Objective:To screen bile acid-related characteristic genes in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) based on the feature gene selection algorithm in the machine learning method, aiming to exploring the molecular biological mechanisms and biomarkers of IgAN.Methods:The gene expression data and sample grouping information of GSE93798, GSE116626 and GSE35487 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Bile acid-related gene sequences were obtained from the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB). R language was used to identify differentially expressed genes between IgAN samples and healthy control samples. Candidate genes were obtained by intersecting differentially expressed genes and bile acid-related genes. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm in machine learning was used to screen the feature genes in the candidate genes as biomarkers, and the feature genes in the training set and validation set were analyzed by the rate of change index. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) method was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of identified bile acid related characteristic genes for IgAN. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to analyze the Spearman correlation between the characteristic genes and all other genes and their related metabolic pathways. The expression of disease-characteristic genes in the kidney tissues of IgAN rats was validated by real-time PCR.Results:Gene expression information from kidney tissue samples of 20 IgAN cases and 22 healthy controls were obtained from GEO database. A total of 204 bile acid-related genes including 24 pathways were obtained from MSigDB. The results of gene differential expression analysis showed that 333 genes in the kidney tissues of IgAN patients were differentially expressed compared with those of healthy controls, including 102 up-regulated genes and 231 down-regulated genes, among which 12 differentially expressed genes were related to bile acid genes, as follows: NR1H4,SLC23A1, ALDH8A1, FABP1, ALB, SLC27A2, DIO1, CYP8B1, BBOX1, PIPOX, AKR1C1 and SLC10A2. Five characteristic genes ( NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1, ALB and AKR1C1) were screened by LASSO regression algorithm.ROC analysis results showed that in GSE93798 cohort genes, the AUC of NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1 and ALB genes with differential expression was >0.95 respectively in diagnosing IgAN, and that of AKR1C1 genes with differential expression was >0.85 in diagnosing IgAN. The gene expression data of SLC23A1 in GSE35487 cohort was missing. ROC analysis results of other four genes showed that the AUC of differential expression of ALB gene for IgAN was >0.95 respectively, that of NR1H4 gene was >0.70, and that of both FABP1 and AKR1C1 gene was >0.60. In the GSE116626 cohort genes, the AUC of five disease characteristic genes ( NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1, ALB, AKR1C1) for diagnosing IgAN was >0.60, respectively. These results suggested that 5 characteristic genes have certain distinguishing ability between IgAN group and control group. GSEA results were displayed that the characteristic genes were related to butyric acid metabolism, propionic acid metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, valine leucine and isoleucine degradation, fatty acid metabolism, etc. These results suggested that five characteristic genes might be related to IgAN through the above metabolic mechanisms. The verification results of five bile acid characteristic genes in the rat model of IgAN in the kidney tissue showed that the expressions of four genes, NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1 and ALB, were higher than those of the control group, and there was no statistical significance in the expression of AKR1C1 gene between the two groups. Conclusions:The expression of bile acid-related characteristic genes is abnormal in the kidney tissue of IgAN patients. Four bile acid-related differentially expressed genes, NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1 and ALB, are expected to be biomarkers for non-invasive diagnosis and therapeutic targets .

The mechanism of Tibetan medicine Zuotangkaca pills (ZTKCW) for the treatment of hypertension was explored by network pharmacology and in vivo experiments. 68 active ingredients of ZTKCW and 518 drug-disease targets were screened by network pharmacology. Eight core components of ZTKCW (vasicolinone, luteolin, (–)-isocorypalmine, esculetin, liquiritigenin, etc.) and eight key targets (AKT1, TNF, IL6, and STAT3, etc.) were screened by network topology analysis. KEGG enrichment analysis showed that the core targets were mainly enriched in lipids and atherosclerosis, JAK/STAT, and inflammation-related pathways. An in vivo experiment was conducted using spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), which were gavaged with ZTKCW at doses of 0.41, 0.82, and 1.64 g/kg for 12 weeks, respectively. The results showed that ZTKCW at a dose of 1.64 g/kg significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic pressure in SHR rats and decreased the phosphorylation levels of AKT1, PI3K, STAT3, and JAK2 in the thoracic aorta and heart tissues. This study demonstrates that ZTKCW may exert its antihypertensive effects through PI3K/AKT and JAK2/STAT3 pathways, providing some insights and a theoretical basis for the use of ZTKCW in hypertension.

Objective·To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of phosphatidylethanolamine(PE)on macrophage senescence and its senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP),as well as its pathophysiological role in liver injury.Methods·A macrophage senescence model was established using doxorubicin(DOX),followed by PE treatment.A mouse liver injury model was generated via intraperitoneal co-administration of PE and lipopolysaccharide(LPS)to investigate the effects of PE on liver injury.Senescence markers and SASP factors,including senescence-associated β-galactosidase(SA-β-gal),cell cycle inhibitor p21,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-6(IL-6),were evaluated using SA-β-gal staining,quantitative real-time PCR,and Western blotting.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed,followed by Gene Ontology(GO)cellular component enrichment analysis,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis,Gene Set Variation Analysis(GSVA),and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA),to explore the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways by which PE promotes macrophage senescence.The expression of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress-related proteins,including inositol-requiring enzyme 1 α(IRE1α),spliced X-box binding protein 1(XBP1s),activating transcription factor 6(ATF6),ATF4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),was analyzed through in vivo and in vitro experiments.Results·PE significantly promoted the expression of senescence markers SA-β-gal,p21,p16 and SASP factors.RNA-seq analysis revealed that ER stress was involved in PE-induced promotion of SASP.Further experiments demonstrated that PE activated the ER stress signaling pathway,promoting macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors.In vivo experiments further confirmed that PE exacerbated LPS-induced liver injury in mice through ER stress.Conclusion·PE promotes macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors by activating ER stress signaling pathway,thereby aggravating LPS-induced liver injury.

Antibody-based therapies are one of the crucial tumor-targeted therapies,enabling pre-cise elimination of tumor cells by specifically binding to antigens on the tumor cell surface.However,their wide applications in solid tumor therapy are often limited by on-target toxicity.Recent advance-ments in antibody engineering have led to the development of novel tumor-targeted masking antibod-ies,which are specifically designed to address these limitations.Masking antibodies typically consist of an antibody domain,a masking domain and a linker.These antibodies are characterized by selective activation and other functional properties.Currently,various masking antibody technologies with distinct characteristics have been developed and have demonstrated favorable safety profiles in animal studies.This review summarizes the structure and characteristics of tumor-targeted masking antibodies outlines common masking technologies and their drug development in order to offer new lines of thought for the design and development of next-generation tumor-targeted therapeutics.

Objective·To investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of phosphatidylethanolamine(PE)on macrophage senescence and its senescence-associated secretory phenotype(SASP),as well as its pathophysiological role in liver injury.Methods·A macrophage senescence model was established using doxorubicin(DOX),followed by PE treatment.A mouse liver injury model was generated via intraperitoneal co-administration of PE and lipopolysaccharide(LPS)to investigate the effects of PE on liver injury.Senescence markers and SASP factors,including senescence-associated β-galactosidase(SA-β-gal),cell cycle inhibitor p21,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interleukin-6(IL-6),were evaluated using SA-β-gal staining,quantitative real-time PCR,and Western blotting.RNA sequencing(RNA-seq)was performed,followed by Gene Ontology(GO)cellular component enrichment analysis,Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analysis,Gene Set Variation Analysis(GSVA),and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis(GSEA),to explore the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways by which PE promotes macrophage senescence.The expression of endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress-related proteins,including inositol-requiring enzyme 1 α(IRE1α),spliced X-box binding protein 1(XBP1s),activating transcription factor 6(ATF6),ATF4,and C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),was analyzed through in vivo and in vitro experiments.Results·PE significantly promoted the expression of senescence markers SA-β-gal,p21,p16 and SASP factors.RNA-seq analysis revealed that ER stress was involved in PE-induced promotion of SASP.Further experiments demonstrated that PE activated the ER stress signaling pathway,promoting macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors.In vivo experiments further confirmed that PE exacerbated LPS-induced liver injury in mice through ER stress.Conclusion·PE promotes macrophage senescence and the expression of SASP factors by activating ER stress signaling pathway,thereby aggravating LPS-induced liver injury.

Antibody-based therapies are one of the crucial tumor-targeted therapies,enabling pre-cise elimination of tumor cells by specifically binding to antigens on the tumor cell surface.However,their wide applications in solid tumor therapy are often limited by on-target toxicity.Recent advance-ments in antibody engineering have led to the development of novel tumor-targeted masking antibod-ies,which are specifically designed to address these limitations.Masking antibodies typically consist of an antibody domain,a masking domain and a linker.These antibodies are characterized by selective activation and other functional properties.Currently,various masking antibody technologies with distinct characteristics have been developed and have demonstrated favorable safety profiles in animal studies.This review summarizes the structure and characteristics of tumor-targeted masking antibodies outlines common masking technologies and their drug development in order to offer new lines of thought for the design and development of next-generation tumor-targeted therapeutics.

Objective:To screen bile acid-related characteristic genes in IgA nephropathy (IgAN) based on the feature gene selection algorithm in the machine learning method, aiming to exploring the molecular biological mechanisms and biomarkers of IgAN.Methods:The gene expression data and sample grouping information of GSE93798, GSE116626 and GSE35487 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Bile acid-related gene sequences were obtained from the Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB). R language was used to identify differentially expressed genes between IgAN samples and healthy control samples. Candidate genes were obtained by intersecting differentially expressed genes and bile acid-related genes. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm in machine learning was used to screen the feature genes in the candidate genes as biomarkers, and the feature genes in the training set and validation set were analyzed by the rate of change index. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) method was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of identified bile acid related characteristic genes for IgAN. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to analyze the Spearman correlation between the characteristic genes and all other genes and their related metabolic pathways. The expression of disease-characteristic genes in the kidney tissues of IgAN rats was validated by real-time PCR.Results:Gene expression information from kidney tissue samples of 20 IgAN cases and 22 healthy controls were obtained from GEO database. A total of 204 bile acid-related genes including 24 pathways were obtained from MSigDB. The results of gene differential expression analysis showed that 333 genes in the kidney tissues of IgAN patients were differentially expressed compared with those of healthy controls, including 102 up-regulated genes and 231 down-regulated genes, among which 12 differentially expressed genes were related to bile acid genes, as follows: NR1H4,SLC23A1, ALDH8A1, FABP1, ALB, SLC27A2, DIO1, CYP8B1, BBOX1, PIPOX, AKR1C1 and SLC10A2. Five characteristic genes ( NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1, ALB and AKR1C1) were screened by LASSO regression algorithm.ROC analysis results showed that in GSE93798 cohort genes, the AUC of NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1 and ALB genes with differential expression was >0.95 respectively in diagnosing IgAN, and that of AKR1C1 genes with differential expression was >0.85 in diagnosing IgAN. The gene expression data of SLC23A1 in GSE35487 cohort was missing. ROC analysis results of other four genes showed that the AUC of differential expression of ALB gene for IgAN was >0.95 respectively, that of NR1H4 gene was >0.70, and that of both FABP1 and AKR1C1 gene was >0.60. In the GSE116626 cohort genes, the AUC of five disease characteristic genes ( NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1, ALB, AKR1C1) for diagnosing IgAN was >0.60, respectively. These results suggested that 5 characteristic genes have certain distinguishing ability between IgAN group and control group. GSEA results were displayed that the characteristic genes were related to butyric acid metabolism, propionic acid metabolism, arginine and proline metabolism, valine leucine and isoleucine degradation, fatty acid metabolism, etc. These results suggested that five characteristic genes might be related to IgAN through the above metabolic mechanisms. The verification results of five bile acid characteristic genes in the rat model of IgAN in the kidney tissue showed that the expressions of four genes, NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1 and ALB, were higher than those of the control group, and there was no statistical significance in the expression of AKR1C1 gene between the two groups. Conclusions:The expression of bile acid-related characteristic genes is abnormal in the kidney tissue of IgAN patients. Four bile acid-related differentially expressed genes, NR1H4, SLC23A1, FABP1 and ALB, are expected to be biomarkers for non-invasive diagnosis and therapeutic targets .

Objective:To examine the early and midterm surgical outcome of pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (PA/VSD/MAPCA) using revised surgical strategies.Methods:A retrospective analysis of clinical data, surgical methods, and follow-up results was performed of 104 cases of PA/VSD/MAPCA in Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Guangzhou Women and Children′s Medical Center from January 2017 to September 2022. There were 55 males and 49 females, aged ( M(IQR)) 33.9(84.0) months (range: 0.5 to 209.6 months) at the first surgical procedures. The anatomical classification included 89 cases of type B and 15 cases of type C. The number of major aortopulmonary collateral arteries was 4.2 (3.0) (range: 1 to 8). The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival estimation. Results:In the first stage of surgery, 50 patients underwent a complete primary repair, 12 patients underwent partial repair, 32 patients underwent palliative right ventricular-pulmonary artery connection, and only 10 patients chose the Blalock-Taussig shunt. There were 10 cases of early death. In the second stage, 14 patients underwent complete repair and 4 patients underwent partial repair with no early death. The interval between the two surgeries was 19 (10) months (range: 9 to 48 months). Finally, during the 40 (34) months follow-up period, a total of 64 patients were complete repair and the right/left ventricular pressure ratio after complete repair was 0.63±0.16 (range: 0.36 to 1.00). Survival analysis showed that survival rates at 1 and 5 years after first-stage surgery were both 89.4% (95% CI: 83.5% to 95.3%). At 28 (34) months (range: 1 to 67 months) of follow-up after complete repair, the survival analysis showed that the survival rates at 1 and 5 years were both 95.2% (95% CI: 89.9% to 100%). Conclusions:Using combined approaches tailored to individual patients and optimized unifocalization strategy, the complete repair rate at one stage and the cumulative complete repair rate at 5 years improved significantly with a lower right/left ventricular pressure ratio and satisfactory early and intermediate survival.

Objective:To summarize the results of surgical treatment for complete atrioventricular septal defect(CAVSD) in early and middle stages.Methods:147 children with CAVSD in Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center from January 2010 to December 2019 were selected, Males 85, females 62, median age of surgery 5 months(1 months-10 years old), median body mass 5.5 kg(2.4-20.9 kg). Complete atrioventricular septal defect was diagnosed by ultrasonic cardiogram before surgery. All the children underwent atrial ventricular valve formation and underwent simultaneous repair.Outpatient follow-up was planned.Ultrasonic cardiogram and electrocardiogram were performed. SPSS 22 statistical software was used for data analysis.Results:All 147 CAVSD patients underwent one-time surgical correction.Early postoperative death occurred in 7 cases(4.76%). The causes of death were: 3 cases of pulmonary hypertension crisis, 3 cases of severe mitral insufficiency(MI), 1 case of postoperative malignant arrhythmia, and the rest of the children were cured and discharged. Permanent pacemaker was installed in 3 patients due to atrioventricular block(AVB). The follow-up time was 1-10 years old, and 2 patients died in late stage: 1 patient did not seek medical treatment in time due to infection, and 1 patient had unknown cause. Five patients underwent secondary surgery: 4 due to severe mitral/tricuspid insufficiency(MI/TI) and 1 due to delayed AVB. The mid-term follow-up showed 9 cases of severe MI and 4 cases of severe TI. Compared with children with surgical age<3 months and ≥3 months, there were statistically significant differences in postoperative ventilator-assisted ventilation time, severe MI before postoperative discharge and total mortality between the two groups( P<0.05). Mid-term follow-up results showed no difference between the two groups. There were statistically significant differences in surgical age, postoperative CICU stay time and total hospital stay between the children with trisomy 21-syndrome and those without trisomy 21-syndrome( P<0.05), and there was no difference between the two groups in mid-term follow-up results. Residual shunt of 1-3 mm VSD was found in 29 cases, 26 cases were closed during follow-up, and 3 cases had smaller residual shunt. Conclusion:Modified single patch technique treatment of CAVSD has good effect, low mortality and low re-operation rate. But age <3 months group, infant mortality was significantly increased, the duration of postoperative mechanical assisted ventilation was prolonged, and the proportion of early postoperative severe MI was high.Severe MI and TI is easy to occur after CAVSD, which requires long-term follow-up and timely treatment. The children with trisomy 21-syndrome were similar to those with normal chromosome except for longer stay in ICU and total hospital stay.

Objective     To compare the early and mid-term results between Fontan operation and anatomic correction for congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (ccTGA). Methods     The clinical data of 53 patients with ccTGA who underwent anatomic correction and Fontan operation from January 2009 to September 2021 in our hospital were reviewed, including 41 males and 12 females with a mean age of 55.02 (3-168) months. They were divided into an anatomic correction group (16 patients) and a Fontan operation group (37 patients) according to the operation. The hospitalization mortality, survival rate, postoperative complications, and free rate from re-intervention between the two groups were compared. Another 180 healthy children were recruited as a control group, and 14 children were matched with the propensity score matching method as a Fontan control group. The results of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) between the Fontan operation group and the Fontan control group were compared. Results     There were 2 (12.5%) early deaths and 3 (18.8%) early re-intervention in the anatomic correction group, while 1 death and 2 re-intervention in the Fontan operation group. In addition, there were 9 patients (56.3%) in the anatomic correction group and 6 (16.2%) patients in the Fontan operation group suffering from arrhythmia after operation, respectively. Compared with the anatomic correction group, cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross-clamping time, intubation time and ICU stay were significantly shortened in the Fontan operation group (P<0.05). CPET results showed that, percent predicted max VO2 in the Fontan operation group was lower than that in the Fontan control group (0.84±0.11 vs. 0.99±0.12, P<0.05). The patients were followed up for 0.5-126.0 months. Two patients were lost in the Fontan operation group. There was no death and 1 re-intervention in the anatomic correction group, while no death or re-intervention in the Fontan operation group. The 1-year, 5-year and 10-year transplant-free survival rate of the anatomic correction group and the Fontan operation group was 87.5%, 87.5%, 87.5% and 97.3%, 97.3%, 97.3%, respectively (P>0.05). The 48 patients were classified as grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ in cardiac function in the last follow-up. Conclusion     There is no statistical difference in the transplant-free survival rate between the anatomic correction and the Fontan operation group. The postoperative complications in the Fontan operation group are decreased than those in the anatomic correction group. The Fontan operation is also a good choice, even though the patients with ccTGA meet the condition of the procedure of anatomic correction.