High mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), when released extracellularly, plays a pivotal role in the development of spinal cord synapses and exacerbates autoimmune diseases within the central nervous system. In experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a condition that models multiple sclerosis, the levels of extracellular HMGB1 and interleukin-33 (IL-33) have been found to be inversely correlated. However, the mechanism by which IL-33 deficiency enhances HMGB1 release during EAE remains elusive. Our study elucidates a potential signaling pathway whereby the absence of IL-33 leads to increased binding of P300/CBP-associated factor with HMGB1 in the nuclei of astrocytes, upregulating HMGB1 acetylation and promoting its release from astrocyte nuclei in the spinal cord of EAE mice. Conversely, the addition of IL-33 counteracts the TNF-α-induced increase in HMGB1 and acetylated HMGB1 levels in primary astrocytes. These findings underscore the potential of IL-33-associated signaling pathways as a therapeutic target for EAE treatment.
Animals ; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental/metabolism* ; Astrocytes/metabolism* ; Interleukin-33/metabolism* ; HMGB1 Protein/metabolism* ; Acetylation ; Mice, Knockout ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; p300-CBP Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Mice ; Spinal Cord/metabolism* ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Signal Transduction

Objective:To analyze the types of genetic variants and clinical characteristics of three Chinese pedigrees affected with Hereditary coagulation factor Ⅶ (FⅦ) deficiency.Methods:Three pedigrees who had visited the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University between December 2021 and October 2022 were selected as the study subjects. Prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and FⅦ activity (FⅦ: C) were measured in the three probands and their pedigree members. All exons and their flanking sequences were analyzed by direct sequencing, and candidate variants were verified by reverse sequencing. The corresponding variant loci in the family members were also analyzed. ClustalX-2.1-win was used to analyze the conservation of the variant loci. Varcards and Spcards online software was used to predict the pathogenicity of the variants. Pymol software was used to analyze the changes in protein structure and molecular forces.Results:Three cases of hereditary FⅦ deficiency were found to have decreased FⅦ: C, prolonged PT and normal APTT. Genetic analysis identified a total of four genetic variants, and all three probands had harbored compound heterozygous variants of the F7 gene, including p. Cys389Gly and p. His408Gln in proband 1, p. Cys389Gly and IVS6+ 1G>T in proband 2, and IVS6+ 1G>T and IVS1a+ 5G>A in proband 3. Conservation analysis showed that both the p. Cys389 and p. His408 loci are highly conserved among orthologous species. Analysis with Varcards and Spcards software showed that these variants were pathogenic. Protein modeling analysis showed that the p. Cys389Gly and p. His408Gln variants may result in altered protein structures and changes in hydrogen bonds. Conclusion:The clinical manifestations of the three FⅦ-deficient probands may be attributed to the compound heterozygous variants of p. Cys389Gly/p.His408Gln, p. Cys389Gly/ⅠⅤS6+ 1G>T and ⅠⅤS6+ 1G>T/ⅠⅤS1a+ 5G>A of the F7 gene. The combination of the three compound heterozygous variants was unreported previously.

A 34 year old female patient was scheduled to undergo surgical resection due to a "breast nodule". Preoperative examination revealed an activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) of 66.2 seconds, coagulation factor Ⅺ activity (FⅪ: C) of 2%, and FⅪ antigen (FⅪ: Ag) of 40.3%. The patient and family members showed no abnormal bleeding symptoms. Diagnosed as hereditary coagulation factor Ⅺ deficiency. Genetic testing revealed that the F11 gene had a heterozygous nonsense mutation in exon 10, c.1107C>A (p.Tyr351stop), and a heterozygous missense mutation in exon 13, c.1562A>G (p.Tyr503Cys). The father and son were p Heterozygous carriers of Tyr351stop mutation, while the mother and daughter are p Heterozygous carriers of Tyr503Cys mutations. The in vitro expression results showed that p The Tyr351stop mutation resulted in a significant decrease in the transcription level of F11 gene, while p The Tyr503Cys mutation has no effect on the transcription level and protein expression level of F11 gene, but it leads to a significant decrease in the level of FⅪ:C in the cell culture supernatant.

Objective:To explore the evaluation value of serum levels of positive pentameric protein 3 (PTX3) and creatine kinase isoenzyme MB (CK-MB) on volume load in patients with chronic decompensated heart failure (CDHF).Methods:A total of 300 CDHF patients who visited the Xingtai Central Hospital from July 2019 to July 2022 were selected and divided into a capacity overload group ( n=182) and a non capacity overload group ( n=118) based on their capacity balance level. Two clinical data sets were compared and analyzed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the evaluation value of serum PTX3 and CK-MB levels on the volume load of CDHF patients. The clinical disease characteristics of the two groups of patients were analyzed using univariate analysis, and the influencing factors of volume load of CDHF patients were analyzed using logistic regression. A column chart model was constructed and validated. Results:The body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA 1c), C-reactive protein (CRP), uric acid (UA), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) of patients in the capacity overload group were higher than those in the non-capacity overload group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The PTX3, CK-MB, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP), and CVP levels of patients in the capacity overload group were higher than those in the non-capacity overload group, while albumin, hemoglobin, and hematocrit were lower than those in the non-capacity overload group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The ROC curve showed that the area under the curve (AUC) of PTX3 and CK-MB for predicting capacity overload in CDHF patients are 0.795 and 0.718, with sensitivity of 86.2% and 83.7%, specificity of 65.4% and 68.6%, respectively, indicating high predictive accuracy; The AUC of the two joint predictions is 0.817, the sensitivity was 92.5%, and the specificity was 70.6%. The prediction accuracy was higher than PTX3 ( Z=3.812, P<0.05) and CK-MB ( Z=3.365, P<0.05). PTX3, CK-MB, albumin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, PCWP, and central venous pressure (CVP) were all influencing factors of volume load status in CDHF patients (all P<0.05). The column chart risk prediction model established based on these factors had high accuracy and strong applicability in clinical treatment. Conclusions:Serum PTX3 and CK-MB levels are influencing factors for volume overload in CDHF patients. A column chart model constructed in combination with indicators such as albumin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, PCWP, and CVP has high predictive value for the volume overload status of CDHF.

Objective To investigate the effect of electroacupuncture preconditioning on microglia polarization in rats after cerebral ischemia reperfusion(IR)injury and explore the role of tyrosine kinase 2(J AK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3)pathway in the process.Methods Forty-five clean-grade healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly and equally divided into sham operation group,IR group and electroacupuncture preconditioning group.Rat model of IR injury was induced with thread occlusion of the internal carotid artery.Before modeling,electroacupuncture preconditioning was applied to Baihui acupoint for 5 consec-utive days in the preconditioning group,and exposure of the cervical blood vessels were inflicted in the sham-operation group.At 24 h after reperfusion,the severity of neurological deficit was observed by modified neurological deficit score(mNSS),and the cerebral infarct volume was observed by TTC staining.Western blotting was used to detect the protein levels of classical acti-vated type(M1)marker inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS),alternative activated type(M2)marker arginase 1(Arg-1),JAK2 and p-JAK2,and STAT3 and p-STAT3,and q-PCR was applied to detect the mRNA expression of iNOS and Arg-1.The expression of TNF-α and IL-10 was measured by ELISA.Results Compared with the sham operation group,the mNSS,infarct vol-ume,protein levels of p-JAK2/JAK2,p-STAT3/STAT3,protein and mRNA levels of iNOS and Arg-1,and expression of TNF-α and IL-10 were significantly increased in the IR and electroacu-puncture preconditioning groups(P＜0.01).The preconditioning group had obviously lower mNSS,smaller infarct volume,decreased protein levels of p-JAK2/JAK2,p-STAT3/STAT3,re-duced protein and mRNA levels of iNOS,and declined TNF-α expression,but elevated expression of Arg-1 at protein(2.0±0.2 vs 1.5±0.1)and mRNA(4.2±0.8 vs 3.1±0.3)levels and increased IL-10 expression(49.1±7.1 pg/mg vs 27.9±5.9 pg/mg)when compared with the IR group(P＜0.01).Conclusion Electroacupuncture preconditioning can promote the polarization of microglia to M2 and inhibit the polarization of microglia to M1 after cerebral IR injury,which may be relat-ed to the inhibition of JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

Objective:To evaluate the role of cancerous inhibitor of protein phosphatase 2A (CIP2A) in preoperative sleep deprivation (PSD)-induced aggravation of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in aged mice.Methods:One hundred and ten healthy C57BL/6J mice of either sex, aged 18-20 months, weighing 29-35 g, were divided into 5 groups ( n=22 each) using a random number table method: sham operation group (S group), abdominal surgery group (O group), PSD + abdominal surgery group (D+ O group), CIP2A shRNA + abdominal surgery group (CS+ O group), and CIP2A shRNA+ PSD+ abdominal surgery group (CS+ D+ O group). At 14 days before surgery, control shRNA lentivirus was injected into the hippocampus in S, O and CS+ O groups, and CIP2A shRNA was injected into the hippocampus in D+ O and CS+ D+ O groups. PSD was carried out for 3 consecutive days prior to surgery. Cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze test at days 7-11 after surgery. The mice were sacrificed under deep anesthesia at day 3 after surgery, and hippocampal tissues were obtained to determine the expression of CIP2A, high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba-1), alpha subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2Aa), catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2Ac), phosphorylated tau protein (p-tau) (S396), and p-tau (S404) (by Western blot), levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and count of Iba-1 positive cells in the hippocampal CA1 region (using immunofluorescence staining). Results:Compared with S group, the escape latency was significantly prolonged, the frequency of crossing the platform was reduced, duration of stay in the target quadrant was shortened, the expression of CIP2A, Iba-1 and HMGB1 was up-regulated, PP2Ac expression was down-regulated, levels of ROS and MDA and count of Iba-1 positive cells were increased, and the activity of SOD was decreased in O group ( P<0.05). Compared with O group, the escape latency was significantly prolonged, the frequency of crossing the platform was reduced, duration of stay in the target quadrant was shortened, the expression of CIP2A, Iba-1 and HMGB1 was up-regulated, PP2Ac expression was down-regulated, levels of ROS and MDA and count of Iba-1 positive cells were increased, and the activity of SOD was decreased in D+ O group, and the escape latency was significantly shortened, the frequency of crossing the platform was increased, duration of stay in the target quadrant was prolonged, the expression of CIP2A, Iba-1 and HMGB1 was down-regulated, PP2Ac expression was up-regulated, levels of ROS and MDA and count of Iba-1 positive cells were decreased, and the activity of SOD was increased in CS+ O group ( P<0.05). Compared with D+ O group, the escape latency was significantly shortened, the frequency of crossing the platform was increased, duration of stay in the target quadrant was prolonged, the expression of CIP2A, Iba-1 and HMGB1 was down-regulated, PP2Ac expression was up-regulated, levels of ROS and MDA and count of Iba-1 positive cells were decreased, and the activity of SOD was increased in CS+ D+ O group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in PP2Aa expression among the five groups ( P>0.05). Conclusions:The mechanism by which PSD aggravates POCD is related to up-regulating the expression of CIP2A and promoting oxidative stress responses, neuroinflammatory responses and phosphorylation of tau protein in aged mice.

Objective:Molecular mechanisms underlying compound heterozygous mutations in a patient with inherited antithrombin (AT) deficiency.Methods:The proband was admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in November 2018 with a one-day history of sudden syncope and limb twitching. Peripheral venous blood was collected from the proband and members of his lineages, totaling nine persons across three generations, and a family lineage survey was conducted. AT activity (AT:A) was measured using a chromogenic substrate assay, while AT antigen (AT:Ag) was detected through an immunoturbidimetric assay. Mutation sites were identified by means of Sanger sequencing of the SERPINC1 gene, and silico tools were applied to predict the mutational conservation and hydrophobicity changes. Recombinant plasmid expression vectors were constructed and transfected into HEK293T cells for in vitro overexpression studies. The recombinant AT protein was characterized using Western Blotting, ELISA, and cellular immunofluorescence assays.Results:The proband was a 21-year-old man with type Ⅰ AT deficiency. His AT:A was 33%, along with a corresponding reduction in AT:Ag. The genetic analysis revealed there was a heterozygous insertion mutation at c.318_319insT (p.Asn107*) and a heterozygous missense mutation at c.922G>T (p.Gly308Cys) in exons 2 and 5, respectively. These mutation sites were entirely conserved among the homologous species. Additionally, hydrophobicity studies showed that the p.Gly308Cys mutation will decrease the hydrophilicity of amino acid residues 307-313. The in vitro expression studies indicated a reduction of approximately 46.98%±2.94% and 41.35%±1.48% in the amount of recombinant protein AT-G308C in transfected cell lysates and culture supernatants, respectively. Treatment with the proteasome inhibitor (MG132) restored the cytoplasmic levels of AT-G308C protein to a level similar to that of wild-type protein. However, neither cell lysate nor culture supernatant demonstrated the presence of the recombinant protein AT-N107*. Conclusions:The heterozygous insertion mutation of p.Asn107* and the heterozygous missense mutation of p.Gly308Cys have been associated with reduced AT levels in proband. The p.Asn107* heterozygous insertion mutation may initiate the degradation of mRNA via nonsense mutation-mediated mechanisms, which would remove the defective transcripts, as well as the p.The Gly308Cys heterozygous missense mutation may cause the AT protein to undergo proteasome-dependent degradation by modifying the hydrophobicity of nearby residues in the cytoplasm.

Objective:To evaluate the relationship between glutathione S-transferase μ1 (GSTM1) and the apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1)-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway during therapeutic hypothermia-induced reduction of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI) in rats.Methods:One hundred clean-grade healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 8 weeks, weighing 260-280 g, were divided into 5 groups ( n=20 each) using a random number table method: sham operation group (S group), cerebral ischemia-reperfusion group (I/R group), therapeutic hypothermia group (H group), GSTM1 inhibitor+ therapeutic hypothermia group (IH group), and GSTM1 inhibitor + ASK1 inhibitor + therapeutic hypothermia group (IAH group). CIRI model was developed by occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery for 2 h, followed by restoration of the blood flow. A nylon thread was inserted into the internal carotid artery and advanced cephalad until resistance was met. The brain temperature was maintained at 36-37 ℃ during surgery. In H group, the head and neck were wiped with 75% alcohol immediately after reperfusion, and the brain temperature was maintained at 32-33℃ for 3 h, and the rest procedures were the same as those previously described in I/R group. In IH group, GSTM1 inhibitor itaconic acid 8.6 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected at 24 and 1 h before developing the model, and the rest procedures were the same as those previously described in H group. In IAH group, ASK1 inhibitor selonsertib 10 mg/kg was given orally once a day for 4 consecutive days starting from 4 days before developing the model, and the rest procedures were the same as those previously described in IH group. Modified Neurological Severity Score (mNSS) was assessed at 24 h of reperfusion, then the rats were sacrificed and brains were harvested for microscopic examination of brain infarction, neuronal morphology (using HE staining) and for determination of the expression of GSTM1, ASK1, phosphorylated ASK1 (p-ASK1), JNK, phosphorylated JNK (p-JNK), p-38 MAPK and phosphorylated p-38 MAPK (p-p38 MAPK) (by Western blot) and neuronal apoptosis (by TUNEL assay). The percentage of the infarct size was calculated using TTC staining. The apoptosis rate was calculated. Results:Compared with S group, the mNSS, apoptosis rate of neurons, percentage of the cerebral infarct size, p-ASK1/ASK1 ratio, p-JNK/JNK ratio and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK ratio were significantly increased, and the expression of GSTM1 was down-regulated in I/R group ( P<0.05). Compared with I/R group and IH group, the mNSS, apoptosis rate of neurons, percentage of the cerebral infarct size, p-ASK1/ASK1 ratio, p-JNK/JNK ratio and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK ratio were significantly decreased, the expression of GSTM1 was up-regulated ( P<0.05), and the neuronal injury was significantly attenuated in H group. Compared with IH group, the mNSS, apoptosis rate of neurons, percentage of the cerebral infarct size, p-ASK1/ASK1 ratio, p-JNK/JNK ratio and p-p38 MAPK/p38 MAPK ratio were significantly decreased ( P<0.05), no significant change was found in GSTM1 expression ( P>0.05), and the neuronal damage was significantly attenuated in IAH group. Conclusions:The mechanism by which therapeutic hypothermia alleviates CIRI is related to up-regulating the expression of GSTM1 and inhibiting the activation of the ASK1-JNK-p38 MAPK signaling pathway in rats.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of selective cerebral mild hypothermia on the expression of histone deacetylase 1-3 (HDAC1-3) during focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) in rats.Methods:Sixty clean-grade healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 6-8 weeks, weighing 240-260 g, were divided into 4 groups ( n=15 each) using a random number table method: sham operation group (S group), focal cerebral I/R group (I/R group), selective cerebral mild hypothermia group (SCH group), and normothermia group (N group). Only the cervical vessels were isolated in S group. In the other three groups, sutures were inserted into the internal carotid artery to block the middle cerebral artery for 2 h, and then the sutures were pulled out to restore perfusion for 24 h. A focal cerebral I/R model was prepared. Normal saline at 20 ℃ and 37 ℃ was infused into the internal carotid artery at a rate of 0.6 ml/min for 10 min starting from the time point immediately after removal of the sutures in SCH group and N group respectively. Cerebral temperature and rectal temperature were continuously monitored during the operation. The modified neurological severity score (mNSS) was assessed at 24 h of reperfusion. The rats were then sacrificed under deep anesthesia and brains were obtained for determination of cerebral infarct size (by TTC staining). The tissues of the cerebral ischemic penumbra were taken for determination of the apoptosis rate of neurons (by TUNEL method) and lactylation modification and expression of HDAC1-3 (by Western blot) and for observation of the morphology of neurons (by HE staining). Results:Compared with S group, the mNSS, cerebral infarct size and apoptosis rate of neurons were significantly increased, HDAC1-3 expression was down-regulated, and the lactylation modification was increased in the other three groups ( P<0.05). Compared with I/R and N groups, the mNSS, cerebral infarct size and apoptosis rate of neurons were significantly decreased, HDAC1-3 expression was up-regulated, and the lactylation modification was decreased in SCH group ( P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the aforementioned parameters between I/R group and N group ( P>0.05). HE staining showed that the morphology of neurons was intact and well-defined in S group, a large number of cells with edema and irregularly solidified nuclei were found in I/R group and N group, and the nuclear shrinkage and morphological changes of neurons were alleviated in SCH group. Conclusions:The mechanism by which selective cerebral mild hypothermia alleviates cerebral I/R injury may be related to up-regulation of HDAC1-3 expression in rats.

Objective:To investigate the relationship between inherited protein S deficiency (PSD) and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) by phenotype and gene mutation analysis of 2 inherited PSD pedigrees with nonsense mutations.Methods:Retrospective analysis of clinical and imaging data of 2 patients diagnosed with CVST who were treated in the Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in July and October 2023 was carried out. The peripheral blood samples were collected from proband 1 and her family members (3 subjects, 2 generations in total), and proband 2 and his family members (8 subjects of 3 generations in total). Their protein S (PS) activity (PS:A), the content of total PS antigen (TPS:Ag) and free PS antigen (FPS:Ag) were measured for definite diagnosis. Polymerase chain reaction was done in all 15 exons of the active PROS1 gene and its 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions and the amplification products were analyzed by direct sequencing. The results were compared with human PROS1 reference sequences, using Chromas software to find the mutation sites. Results:The proband 1 is a female, and the proband 2 is a male. Both of them had young onset and the clinical presentation of CVST. The PS:A level was reduced to 29% in the proband 1 and reduced to about 35% in her mother; PS:A was reduced to 21%-27% in the proband 2 and his 6 family members; a decline in the same proportion of TPS:Ag and FPS:Ag was found in the 2 probands and their family members, therefore they were primarily diagnosed as typeⅠPSD. Gene analysis showed that the proband 1 and her mother had a nonsense mutation of c.1680T>A in exon 14 (p.Tyr560 *) of the PROS1 gene; the proband 2 and his 6 family members had a nonsense mutation of c.1687C>T in exon 14 (p.Gln563 *) of the PROS1 gene. Conclusion:The reduced protein S levels in PSD patients and their family members may be associated with the p.Tyr560 * and p.Gln563 * nonsense mutations of the PROS1 gene, and the clinical manifestations of CVST in PSD patients may be related to these 2 nonsense mutations.