OBJECTIVES: To study the significance of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D₃ [25-(OH)D₃] level in the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of children with immunoglobulin A vasculitis nephritis (IgAVN). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of children with IgAVN who underwent renal biopsy at Suzhou Hospital Affiliated to Anhui Medical University and Jinling Hospital of the Medical School of Nanjing University from June 2015 to June 2020. Based on serum 25-(OH)D₃ level, the patients were divided into a normal group and a lower group. The clinicopathological characteristics and follow-up data of the two groups were collected and compared. RESULTS: A total of 359 children with IgAVN were included. Compared to the normal group (62 cases), the lower group (297 cases) exhibited higher incidences of hematochezia and gross hematuria, higher levels of serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, urinary retinol protein, urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase, and quantitative urinary protein, and a longer duration from renal biopsy to urinary protein becoming negative, as well as lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and albumin level (P<0.05). Renal pathology in the lower group showed a higher occurrence of tubular interstitial injury, crescent formation, segmental sclerosis in glomeruli, and inflammatory cell infiltration in the renal interstitium compared to the normal group (P<0.05). Survival analysis indicated that the cumulative renal survival rate was lower in the lower group (P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that low serum 25-(OH)D₃ level is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in children with IgAVN. CONCLUSIONS Children with IgAVN and low serum 25-(OH)D₃ level have relatively severe clinicopathological manifestations. Low serum 25-(OH)D₃ level is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in children with IgAVN.
Humans ; Male ; Female ; Child ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Calcifediol/blood* ; Child, Preschool ; Adolescent ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA/mortality* ; Vasculitis/pathology* ; IgA Vasculitis/mortality*

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics and related factors of cognition disorders in elderly hypertensive patients.Methods:It was a cross-sectional study. A total of 612 hypertensive patients with the age of (69.06±6.58) years (median 68.00 years) admitted in the Department of Cardiology, General Hospital of Chinese People′s Liberation Army from October 2022 to April 2024 were enrolled. The demographic and clinical data were collected, the cognition status was assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) at admission. The related factors of cognition disorders were analyzed with univariate and multivariate logistic regression.Results:The results showed that female hypertensive patients and those with older age, lower education, higher fasting blood glucose (FBG) and diabetes mellitus, higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) and more cardiovascular comorbidities were likely to have cognition disorders (all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that smoking history, elevated SBP, elevated heart rate, elevated FBG, and elevated LDL-C were independent risk factors for cognition disorders in elderly hypertensive patients,while higher education level was an independent protective factor (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Smoking, increased SBP, increased heart rate, increased FBG, increased LDL-C and lower education level are independently associated with cognition disorders in elderly hypertensive patients.

To develop a novel immunocastration vaccine for animals,researchers designed and syn-thesized the recombinant plasmid pET-30a-SF which could express the recombinant protein SF.This protein was then conjugated in vitro with the synthetic peptide STGP to prepare the SF-STGP nanoparticle vaccine,and its immunocastration effect on mice was studied.The Spy Catcher and ferritin amino acid sequences were connected via GGGGS,and after codon optimization for E.coli,the recombinant plasmid pET-30a-SF was constructed and transformed into E.coli for in-duced expression.The recombinant protein SF was purified using Ni-column affinity chromatogra-phy and characterized.The peptide STGP,composed of Spy Tag,GnRH,and PADRE connected by GGGS,was conjugated with the recombinant protein SF in vitro.The self-assembled nanoparticles were observed using transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and dynamic light scattering(DLS).The prepared SF-STGP nanoparticles were mixed with MONTANIDE ISA 206 VG at a 1∶1 ratio to form the vaccine,which was then subcutaneously injected into male BALB/c mice for immunocastration evaluation.The recombinant protein SF showed the highest soluble expression when induced at 18 ℃ with 0.25 mmol/L IPTG for 14 h,and the maximum conjugation efficiency with STGP was achieved at a 1∶8 molar ratio.TEM and DLS analyses revealed that both the re-combinant protein SF and SF-STGP could self-assemble into nanoparticles with average diameters of 16.2 nm and 17.8 nm,respectively.Mouse immunization results demonstrated that the SF-STGP nanoparticle vaccine generated specific GnRH antibodies after the first immunization,with the spe-cific antibody D45o reaching its peak at the 10 th week.The SF-STGP+ISA 206 immunization group showed a peak D450 value of 2.8,and the specific antibody levels in all immunization groups were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).Additionally,the SF-STGP nanoparticle vaccine effectively reduced serum testosterone levels in mice,with the testosterone concentration in the immunization groups being significantly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).Compared to the control group,the immunization group exhibits testicular atrophy.The constructed SF-STGP nanoparticle vaccine proves to be a highly effective immunogen,capable of inducing testicular atrophy and reducing gonadal hormone concentrations,demonstrating excellent castration effects.This study provides new insights into immunocastration vaccines for mammals.

A long-acting feline ω-interferon fusion protein(FSA-FeIFNω)was designed and its bio-logical function validated.According to the optimization of the sequence of feline serum albumin and feline ω interferon in NCBI,the recombinant plasmid pET-30a(+)-FSA-FeIFNω was con-structed,which was transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3)competent cells,the expression of re-combinant protein FSA-FeIFNω was induced by IPTG,and the expressed inclusion body protein was identified by Western blot,the refolding product was purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatog-raphy,and the concentration of dialysis and concentrated protein after purification was determined by BCA method.The antiviral activity of recombinant protein was detected by micro-cytopathic in-hibition method in the CRFK/VSV system,the in vitro half-life was detected by 50％mouse plas-ma method,the tumor cell proliferation inhibition activity was detected by MTT method,and anti-tumor activity was detected by mouse melanoma model.The pET-30a(+)-FeIFNω and pET-30a(+)-FSA-FeIFNω expression vectors were successfully constructed,and 87 kDa recombinant FSA-FeIFNω protein was obtained in E.coli,with a purified protein purity of 95％,with a concen-tration of 1 g/L,and the biological activity was 2.56 × 106 IU/mg,the plasma half-life was significantly prolonged(＞24 h),and the half-inhibitory concentration IC50 of B16-F10 in mouse melanoma cells was 56.01 mg/L.The FSA-FeIFNω group significantly inhibited tumor growth,and the treatment effect was better than that of the control group and other experimental groups.The recombinant FSA-FeIFNω protein obtained in this study had long-acting effect and good biological activity.

This study aims to construct a recombinant vaccine containing the tetanus toxin C frag-ment(HC)with a built-in adjuvant of metallothionein 3(MT-3)and evaluate its immune effect in mice.The gene sequences of MT-3 and HC were fused via a linker to create the pET30a-MT-3-HC recombinant plasmid,which was then transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3)competent cells.The re-combinant plasmid was confirmed through double enzyme digestion.The M3C recombinant protein expression was induced,identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot,and purified using Ni-NTA af-finity chromatography.Five groups of vaccines,including PBS,HC,TT(tetanus toxoid),M3C,and M3C+CpG(composite adjuvant),were administered to mice via intramuscular injection at 7-day intervals for three immunizations.Blood samples were periodically collected from the tail vein.ELISA was used to measure changes in specific IgG antibody titers in the serum,and on day 28,antibody subtypes(IgG1,IgG2a,IgG2b,IgG3,and IgM)and cytokine levels(IL-4,IFN-γ)were also measured.The results demonstrated that the pET30a-MT-3-HC recombinant plasmid was cor-rectly constructed,and the M3C recombinant protein was highly expressed in the supernatant fol-lowing ultrasonic disruption of the induced bacterial culture,with a single band observed post-puri-fication.ELISA results showed that the titer of specific IgG antibodies in the M3C+CpG group peaked at 3.54×105 14 days after the third immunization,which was 141 times,70 times,and 6.6 times higher than that in HC,TT,and TT groups,respectively.Antibody subtype analysis revealed significantly higher specific antibody subtype titers in the M3C and M3C+CpG groups compared to the PBS,HC,and TT groups(P＜0.05),with the M3 C group showing an IgG1/IgG2a ratio greater than 1,and the M3C+CpG group having an IgG1/IgG2a ratio of approximately 1.Serum concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-4 in the M3C and M3C+CpG groups were also significantly higher than those in the other experimental groups(P＜0.05).These results showed that the recombinant antigen containing MT-3 built-in adjuvant and tetanus toxin C fragment was successfully expressed and showed strong immunogenicity,which laid the experimental foundation for the development of this recombinant vaccine.

BACKGROUND:Sarcopenia is a comprehensive condition of aging induced decline in skeletal muscle mass and strength and represents a major health challenge for the elderly.Accumulating evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a key role in the pathogenesis of sarcopenia.OBJECTIVE:To summarize the mechanisms by which dysregulation of mitochondrial quality control leads to sarcopenia and to explore whether mitochondrial transplantation may be a potential target for the treatment of sarcopenia.METHODS:We searched PubMed and CNKI databases for relevant articles published from 2009 to 2023 using the keywords "sarcopenia,mitochondrial dysfunction,mitochondrial quality control,mitochondrial transplantation,limitations."RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Given the key role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of sarcopenia,mitochondrial transplantation may serve as a possible strategy for the treatment of sarcopenia by improving mitochondrial bioenergetics and modulating mitochondria related signaling pathways.Although some preclinical and clinical studies have confirmed the potential of mitochondrial transplantation for the treatment of various diseases,there are still some urgent questions regarding the specific details of mitochondrial transfer.

Objective:To examine the status of self-perceived aging, family function, and fear of disease progression among elderly patients with peptic ulcer disease (PUD), and to explore the mediating role of self-perceived aging in the relationship between family function and fear of disease progression.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study. Using a convenience sampling method, a total of 307 elderly patients with PUD hospitalized in the Third Hospital of Bethune, Jilin University between December 2023 and May 2024 were included. Data were collected using the General Information Questionnaire, the Brief Ageing Perceptions Questionnaire (B-APQ), the Fear of Progression Questionnaire-Short Form (FoP-Q-SF), and the Chinese version of the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES II-CV). The PROCESS macro in SPSS was used to construct and validate a mediation model to assess the mediating effect of self-perceived aging between family function and fear of disease progression among elderly patients with PUD.Results:A total of 307 questionnaires were distributed, with 276 valid responses obtained (effective response rate: 89.90%). The B-APQ score was (53.79±18.30), the FACES II-CV score was (92.17±16.39), and the FoP-Q-SF score was (30.16±6.02). Family function negatively predicted fear of disease progression directly, with a direct effect value of -0.083, accounting for 44.15% of the total effect (-0.083/-0.188). Self-perceived aging exerted a significant mediating effect between family function and fear of disease progression, with an indirect effect value of -0.105, representing 55.85% of the total effect (-0.105/-0.188) .Conclusions:This study reveals the mediating role of self-perceived aging in the relationship between family function and fear of disease progression in elderly PUD patients. The findings enrich the explanatory dimensions of psychosocial models in chronic disease management and underscore the importance of addressing family dynamics and aging perceptions in designing comprehensive interventions for elderly patients with digestive diseases.

A long-acting feline ω-interferon fusion protein(FSA-FeIFNω)was designed and its bio-logical function validated.According to the optimization of the sequence of feline serum albumin and feline ω interferon in NCBI,the recombinant plasmid pET-30a(+)-FSA-FeIFNω was con-structed,which was transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3)competent cells,the expression of re-combinant protein FSA-FeIFNω was induced by IPTG,and the expressed inclusion body protein was identified by Western blot,the refolding product was purified by Ni-NTA affinity chromatog-raphy,and the concentration of dialysis and concentrated protein after purification was determined by BCA method.The antiviral activity of recombinant protein was detected by micro-cytopathic in-hibition method in the CRFK/VSV system,the in vitro half-life was detected by 50％mouse plas-ma method,the tumor cell proliferation inhibition activity was detected by MTT method,and anti-tumor activity was detected by mouse melanoma model.The pET-30a(+)-FeIFNω and pET-30a(+)-FSA-FeIFNω expression vectors were successfully constructed,and 87 kDa recombinant FSA-FeIFNω protein was obtained in E.coli,with a purified protein purity of 95％,with a concen-tration of 1 g/L,and the biological activity was 2.56 × 106 IU/mg,the plasma half-life was significantly prolonged(＞24 h),and the half-inhibitory concentration IC50 of B16-F10 in mouse melanoma cells was 56.01 mg/L.The FSA-FeIFNω group significantly inhibited tumor growth,and the treatment effect was better than that of the control group and other experimental groups.The recombinant FSA-FeIFNω protein obtained in this study had long-acting effect and good biological activity.

This study aims to construct a recombinant vaccine containing the tetanus toxin C frag-ment(HC)with a built-in adjuvant of metallothionein 3(MT-3)and evaluate its immune effect in mice.The gene sequences of MT-3 and HC were fused via a linker to create the pET30a-MT-3-HC recombinant plasmid,which was then transformed into E.coli BL21(DE3)competent cells.The re-combinant plasmid was confirmed through double enzyme digestion.The M3C recombinant protein expression was induced,identified by SDS-PAGE and Western blot,and purified using Ni-NTA af-finity chromatography.Five groups of vaccines,including PBS,HC,TT(tetanus toxoid),M3C,and M3C+CpG(composite adjuvant),were administered to mice via intramuscular injection at 7-day intervals for three immunizations.Blood samples were periodically collected from the tail vein.ELISA was used to measure changes in specific IgG antibody titers in the serum,and on day 28,antibody subtypes(IgG1,IgG2a,IgG2b,IgG3,and IgM)and cytokine levels(IL-4,IFN-γ)were also measured.The results demonstrated that the pET30a-MT-3-HC recombinant plasmid was cor-rectly constructed,and the M3C recombinant protein was highly expressed in the supernatant fol-lowing ultrasonic disruption of the induced bacterial culture,with a single band observed post-puri-fication.ELISA results showed that the titer of specific IgG antibodies in the M3C+CpG group peaked at 3.54×105 14 days after the third immunization,which was 141 times,70 times,and 6.6 times higher than that in HC,TT,and TT groups,respectively.Antibody subtype analysis revealed significantly higher specific antibody subtype titers in the M3C and M3C+CpG groups compared to the PBS,HC,and TT groups(P＜0.05),with the M3 C group showing an IgG1/IgG2a ratio greater than 1,and the M3C+CpG group having an IgG1/IgG2a ratio of approximately 1.Serum concentrations of IFN-γ and IL-4 in the M3C and M3C+CpG groups were also significantly higher than those in the other experimental groups(P＜0.05).These results showed that the recombinant antigen containing MT-3 built-in adjuvant and tetanus toxin C fragment was successfully expressed and showed strong immunogenicity,which laid the experimental foundation for the development of this recombinant vaccine.

To develop a novel immunocastration vaccine for animals,researchers designed and syn-thesized the recombinant plasmid pET-30a-SF which could express the recombinant protein SF.This protein was then conjugated in vitro with the synthetic peptide STGP to prepare the SF-STGP nanoparticle vaccine,and its immunocastration effect on mice was studied.The Spy Catcher and ferritin amino acid sequences were connected via GGGGS,and after codon optimization for E.coli,the recombinant plasmid pET-30a-SF was constructed and transformed into E.coli for in-duced expression.The recombinant protein SF was purified using Ni-column affinity chromatogra-phy and characterized.The peptide STGP,composed of Spy Tag,GnRH,and PADRE connected by GGGS,was conjugated with the recombinant protein SF in vitro.The self-assembled nanoparticles were observed using transmission electron microscopy(TEM)and dynamic light scattering(DLS).The prepared SF-STGP nanoparticles were mixed with MONTANIDE ISA 206 VG at a 1∶1 ratio to form the vaccine,which was then subcutaneously injected into male BALB/c mice for immunocastration evaluation.The recombinant protein SF showed the highest soluble expression when induced at 18 ℃ with 0.25 mmol/L IPTG for 14 h,and the maximum conjugation efficiency with STGP was achieved at a 1∶8 molar ratio.TEM and DLS analyses revealed that both the re-combinant protein SF and SF-STGP could self-assemble into nanoparticles with average diameters of 16.2 nm and 17.8 nm,respectively.Mouse immunization results demonstrated that the SF-STGP nanoparticle vaccine generated specific GnRH antibodies after the first immunization,with the spe-cific antibody D45o reaching its peak at the 10 th week.The SF-STGP+ISA 206 immunization group showed a peak D450 value of 2.8,and the specific antibody levels in all immunization groups were significantly higher than those in the control group(P＜0.05).Additionally,the SF-STGP nanoparticle vaccine effectively reduced serum testosterone levels in mice,with the testosterone concentration in the immunization groups being significantly lower than that in the control group(P＜0.05).Compared to the control group,the immunization group exhibits testicular atrophy.The constructed SF-STGP nanoparticle vaccine proves to be a highly effective immunogen,capable of inducing testicular atrophy and reducing gonadal hormone concentrations,demonstrating excellent castration effects.This study provides new insights into immunocastration vaccines for mammals.