Objective: To explore the effects of Cldn14 gene knockout on renal metabolism and stone formation in rats，so as to provide reference for research in the field of urinary calium metabolism and stone formation. Methods: Cldn14 gene knockout homozygous rats and wild-type rats of the same age were randomly divided into 4 groups：wild-type control (WC) group，wild-type ethylene glycol (WE) group，gene knockout control (KC) group and gene knockout ethylene glycol (KE) group，with 10 rats in each group.The WE and KE groups were induced with ethylene glycol + ammonium chloride to form kidney stones，while the WC and KC groups received normal saline gavage.After 4 weeks of standard maintenance feeding，the urine samples were collected to detect the venous blood.The kidneys were collected for HE，Pizzolatto's staining and transmission electron microscopy.The protein in renal tissues was extracted to detect the expressions of Claudin16 and Claudin19. Results: Crystal deposition was observed in the renal tubular lumen of the WE and the KE groups，and more crystals were detected in the KE group.The WE group had a large number of intracytoplasmic black crystalline inclusions observed in renal tubular epithelial cells under transmission electron microscope，followed by the KE and KC groups.Compared with WC and WE groups，KC and KE groups had significantly decreased serum calcium and magnesium levels but significantly increased urinary calcium level.In addition，the urinary calcium level was higher in the WE group than in the WC group and higher in the KE group than in the KC group.The KE group had lower level of Claudin16，but there was no significant difference in the level of Claudin19 among the 4 groups(P>0.05). Conclusion: Knockout of Cldn14 gene alone cannot effectively reduce urinary calcium excretion or reduce the risk of stone formation in rats，which may be related to the decrease of Claudin16 level.

BACKGROUND:Knee osteoarthritis is a common clinical degenerative joint disease characterized by chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.Resveratrol has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative stress biological effects,and therefore it can be used symptomatically and expected to provide a new strategy for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the therapeutic effect and mechanism of resveratrol on knee osteoarthritis in rats through the silence information regulator 1(SIRT1)/forkhead transcription factor O1(FOXO1)pathway. METHODS:Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group,model group,low-dose resveratrol group,and high-dose resveratrol group,with 10 rats in each group.Knee osteoarthritis models were established in the model group,low-dose resveratrol group,and high-dose resveratrol group.A mixture of 4%papain solution and 0.3 mol/L cysteine solution(1:1 for 0.5 hours;20 μL)was injected at 1,4,and 7 days after modeling.Rats in the low-dose and high-dose resveratrol groups were injected with 25 and 100 mg/kg resveratrol through the articular cavity at 1 day after successful modeling,while those in the control and model groups were injected with equivalent volume of physiological saline through the articular cavity.After 28 days of treatment,the maximum knee joint activity was measured;the levels of oxidative stress indicators and inflammatory factors in the synovial fluid of the knee joint were analyzed by radioimmunoassay and ELISA;the content of collagen fibers in the knee joint was analyzed by safranin O-fast green staining;the degree of arthritic lesions was analyzed using the Mankin histological score;and the levels of SIRT1 and FOXO1 in the knee joint were detected by western blot assay. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the model group,the maximum knee flexion and extension angles of rats significantly increased in the low-dose and high-dose resveratrol groups,and were significantly higher in the high-dose group than the low-dose group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the levels of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in the knee joint fluid of rats significantly increased in the low-dose and high-dose resveratrol groups.The level of malondialdehyde significantly decreased in both resveratrol groups,and the level in the high-dose resveratrol group was significantly better than that in the low-dose resveratrol group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the low-dose and high-dose resveratrol groups showed a significant decrease in the levels of interleukin 1β,interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor α in the knee joint fluid of rats,and the levels of these inflammatory factors were significantly lower in the high-dose resveratrol group than the low-dose resveratrol group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the content of collagen fibers in the knee joint was significantly increased in both resveratrol groups,and the high-dose resveratrol group showed a higher content of collagen fibers than the low-dose resveratrol group(P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the expression level of SIRT1 in the knee joints of rats significantly increased in both resveratrol groups,while the level of acetylated FOXO1 significantly decreased(P<0.05).The magnitude of changes was significantly better in the high-dose group than the low-dose group.To conclude,resveratrol significantly improves the levels of oxidative stress and inflammatory factors in the joint fluid of rats with knee osteoarthritis and alleviates arthritic symptoms in a dose-dependent manner,possibly through the SIRT1/FOXO1 pathway.

Objective To investigate the involvement of calmodulin(CaM)in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease(AD)and the mechanism by which CaM binds to amyloid-β(Aβ).Methods The hub genes expressed in AD and predicted to be the target proteins for AD prevention and treatment were obtained using bioinformatics methods.The GST-Aβ1-42 recombinant plasmid was constructed through genetic recombination and was then sequenced.The recombinant plasmids were identified using agarose gel electrophoresis,while the extracted and purified GST-Aβ1-42 fusion protein was confirmed using SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis.GST pull-down assay was used to detect the interaction between GST-Aβ1-42 protein and CaM,expressed in the plasmid.Results The top 20 hub genes in degree ranking were obtained.The DNA sequencing results of the plasmid proved that the recombinant plasmid was successfully constructed.The agarose gel electrophoresis results indicated that the fragment digested by the enzyme was similar to the molecular weight of the Aβ1-42 gene seg-ments,further proving the successful construction of the recombinant plasmid.Binding of GST-Aβ1-42 protein to CaM in a concentration dependent manner was revealed through the GST pull down experiment.Conclusion The GST-Aβ1-42 recombinant plasmid is success-fully constructed and is shown to bind to CaM.

Alzheimer's disease(AD)is a common neurodegenerative disease with the main manifesta-tions of progressive cognitive dysfunction,behavioral disorders,and gradual decline of living ability.The etiology of AD is complex,and the pathogenesis of this disease remains controversial.Calcium signaling plays an impor-tant role in regulating neuronal activities,including neurotransmitter release,synaptic plasticity,memory stor-age,and neuronal apoptosis.Increasing studies have shown that neuronal calcium dyshomeostasis is a major path-ological factor in the occurrence and development of AD.This article reviews the role and research progress in in-tracellular calcium dyshomeostasis in AD,including the relationship between calcium homeostasis and amyloidβ,the role of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases in tau phosphorylation,calcium signaling path-ways,the relationship between calcium homeostasis and mitochondrial function,autophagy,and neuroinflamma-tion.

Objective To investigate the changes of the levels of immunoglobulin(Ig)G,IgM,factor B,complement C3 and C4,T lymphocyte subsets in children with bronchial asthma during acute attacks and their correlation with the severity of the disease.Methods The clinical data of 133 children with bronchial asthma admitted to the Department of Pediatrics,Zhuji Maternal and Child Health Hospital from January 2020 to July 2022 were analyzed.According to whether the children were in acute exacerbation stage,they were divided into acute stage group(85 cases)and stable stage group(48 cases);The data about the levels of IgG,IgM,factor B,complement C3 and C4,T lymphocyte subsets(CD3+,CD4+,CD4+/CD8+)on admission were collected from the two groups of children;The acute phase and stable phase were analyzed.The changes of the above indicators,compared the changes of the above indicators in children with different acute attack;Spearman linear equation was used to analyze the correlation between Ig,complement,and T lymphocyte subsets levels and the severity of the disease.Results The level of IgG,factor B,IgM,C3 and C4 were lower than those in stable stage group,with statistical significance(P<0.05).The levels of CD3+,CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ in acute stage group were lower than those in stable stage group,and the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).With the improvement of the severity grade of acute asthma attack,the levels of factor B,C3,C4,CD3+,CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ decreased gradually,and the differences among different grades were statistically significant(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in IgG level among different severity grades(P>0.05).Spearman linear correlation analysis showed that the levels of factor B,IgM,C3,C4,CD3+,CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ were negatively correlated with the severity of the disease(P<0.05).Conclusion There is obvious immune dysfunction in children with acute attack of bronchial asthma.Monitoring the levels of Ig,complement and T lymphocyte subsets is helpful to evaluate the severity of the disease.

Qingweisan is one of the classical prescriptions commonly used in the treatment of oral diseases. By means of Bibliometrics， the authors collected the ancient books on Qingweisan and sifted out 411 valid data， involving 116 classics of traditional Chinese medicine. The historical origin， drug composition， indications， principle of composition， dosage，and preparation of Qingweisan were statistically analyzed， and it was found that the prescription originated from the Treatise on Spleen and Stomach（《脾胃论》） by LI Dongyuan and is composed of Rehmanniae Radix， Angelica Sinensis， Cortex Moutan， Coptidis Rhizoma and Cimicifugae Rhizoma， with the functions of clearing stomach， purging fire， cooling blood and dispersing depression. And Qingweisan was mainly used to treat toothache， headache， and preference for cold and aversion to heat caused by "excessive heat in yang brightness meridian". There were 352 indications recorded， most of which followed LI Dongyuan's theory and the expanded indications reached 70 kinds. Specifically， toothache （132） was the most， accounting for 22.49% of the total indications， followed by headache （60， 10.22%）. In addition， Qingweisan was widely used in modern clinical practice for multiple system diseases， among which oral system （197） was dominant， accounting for 72.69%， followed by skin system （28， 10.33%） and digestive system （27， 9.96%）. Although the indications were wide， the pathogenesis always belonged to "upward attack of stomach fire". Through the excavation and statistical analysis of the ancient books on Qingweisan and its modern clinical application， the authors aimed to provide a more scientific reference for the research and application of classical famous prescriptions.

Bromodomain containing protein 4 (BRD4), as an epigenetic reader, can specifically bind to the acetyl lysine residues of histones and has emerged as an attractive therapeutic target for various diseases, including cancer, cardiac remodeling and heart failure. Herein, we described the discovery of hit 5 bearing 4-phenylquinazoline skeleton through a high-throughput virtual screen using 2,003,400 compound library (enamine). Then, structure-activity relationship (SAR) study was performed and 47 new 4-phenylquinazoline derivatives toward BRD4 were further designed, synthesized and evaluated, using HTRF assay set up in our lab. Eventually, we identified compound C-34, which possessed better pharmacokinetic and physicochemical properties as well as lower cytotoxicity against NRCF and NRCM cells, compared to the positive control JQ1. Using computer-based molecular docking and cellular thermal shift assay, we further verified that C-34 could target BRD4 at molecular and cellular levels. Furthermore, treatment with C-34 effectively alleviated fibroblast activation in vitro and cardiac fibrosis in vivo, which was correlated with the decreased expression of BRD4 downstream target c-MYC as well as the depressed TGF-β1/Smad2/3 signaling pathway. Taken together, our findings indicate that novel BRD4 inhibitor C-34 tethering a 4-phenylquinazoline scaffold can serve as a lead compound for further development to treat fibrotic cardiovascular disease.

After decades of development,protein and peptide drugs have now grown into a major drug class in the marketplace.Target identification and validation are crucial for the discovery of protein and peptide drugs,and bioinformatics prediction of targets based on the characteristics of known target proteins will help improve the efficiency and success rate of target selection.However,owing to the developmental history in the pharmaceutical industry,previous systematic exploration of the target spaces has mainly focused on traditional small-molecule drugs,while studies related to protein and peptide drugs are lacking.Here,we systematically explore the target spaces in the human genome specifically for protein and peptide drugs.Compared with other proteins,both suc-cessful protein and peptide drug targets have many special characteristics,and are also significantly different from those of small-molecule drugs in many aspects.Based on these features,we develop separate effective genome-wide target prediction models for protein and peptide drugs.Finally,a user-friendly web server,Predictor Of Protein and Peptide drugs'therapeutic Targets(POPPIT)(http://poppit.ncpsb.org.cn/),is established,which provides not only target prediction specifically for protein and peptide drugs but also abundant annotations for predicted targets.

The 30th International Symposium on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis-Motor Neuron Disease was held in Perth, Australia from December 4 to 6, 2019. This article mainly introduces the clinical research of this meeting, including epidemiology, non-motor symptoms, auxiliary examinations and biomarkers, etc., while the basic research includes genomics and genetics, protein metabolism abnormalities, neuroimmunity and inflammation, synapse pathology and preclinical treatment strategies,