Objective This study investigated the regulatory effect of high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) in the peripheral blood of patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) on myeloid dendritic cells (mDC) and Th17/regulatory T cells (Treg) balance. Methods The study enrolled 30 newly diagnosed ITP patients and 30 healthy controls.Flow cytometry was used to measure the proportion of mDC, Th17, and Treg cells in the peripheral blood of ITP patients and healthy controls. ELISA was conducted to quantify the serum levels of HMGB1, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-23, IL-17, and transforming growth factor β(TGF-β). The mRNA levels of retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γt(RORγt) and forehead box P3(FOXP3) were detected by real-time PCR. The correlation between the abovementioned cells, cytokines, and platelet count was assessed using Pearson linear correlation analysis. Results The proportion of Th17 cells and the expression levels of HMGB1, IL-6, IL-23, IL-17 and the level of RORγt mRNA in the peripheral blood of ITP patients were higher than those in healthy controls. However, the Treg cell proportion and TGF-β level were lower in ITP patients than those in healthy controls. In patients with ITP, the proportion of mDC and the level of FOXP3 mRNA did not show significant changes. The proportion of mDC cells was significantly correlated with the expression of IL-6 and IL-23. Moreover, the expression of HMGB1 showed a significant correlation with the expression of mDC, IL-6, IL-23, RORγt mRNA, and IL-17. Notably, both the proportion of mDC cells and the expression of HMGB1 were negatively correlated with platelet count. Conclusion The high expression of HMGB1 in peripheral blood of ITP patients may induce Th17/Treg imbalance by promoting the maturation of mDC and affecting the secretion of cytokines, thereby potentially playing a role in the immunological mechanism of ITP.
Humans ; Th17 Cells/cytology* ; HMGB1 Protein/genetics* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/cytology* ; Female ; Male ; Dendritic Cells/metabolism* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/genetics* ; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3/genetics* ; Young Adult ; Interleukin-23/blood* ; Interleukin-17/blood* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Myeloid Cells/cytology* ; Aged

OBJECTIVES: The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of various types of diabetes. However, the causal relationship between them has yet to be systematically elucidated. This study aims to explore the potential causal associations between gut microbiota and diabetes using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis, based on multiple taxonomic levels. METHODS: Eligible instrumental variables were extracted from the selected genome-wide association study (GWAS) data on gut microbiota. These were combined with GWAS datasets on type 1 diabetes (T1D), type 2 diabetes (T2D), and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) to conduct forward MR analysis, sensitivity analysis, reverse MR analysis, and validation of significant estimates. Microbial taxa with causal effects on T1D, T2D, and GDM were identified based on a comprehensive assessment of all analytical stages. RESULTS: A total of 2 179, 2 176, and 2 166 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were included in the MR analyses for gut microbiota with T1D, T2D, and GDM, respectively. MR results indicated causal associations between: Six microbial taxa (Eggerthella, Lachnospira, Bacillales, Desulfovibrionales, Parasutterella, and Turicibacter) and T1D; 9 microbial taxa (Verrucomicrobia, Deltaproteobacteria, Actinomycetales, Desulfovibrionale, Actinomycetaceae, Desulfovibrionaceae, Actinomyces, Alcaligenaceae, and Lachnospiraceae NC2004 group) and T2D; 10 microbial taxa (Betaproteobacteria, Coprobacter, Ruminococcus2, Tenericutes, Clostridia, Methanobacteria, Mollicutes, Methanobacteriales, Methanobacteriaceae, and Methanobrevibacter) and GDM. CONCLUSIONS This study identified specific gut microbial taxa that may significantly increase or decrease the risk of developing diabetes. Some findings were fully replicated in independent validation datasets. However, the underlying biological mechanisms of these causal relationships warrant further investigation through mechanistic studies and population-based research.
Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics* ; Humans ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/genetics* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1/genetics* ; Female ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Diabetes, Gestational/genetics* ; Pregnancy

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone (DMQ) for alleviating dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. METHODS: Eighteen male C57BL/6J mice were equally randomized into control group, DSS group and DMQ treatment group. In DSS and DMQ groups, the mice were treated with DSS in drinking water to induce UC, and received intraperitoneal injections of sterile PBS or DMQ (20 mg/kg) during modeling. The changes in body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, spleen weight, and colon histological scores of the mice were examined, and the percentages of Th17 and IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen were analyzed using flow cytometry. The expressions of tight junction proteins (Occludin and ZO-1), proteins associated with inflammasome activation (caspase-1 and p20), IL-1β and TNF-α in the colon tissues were detected using Western blotting or ELISA. In the cell experiment, mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were treated with DMQ, followed by stmulation with nigericin to activate the classical NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. In cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) treated with either LPS alone or LPS plus nigericin, the effects of DMQ on inflammasome activation, pyroptosis, and cytokine release were evaluated via Western blotting, ELISA, and flow cytometry. RESULTS: In DSS-treated mice, DMQ treatment significantly alleviated DSS-induced body weight loss, colon shortening, spleen enlargement, and colon inflammation. The DMQ-treated mice showed significantly reduced percentages of Th17 cells and IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen, with increased occludin and ZO-1 expressions and decreased caspase-1 expression in the colon tissue. DMQ obviously inhibited classical NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mouse BMDMs and both the classical and alternative pathways of NLRP3 activation in human PBMCs, causing also suppression of caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis. CONCLUSIONS DMQ ameliorates DSS-induced UC in mice by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
Animals ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Colitis, Ulcerative/metabolism* ; Dextran Sulfate/adverse effects* ; Male ; Inflammasomes/metabolism* ; Mice ; Benzoquinones/therapeutic use* ; Th17 Cells ; Caspase 1/metabolism*

Microbial communities such as those residing in the human gut are highly diverse and complex, and many with important implications for health and diseases. The effects and functions of these microbial communities are determined not only by their species compositions and diversities but also by the dynamic intra- and inter-cellular states at the transcriptional level. Powerful and scalable technologies capable of acquiring single-microbe-resolution RNA sequencing information in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of complex microbial communities together with their hosts are therefore utterly needed. Here we report the development and utilization of a droplet-based smRNA-seq (single-microbe RNA sequencing) method capable of identifying large species varieties in human samples, which we name smRandom-seq2. Together with a triple-module computational pipeline designed for the bacteria and bacteriophage sequencing data by smRandom-seq2 in four human gut samples, we established a single-cell level bacterial transcriptional landscape of human gut microbiome, which included 29,742 single microbes and 329 unique species. Distinct adaptive response states among species in Prevotella and Roseburia genera and intrinsic adaptive strategy heterogeneity in Phascolarctobacterium succinatutens were uncovered. Additionally, we identified hundreds of novel host-phage transcriptional activity associations in the human gut microbiome. Our results indicated that smRandom-seq2 is a high-throughput and high-resolution smRNA-seq technique that is highly adaptable to complex microbial communities in real-world situations and promises new perspectives in the understanding of human microbiomes.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics* ; Bacteriophages/physiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Sequence Analysis, RNA/methods* ; Bacteria/virology*

As an important strategy in antiviral drug development, nucleoside analogs (NAs) have attracted considerable attention due to their unique mechanisms of action and favorable safety profile. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in the mechanisms of action of NAs, focusing on the following four aspects: (1) Targeting viral polymerases, inhibiting viral replication through mechanisms such as non-absolute termination, delayed chain termination and induction of viral RNA mutations in addition to classical chain termination, which has been newly discovered; (2) Regulating RNA methylation modifications—for instance, competitively inhibiting methyltransferases, which significantly reduces viral replication efficiency; (3) Depleting nucleotide pools—by affecting host cell purine nucleotide synthesis pathways, thereby indirectly inhibiting viral replication; and (4) Immunomodulatory functions—including activation of the STING pathway to promote interferon production. Furthermore, this review systematically discusses the breakthrough progress in prodrug technologies for addressing key clinical challenges such as drug resistance and off-target toxicity of NAs. These advances provide crucial technical support for the clinical translation of NAs. These advances provide key technical support for the clinical translation of NAs. This review clarifies the multi-target action rules of NAs and provides a theoretical framework for the design of next-generation broad-spectrum antiviral agents.

Objective:To explore the association of human betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase ( BHMT) and BHMT2 gene polymorphisms with non-syndromic congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods:A hospital-based case-control study was conducted, in which children with CHD who attended Hunan Children′s Hospital from January 2018 to May 2019 were enrolled as the case group, and children without any congenital deformity who attended the hospital during the same period were enrolled as the control group on a 1∶1 basis. A self-administered questionnaire survey was performed to collect information about the study subjects and their mothers, and then venous blood samples were collected from the subjects to detect BHMT and BHMT2 gene polymorphisms. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association of BHMT and BHMT2 gene polymorphisms and their haplotypes with CHD. Crossover analyses and logistic regression were used to explore the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. Results:The case and control group both enrolled 620 children. The multivariate logistic regression showed that BHMT gene polymorphisms at rs3733890 (AA vs. GG: OR=3.476, Q FDR<0.001; GA vs. GG: OR=1.525, Q FDR=0.036), at rs1915706 (CC vs. TT: OR=3.464, Q FDR<0.001) and at rs1316753 (GG vs. CC: OR=1.875, Q FDR=0.020) increased the risk of CHD. Children with haplotype of A-G-A had an increased risk of CHD ( OR=1.468, 95% CI: 1.222-1.762). Interaction analysis showed that a statistically significant positive interaction between rs3733890 and rs1915706 on both additive ( RERI=0.628, 95% CI: 0.298-0.958) and multiplicative ( OR=3.754, 95% CI: 1.875-7.519) scales. Gene-environment interactions were found between the BHMT gene with secondhand smoke exposure before pregnancy and in early pregnancy, tea consumption before pregnancy and in early pregnancy, alcohol consumption before pregnancy, and folic acid supplementation before or during pregnancy. Conclusion:BHMT gene rs3733890, rs1915706 and rs1316753 polymorphisms may be associated with the risk of CHD. In addition, there is an association of cooperative interaction between rs3733890 and rs1915706 on both additive and multiplicative scales with the risk of CHD, and the BHMT gene interacts with multiple environmental factors.

Objective:To explore the association of human betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase ( BHMT) and BHMT2 gene polymorphisms with non-syndromic congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods:A hospital-based case-control study was conducted, in which children with CHD who attended Hunan Children′s Hospital from January 2018 to May 2019 were enrolled as the case group, and children without any congenital deformity who attended the hospital during the same period were enrolled as the control group on a 1∶1 basis. A self-administered questionnaire survey was performed to collect information about the study subjects and their mothers, and then venous blood samples were collected from the subjects to detect BHMT and BHMT2 gene polymorphisms. Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate the association of BHMT and BHMT2 gene polymorphisms and their haplotypes with CHD. Crossover analyses and logistic regression were used to explore the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. Results:The case and control group both enrolled 620 children. The multivariate logistic regression showed that BHMT gene polymorphisms at rs3733890 (AA vs. GG: OR=3.476, Q FDR<0.001; GA vs. GG: OR=1.525, Q FDR=0.036), at rs1915706 (CC vs. TT: OR=3.464, Q FDR<0.001) and at rs1316753 (GG vs. CC: OR=1.875, Q FDR=0.020) increased the risk of CHD. Children with haplotype of A-G-A had an increased risk of CHD ( OR=1.468, 95% CI: 1.222-1.762). Interaction analysis showed that a statistically significant positive interaction between rs3733890 and rs1915706 on both additive ( RERI=0.628, 95% CI: 0.298-0.958) and multiplicative ( OR=3.754, 95% CI: 1.875-7.519) scales. Gene-environment interactions were found between the BHMT gene with secondhand smoke exposure before pregnancy and in early pregnancy, tea consumption before pregnancy and in early pregnancy, alcohol consumption before pregnancy, and folic acid supplementation before or during pregnancy. Conclusion:BHMT gene rs3733890, rs1915706 and rs1316753 polymorphisms may be associated with the risk of CHD. In addition, there is an association of cooperative interaction between rs3733890 and rs1915706 on both additive and multiplicative scales with the risk of CHD, and the BHMT gene interacts with multiple environmental factors.

ObjectiveTo compare the effect of toe-spread-out exercises (TSO) and modified TSO in females with hallux valgus. MethodsFrom September to December, 2023, a total of 45 females with hallux valgus were recruited in Capital University of Physical Education and Sports and randomly divided into blank control group (n = 15), TSO group (n = 15), and modified TSO group (n = 15). The blank control group received no intervention, the TSO group received routine TSO, and the modified TSO group received fibularis longus fascia release followed by TSO, for eight weeks. Changes in the hallux valgus angle (HVA) and the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the abductor hallucis muscle were measured before intervention, and four and eight weeks after intervention, respectively. ResultsOne case dropped out from the blank control group. The changes of HVA in the TSO and modified TSO groups were significantly greater than in the blank control group (F > 15.263, P < 0.05). After four weeks of intervention, the change of left HVA in the modified TSO group was significantly greater than in the TSO group (P < 0.05). The main effect of time was significant on the CSA of the abductor hallucis muscle (F > 13.245, P < 0.05). The main effect of group was significant on the left foot's CSA of the abductor hallucis (F = 3.798, P < 0.05). The interaction effect of time and group was also significant (F > 4.744, P < 0.05). The CSA of the abductor hallucis in both the TSO and modified TSO groups after four weeks and eight weeks of intervention was significantly greater than before intervention (P < 0.05). At eight weeks, the CSA of the right foot in the modified TSO group was significantly greater than in the blank control group (P < 0.05). ConclusionBoth TSO and modified TSO can improve HVA and the CSA of the abductor hallucis muscle in females with hallux valgus, and modified TSO is better.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract on oral ulcer in rats and its underlying mechanism. Methods The contents of polyphenols and flavonoids in Euryale ferox seed shells were determined by Folin-phenol assay and aluminum nitrate colorimetry, respectively. DPPH · , ABTS+· , · OH and · O2- scavenging experiments were performed to evaluate the antioxidant activities of Euryale ferox seed shell extract in vitro. In a rat model of oral ulcer induced by burning with glacial acetic acid, the therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract was assessed by detecting changes in serum levels of oxidative factors by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and observing pathological changes of the ulcerous mucosa using HE staining; the therapeutic mechanism of the extract was explored by detecting the expression levels of Keap1, Nrf2, Nes-Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins in ulcerous mucosa using Western blotting. Results The ethyl acetate extract of Euryale ferox seed shells contained 306.74±1.04 mg/g polyphenols and 23.43±0.61 mg/g flavonoids and had IC50 values for scavenging DPPH · and ABTS+· free radicals of 3.42 ± 0.97 μg/mL and 3.32 ± 0.90 μg/mL, respectively. In the rat models, the ethyl acetate extract significantly ameliorated oral mucosal ulcer, increased serum CAT level, and decreased serum MDA level. The protein expression levels of Nes-Nrf2 and HO-1 were increased and Keap1 protein expression was lowered significantly in the ulcerous mucosa of the rats after treatment with the extract (P<0.05 or 0.01). Conclusion The therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract on oral ulcers in rats is mediated probably by activation of the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract on oral ulcer in rats and its underlying mechanism. Methods The contents of polyphenols and flavonoids in Euryale ferox seed shells were determined by Folin-phenol assay and aluminum nitrate colorimetry, respectively. DPPH · , ABTS+· , · OH and · O2- scavenging experiments were performed to evaluate the antioxidant activities of Euryale ferox seed shell extract in vitro. In a rat model of oral ulcer induced by burning with glacial acetic acid, the therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract was assessed by detecting changes in serum levels of oxidative factors by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and observing pathological changes of the ulcerous mucosa using HE staining; the therapeutic mechanism of the extract was explored by detecting the expression levels of Keap1, Nrf2, Nes-Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins in ulcerous mucosa using Western blotting. Results The ethyl acetate extract of Euryale ferox seed shells contained 306.74±1.04 mg/g polyphenols and 23.43±0.61 mg/g flavonoids and had IC50 values for scavenging DPPH · and ABTS+· free radicals of 3.42 ± 0.97 μg/mL and 3.32 ± 0.90 μg/mL, respectively. In the rat models, the ethyl acetate extract significantly ameliorated oral mucosal ulcer, increased serum CAT level, and decreased serum MDA level. The protein expression levels of Nes-Nrf2 and HO-1 were increased and Keap1 protein expression was lowered significantly in the ulcerous mucosa of the rats after treatment with the extract (P<0.05 or 0.01). Conclusion The therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract on oral ulcers in rats is mediated probably by activation of the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.