ObjectiveTo study the pharmacological substances and mechanisms through which sesquiterpene ZH-13 from Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum improves neuroinflammation. MethodsBV-2 microglial cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide （LPS） to induce neuroinflammation. The cells were divided into the normal group， the model group， and the ZH-13 low- and high-dose treatment groups （10， 20 μmol·L^-1）. The model group was treated with 1 μmol·L^-1 LPS. Cell viability was assessed using the cell proliferation and activity assay （CCK-8 kit）. Nitric oxide （NO） release in the cell supernatant was measured using a nitric oxide kit （Griess method）. The mRNA expression levels of interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS）， and interleukin-6 （IL-6） were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR）. The phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase （MAPK） pathway proteins was assessed by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the model group， ZH-13 dose-dependently reduced NO release from BV-2 cells under LPS stimulation （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In the 20 μmol·L^-1 ZH-13 treatment group， the mRNA expression levels of IL-1β， TNF-α， iNOS， and IL-6 were significantly reduced compared to the model group （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In both the low- and high-dose ZH-13 groups， the expression of the inflammatory factor TNF-α and the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase （JNK） in the upstream MAPK pathway were significantly reduced （P<0.05）. After stimulation with the JNK agonist anisomycin （Ani）， both low- and high-dose ZH-13 treatment groups showed reduced phosphorylation of JNK proteins compared to the Ani-treated group （P<0.01）. ConclusionThe sesquiterpene compound ZH-13 from Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum significantly ameliorates LPS-induced neuroinflammatory responses in BV-2 cells by inhibiting excessive JNK phosphorylation and reducing TNF-α expression. These findings elucidate the pharmacological substances and mechanisms underlying the sedative and calming effects of Aquilariae Lignum Resinatum.

Diabetic lower extremity vascular disease is one of the common chronic complications of diabetes,which has a strong disabling effect,clinically,it is of great significance to actively and effectively control the progression of the disease and improve the quality of life of patients.In Sanxiao Lun,LIU Wansu put forward the theory of"dryness-heat and stagnation"according to the pathogenesis of consumptive thirst,and thought that the dryness-heat and stagnation in the stomach and intestines of sanjiao were too severe,the xuanfu was blocked,and the qi and liquid failed to diffuse,which caused diabetes.Vascular endothelial injury and inflammatory reaction are important factors in the development of vascular disease,the pathogenesis evolution of"dryness-heat and stagnation"conforms to the pathological characteristics of inflammatory reaction in western medicine,and the dryness-heat runs through the diabetic lower extremity vascular disease throughout.In this paper,it is believed that diabetic lower extremity vascular disease belongs to the category of"flaccidity and paralysis"in traditional Chinese medicine,and lung scorched by heat is the cause of flaccidity."Dryness-heat and stagnation"is the source of invading heat(dryness-heat),lung scorched by heat,pulse failure and vein stasis occurred,which causes diabetic lower extremity vascular disease.Treatment should be based on flaccidity,combined with the viewpoint of LIU Wansu's Sanxiao Lun,taking yangming as the top priority,regulating the triple diabetes,solving the problem of dryness-heat and stagnation,combined with the method of purging the south and supplementing the north,so that the invading heat is cleared,lung heat is diminished,and flaccidity disease cannot occur,in order to provide new ideas for the clinical prevention and treatment of diabetic lower extremity vascular disease.

Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of dabigatran etexilate in the treatment of elderly patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF), so as to provide reference for clinical treatment and rational drug use. Methods Eighty elderly patients with NVAF in The Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai from December 2020 to June 2021, aged 65 to 80 years, were enrolled in a self-controlled study. Dabigatran etexilate 110 mg was given orally, twice a day (one in the morning and one in the evening) for 6 months. During the follow-up visit, the coagulation function indexes including APTT, TT, FIB and D-D were observed in patients taking medicine for 1 month and 6 months. Liver function indexes including ALT, AST and TBIL, renal function indicators including UREA and eGFR, and blood routine indexes including HGB and ESR, also were observed in patients taking medicine for 1 month and 6 months. Results Patients were compared at 1 month and 6 months after treatment with dabigatran and before: the difference of coagulation function indexes as APTT and TT was statistically significant (P<0.05);There was no significant difference in liver function index, renal function index and blood routine index (P>0.05); A total of 25 adverse events occurred, and the incidence rate of adverse reactions was 31.25%, there was no adverse events such as serious hemorrhage，life threatening and organ failure hemorrhage occurred．Conclusion Dabigatran has good efficacy and safety in the treatment of the elderly NVAF.

The Omicron family of SARS-CoV-2 variants are currently driving the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we analyzed the clinical laboratory test results of 9911 Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages-infected symptomatic patients without earlier infection histories during a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Shanghai in spring 2022. Compared to an earlier patient cohort infected by SARS-CoV-2 prototype strains in 2020, BA.2.2 infection led to distinct fluctuations of pathophysiological markers in the peripheral blood. In particular, severe/critical cases of COVID-19 post BA.2.2 infection were associated with less pro-inflammatory macrophage activation and stronger interferon alpha response in the bronchoalveolar microenvironment. Importantly, the abnormal biomarkers were significantly subdued in individuals who had been immunized by 2 or 3 doses of SARS-CoV-2 prototype-inactivated vaccines, supporting the estimation of an overall 96.02% of protection rate against severe/critical disease in the 4854 cases in our BA.2.2 patient cohort with traceable vaccination records. Furthermore, even though age was a critical risk factor of the severity of COVID-19 post BA.2.2 infection, vaccination-elicited protection against severe/critical COVID-19 reached 90.15% in patients aged ≽ 60 years old. Together, our study delineates the pathophysiological features of Omicron BA.2.2 sublineages and demonstrates significant protection conferred by prior prototype-based inactivated vaccines.
Humans ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; COVID-19/prevention & control* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Pandemics/prevention & control* ; China/epidemiology* ; Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control* ; Vaccination

Pathogenic microbes can induce cellular dysfunction, immune response, and cause infectious disease and other diseases including cancers. However, the cellular distributions of pathogens and their impact on host cells remain rarely explored due to the limited methods. Taking advantage of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis, we can assess the transcriptomic features at the single-cell level. Still, the tools used to interpret pathogens (such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi) at the single-cell level remain to be explored. Here, we introduced PathogenTrack, a python-based computational pipeline that uses unmapped scRNA-seq data to identify intracellular pathogens at the single-cell level. In addition, we established an R package named Yeskit to import, integrate, analyze, and interpret pathogen abundance and transcriptomic features in host cells. Robustness of these tools has been tested on various real and simulated scRNA-seq datasets. PathogenTrack is competitive to the state-of-the-art tools such as Viral-Track, and the first tools for identifying bacteria at the single-cell level. Using the raw data of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples (BALF) from COVID-19 patients in the SRA database, we found the SARS-CoV-2 virus exists in multiple cell types including epithelial cells and macrophages. SARS-CoV-2-positive neutrophils showed increased expression of genes related to type I interferon pathway and antigen presenting module. Additionally, we observed the Haemophilus parahaemolyticus in some macrophage and epithelial cells, indicating a co-infection of the bacterium in some severe cases of COVID-19. The PathogenTrack pipeline and the Yeskit package are publicly available at GitHub.
COVID-19 ; Humans ; RNA ; SARS-CoV-2/genetics* ; Single-Cell Analysis/methods* ; Transcriptome

Emerging evidence indicates that the gut microbiome contributes to the host immune response to infectious diseases. Here, to explore the role of the gut microbiome in the host immune responses in COVID-19, we conducted shotgun metagenomic sequencing and immune profiling of 14 severe/critical and 24 mild/moderate COVID-19 cases as well as 31 healthy control samples. We found that the diversity of the gut microbiome was reduced in severe/critical COVID-19 cases compared to mild/moderate ones. We identified the abundance of some gut microbes altered post-SARS-CoV-2 infection and related to disease severity, such as Enterococcus faecium, Coprococcus comes, Roseburia intestinalis, Akkermansia muciniphila, Bacteroides cellulosilyticus and Blautia obeum. We further analyzed the correlation between the abundance of gut microbes and host responses, and obtained a correlation map between clinical features of COVID-19 and 16 severity-related gut microbe, including Coprococcus comes that was positively correlated with CD3⁺/CD4⁺/CD8⁺ lymphocyte counts. In addition, an integrative analysis of gut microbiome and the transcriptome of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) showed that genes related to viral transcription and apoptosis were up-regulated in Coprococcus comes low samples. Moreover, a number of metabolic pathways in gut microbes were also found to be differentially enriched in severe/critical or mild/moderate COVID-19 cases, including the superpathways of polyamine biosynthesis II and sulfur oxidation that were suppressed in severe/critical COVID-19. Together, our study highlighted a potential regulatory role of severity related gut microbes in the immune response of host.
COVID-19 ; Clostridiales ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Immunity ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; SARS-CoV-2

The ongoing pandemic of Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is caused by a newly discovered β Coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). How long the adaptive immunity triggered by SARS-CoV-2 can last is of critical clinical relevance in assessing the probability of second infection and efficacy of vaccination. Here we examined, using ELISA, the IgG antibodies in serum specimens collected from 17 COVID-19 patients at 6-7 months after diagnosis and the results were compared to those from cases investigated 2 weeks to 2 months post-infection. All samples were positive for IgGs against the S- and N-proteins of SARS-CoV-2. Notably, 14 samples available at 6-7 months post-infection all showed significant neutralizing activities in a pseudovirus assay, with no difference in blocking the cell-entry of the 614D and 614G variants of SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, in 10 blood samples from cases at 6-7 months post-infection used for memory T-cell tests, we found that interferon γ-producing CD4
Adaptive Immunity/physiology* ; Adult ; Aged ; Antibodies, Neutralizing/blood* ; COVID-19/immunology* ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G/blood* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; SARS-CoV-2/immunology* ; T-Lymphocytes/physiology* ; Time Factors ; Viral Proteins/immunology*

Objective To evaluate clinical application of measuring the sizes in different directions and stalk width of gallbladder polyp lesions (GPL) ≥1.0 cm for differentiation diagnosis between cholesterol polyp and adenoma by both gray scale ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Methods From January to September 2016, a total of 81 patients with GPL ≥ 1.0 cm received cholecystectomy in our hospital were enrolled in this study. All participations underwent US and CEUS scanning before cholecystecomy. Patient′s clinical data, sizes in different directions, stalk width and features of US images were recorded. According to pathological findings, patients were divided into cholesterol polyp group and adenoma group. All of the clinical data, sizes, stalk width and features of US images were statistically analyzed. Patient′s age, size in vertical and parallel sizes, stalk width of GPL, ratio of vertical size to stalk width, ratio of parallel size to stalk width and ratio of vertical size to parallel size were compared with t-test. Genda, number and location of GPL, echoic level and blood flow signal were compared with the χ2test.Bivariate was used for relation analysis.Results There were difference in patient′s age,vasularity of GPL, size in vertical direction, size in parallel direction, stalk width, ratio of vertical size to stalk width, ratio of parallel size to stalk width[9(15.8%)vs 9(37.5%),(37.02±10.14)years old vs(52.25±13.85)years old, (0.94±0.33)cm vs(1.27±0.79)cm,1.10±0.37 vs 1.71±0.50,(0.26±0.10)cm vs(0.58±0.51)cm,3.82±1.87 vs 2.92±1.61],the differences were statistically significant(χ2=2.675,t=5.303,2.675,5.855,4.566,-2.536, all P<0.05), but no difference in ration of vertical size to parallel size between two groups (all P>0.05). Bivariate realtion analysis proved that size in vertical direction, size in parallel direction, stalk width and ratio of vertical size to stalk width were related with the nature of GPL≥1.0 cm (r=0.375, 0.571, 0.586, -0.342, all P<0.05). Conclusion Sizes in different directions and stalk width were important factors for predicting the nature of GPL ≥1.0 cm.

Objective: To study the correlation of lifestyle characteristics with thyroid nodules in a population-based sample of centenarians in Hainan. Methods: The study was based on China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study (CHCCS) conducted in 18 cities and counties in Hainan province from 2014 to 2016. A group of multidisciplinary team interviewed and examined local centenarians with structured questionnaires and ultrasonography procedures. A total of 918 centenarians were analyzed after excluding those who refused ultrasonographic examinations or had relevant missing data. Thyroids of centenarians were examined by 3-year experienced sonographer, details on lifestyle characteristics and dietary habits were collected by standard procedure. Results: Of the 918 centenarians, 683 (74.4%) had thyroid nodules under the ultrasonography procedures. The prevalence of thyroid nodules in different group of areca nut consumption varied significantly (P<0.05). In multivariate logistic regression model, the results showed female and areca nut intake were independently associated with thyroid nodules in centenarians (P<0.05). Conclusions The modifiable variables including areca nut intake as well as non-modifiable such as gender are independent determinants of thyroid nodules in centenarians. Further studies are warranted to explore and verify these associations in populations with different ranges of age.

Objective To evaluate the correlation between enhancement vascular mode and gallbladder polyp nature and size with contrast-enhance ultrasound (CEUS).Methods From December 2014 to May 2016,patients with gallbladder polyp lesions (GPL) larger than 1.0 cm were enrolled in this study.Before cholecystectomy,every patient underwent ultrasound (US) and CEUS examination.All features of US and CEUS were analyzed by two doctors who were blind to the patient clinical data.According to the pathological findings,GPL were divided into cholesterol polyp group and gallbladder adenoma group.The US features and enhancement vascular mode were analyzed statistically by t test and x2 test.The independent risk factors were analyzed by Logistic regression.The relationship between enhancement vascular mod and size of GPL were determined by bivariate correlation analysis.Results There were 103 patients with GPL larger than 1.0 cm.Eighty-two cases were cholesterol polyp and 21 cases were gallbladder adenoma.There were differences in size and color Doppler blood flow between two groups (t=-5.97 and 7.94,P ＜ 0.05).Dotted,branched vascular mod and irregular vascular mode were statistical different between two groups (x2=10.09 and 8.43,P ＜ 0.05).Regression analysis data proved that the size and branch vascular mod were the independent risk factors related with adenoma (P ＜ 0.05).In both cholesterol polyp group and adenoma group,there were weak positive correlation between enhancement vascular mode and size of GPL (r=0.188,0.397,P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Branch vascular mod and size of GPL were help to distinguish gallbladder adenoma from cholesterol polyp.Comprehensive analysis of GPL's size and vascular mode could offer important guidance for differentiation diagnosis.