This paper summarizes Professor SHI Zaixiang's clinical experience in treating high fever caused by sepsis using Chaihu Guizhi Ganjiang Decoction （柴胡桂枝干姜汤）. He holds that the key pathogenesis of sepsis involves constrained heat in the shaoyang and internal accumulation of water and fluids. The clinical manifestations such as high fever， chills， and alternating sensations of cold and heat are attributed to pathogenic heat constrained in the shaoyang. Meanwhile， soft tissue edema and serous cavity effusions are due to shaoyang dysfunction and internal water retention. In clinical practice， treating sepsis-related high fever requires addressing both the shaoyang-constrained heat and the associated edema and effusions. The therapeutic approach focuses on harmonizing the shaoyang and resolving internal fluids， using Chaihu Guizhi Ganjiang Decoction as the base formula with flexible modifications. Professor SHI emphasizes that this formula shows a rapid antipyretic effect， particularly in cases where multiple anti-infective treatments have failed.

Objective : To investigate the mechanisms of bromodomain-containing protein 4(BRD4) in TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in alveolar type II epithelial cells. Methods : MLE-12 cells were stimulated with different concentrations(5 ng/ml, 10 ng/ml) of TGF-β1 for 48 h to establish an EMT cell model. The cells were pretreated with 50 nmol/L BRD4 inhibitor JQ-1, 100 μmol/L high mobility group box 1 protein(HMGB1)inhibitor glycyrrhizin acid(GA), and 3 μg/ml rHMGB1. The experimental groups were divided as follows: control group, TGF-β1 group, JQ-1 group, JQ-1+TGF-β1 group, GA group, GA+TGF-β1 group, and JQ-1+TGF-β1+rHMGB1 group. The effect of JQ-1 on cell viability was examined using cell counting kit-8(CCK-8). The protein expression levels of CDH1, ZO-1, Vimentin, α-SMA, BRD4, HMGB1, TGF-β1, Smad2/3 and p-Smad2/3 were detected by Western blot. The cell migration ability was detected by a scratch test. Results : Compared with the control group, the levels of Vimentin and α-SMA in the TGF-β1 group increased, and the levels of CDH1 and ZO-1 protein decreased, suggesting that the EMT model was successfully established. In this model, the expression of BRD4 and HMGB1 significantly increased. Different concentrations of JQ-1 could inhibit the cell viability of MLE-12 in a concentration-dependent manner. Both JQ-1 and GA could effectively alleviate TGF-β1-induced EMT, and reduce the increase in HMGB1 expression and the activation of TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway caused by TGF-β1. Moreover, rHMGB1 treatment could reduce the effects of JQ-1 on EMT and the TGF-β1/Smad2/3 pathway. Additionally, both JQ-1 and glycyrrhizin could effectively decrease TGF-β1-induced cell migration, whereas rHMGB1 could alleviate the inhibitory effect of JQ-1 on the rate of cell migration. Conclusion BRD4 can regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition in alveolar type II epithelial cells via HMGB1/TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling cascade, and BRD4 may be a potential target for inhibition of pulmonary fibrosis.

Objective: To explore the differential lipid metabolites in the plasma of mice with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF). Methods : Thirty SPF C57BL/6 male mice were randomly divided into 2 groups with 15 mice in each group. The experimental groups were divided into control group and bleomycin(BLM) group. The model of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was induced by one-time intratracheal infusion of BLM(1 mg/kg). Hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining was used to observe the lung histopathology. The collagen fiber deposition in lung tissue was observed by Sirius red staining. The differential lipid metabolites in plasma of IPF mice were screened and enriched by lipidomics. Results : HE staining showed that the pulmonary tissue structure was disordered, alveolar septum was broken and alveolar wall was destroyed in BLM group. Sirius red staining showed a large amount of collagen fiber deposition in the lung interstitium of BLM group. The results of lipidomics analysis showed that the lipid metabolism profile of BLM group changed, 15 differential lipid metabolites were screened out, of which 11 differential lipid metabolites were up-regulated, and 4 differential lipid metabolites were down-regulated, mainly concentrated in glycerophosphoglycerophosphates, glycerophosphocholines, steroid lactones, etc. Conclusion The lipid metabolism profile of BLM group mice changes, differential lipid metabolites such as phosphoglycolate phosphatase(PGP)(18:0/18:0), PGP(i-12:0/i-24:0), PGP(i-13:0/a-25:0), and phosphatidylcholine(PC)(18:0/14:0), PC(18:3/16:0), lysophosphatidylcholine(LPC)(16:1), and LPC(18:3) may play an important role in the progression of IPF. These findings provide a new reference for further study of the molecular mechanism of IPF, and also provide a potential new target for clinical treatment.

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of Sulfo-N-succinimidyloleate (SSO) regulating lipid metabolism disorder induced by silicon dioxide (SiO 2) . Methods:In March 2023, Rat alveolar macrophages NR8383 were cultured in vitro and randomly divided into control group (C), SSO exposure group (SSO), SiO 2 exposure group (SiO 2) and SiO 2+SSO exposure group (SiO 2+SSO). NR8383 cells were exposure separately or jointly by SSO and SiO 2 for 36 h to construct cell models. Immunofluorescence and BODIPY 493/ 503 staining were used to detect cluster of differentiation (CD36) and intracellular lipid levels, the protein expression levels of CD36, liver X receptors (LXR), P-mammalian target of rapamycin (P-mTOR) and cholinephosphotransferase 1 (CHPT1) were detected by Western blot, respectively, and lipid metabolomics was used to screen for different lipid metabolites and enrichment pathways. Single-factor ANOVA was used for multi-group comparison, and LSD test was used for pair-to-group comparison. Results:SiO 2 caused the expression of CD36 and P-mTOR to increase ( P=0.012, 0.020), the expression of LXR to decrease ( P=0.005), and the intracellular lipid level to increase. After SSO treatment, CD36 expression decreased ( P=0.023) and LXR expression increased ( P=0.000) in SiO 2+SSO exposure group compared with SiO 2 exposure group. Metabolomics identified 87 different metabolites in the C group and SiO 2 exposure group, 19 different metabolites in the SiO 2 exposure group and SiO 2+SSO group, and 5 overlaps of different metabolites in the two comparison groups, they are PS (22∶1/14∶0), DG (O-16∶0/18∶0/0∶0), PGP (i-13∶0/i-20∶0), PC (18∶3/16∶0), and Sphinganine. In addition, the differential metabolites of the two comparison groups were mainly concentrated in the glycerophospholipid metabolism and sphingolipid metabolism pathways. The differential gene CHPT1 in glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway was verified, and the expression of CHPT1 decreased after SiO 2 exposure. Conclusion:SSO may improve SiO 2-induced lipid metabolism disorders by regulating PS (22∶1/14∶0), DG (O-16∶0/18∶0/0∶0), PGP (i-13∶0/i-20∶0), PC (18∶3/16∶0), SPA, glycerophospholipid metabolism and sphingolipid metabolism pathways.

Human with bi-allelic WNT10A mutations and epithelial Wnt10a knockout mice present enlarged pulp chamber and apical displacement of the root furcation of multi-rooted teeth,known as taurodontism;thus,indicating the critical role of Wnt10a in tooth root morphogenesis.However,the endogenous mechanism by which epithelial Wnt10a regulates Hertwig's epithelial root sheath(HERS)cellular behaviors and contributes to root furcation patterning remains unclear.In this study,we found that HERS in the presumptive root furcating region failed to elongate at an appropriate horizontal level in K14-Cre;Wnt10afl/flmice from post-natal day 0.5(PN0.5)to PN4.5.EdU assays and immunofluorescent staining of cyclin D1 revealed significantly decreased proliferation activity of inner enamel epithelial(IEE)cells of HERS in K14-Cre;Wnt10afl/flmice at PN2.5 and PN3.5.Immunofluorescent staining of E-Cadherin and acetyl-α-Tubulin demonstrated that the IEE cells of HERS tended to divide perpendicularly to the horizontal plane,which impaired the horizontal extension of HERS in the presumptive root furcating region of K14-Cre;Wnt10afl/flmice.RNA-seq and immunofluorescence showed that the expressions of Jag1 and Notch2 were downregulated in IEE cells of HERS in K14-Cre;Wnt10afl/fl mice.Furthermore,after activation of Notch signaling in K14-Cre;Wnt10afl/flmolars by Notch2 adenovirus and kidney capsule grafts,the root furcation defect was partially rescued.Taken together,our study demonstrates that an epithelial Wnt10a-Notch signaling axis is crucial for modulating HERS cell proper proliferation and horizontal-oriented division during tooth root furcation morphogenesis.

ObjectiveTo explore the distribution of pharyngeal microbiota in coal miners exposed to dust. Methods Eight coal miners who had been engaged in occupational dust exposure for more than 20 years were selected as the dust-exposed group, and four coal miners who were not exposed to dust at work were selected as the control group using the judgment sampling method. Pharyngeal secretions of the coal miners were collected with throat swabs, and its pharyngeal microbiota was analyzed. The diversity, abundance and evenness of the microbiota were analyzed by gene sequencing using the 16sRNA gene high-throughput sequencing technology. Results A total of 254 operational taxonomic units of pharyngeal microbiota were detected in the coal miners in the control group, which was 210 more than that in the dust-exposed group. The Chao1 index, Shannon index, PD-tree index and Pielou index of pharyngeal microbiota in the dust-exposed group decreased compared with the control group (all P<0.01). The abundance of Bacteroidetes and Clostridum, at the phylum level, in the pharynx of coal miners in the dust-exposed group was higher than that in the control group (all P<0.05). The abundance of Prevotella, Neisseria, and Monas, at the genus level, in the pharynx of coal miners in the dust-exposed group was higher than that in the control group(all P<0.05), while the abundance of Lactobacillus decreased (P<0.05). The analysis results of the receiver operating characteristic curve showed that Lactobacillus, Fusobacterium and Rothia may play a role for pharyngeal microbiota imbalance prediction in dust-exposed workers, and the area under the curves were all 1.00±0.00. Conclusion The species diversity and evenness of pharyngeal microbiota in coal miners exposed to dust are decreased, which may be related to the continuous inhalation of coal dust that disrupts the microbial environment of the throat.

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of Sulfo-N-succinimidyloleate (SSO) regulating lipid metabolism disorder induced by silicon dioxide (SiO 2) . Methods:In March 2023, Rat alveolar macrophages NR8383 were cultured in vitro and randomly divided into control group (C), SSO exposure group (SSO), SiO 2 exposure group (SiO 2) and SiO 2+SSO exposure group (SiO 2+SSO). NR8383 cells were exposure separately or jointly by SSO and SiO 2 for 36 h to construct cell models. Immunofluorescence and BODIPY 493/ 503 staining were used to detect cluster of differentiation (CD36) and intracellular lipid levels, the protein expression levels of CD36, liver X receptors (LXR), P-mammalian target of rapamycin (P-mTOR) and cholinephosphotransferase 1 (CHPT1) were detected by Western blot, respectively, and lipid metabolomics was used to screen for different lipid metabolites and enrichment pathways. Single-factor ANOVA was used for multi-group comparison, and LSD test was used for pair-to-group comparison. Results:SiO 2 caused the expression of CD36 and P-mTOR to increase ( P=0.012, 0.020), the expression of LXR to decrease ( P=0.005), and the intracellular lipid level to increase. After SSO treatment, CD36 expression decreased ( P=0.023) and LXR expression increased ( P=0.000) in SiO 2+SSO exposure group compared with SiO 2 exposure group. Metabolomics identified 87 different metabolites in the C group and SiO 2 exposure group, 19 different metabolites in the SiO 2 exposure group and SiO 2+SSO group, and 5 overlaps of different metabolites in the two comparison groups, they are PS (22∶1/14∶0), DG (O-16∶0/18∶0/0∶0), PGP (i-13∶0/i-20∶0), PC (18∶3/16∶0), and Sphinganine. In addition, the differential metabolites of the two comparison groups were mainly concentrated in the glycerophospholipid metabolism and sphingolipid metabolism pathways. The differential gene CHPT1 in glycerophospholipid metabolic pathway was verified, and the expression of CHPT1 decreased after SiO 2 exposure. Conclusion:SSO may improve SiO 2-induced lipid metabolism disorders by regulating PS (22∶1/14∶0), DG (O-16∶0/18∶0/0∶0), PGP (i-13∶0/i-20∶0), PC (18∶3/16∶0), SPA, glycerophospholipid metabolism and sphingolipid metabolism pathways.

Objective To investigate the correlation between the anatomical structure of patent foramen ovale(PFO)observed by transesophageal echocardiography(TEE)and the right to left shunt(RLS)grade of contrast-enhanced transthoracic echocardiography(c-TTE).Methods Ninety cases in which the presence of PFO was suggested by TEE examination as a diagnostic criterion from November 2021 to December 2022 in the First Hospital of Nanchang were retrospectively analysed.According to the c-TTE results of patients,the RLS was divided into 4 levels,and the correlation between PFO structural characteristics and RLS grading was analyzed.Results There was a positive correlation between PFO diameter size and RLS grading in resting state(r=0.381,P<0.05);The PFO diameter of patients with hypermobile interatrial septum(HIS)was larger and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05);The PFO diameter of patients with persistent RLS was larger than that of excited phase patients,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05);There was no significant difference in RLS shunt degree between patients with long tunnel and those without long tunnel;There was no significant difference in RLS grade and PFO diameter size under Valsalva state.Conclusion Research has shown that certain anatomical structures of PFO interact with RLS grading,and PFO anatomical structures can also interact with each other(the opening diameter of the foramen ovale with HIS is larger);At the same time,TEE can clearly show the morphological characteristics of PFO and predict the degree of RLS,so as to further evaluate the possibility of ischemic stroke in patients with PFO,and provide more evidence for the indications for foramen ovale closure.

Objective To screen mitochondria-targeting differential genes in alveolar macrophages of silicosis pa-tients and explore the role of mitochondrial homeostasis in alveolar macrophages of silicosis patients.Methods High-throughput sequencing dataset GSE174725 was downloaded,and differentially expressed genes were screened with R software and P＜0.05,|LogFC|＞1,and then intermixed with mitochondrial gene bank MitoCarta3.0 to obtain mitochondria-targeted differentially expressed genes.Then enrichment analysis was carried out to obtain the biological processes and pathways involved in differential genes,and the protein-protein interaction network was constructed.In addition,alveolar macrophages from silicosis patients and healthy controls were collected,the ex-pression levels of differential genes were detected by RT-qPCR,and the expressions of mitochondria-related factors mitochondrial fusion protein 1(MFN1),optic atrophy 1(OPA1)and dynamin-related protein 1(DRP1)in alveolar macrophages of silicosis patients were investigated by Western blot.Results A total of 204 differentially expressed genes were screened in silicosis patients,among which 62 differentially expressed genes were up-regulated,142 dif-ferentially expressed genes were down-regulated,and 22 differentially expressed genes were mitochondria-targeted.The concentration analysis of differentially expressed genes targeted by mitochondria showed that the cell compo-nents mainly enriched included mitochondrial membrane,endoplasmic membrane side components,etc.The bio-logical processes mainly enriched included mitochondrial electron transfer from NADH to ubiquinone,inflammatory response,immune response,etc.The main molecular functions enriched included the rotation mechanism of proton transport ATP synthase activity,NADH dehydrogenase activity,chemokine activity,etc.KEGG enrichment analy-sis mainly focused on the involvement in chemical carcinogenesis-ROS,IL-17 signaling pathway,toll-like receptor signaling pathway,chemokine signaling pathway,TNF signaling pathway,etc.In addition,RT-qPCR results showed that the expressions of mitochondrial cytochrome coxidase 1,mitochondrial cytochrome coxidase 2,mito-chondrial cytochrome coxidase 3,mitochondrially encoded NADH dehydrogenase 1,mitochondrially encoded NADH dehydrogenase 3,mitochondrially encoded NADH dehydrogenase 5,superoxide dismutase and mitochondri-ally encoded ATP synthase 6 gene were down-regulated in silicosis patients(P＜0.05).Western blot and RT-qPCR results showed that,in silicosis patients,the expression of MFN1 and OPA1 decreased(P＜0.05),while the expression of DRP1 increased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Bioinformatics analysis and validation,eight mito-chondrial targeted differential genes(MT-CO1,MT-C02,MT-CO3,MT-ND1,MT-ND3,MT-ND5,SOD and MT-ATP6)were finally obtained,which were enriched in mitochondrial respiratory chain and oxidative stress pathways and might play an important role in the process of silicosis.

Background Silicosis is an occupational disease mainly characterized by pulmonary progressive fibrosis induced by the accumulation of free silica (SiO₂) in the lungs due to long-term exposure to SiO₂ dust. It has been shown that neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are increased in the lung tissues of silicotic mice after 28 d SiO₂ exposure, but it is unclear how the levels of NETs change throughout entire progression of silicosis in mice. Objective To observe the levels of NETs and pathological changes in the lungs of silicotic mice after different duration of SiO₂ exposure, and to confirm the possible role and significance of NETsin the development of SiO₂-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Methods A total of 28 SPF male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a control group, and a model group, and the model group was subdivided into, a 2 d model group, a 7 d model group, and a 28 d model group, with 7 mice in each group. The mice in the model groups were given intratracheal instillation with 10 mg SiO₂ suspension (50 μL), and the mice in the control group were received same volume of saline. Mice were sacrificed and samples were collected at designed time points. The pathological changes of lung tissues of mice were observed after hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and Van Gieson (VG) staining. Immunofluorescence was used to observe the NETs markers citrullination histone H3 (CitH3) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and the percentage of NETs-positive cells was calculated. PicoGreen fluorescent dye kit was used to detect the content of extracelluar DNA (ex-DNA) in mouse BALF, and the expression levels of fibrosis-related proteins α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and fibronectin (FN) and NETs marker CitH3 in lung tissues of mice were detected by Western blot (WB). Results Compared with the control group, inflammatory cells accumulation, alveolar wall thickening, and collagen deposition were obviously observed in the lungs of the silicosis model groups, and a large number of silicone nodules were recorded in the lung tissues in the 28 d group. Compared with the control group, the expressions of α-SMA and FN in the lung tissue of the 28 d group were significantly increased (P<0.05). The percentages of NETs in BALF increased significantly in the 2 d and the 7 d model group, then decreased in the 28 d model group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group (7.434±0.258) ng·mL⁻¹, the ex-DNA levels in BALF of mice in the 2 d [(35.110±6.331) ng·mL⁻¹], the 7 d [(39.491±6.948) ng·mL⁻¹], and the 28 d [(23.360±4.809) ng·mL⁻¹] model groups were increased (P<0.05), and the increase of ex-DNA in the 2 d and the 7 d model groups were statistically significant (P<0.05). In comparison with the control group, the protein level of CitH3 was significantly increased in the lung tissues of mice in the 7 d model group (P<0.05). Conclusion The content of NETs increases significantly and reaches a peak in the early inflammatory stage of silicosis, and decreases as the disease progresses to the fibrotic stage, suggesting that NETs may play a role in early stage of silicosis.