AIM:To clarify the effect of macrophage PKM2 deficiency on mucosal repair in ulcerative colitis(UC).METHODS:The gene expression and metabolic profiles in UC patients were first analyzed based on the following databases:PXD001608,GSE193677,and GSE214695.Using the macrophage-specific PKM2 elimination mice(PKM2ΔMAC),the functions of PKM2 in dextran sulfate sodium(DSS)-induced UC were clarified in vivo by analyzing the body weight,disease activity index(DAI)scores,HE staining,immunohistochemical staining,and expression of muco-sal barrier markers.The impact of PKM2 on macrophage polarization was also investigated by flow cytometry,RNA se-quencing and RT-qPCR in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages(BMDMs)and THP-1 cells in vitro.RESULTS:Bioinformatic analysis suggested that the intestinal tissues of UC patients preferred glycolysis.The expression of PKM was parallel to the severity of UC in patients,and the expression of PKM2,but not PKM1,was elevated in macrophages of UC mice.In the DSS-induced UC mice,macrophage-specific PKM2 elimination significantly alleviates the body weight loss,diarrhea,rectal bleeding,colonic shorten,as well as decreased DAI scores and mucosal tissue damage.The BMDMs de-rived from the PKM2ΔMAC mice preferred the M2 polarization upon LPS or IL-4 stimulation to that derived from the wild-type mice,as indicated by the F4/80+CD45+CD86+and F4/80+CD45+CD206+population,as well as the expression of Ocln,F11r and Tjp-1.The RNA sequencing results indicated significant gene differential expression in PKM2 knockout mouse macrophages,which was enriched in biological processes such as leukocyte migration,tissue remodeling,and cytokine in-teractions.Macrophage PKM2 deficiency promoted the expression of mucosal repair factors(Il8,Cxcl1,Ptgs2 and Wnt6),which was further validated in PKM2 knockout THP-1 cells.CONCLUSION:The PKM2 deficiency in macro-phages benifits the mucosal repair in UC status via facilitating the wound-healing macrophage polarization.

italic>Anoectochilus roxburghii liquid (spray, a hospital preparation of Wu Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University) has shown a good clinical treatment effect during the COVID-19 pandemic, but its material basis and mechanism of action are still unclear. In this study, network pharmacology and molecular docking methods were used to predict the molecular mechanism of A. roxburghii liquid against COVID-19, and pharmacodynamic experiments in vitro were conducted to study the interaction between the current targets with clear preventive and therapeutic effects and the key components of A. roxburghii liquid. UPLC-MS and database were used to compare and analyze the active ingredients in the liquid, and 17 potential active ingredients with good drug-like properties were screened by in vivo pharmacokinetics process in SwissADME database. SwissTargetPrediction and GeneCards were searched to find 93 common targets. Cytoscape 3.8.2 software was used to construct the "component-target" network map, and the Metascape platform was used for gene function annotation and pathway enrichment analysis. It was found that the extract could regulate the positive response to external stimuli, inflammatory response, cytokine production and other biological processes by binding the active ingredients such as isorhamnetin, kaempferol, luteolin, quercetin and apigenin to the common targets (NOS3, MPO, MMP3, etc.), and play an anti-COVID-19 role. In the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) activity inhibition assay, it was found that the stock solution of A. roxburghii liquid (for spray), and the supernatant after removing polysaccharides (mainly containing flavonoids) could to some extent inhibit the activity of ACE2. Crucially, in the experiment of 2019-nCOV-S pseudovirus infecting HEK-293T-ACE2 cells, we found that A. roxburghii liquid may exert anti-COVID-19 effects by blocking the binding of SARS-CoV-S protein to ACE2.

Objective: To summarize the pathological diagnosis, clinical features, treatment methods and outcomes of pediatric-type follicular lymphoma (PTFL). Methods: Clinical data including the pathology, clinical features, treatment methods, and follow-up results of 9 PTFL patients admitted to Henan Cancer Hospital from February 2017 to February 2023 were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The age of onset in 9 children was 6 to 18 years, all the patients were males. The clinical manifestation was local painless lymph node enlargement in the head and neck, with a stage of Ⅰ-Ⅱ. The histomorphological characteristics of PTFL were similar to those of classic follicular lymphoma (FL). The germinal center of most follicles were enlarged, the mantle zone disappeared, centroblasts were easily visible, and the histological grade were mostly grade Ⅲ, which may be accompanied by the "starry sky" phenomenon. Monoclonal peaks can be seen in B cell clonal rearrangements (BCR). Immunohistochemistry (IHC) showed CD20 positive, CD10 positive, Bcl-6 positive, Bcl-2 negative, C-myc negative, and Ki-67 was 70%-95%. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) test was negative for t (14, 18), Bcl-2 translocation, and C-myc translocation. Six cases underwent surgical resection, and 3 cases underwent surgical resection combined with chemotherapy. Up to February 2023, with a follow-up time of 45 to 72 months, all children survived without any recurrence and were in a complete remission state. Conclusions: PTFL is mainly characterized by adolescent male onset, with early clinical manifestations and pathological manifestations of high-level histological status, high proliferation index, and lack of t (14; 18)/Bcl-2 translocation and Bcl-2 expression. It is mainly treated by localized surgical excision and has a good prognosis.
Child ; Adolescent ; Humans ; Male ; Female ; Lymphoma, Follicular/pathology* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell/pathology* ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Retrospective Studies ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics*

Child ; Humans ; Lead ; Urban Population ; Nutritional Status ; Health Surveys ; China/epidemiology* ; Rural Population

To realize the non-destructive and rapid origin discrimination of Poria cocos in batches, this study established the P. cocos origin recognition model based on hyperspectral imaging combined with machine learning. P. cocos samples from Anhui, Fujian, Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Henan and Yunnan were used as the research objects. Hyperspectral data were collected in the visible and near infrared band(V-band, 410-990 nm) and shortwave infrared band(S-band, 950-2 500 nm). The original spectral data were divided into S-band, V-band and full-band. With the original data(RD) of different bands, multiplicative scatter correction(MSC), standard normal variation(SNV), S-G smoothing(SGS), first derivative(FD), second derivative(SD) and other pretreatments were carried out. Then the data were classified according to three different types of producing areas: province, county and batch. The origin identification model was established by partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA) and linear support vector machine(LinearSVC). Finally, confusion matrix was employed to evaluate the optimal model, with F1 score as the evaluation standard. The results revealed that the origin identification model established by FD combined with LinearSVC had the highest prediction accuracy in full-band range classified by province, V-band range by county and full-band range by batch, which were 99.28%, 98.55% and 97.45%, respectively, and the overall F1 scores of these three models were 99.16%, 98.59% and 97.58%, respectively, indicating excellent performance of these models. Therefore, hyperspectral imaging combined with LinearSVC can realize the non-destructive, accurate and rapid identification of P. cocos from different producing areas in batches, which is conducive to the directional research and production of P. cocos.
Hyperspectral Imaging ; Wolfiporia ; China ; Least-Squares Analysis ; Support Vector Machine

In this study, visual-near infrared(VNIR), short-wave infrared(SWIR), and VNIR + SWIR fusion hyperspectral data of Polygonatum cyrtonema from different geographical origins were collected and preprocessed by first derivative(FD), second derivative(SD), Savitzky-Golay smoothing(S-G), standard normalized variate(SNV), multiplicative scatter correction(MSC), FD+S-G, and SD+S-G. Three algorithms, namely random forest(RF), linear support vector classification(LinearSVC), and partial least squares discriminant analysis(PLS-DA), were used to establish the identification models of P. cyrtonema origin from three spatial scales, i.e., province, county, and township, respectively. Successive projection algorithm(SPA) and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling(CARS) were used to screen the characteristic bands, and the P. cyrtonema origin identification models were established according to the selected characteristic bands. The results showed that(1)after FD preprocessing of VNIR+SWIR fusion hyperspectral data, the accuracy of recognition models established using LinearSVC was the highest, reaching 99.97% and 99.82% in the province origin identification model, 100.00% and 99.46% in the county origin identification model, and 99.62% and 98.39% in the township origin identification model. The accuracy of province, county, and township origin identification models reached more than 98.00%.(2)Among the 26 characteristic bands selected by CARS, after FD pretreatment, the accuracy of origin identification models of different spatial scales was the highest using LinearSVC, reaching 98.59% and 97.05% in the province origin identification model, 97.79% and 94.75% in the county origin identification model, and 90.13% and 87.95% in the township origin identification model. The accuracy of identification models of different spatial scales established by 26 characteristic bands reached more than 87.00%. The results show that hyperspectral imaging technology can realize accurate identification of P. cyrtonema origin from different spatial scales.
Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared ; Polygonatum ; Algorithms ; Random Forest ; Least-Squares Analysis

Objective: To investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sexual development in Chinese children. Methods: A nationwide multicenter and population-based large cross-sectional study was conducted in 13 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities of China from January 2017 to December 2018. Data on sex, age, height, weight were collected, BMI was calculated and sexual characteristics were analyzed. The subjects were divided into four groups based on age, including ages 3-<6 years, 6-<10 years, 10-<15 years and 15-<18 years. Multiple Logistic regression models were used for evaluating the associations of BMI with sexual development in children. Dichotomous Logistic regression was used to compare the differences in the distribution of early and non-early puberty among normal weight, overweight and obese groups. Curves were drawn to analyze the relationship between the percentage of early puberty and BMI distribution in girls and boys at different Tanner stages. Results: A total of 208 179 healthy children (96 471 girls and 111 708 boys) were enrolled in this study. The OR values of B2, B3 and B4+ in overweight girls were 1.72 (95%CI: 1.56-1.89), 3.19 (95%CI: 2.86-3.57), 7.14 (95%CI: 6.33-8.05) and in obese girls were 2.05 (95%CI: 1.88-2.24), 4.98 (95%CI: 4.49-5.53), 11.21 (95%CI: 9.98-12.59), respectively; while the OR values of G2, G3, G4+ in overweight boys were 1.27 (95%CI: 1.17-1.38), 1.52 (95%CI: 1.36-1.70), 1.88 (95%CI: 1.66-2.14) and in obese boys were 1.27 (95%CI: 1.17-1.37), 1.59 (95%CI: 1.43-1.78), and 1.93 (95%CI: 1.70-2.18) (compared with normal weight Tanner 1 group,all P<0.01). Analysis in different age groups found that OR values of obese girls at B2 stage and boys at G2 stage were 2.02 (95%CI: 1.06-3.86) and 2.32 (95%CI:1.05-5.12) in preschool children aged 3-<6 years, respectively (both P<0.05). And in the age group of 6-10 years, overweight girls had a 5.45-fold risk and obese girls had a 12.54-fold risk of B3 stage compared to girls with normal BMI. Compared with normal weight children, the risk of early puberty was 2.67 times higher in overweight girls, 3.63 times higher in obese girls, and 1.22 times higher in overweight boys, 1.35 times higher in obese boys (all P<0.01). Among the children at each Tanner stages, the percentage of early puberty increased with the increase of BMI, from 5.7% (80/1 397), 16.1% (48/299), 13.8% (27/195) to 25.7% (198/769), 65.1% (209/321), 65.4% (157/240) in girls aged 8-<9, 10-<11 and 11-<12 years, and 6.6% (34/513), 18.7% (51/273), 21.6% (57/264) to 13.3% (96/722), 46.4% (140/302), 47.5% (105/221) in boys aged 9-<10, 12-<13 and 13-<14 years, respectively. Conclusions: BMI is positively correlated with sexual development in both Chinese boys and girls, and the correlation is stronger in girls. Obesity is a risk factor for precocious puberty in preschool children aged 3-<6 years, and 6-<10 years of age is a high risk period for early development in obese girls.
Adolescent ; Body Mass Index ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity/epidemiology* ; Overweight/epidemiology* ; Puberty ; Puberty, Precocious ; Sexual Development

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the serum microRNA (miRNA) expression and examine the impact of miRNA expression profiles on T helper type 17 (Th17)/regulatory T cells (Treg) imbalance among patients with cystic echinococcosis, so as to provide insights into the illustration of the mechanisms underlying chronic Echinococcus granulosus infections, and long-term pathogenesis. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from the sera of cystic echinococcosis patients and healthy controls, and subjected to high-throughput sequencing with the Illumina sequencing platform. Known miRNAs were annotated and new miRNAs were predicted using the miRBase database and the miRDeep2 tool, and differentially expressed miRNAs were identified. The target genes of differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted using the software miRanda and TargetScan, and the intersection was selected for Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. Among the differentially expressed miRNAs with the 20 highest fold changes, miRNAs that targeted genes relating to key transcription factors RORC and FOXP3 that determine the production of Th17 and Treg cells or their important regulatory pathways (PI3K-Akt and mTOR pathways) were matched. RESULTS: A total of 53 differentially expressed miRNAs were screened in sera of cystic echinococcosis patients and healthy controls, including 47 up-regulated miRNAs and 6 down-regulated miRNAs. GO enrichment analysis showed that these differentially expressed miRNA were involved DNA transcription and translation, cell components, cell morphology, neurodevelopment and metabolic decomposition, and KEGG pathway analysis showed that the differentially expressed miRNA were mainly involved in MAPK, PI3K-Akt and mTOR signaling pathways. Among the differentially expressed miRNAs with the 20 highest fold changes, there were 3 miRNAs that had a potential for target regulation of RORC, and 15 miRNAs that had a potential to target the PI3K-Akt and mTOR signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS Significant changes are found in serum miRNA expression profiles among patients with E. granulosus infections, and differentially expressed miRNAs may lead to Th17/Treg imbalance through targeting the key transcription factors of Th17/Treg or PI3K-Akt and mTOR pathways, which facilitates the long-term parasitism of E. granulosus in hosts and causes a chronic disease.
Echinococcosis/genetics* ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Humans ; MicroRNAs/metabolism* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases/genetics* ; Th17 Cells ; Transcription Factors/genetics*

As a unique medical resource in China, Chinese herbal medicine plays a key role in the prevention and treatment of human diseases. With the gradual expansion of applications, the quality of Chinese herbal medicine has become the focus of attention. The quality of Chinese herbal medicines depends largely on their source authenticity. Tracing the origin of Chinese herbal medicines plays an important role in ensuring their quality and efficacy and reducing the mixing and adulteration of Chinese herbal medicines from different regions. Stable isotope technology, as a key technology for origin tracing of agricultural products and food, has been used in the research of Chinese herbal medicines from multiple sources and origins in recent years. This new technological means contributes to standardizing the origin of Chinese herbal medicines and controlling their quality from the source. Apart from introducing the basic principles of stable isotope technology and the characteristics of common stable isotopes, this study reviewed the application status of light and heavy stable isotopes in the origin tracing of Chinese herbal medicines and their correlation with ecological factors, and forecasted the application prospect of this technology in the authentication of Chinese herbal medicines, aiming to provide reference for the geographical origin tracing of Chinese herbal medicines and promote the sustainable development of traditional Chinese medicine.
Drug Contamination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/analysis* ; Humans ; Isotopes ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Quality Control

PURPOSE: The incidence of acute lung injury (ALI) in severe trauma patients is 48% and the mortality rate following acute respiratory distress syndrome evolved from ALI is up to 68.5%. Alveolar epithelial type 1 cells (AEC1s) and type 2 cells (AEC2s) are the key cells in the repair of injured lungs as well as fetal lung development. Therefore, the purification and culture of AEC1s and AEC2s play an important role in the research of repair and regeneration of lung tissue. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats (3-4 weeks, 120-150 g) were purchased for experiment. Dispase and DNase I were jointly used to digest lung tissue to obtain a single-cell suspension of whole lung cells, and then magnetic bead cell sorting was performed to isolate T1α positive cells as AEC1s from the single-cell suspension by using polyclonal rabbit anti-T1a (a specific AEC1s membrane protein) antibodies combined with anti-rabbit IgG microbeads. Afterwards, alveolar epithelial cell membrane marker protein EpCAM was designed as a key label to sort AEC2s from the remaining T1α-neg cells by another positive immunomagnetic selection using monoclonal mouse anti-EpCAM antibodies and anti-mouse IgG microbeads. Cell purity was identified by immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry. RESULTS: The purity of AEC1s and AEC2s was 88.3% ± 3.8% and 92.6% ± 2.7%, respectively. The cell growth was observed as follows: AEC1s stretched within the 12-16 h, but the cells proliferated slowly; while AEC2s began to stretch after 24 h and proliferated rapidly from the 2nd day and began to differentiate after 3 days. CONCLUSION AEC1s and AEC2s sorted by this method have high purity and good viability. Therefore, our method provides a new approach for the isolation and culture of AEC1s and AEC2s as well as a new strategy for the research of lung repair and regeneration.
Alveolar Epithelial Cells/cytology* ; Animals ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Separation/methods* ; Immunoglobulin G/metabolism* ; Lung ; Magnetic Phenomena ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley