Iron overload is strongly associated with heart disease. Ferroptosis is a new form of regulated cell death indicated in cardiac ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the specific molecular mechanism of myocardial injury caused by iron overload in the heart is still unclear, and the involvement of ferroptosis in iron overload-induced myocardial injury is not fully understood. In this study, we observed that ferroptosis participated in developing of iron overload and I/R-induced cardiomyopathy. Mechanistically, we discovered that Parkin inhibited iron overload-induced ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes by promoting the ubiquitination of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4), a crucial protein involved in ferroptosis-related lipid metabolism pathways. Additionally, we identified p53 as a transcription factor that transcriptionally suppressed Parkin expression in iron-overloaded cardiomyocytes, thereby regulating iron overload-induced ferroptosis. In animal studies, cardiac-specific Parkin knockout mice (Myh6-CreER ^T2 /Parkin ^fl/fl ) fed a high-iron diet presented more severe myocardial damage, and the high iron levels exacerbated myocardial I/R injury. However, the ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1 significantly suppressed iron overload-induced ferroptosis and myocardial I/R injury. Moreover, Parkin effectively protected against impaired mitochondrial function and prevented iron overload-induced mitochondrial lipid peroxidation. These findings unveil a novel regulatory pathway involving p53-Parkin-ACSL4 in heart disease by inhibiting of ferroptosis.

Objective To construct Raji-Luc lymphoma cells with CD19 knockout using CRISPR/Cas9 technology and preliminarily validate their immune escape ability.Methods PB-CRISPR-CD19 small guide RNA(sgRNA)plasmids was constructed,the optimal sgRNA sequence was screened,and Raji-Luc cells with pCAG-PBase,PB-CD19 sgRNA,and PB-CRISPR-Cas9 were co-transfected.Stable knockout monoclonal cell lines were screened by flow sorting and limit dilution method and the knockout effect was verified through gene sequence testing.The expression of luciferase on the surface of the cell line was detected by microplate reader,CD19 CAR-T and CD38 CAR-T previously constructed in the laboratory were used as effector cells,and the immune escape ability of Raji-Luc CD19 KO cell line was verified by universal luciferase chemiluminescence method.Results The transfection efficiency of Raji-Luc CD19 KO cells prepared by electro transfection was high,and the knockout efficiency of the two monoclonal cells was more than 99%.There was no significant difference in luciferase expression compared to the original Raji-Luc cells,and CD19 CAR-T cells could not be activated to the kill them.Conclusion Successfully constructed Raji-Luc CD19 KO lymphoma cell line.

Objective: To investigate the effects and mechanisms of Xuebijing injection (XBJ) on Chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cell function and its therapeutic potential against CAR-T therapy-associated cytokine storms (CRS). Methods: Anti-CD19 CAR-T cells were established based on FMC63 antibodies. Different doses of XBJ (1 and 10 mg/mL) were added to the culture system. Untreated anti-CD19 CAR-T cells served as negative controls. After 48-h co-culture, the effects of XBJ on CAR-T cell function were assessed. Carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester staining was used to assess the effect of XBJ on CAR-T cell proliferation. Flow cytometry, luciferase reporter gene assays, and real time cellular analysis were employed to evaluate the effects of XBJ on CAR-T cell cytotoxicity in vitro. RNA-sequencing was performed to analyze the effects of XBJ on CAR-T cell gene expression. Network pharmacology predicted potential XBJ therapeutic targets for CRS, which were verified in a THP-1 macrophage inflammation model. Results: XBJ enhanced both the proliferation and tumor killing capacities of CAR-T cells. Transcriptome analysis showed that XBJ treatment affects multiple genes and pathways in CAR-T cells, with differential gene enrichment in multiple cell proliferation and growth factor pathways. Potential targets for CRS control by XBJ were predicted using network pharmacology, and the inhibitory effect of XBJ on the expression of relevant genes was verified using a macrophage model. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that XBJ can enhance the killing effect of CAR-T cells on tumor cells and that the mechanism is related to the regulation of T cell proliferation and activation. Moreover, XBJ inhibited excessive inflammation associated with CAR-T therapy. However, the current findings remain to be further validated through in vivo experiments.

Objective:To analyze the relationship between quantitative parameters of dual-energy CT and lymph node metastasis in patients with early non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:A total of 120 patients with NSCLC (NSCLC group) admitted to Dongtai People′s Hospital from April 2021 to April 2023 were selected retrospectively, and another 120 patients with pneumonia nodules (pneumonia nodules group) during the same period were selected. All patients were given dual-energy CT examination. CT quantitative parameters including standardized iodine concentration in venous phase (NICVP), standardized iodine concentration in arterial phase (NICAP) and standardized iodine concentration (ICD) were compared between the two groups. Patients in the NSCLC group were divided into the metastatic group (40 cases) and the non-metastatic group (80 cases) according to the presence or non-presence of lymph node metastasis. Quantitative CT parameters of the two groups were compared, CT signs of the two groups were compared. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was drawn, and the diagnostic efficacy of quantitative CT parameters on lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients was analyzed.Results:The NICVP, NICAP and ICD in the NSCLC group were higher than those in the pneumonia nodules group: 0.23 ± 0.04 vs. 0.17 ± 0.02, 0.58 ± 0.16 vs. 0.42 ± 0.10, 0.36 ± 0.08 vs. 0.24 ± 0.03, there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). The NICVP, NICAP and ICD in the metastatic group were higher than those in non-metastatic group: 0.25 ± 0.03 vs. 0.18 ± 0.03, 0.61 ± 0.24 vs. 0.51 ± 0.13, 0.37 ± 0.10 vs. 0.26 ± 0.04, there were statistical differences ( P<0.01). The pleural depression sign, burr sign, mediastinum lymph node short diameter between metastasis group and non-metastatic group had statistical differences ( P<0.05). The results of ROC curve analysis showed that the area under the curve of the combined detection of NICVP, NICAP and ICD for the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients was 0.852 (95% CI 0.822 - 0.957), the sensitivity was 94.96%, the specificity was 90.12%, and were higher than those of single detection ( P<0.05). Conclusions:Quantitative dual-energy CT detection can improve the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of lymph node metastasis in NSCLC patients, and provide CT signs to assist clinical diagnosis of lymph node metastasis.

Objective To investigate the clinical comprehensive value of finerenone in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy(DN),and to provide evidence-based medicine evidence for clinical drug decision.Methods PubMed,Web of Science,Embase,Cochrane Library,WanFang Data,CNKI and health technology assessment(HTA)official website were systematically searched to collect the systematic review/Meta-analysis and pharmacoeconomic evaluation on finerenone in treatment of DN from the inception to November 31,2023.The method of rapid HTA was used to evaluate the effectiveness,safety and economic evaluation.The innovation,suitability and accessibility of finerenone were analyzed by relevant data from drug instructions,professional websites such as the National Medical Products Administration(NMPA)and Center for Drug Evaluation,NMPA.Results In terms of effectiveness,finerenone significantly reduced the risk of the renal composite events and composite cardiovascular outcomes in DN compared with placebo and traditional mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist(MRA).In terms of safety,the incidence of adverse reactions and acute kidney injury of finerenone was similar to that of placebo and traditional MRA,but the incidence of hyperkalemia was higher than that of placebo.In terms of economy,two foreign HTA reports showed that finerenone was more economical than standard treatment.In terms of innovation,finerenone was the world's first approved non-steroidal,selective MRA innovative drug for the treatment of type 2 DN,making its efficacy and adverse reactions more advantageous.In terms of suitability,finerenone should only be taken once a day,which had good suitability in pharmaceutical properties and clinical use.In terms of accessibility,the domestic price of finerenone was lower than the international price,and it was included in the medical insurance,and the market coverage was high,it had a good affordability and availability.Conclusion Finerenone has good effectiveness and safety in the treatment of DN,but attention should be paid to the risk of hyperkalemia,and its economy requires further economic research in China.As the world's first approved non-steroidal,selective MRA innovative drug,finerenone has better innovation,suitability and accessibility.

Objective To investigate the intervention effect of Xuebijing Injection on the differentiation of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in septic mice. Methods Fifty-four male C57BL/6N mice were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group, model group and Xuebijing group, each group with 18 mice. The mouse models of sepsis were duplicated by intra-peritoneal injection of 10 mg/kg E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) method. Starting from the day of modeling, Xuebijing Injection 20 mL/kg was intravenously injected into the tail vein in Xuebijing group, once a day for consecutive 4 days; the normal control and model groups were intravenously injected with normal saline at the same dose and site for 4 days. The bone marrow cells of the femur and tibia of the mice were isolated after 4 days of various treatments in the three groups, and the proportions of bone marrow HSC Lin-Sca-1+c-Kit+ (LSK) and hematopoietic progenitor cells Lin-Sca-1-c-Kit+ (LS-K) of each group were detected by flow cytometry. Results Finally, 14 mice were included in the normal control group, 17 in the model group, and 12 in the Xuebijing group. With the prolongation of time, the body weight of the normal control group gradually increased, the body masses of the model group and the Xuebijing group were decreased first and then increased, reaching a peak at 96 hours after the model was established, but they were still significantly lower than the body mass of normal control group (g: 19.81±0.27, 19.58±0.39 vs. 22.23±0.30, both P < 0.05). Compared with the normal control group, the proportions of LSK, LS-K, long-term HSC (LT-HSC), and megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitor cells (MEP) were all significantly increased in the model group [LSK: (16.62±1.28)% vs. (12.89±0.83)%, LS-K: (44.77±1.77)% vs. (30.34±0.90)%, LT-HSC: (6.88±0.48)% vs. (1.83±0.24)%, MEP: (13.89±1.26)% vs. (9.38±0.66)%, all P < 0.05], the proportion of multipotential progenitor cells (MPP) was significantly decreased [(2.41±0.34)% vs. (5.99±0.59)%, P < 0.05]. Compared with the model group, the LSK and myeloid progenitor (CMP) of the Xuebijing group were significantly reduced [LSK: (12.25±0.69)% vs. (16.62±1.28)%, CMP :(0.31±0.05)% vs. (0.55±0.13)%, both P < 0.05], and LS-K, LT-HSC, MEP showed a decreasing trend [LS-K: (42.75±2.48)% vs. (44.77±1.77)%, LT-HSC:(5.98±0.70)% vs. (6.88±0.48)%, MEP: (10.94±1.36)% vs. (13.89±1.26) %], but the differences were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in the proportions of short-term HSC (ST-HSC) and granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (GMP) among the three septic groups (all P > 0.05). Conclusion Xuebijing Injection can improve the differentiation function of bone marrow cells in septic mice, which may be possibly related to the inhibition of pathological proliferation of bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells in septic mice by Xuebijing Injection.

Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal ; Gene Silencing ; Heterochromatin ; metabolism ; Histone Chaperones ; genetics ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transcriptional Elongation Factors ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective To explore psychological resilience, anxiety, depression, coping styles and social supports status among parents of preterm infants of ophthalmic clinic, and analyze their relationship. Methods A total of 217 parents of preterm infants at ophthalmic clinic of hospital were selected by convenience sampling method and investigated by self- designed general information questionnaire, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Self-rating Anxiety Scale, Self-rating Depression Scale, Social Support Rating Scale, and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire. Results The total score of psychological resilience was (67.48 ± 14.20) points. The average score of positive coping styles dimension was (1.98±0.50) points, and negative coping style dimension score was (1.19±0.55) points. The social support score was moderate with a total score of (42.75 ± 6.17) points, the anxiety and depression got a total score of (36.77 ± 8.17) points and (39.67 ± 9.02) points respectively. Psychological resilience was negatively correlated with anxiety and depression (r=-0.363--0.242, P<0.01), and was positively correlated with coping styles and the social support (r=0.141-0.312, P<0.05 or 0.01). Multi-factor linear regression analysis showed that depression and social support were the influence factors of psychological resilience(t=-4.376, 2.516, P<0.01 or 0.05). Conclusions The parents of preterm infants are at the poor psychological states. Coping styles and depression are the important factors which affect psychological resilience among parents of preterm infants. Nurses should assess the psychological status of the parents, provide targeted interventions to relieve stress, guide the parents use social support effectively, and improve their psychological state.

BACKGROUND:Stem cels can induce immune tolerance, prolong graft survival time and reduce rejection in organ transplantation, which have become a hot research. OBJECTIVE:To induce immune tolerance to alogenic kidney transplantation with amniotic fluid stem cels in recipient rats and to explore the mechanism underlying immune tolerance. METHODS: Amniotic fluid stem cels were isolated from Wistar rats. Two inbred male rat strains, Wistar rats and Sprague-Dawley rats, were selected as donors and recipients of kidney transplantation. The rat models of renal orthotopic transplantation were divided into the folowing four groups: a sham-operated group (n=10, Sprague-Dawley rats); an isograft group (n=10, Sprague-Dawley to Sprague-Dawley rats); a control group (n=10, Wistar to Sprague-Dawley rats, treated with 1 mL saline); and an experimental group (n=10, Wistar to Sprague-Dawley rats, treated with 1 mL of 3×106/L amniotic fluid stem cels). Serum levels of creatinine, urea nitrogen, interleukin-2, interferon-γ, parameters of oxidative stress were detected at 5 days after operation. Flow cytometry was employed to determine the percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in the peripheral blood. Kidney transplants were observed pathologicaly. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the control group, the levels of creatinine, urea nitrogen, interleukin-2, interferon-γ, parameters of oxidative stress and proteinuria were lower in the experimental group (P < 0.05). Percentages of CD4+, CD8+ and CD4+/CD8+ ratio were also significantly lower in the experimental group than the control group. However, the rate of cretinemia clearance in the experimental group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the degree of kidney injury in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group. Our findings demonstrate that the amniotic fluid stem cel transplantation can induce immune tolerance, extenuate oxidative stress, attenuate pathological damage to the kidney transplant and preserve kidney function from acute rejection in rats undergoing kidney transplantation.

LZ-8 protein, isolated from a well known Chinese traditional medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum, is the first member of fungal immunomodulatory protein, members of which have been isolated from a variety of medicinal and edible mushrooms in the last two decades. The protein plays a multifunctional and important role in modulating immune system. In this report, in order to get LZ-8 protein crystals, the LZ-8 gene was expressed and purified by affinity chromatography, gel filtration chromatography and anion exchange chromatography subsequently. The protein was then crystallized using the hanging-drop vapour-diffusion method. The LZ-8 crystals were obtained and the phase information was calculated by X-ray diffraction. The resolution of LZ-8 crystals is 3.2A. This study will provide an insight into the structure of fungal immunomodulatory proteins.
Animals ; Crystallography ; Fungal Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology ; Ganoderma ; genetics ; metabolism ; Genetic Vectors ; genetics ; Immunologic Factors ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Mice ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; immunology