confirmed by the experimental results. Meanwhile, stemness characteristics in B7-H3 overexpressing cells were suppressed after the inhibition of GSH metabolism. Furthermore, Western blotting suggested that B7-H3-induced activation of GSH metabolism occurred through the AKT/Nrf2 pathway, and inhibition of AKT signaling pathway could suppress not only GSH metabolism but also GC stemness. mIHC showed that B7-H3 was highly expressed in GC tissues and was positively correlated with the expression of CD44 and Nrf2. Importantly, GC patients with high expression of B7-H3, CD44, and Nrf2 had worse prognosis ( P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS B7-H3 has a regulatory effect on GC stemness and the regulatory effect is achieved through the AKT/Nrf2/GSH pathway. Inhibiting B7-H3 expression may be a new therapeutic strategy against GC.
Humans ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism* ; Signal Transduction ; Stomach Neoplasms

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of plasma exchange(PE) in the treatment of autoimmune hemolytic anemia in children.Methods:The data from 8 hospitals in China during November 2014 to April 2017 were collected, and the clinical characteristics of PE in children with AHA were analyzed retrospectively.Results:A total of 21 children with AHA were included in the study, including 17 cases from PICU and 4 cases from pediatric kidney ward, with 11 boys and 10 girls, and the median age was 3.64(0.25, 11.10)years old, and median hospital stay was 12(4, 45)days.There were 15 cases(71.4%) with infection, 2 cases(9.5%)with autoimmune diseases, 4 cases(19.0%) with unknown.Consciousness disturbance occurred in 4 patients before replacement and recovered to normal after PE.The volume of blood decreased in two cases(9.5%) and completely relieved.There were 20 cases of anemia (95.2%), 15 cases were normal after PE, and 5 cases were improved.Jaundice occurred in 18 cases (85.7%), 12 cases were normal after PE, 6 cases were improved.Hepatosplenomegaly was found in 11 cases, 10 cases were normal after PE, 1 case was improved.After PE, the hemoglobin and red blood cell count increased, while the total bilirubin, indirect bilirubin, urea nitrogen and lactate dehydrogenase decreased, there were significant differences between pre-and post-replacement ( P<0.05). Only 1 case had allergic reaction, which was improved after symptomatic treatment, and PE was continued.After PE, 2 cases (9.5%) had complete remission, 16 cases (76.2%) had partial remission and 3 cases (14.3%) had been discharged. Conclusion:PE therapy can obviously improve the clinical symptoms and laboratory indexes of children with AHA who have failed to respond to conservative treatment.It can be used as a treatment measure for children with severe AHA and has a good safety.

Objective:To investigate the effects of B7-H3 molecule on clear cell renal cell carcinoma (786-O) metastasis.Methods:Lentiviral transfection method was used to construct 786-O cells stably expressing low level of B7-H3 (shB7-H3 group) and a negative control cell line (shNC group). RT-qPCR, flow cytometry and Western blot were used to assess the efficiency of lentiviral transfection. CCK-8 method was used to detect the proliferation of 786-O cells in the two groups. Flow cytometry was performed to detect the changes in cell cycle. Cell scratch test and Transwell assay were used to detect the differences in cell migration and invasion. Western blot was used to detect the expression of marker proteins in the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (epithelial-mesenchymal transition, EMT). Changes in the expression of chemokines and their receptors were analyzed by flow cytometry and RT-qPCR. Effects of anti-CCL4 antibody on cell migration and invasion were analyzed by Transwell assay.Results:Flow cytometry showed that 786-O cells highly expressed B7-H3 molecules and the lentiviral transfection method successfully constructed the cell line with lower expression of B7-H3 (786-O-shB7-H3) and control cell line (786-O-shNC). B7-H3 molecule had no significant effect on the proliferation of 786-O cells. No significant difference in cell cycle was found between the two groups. Compared with 786-O-shNC cells, the migration and invasion ability of 786-O-shB7-H3 cells was suppressed. Moreover, the expression of EMT-related marker proteins (fibronectin and N-cadherin) was reduced and the expression of E-cadherin was increased in 786-O-shB7-H3 cells. The expression of CCL4 and its receptor CCR5 in the shB7-H3 group was lower than that in the shNC group. After intervention with anti-CCL4 antibody, the migration and invasion ability of 786-O-shNC cells was reduced, while that of 786-O-shB7-H3 cells had no significant change.Conclusions:Knocking down the expression of B7-H3 molecule had no significant effect on the proliferation of 786-O cells, but could affect the EMT process of 786-O cells and reduce tumor migration and invasion ability, thereby inhibiting tumor progression.

Objective:To explore the association between left-behind status, screen time (ST) and behavior of autism in rural preschool children.Methods:Cross section study was used in this study.A sample of 3 636 rural preschool children aged from 3 to 6 years old in 26 kindergartens were selected from four counties in Anhui province of China.The contents of the questionnaire include: basic information questionnaire, self-made left behind status questionnaire, self-made screen time questionnaire, Clancy autism behavior scale.EpiData 3.2 and SPSS 23.0 software were used for data entry and statistical analysis.Chi-square test was used to analyze the difference of positive rate of autism behavior.Logistic regression analysis was used to further explore the relationship between left-behind status, screen time and autism behavior of rural preschool children.Results:Compared with non-left-behind children (NLBC), the risk of autism behavior for left-behind children (LBC) increased 36%.The risk of autism behavior increased by 40% for 1 h/d 2 h/d when compared with ST ≤ 1 h/d.While comparing to NLBC with ST ≤ 1 h/d, the risk of autism behavior increased by 97% in LBC with 1 h/d 2 h/d.Conclusions:There is an additive effect on the risk of autism behavior when left-behind experience and excessive ST combined together.The daily ST should be strictly controlled within 2 h/d for NLBC, and within 1 h/d for LBC in order to reduce the risk of autism behavior in preschool children of rural areas.