[Objective] To explore the feasibility of using whole blood as a source of NK cells for allogeneic CAR NK cell therapy and activated NK cell reinfusion therapy, and initially construct a technical system for the separation and purification of NK cells from whole blood. [Methods] All peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were enriched from 400 mL of whole blood by manual separation and machine separation, respectively. The erythrocyte loss rate, PBMCs number, NK cell purity of the two methods were compared. NK cells were sorted from PBMCs by three separation and enrichment methods as immunomagnetic bead negative selection method, platelet lysate culture expansion and PERCOLL density gradient separation method, and the purity and yield of NK cells, the activity of NK cells and the tumor-killing ability of the three separation and enrichment methods were compared. [Results] The proportion of NK cells in the lymphocyte population was higher in the manual separation method than in the machine separation method[(13.16±5.16)% vs (8.56±3.92)%, P<0.05]; the number PBMCs was lower in the manual separation method than in the machine separation method[(4.09±1.80)×10⁸vs (6.49±2.16)×10⁸, P<0.05], and there was no difference in the red blood cell loss between the two methods (P>0.05). The purity of NK cells isolated and enriched from PBMCs by manual separation method using immunomagnetic was (96.77±2.31)%; the yield was (56.27±10.47)%; the inhibition of tumor proliferation was (38.67±14.05)%; and the tumor killing rate was (19.90±8.05)%. The purity of NK cells isolated and enriched from PBMCs by manual separation method using platelet lysis culture expansion method was the highest at day 7, which was (54.84±15.80)%; the cell expansion multiple could reach 16.92±6.28 at day 7; the in vitro tumor killing rate of NK cells was (15.83±5.5)%; the tumor inhibition rate was (44.33±13.5)%; and there was no difference in the toxicity and activity of NK cells between the two methods (P>0.05). The purity of NK cells isolated and enriched by PERCOLL density gradient separation method was (15.83±5.82)%, and the yield was (14±6.25)%, which was significantly lower than the other two methods. [Conclusion] PBMCs isolated from whole blood by manual separation and NK cells enriched by negative selection with immunomagnetic beads have the potential to provide NK cell materials for CAR-NK cell therapy, and NK cells enriched by platelet lysate-conditioned medium have the potential to provide NK cells for large-scale NK cell activation reinfusion therapy.

Cognitive impairment （CI） is a clinical syndrome characterized by progressive decline in advanced cognitive functions such as memory， thinking， and judgment. Its etiology and pathogenesis are complex， and there is currently a lack of specific drug interventions. Metformin， as a first-line hypoglycemic drug for type 2 diabetes， not only lowers blood glucose levels but also improves CI. This article reviews and summarizes the pharmacological effects and mechanisms of metformin in improving Alzheimer’s disease， diabetes cognitive impairment， cognitive impairment after chemotherapy， in order to provide novel insights and approaches for the treatment of CI-related diseases. Studies have shown that the mechanism by which MET intervenes in CI mainly includes regulating β-amyloid protein and tau protein metabolism， reducing insulin resistance， inhibiting neuroinflammation， improving synaptic plasticity， improving mitochondrial dysfunction， regulating gut microbiota and lipid metabolism， etc. Future research needs to be conducted through interdisciplinary collaboration， fully integrating multiple omics data， and combining advanced technologies to further reveal their mechanisms of effect.

Recent studies have indicated that the expression of ubiquitin-specific protease 51 (USP51), a novel deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) that mediates protein degradation as part of the ubiquitin‒proteasome system (UPS), is associated with tumor progression and therapeutic resistance in multiple malignancies. However, the underlying mechanisms and signaling networks involved in USP51-mediated regulation of malignant phenotypes remain largely unknown. The present study provides evidence of USP51's functions as the prominent DUB in chemoresistant triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. At the molecular level, ectopic expression of USP51 stabilized the 78 kDa Glucose-Regulated Protein (GRP78) protein through deubiquitination, thereby increasing its expression and localization on the cell surface. Furthermore, the upregulation of cell surface GRP78 increased the activity of ATP binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1), the main efflux pump of doxorubicin (DOX), ultimately decreasing its accumulation in TNBC cells and promoting the development of drug resistance both in vitro and in vivo. Clinically, we found significant correlations among USP51, GRP78, and ABCB1 expression in TNBC patients with chemoresistance. Elevated USP51, GRP78, and ABCB1 levels were also strongly associated with a poor patient prognosis. Importantly, we revealed an alternative intervention for specific pharmacological targeting of USP51 for TNBC cell chemosensitization. In conclusion, these findings collectively indicate that the USP51/GRP78/ABCB1 network is a key contributor to the malignant progression and chemotherapeutic resistance of TNBC cells, underscoring the pivotal role of USP51 as a novel therapeutic target for cancer management.

Cognitive impairment is a major public health challenge facing global aging societies， and currently lacks effective treatment measures. Herb pair， characterized by their rigorous compatibility and synergistic effects， demonstrate unique advantages in clinical practice. Acorus tatarinowii-Polygala tenuifolia is a classic herbal pair for treating cognitive impairment， widely utilized in various traditional Chinese medicine formulations， such as Kaixin san， Shenghui tang， and Yuanzhi san. This article summarizes the pharmacological mechanisms of A. tatarinowii， P. tenuifolia and their compatible compound prescriptions in ameliorating cognitive impairment. It is found that they can exert effects in ameliorating cognitive impairment through mechanisms such as reducing amyloid β-protein deposition and inhibiting excessive phosphorylation of Tau protein， suppressing inflammatory responses， alleviating oxidative stress， protecting neurons and regulating neurotransmitters， modulating the structure and function of the blood- brain barrier， and regulating autophagy. Subsequently， in-depth analysis can be conducted on the active ingredients of A. tatarinowii- P. tenuifolia herb pair that ameliorate cognitive impairment， along with the addition of relevant clinical trials for verification. This will provide theoretical foundations and research approaches for the treatment of cognitive impairment using traditional Chinese medicine.

Objective:To develop a risk prediction model for identifying bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) associated pulmonary hypertension (PH) in very premature infants.Methods:This was a retrospective cohort study. The clinical data of 626 very premature infants whose gestational age <32 weeks and who suffered from BPD were collected from October 1 st, 2015 to December 31 st, 2021 of the Seventh Medical Center of the People′s Liberation Army General Hospital as a modeling set. The clinical data of 229 very premature infants with BPD of Hunan Children′s Hospital from January 1 st, 2020 to December 31 st, 2021 were collected as a validation set for external verification. The very premature infants with BPD were divided into PH group and non PH group based on the echocardiogram after 36 weeks′ corrected age in the modeling set and validation set, respectively. Univariate analysis was used to compare the basic clinical characteristics between groups, and collinearity exclusion was carried out between variables. The risk factors of BPD associated PH were further screened out by multivariate Logistic regression, and the risk assessment model was established based on these variables. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area under curve (AUC) and Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test were used to evaluate the model′s discrimination and calibration power, respectively. And the calibration curve was used to evaluate the accuracy of the model and draw the nomogram. The bootstrap repeated sampling method was used for internal verification. Finally, decision curve analysis (DCA) to evaluate the clinical practicability of the model was used. Results:A total of 626 very premature infants with BPD were included for modeling set, including 85 very premature infants in the PH group and 541 very premature infants in the non PH group. A total of 229 very premature infants with BPD were included for validation set, including 24 very premature infants in the PH group and 205 very premature infants in the non PH group. Univariate analysis of the modeling set found that 22 variables, such as artificial conception, fetal distress, gestational age, birth weight, small for gestational age, 1 minute Apgar score ≤7, antenatal corticosteroids, placental abruption, oligohydramnios, multiple pulmonary surfactant, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS)>stage Ⅱ, early pulmonary hypertension, moderate-severe BPD, and hemodynamically significant patent ductus arteriosus (hsPDA) all had statistically significant influence between the PH group and the non PH group (all P<0.05). Antenatal corticosteroids, fetal distress, NRDS >stage Ⅱ, hsPDA, pneumonia and days of invasive mechanical ventilation were identified as predictive variables and finally included to establish the Logistic regression model. The AUC of this model was 0.86 (95% CI 0.82-0.90), the cut-off value was 0.17, the sensitivity was 0.77, and the specificity was 0.84. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test showed that P>0.05. The AUC for external validation was 0.88, and the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test suggested P>0.05. Conclusions:A high sensitivity and specificity risk prediction model of PBD associated PH in very premature infants was established. This predictive model is useful for early clinical identification of infants at high risk of BPD associated PH.

Purpose To study the relationshiPbetween CD88 expression and clinicopathologic features and epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Methods TCGA and TIMER database were used to analyze the expression level of CD88 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adjaecnt esophageal squamous cell epithelium and its relationship with epithelial-mesenchymal transition.Par-affin specimens were collected from 199 patients with clinically diagnosed esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.Immunohisto-chemical EnVision method was used to detect the expression of CD88 and EMT-related proteins in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and adjacent tissues,the relationship between CD88 expression and clinicopathological features,prognosis and EMT in ESCC tumors was analyzed.Results There were 86 cases with high CD88 expression and 113 cases with low CD88 expres-sion.The expression level of CD88 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma was significantly higher than that of paracancerous tis-sue(P＜0.001).The group with high CD88 expression had lower ESCC differentiation level(P＜0.001)and higher T stage(P=0.03).The 5-year survival of patients with high CD88 ex-pression was significantly lower than that of patients with low CD88 expression(P=0.002).Cox univariate and multivariate analysis showed that CD88 expression was an independent prog-nostic factor for overall survival of patients with esophageal squa-mous cell carcinoma(P=0.013).The high expression of CD88 was negatively correlated with E-cadherin(r=-0.146,P=0.039),and positively correlated with vimentin(r=0.387,P=1.61e-08)and N-cadherin(r=0.304,P=1.3e-05).Con-clusion CD88 is highly expressed in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.CD88 may affect the occurrence,development,in-vasion and metastasis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma through EMT,and it might be used as a prognostic marker for e-sophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Objective:To evaluate the therapeutic effect of glycyrrhetinic acid on cough variant asthma (CVA) mice based on molecular docking technique; To explore the possibility of its treatment for cough variant asthma.Methods:The software of Autodock Vina was used for molecular docking. The mice were divided into control group, model group, prednisone acetate group, glycyrrhetinic acid high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups according to the random number table method, with 8 mice in each group. Except for the blank control group, all other groups were induced by egg protein to establish cough variant asthma models. Glycyrrhetinic acid high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups were orally administered glycyrrhetinic acid suspension at 20, 10, and 5 mg/kg, while the prednisone acetate group was orally administered prednisone acetate at 5 mg/kg. The blank control group and model group were orally administered equal volumes of physiological saline, once per day for 14 consecutive days. The animal asthma behavior was observed after drug administration. The secretion of bronchial mucus in lung tissue were observed by AB-PAS staining and the index of spleen were recorded. The protein expressions of Gata3, IL-4 and IL-13 in the spleen tissue were determined by Western blot.Results:Molecular docking results showed that glycyrrhetinic acid had good binding ability to Th2-related factors Gata3, IL-4 and IL-13. Results of animal experiment showed that compared with the model group, the mucus secretion decreased in glycyrrhetinic acid groups, the index of the spleen of mice obviously decreased, protein expression levels of IL-4 and IL-13 in the spleen tissue of mice in glycyrrhetinic acid high-, medium-, and low-dosage groups decreased ( P<0.05), and Gata3 in glycyrrhetinic acid medium- and low-dosage groups decreased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Glycyrrhetinic acid can correct the shift of Th2 in the immune system of cough variant asthma mice and has a certain therapeutic effect.

Objective To observe the effect of Renshen(ginseng)-Yuzhu(fragrant solomonseal rhizome)on inflammatory factors and inflammasomes in depression rats,and to explore the antidepressant mechanism of Renshen-Yuzhu.Methods Fifty male SD rats were divided into the blank group,model group,fluoxetine group(2.1 mg/kg),Renshen-Yuzhu low-dose group(1.89 g/kg),and Renshen-Yuzhu high-dose group(5.67 g/kg),with ten rats in each group.Except for the blank group,the rats in the other groups were treated with chronic unpredictable mild stress to establish a depression rat model.On the second day after the end of modeling,the rats in each group were given the corresponding drugs once daily for 14 days.After modeling and dosing,body weight,forced swimming immobility time,and sucrose preference rate were measured.After dosing,hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to detect neuronal damage in the cerebral cortex,enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the contents of interleukin-4(IL-4),interleukin-23(IL-23),and interleukin-27(IL-27)in cortex,real-time PCR was used to detect the mRNA expression of interleukin-24(IL-24)in cortex,and the protein expressions of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 1(NLRP1),absent in melanoma 2(AIM2),and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 4(NLRC4)were detected by Western blotting.Results After dosing,compared with the blank group,the body weight of the model group decreased,the sucrose preference rate decreased,the swimming immobility time was prolonged,the neuronal tissue in cortex was destroyed,the content of IL-4 in cortex decreased,the contents of IL-23 and IL-27 in cortex increased,and the protein expressions of NLRP1,AIM2 and NLRC4 in cortex increased(P＜0.01).Compared with the model group,the body weight of rats in each administration group increased,the sucrose preference rate increased,the swimming immobility time was shortened,the damage of neuronal tissues in cortex improved,the content of IL-4 in cortex increased,the contents of IL-23 and IL-27 in cortex decreased,and the protein expressions of NLRP 1,AIM2 and NLRC4 in cortex decreased(P＜0.05).Conclusion Renshen-Yuzhu couplet medicines can improve the depressive-like behavior and exert antidepressant effect in chronic stress rats,and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of NLRP 1,NLRC4,AIM2 inflammasome activation and its mediated inflammatory response in cortex,reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines,and increasing the level of antiinflammatory cytokines.

Objective:To explore the characteristics and evolution trend of renal disease spectrum in Ningxia.Methods:The demographic, clinical manifestations and renal pathological examination results of patients who underwent renal biopsies in the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University from August 1, 2008 to December 31, 2019 were collected and analyzed retrospectively. According to the time period of receiving renal biopsy, the patients were divided into 2008—2013 group and 2014—2019 group. The age and sex constituent, clinical manifestation, renal disease type, pathological types of primary and secondary glomerular disease and the main clinical manifestations of patients with diabetic nephropathy were compared between the two groups. The changing trend of renal disease spectrum in Ningxia from 2008 to 2019 was analyzed.Results:A total of 3 867 patients who underwent renal biopsies were enrolled in this study, with more males (53.71%, 2 077/3 867), and age of (39.59±14.05) years old. The most common clinical manifestation of patients receiving renal biopsies was nephrotic syndrome (36.33%, 1 405/3 867). Among them, primary glomerular diseases accounted for 78.79% (3047/3 867), followed by secondary glomerular diseases (18.57%, 718/3 867), renal tubulointerstitial diseases (1.45%, 56/3 867) and hereditary nephropathy (1.19%, 46/3 867). The most common primary glomerular disease was IgA nephropathy (44.60%, 1 359/3 047), followed by membranous nephropathy (30.75%, 937/3 047). The most common secondary glomerular disease was Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura nephritis (27.44%, 197/718), followed by lupus nephritis (25.07%, 180/718). Compared with the 2008—2013 group, the proportion of membranous nephropathy increased, the proportion of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (non-IgA deposition) decreased (both P<0.001), the proportions of diabetic nephropathy and hypertensive renal damage increased, and the proportions of Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura nephritis and hepatitis B virus-associated glomerulonephritis decreased in 2014—2019 group (all P<0.01). Compared with the 2008—2013 group, the proportions of acute kidney injury, chronic renal failure, simple hematuria and urinary protein≤1.0 g/24 h increased in kidney biopsy patients in 2014—2019 group, while the proportion of nephrotic syndrome decreased (all P<0.05). Compared with the 2008—2013 group, the proportion of chronic renal failure in diabetic nephropathy patients increased during renal biopsy, and the proportion of albuminuria with hematuria decreased in 2014—2019 group (all P<0.05). Conclusions:Primary glomerular disease is the most common kidney disease in Ningxia. IgA nephropathy is the most common cause, and the proportion of membranous nephropathy is increasing year by year. Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura nephritis is the most common secondary glomerular disease, and the proportions of diabetic nephropathy and hypertensive renal damage are increasing year by year, suggesting that the screening of renal complications of metabolic diseases in Ningxia should be strengthened and pay more attention to the patients with mild abnormal urine test.