Objective To explore the impact of peptidylarginine deiminase 2(Padi2)-knockout on depressive-like behaviors in socially isolated mice.Methods Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology,a Padi2-knockout(Padi2-/-)mouse model with a C57BL/6J background was established,and the effect of Padi2 knockout was identified by genotyping and RT-qPCR detection.Six-week-old male Padi2-/- mice and wild-type C57BL/6J mice were selected and divided into normal rearing and social isolation groups,with 15 mice per group.The normal rearing group mice were housed with 5 mice per cage,and the social isolation group was housed with 1 mouse per cage,and weighed once a week.After 4 weeks,forced swimming and open field tests were conducted.After the behavioral experiments,brain tissues were taken from mice in each group,and changes in microglia in the brains were detected by immunofluorescence.Results We successfully established Padi2-/- mice.There was no difference in behavior between Padi2-/- mice and C57BL/6J mice in the normal rearing group.After social isolation,compared with C57BL/6J mice,Padi2-/- mice showed a significant increase in depressive symptoms,obvious weight gain,and a significant increase in the number of microglia in brain tissue.Conclusions Padi2 knockout exacerbated depressive-like behaviors and obesity in socially isolated mice,indicating that Padi2 is involved in the progression of depression and may be an effective target for the prevention and treatment of depression.

Objective To explore the impact of peptidylarginine deiminase 2(Padi2)-knockout on depressive-like behaviors in socially isolated mice.Methods Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology,a Padi2-knockout(Padi2-/-)mouse model with a C57BL/6J background was established,and the effect of Padi2 knockout was identified by genotyping and RT-qPCR detection.Six-week-old male Padi2-/- mice and wild-type C57BL/6J mice were selected and divided into normal rearing and social isolation groups,with 15 mice per group.The normal rearing group mice were housed with 5 mice per cage,and the social isolation group was housed with 1 mouse per cage,and weighed once a week.After 4 weeks,forced swimming and open field tests were conducted.After the behavioral experiments,brain tissues were taken from mice in each group,and changes in microglia in the brains were detected by immunofluorescence.Results We successfully established Padi2-/- mice.There was no difference in behavior between Padi2-/- mice and C57BL/6J mice in the normal rearing group.After social isolation,compared with C57BL/6J mice,Padi2-/- mice showed a significant increase in depressive symptoms,obvious weight gain,and a significant increase in the number of microglia in brain tissue.Conclusions Padi2 knockout exacerbated depressive-like behaviors and obesity in socially isolated mice,indicating that Padi2 is involved in the progression of depression and may be an effective target for the prevention and treatment of depression.

Peptidylarginine deiminases 2(PADI2)is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of arginine residues to citrulline on protein peptides.Aberrant activation of PADI2 can induce excessive tissue inflammation and immune responses,thereby exacerbating the progression of autoimmune diseases(ADs).Through citrullination,PADI2 modifies protein structure and immunogenicity,influencing the production of autoantibodies and regulating the activity of immune cells such as neutrophils and macrophages.This review provides an overview of PADI2's functions and its pivotal role in ADs,with the objective of elucidating the mechanisms underlying ADs pathogenesis and identifying novel therapeutic targets and strategies for related diseases.

Peptidylarginine deiminases 2(PADI2)is an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of arginine residues to citrulline on protein peptides.Aberrant activation of PADI2 can induce excessive tissue inflammation and immune responses,thereby exacerbating the progression of autoimmune diseases(ADs).Through citrullination,PADI2 modifies protein structure and immunogenicity,influencing the production of autoantibodies and regulating the activity of immune cells such as neutrophils and macrophages.This review provides an overview of PADI2's functions and its pivotal role in ADs,with the objective of elucidating the mechanisms underlying ADs pathogenesis and identifying novel therapeutic targets and strategies for related diseases.

Lipid Droplets/metabolism* ; Bacteria ; Lipid Metabolism

Objective:To compare the differences in the prevalence of mild micro-hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) among patients with cirrhosis by using the psychometric hepatic encephalopathy score (PHES) and the Stroop smartphone application (Encephal App) test.Methods:This prospective, multi-center, real-world study was initiated by the National Clinical Medical Research Center for Infectious Diseases and the Portal Hypertension Alliance and registered with International ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05140837). 354 cases of cirrhosis were enrolled in 19 hospitals across the country. PHES (including digital connection tests A and B, digital symbol tests, trajectory drawing tests, and serial management tests) and the Stroop test were conducted in all of them. PHES was differentiated using standard diagnostic criteria established by the two studies in China and South Korea. The Stroop test was evaluated based on the criteria of the research and development team. The impact of different diagnostic standards or methods on the incidence of MHE in patients with cirrhosis was analyzed. Data between groups were differentiated using the t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and χ2 test. A kappa test was used to compare the consistency between groups. Results:After PHES, the prevalence of MHE among 354 cases of cirrhosis was 78.53% and 15.25%, respectively, based on Chinese research standards and Korean research normal value standards. However, the prevalence of MHE was 56.78% based on the Stroop test, and the differences in pairwise comparisons among the three groups were statistically significant (kappa = -0.064, P < 0.001). Stratified analysis revealed that the MHE prevalence in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C was 74.14%, 83.33%, and 88.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Chinese researchers, while the MHE prevalence rates in three groups of patients with Child-Pugh classes A, B, and C were 8.29%, 23.53%, and 38.24%, respectively, according to the normal value standards of Korean researchers. Furthermore, the prevalence rates of MHE in the three groups of patients with Child-Pugh grades A, B, and C were 52.68%, 58.82%, and 73.53%, respectively, according to the Stroop test standard. However, among the results of each diagnostic standard, the prevalence of MHE showed an increasing trend with an increasing Child-Pugh grade. Further comparison demonstrated that the scores obtained by the number connection test A and the number symbol test were consistent according to the normal value standards of the two studies in China and South Korea ( Z = -0.982, -1.702; P = 0.326, 0.089), while the other three sub-tests had significant differences ( P < 0.001). Conclusion:The prevalence rate of MHE in the cirrhotic population is high, but the prevalence of MHE obtained by using different diagnostic criteria or methods varies greatly. Therefore, in line with the current changes in demographics and disease spectrum, it is necessary to enroll a larger sample size of a healthy population as a control. Moreover, the establishment of more reliable diagnostic scoring criteria will serve as a basis for obtaining accurate MHE incidence and formulating diagnosis and treatment strategies in cirrhotic populations.

Objective:To evaluate the changes of peripapillary retinal and choroid thickness of tail-suspension rats in simulated weightless.Methods:Sixty rats were divided into 2 groups: control group (15 rats) and tail-suspension group (45 rats). The rats in tail-suspension group were tested by -30° tail suspension to simulate the effect of weightlessness for establishing model. The peripapillary retinal thickness of the rats were measured before and after 4- and 8-week tail suspension by enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). The choroid thickness of the rats were measured before and after 4-, 8-, 10-, and 12-week tail-suspension by EDI-OCT.Results:There was a significant difference in the peripapillary retinal thickness among the groups with different suspension time ( F=30.89, P<0.001), and the thickness showed a downward trend with the extension of the tail suspension time. After 8 weeks of tail-suspension, there was a significant difference in the peripapillary retinal thickness between the tail-suspension group and the control group ( t=5.73, P<0.001). After 4, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of tail-suspension, there were significant differences in the choroidal thickness of the rats between the tail-suspension group and the control group ( t=6.32, 12.78, 9.69, 6.39, all P<0.001); there was a significant difference in the choroidal thickness of the rats with different suspension time ( F=51.08, P<0.001). With the time of the tail suspension, the choroidal thickness and its changes compared with before tail suspension showed an upward trend, and reached peak after 8 weeks and then slightly decreased. Conclusions:With the extension of tail-suspension time, the changes of peripapillary retinal thickness of the tail-suspension rats generally show a downward trend, and the changes of choroidal thickness generally increased, and decreased slightly after reaching peak.

Objective:To evaluate the changes of peripapillary retinal and choroid thickness of tail-suspension rats in simulated weightless.Methods:Sixty rats were divided into 2 groups: control group (15 rats) and tail-suspension group (45 rats). The rats in tail-suspension group were tested by -30° tail suspension to simulate the effect of weightlessness for establishing model. The peripapillary retinal thickness of the rats were measured before and after 4- and 8-week tail suspension by enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). The choroid thickness of the rats were measured before and after 4-, 8-, 10-, and 12-week tail-suspension by EDI-OCT.Results:There was a significant difference in the peripapillary retinal thickness among the groups with different suspension time ( F=30.89, P<0.001), and the thickness showed a downward trend with the extension of the tail suspension time. After 8 weeks of tail-suspension, there was a significant difference in the peripapillary retinal thickness between the tail-suspension group and the control group ( t=5.73, P<0.001). After 4, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of tail-suspension, there were significant differences in the choroidal thickness of the rats between the tail-suspension group and the control group ( t=6.32, 12.78, 9.69, 6.39, all P<0.001); there was a significant difference in the choroidal thickness of the rats with different suspension time ( F=51.08, P<0.001). With the time of the tail suspension, the choroidal thickness and its changes compared with before tail suspension showed an upward trend, and reached peak after 8 weeks and then slightly decreased. Conclusions:With the extension of tail-suspension time, the changes of peripapillary retinal thickness of the tail-suspension rats generally show a downward trend, and the changes of choroidal thickness generally increased, and decreased slightly after reaching peak.

The residents who had lived for at least 5 years and aged over 20 years old were sampled from urban to rural districts of Jiangsu Province with a stratified cluster sampling technique. B mode ultrasonography and thyroid function determination were carried out in 6 128 persons. The location, diameter, number, boundary, and calcification in thyroid nodules were described by using 7.5 MHz/50 mm transducer of thyroid ultrasonography. TSH was measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay. Free triiodothyronine(FT3)and free thyroxin(FT4)were measured when TSH was abnormal. The crude prevalence of thyroid nodules was 21.12% in total population, 14.55% in male, and 25.24% in female. The standardized prevalence was 15.69%, 11.20%, and 20.40%, respectively. The prevalence was lower in male than in female, and increased with age(P＜0.05). Thyroid nodules in Jiangsu Province were highly prevalent and more attention should be paid to the follow-up, early diagnosis, and treatment.