Aim To investigate the protective effect of Vaccarin(Va)on epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)in renal fibrosis model mice through regulating STAT3,and the underlying mechanism.Methods Left ureter ligation was used to establish a mouse model of unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO);human kid-ney tubular epithelial(HK2)cells were induced to differentiate by transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)in vitro.HE and Masson staining were used to observe the morphological changes of renal tissue;kits were used to detect the levels of BUN,Cr,IL-1β and IL-7 in mouse serum;CCK-8 was used to detect the effect of Va on the viability of HK2 cells;RT-PCR was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors in HK2 cells;Western blot was used to detect the expression of STAT3,p-STAT3,E-cadherin,and α-SMA proteins in renal tissue and HK2 cells;to further investigate the regulation of Va on STAT3,JAK/STAT3 pathway acti-vator RO8191 was used to treat TGF-β-induced HK2 cells,and functional loss was detected.Results Va improved the pathological damage in UUO mice,inhibi-ted the levels of BUN,Cr and inflammatory factors;Va inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3,upregulated E-cadherin,and downregulated α-SMA protein expres-sion;RO8191 counteracted the inhibitory effect of Va on the phosphorylation of STAT3.Conclusions Va inhibits the phosphorylation of STAT3 and the release of inflammatory factors,improves EMT,thus exerting an anti-renal fibrosis effect.

Aim To investigate the protective effect of Vaccarin(Va)on epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT)in renal fibrosis model mice through regulating STAT3,and the underlying mechanism.Methods Left ureter ligation was used to establish a mouse model of unilateral ureteral obstruction(UUO);human kid-ney tubular epithelial(HK2)cells were induced to differentiate by transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β)in vitro.HE and Masson staining were used to observe the morphological changes of renal tissue;kits were used to detect the levels of BUN,Cr,IL-1β and IL-7 in mouse serum;CCK-8 was used to detect the effect of Va on the viability of HK2 cells;RT-PCR was used to detect the levels of inflammatory factors in HK2 cells;Western blot was used to detect the expression of STAT3,p-STAT3,E-cadherin,and α-SMA proteins in renal tissue and HK2 cells;to further investigate the regulation of Va on STAT3,JAK/STAT3 pathway acti-vator RO8191 was used to treat TGF-β-induced HK2 cells,and functional loss was detected.Results Va improved the pathological damage in UUO mice,inhibi-ted the levels of BUN,Cr and inflammatory factors;Va inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3,upregulated E-cadherin,and downregulated α-SMA protein expres-sion;RO8191 counteracted the inhibitory effect of Va on the phosphorylation of STAT3.Conclusions Va inhibits the phosphorylation of STAT3 and the release of inflammatory factors,improves EMT,thus exerting an anti-renal fibrosis effect.

Objective:To investigate the efficacy and safety of ixazomib combined with thalidomide and dexamethasone in the treatment of multiple myeloma(MM).Methods:The clinical data of 60 MM patients admitted to our center from January 2019 to June 2022 were analyzed retrospectively,including 43 newly diagnosed patients and 17 patients with recurrence and progression.All patients were treated with ixazomib combined with thalidomide and dexamethasone,and completed 2 to 7 treatment cycles.Results:The overall response rate(ORR)of all patients was 98.3％.Among them,53 patients completed 4 treatment cycles,and the ORR was 86.8％.Seventeen patients completed the whole treatment cycle,with curative effect reaching 88.2％achieving very good partial response and above,and 52.9％achieving complete response and above.Albumin and β2-microglobulin of all patients had been improved rapidly after treatment.The deadline was August 31,2022.The median follow-up time was 14(3-24)months,and overall survival(OS)rate was 86.67％.The OS rate of patients with recurrence and progression was significantly lower than that of newly diagnosed patients(P＜0.05).The most common adverse reaction of hematology was lymphopenia(53.3％),followed by anemia(33.3％).The most common non-hematological adverse reaction was fatigue(68.33％),followed by peripheral neuropathy(31.67％).Conclusion:Ixazomib combined with thalidomide and dexamethasone is effective in the treatment of MM,with good short-term efficacy,survival and safety.However,its long-term efficacy needs further observation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and establish a nomogram model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with 613 cases of neonatal asphyxia treated in 20 cooperative hospitals in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture from January to December 2019 as the asphyxia group, and 988 randomly selected non-asphyxia neonates born and admitted to the neonatology department of these hospitals during the same period as the control group. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify risk factors for neonatal asphyxia. R software (4.2.2) was used to establish a nomogram model. Receiver operator characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis were used to assess the discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, respectively. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that minority (Tujia), male sex, premature birth, congenital malformations, abnormal fetal position, intrauterine distress, maternal occupation as a farmer, education level below high school, fewer than 9 prenatal check-ups, threatened abortion, abnormal umbilical cord, abnormal amniotic fluid, placenta previa, abruptio placentae, emergency caesarean section, and assisted delivery were independent risk factors for neonatal asphyxia (P<0.05). The area under the curve of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia based on these risk factors was 0.748 (95%CI: 0.723-0.772). The calibration curve indicated high accuracy of the model for predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia. The decision curve analysis showed that the model could provide a higher net benefit for neonates at risk of asphyxia. CONCLUSIONS The risk factors for neonatal asphyxia in Hubei Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture are multifactorial, and the nomogram model based on these factors has good value in predicting the risk of neonatal asphyxia, which can help clinicians identify neonates at high risk of asphyxia early, and reduce the incidence of neonatal asphyxia.
Infant, Newborn ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Female ; Nomograms ; Retrospective Studies ; Cesarean Section ; Risk Factors ; Asphyxia Neonatorum/etiology*

The vagina contains at least a billion microbial cells,dominated by lactobacilli.Here we perform metagenomic shotgun sequencing on cervical and fecal samples from a cohort of 516 Chinese women of reproductive age,as well as cervical,fecal,and salivary samples from a second cohort of 632 women.Factors such as pregnancy history,delivery history,cesarean section,and breastfeeding were all more important than menstrual cycle in shaping the microbiome,and such information would be necessary before trying to interpret differences between vagino-cervical micro-biome data.Greater proportion of Bifidobacterium breve was seen with older age at sexual debut.The relative abundance of lactobacilli especially Lactobacillus crispatus was negatively associated with pregnancy history.Potential markers for lack of menstrual regularity,heavy flow,dysmenor-rhea,and contraceptives were also identified.Lactobacilli were rare during breastfeeding or post-menopause.Other features such as mood fluctuations and facial speckles could potentially be predicted from the vagino-cervical microbiome.Gut and salivary microbiomes,plasma vitamins,metals,amino acids,and hormones showed associations with the vagino-cervical microbiome.Our results offer an unprecedented glimpse into the microbiota of the female reproductive tract and call for international collaborations to better understand its long-term health impact other than in the settings of infection or pre-term birth.

Objective: To construct a new CD123- specific chimeric antigen receptor in order to provide a foundation for immunotherapy of CD123 positive leukemia. Methods: A hybridoma strain (6E11) capable of stably secreting CD123 antibody was obtained by a monoclonal screening technique, and the hybridoma cells were expanded and injected intraperitoneally to the pretreated Balb/c mice. Ascites was collected and purified to obtain the monoclonal antibody (mAb) . The affinity and specificity of 6E11 mAb were measured. The variable regions of the heavy and light chains of the 6E11 mAb were cloned by RT-PCR from the 6E11 mouse hybridoma. We generated a new CD123 specific chimeric antigen receptor with a scFv fragment derived from 6E11 antibody, designated as 6E11 CAR. T cells were transduced with lentiviral supernatant from 293T cells transfected with 6E11 CAR plasmid to generate 6E11 CAR-T cells. The specific cytotoxicity of 6E11 CAR-T against CD123(+) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines and primary AML cells in vitro were evaluated by co-culture experiments, degranulation experiments and cytokine releasing assay. Results: ① A hybridoma cell line 6E11 stably secreting anti-human CD123 antibody was developed and its variable region sequences were obtained. ② The 6E11 mAb has high affinity for CD123 protein (Kd value: 2.1 nmol/L) . The 6E11 mAb specifically recognizes CD123(+) cell line THP-1 cells and does not respond to CD123(-) cell line Jurkat cells. ③ 6E11 CAR-T cells were successfully generated with a CAR expression rate higher than 60%. ④ 6E11 CAR-T cells could specifically kill CD123(+) MV4-11 cell line but had no killing effect on the CD123(-) K562 cell line. Compared with vector-T cells, 6E11 CAR-T cells have higher killing rate to MV4-11 cells[ (98.60±1.20) %vs (20.28±6.74) %, P<0.001]. ⑤ MV4-11 cells activated 6E11 CAR-T cells significantly but not Vector-T cells[ (26.33±3.30) %vs (1.17±0.06) %, P<0.001]. ⑥ 6E11 CAR-T cells released more cytokines than vector-T cells when co-cultured with MV4-11[IL-2: (92.90±1.51) pg/ml vs (6.05±3.41) pg/ml, P<0.001; TNF-α: (1 407.20±91.95) pg/ml vs (7.86±0.85) pg/ml, P<0.001; IFN-γ: (5 614.60±170.17) pg/ml vs (8.42±2.70) pg/ml, P<0.001]. The IFN-γ, IL-2 and TNF-α in the 6E11 CAR-T group were similar to those in the Vector-T group when co-cultured with K562. ⑦ 6E11 CAR-T cells could be activated by bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) derived from CD123(+) AML patients and effectively kill these BMMNC cells from CD123(+) AML patients. Conclusion: 6E11 hybridoma cell line can stably secrete highly specific monoclonal antibodies against human CD123, which can be used to detect the expression of human CD123. It can also be used to target human CD123 protein in tumor immunotherapy. CD123 CAR-T cells with 6E11 Ig variable region sequence have specific anti-leukemic activity in vitro, which may provide a new option for further clinical research of AML.
Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Humans ; Interleukin-3 Receptor alpha Subunit ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Mice ; Receptors, Chimeric Antigen ; Single-Chain Antibodies

Objective: Analysis of the effect of triggering receptor-1 expressed on myeloid cells (TREM-1) in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and the mechanism. Methods: The oleic acid-treated HepG2 cells were divided into model group, overexpression group, interference group A, interference group B and negative control group. The mouse model of NAFLD was generated and randomly divided into (nuclear factor-κB) NF-κB inhibition group, protein kinase B (AKT) inhibition group, knockout group A, knockout group B and control group. The expression of inflammatory factors and TREM-1 in liver tissue was detected by PCR, and fat accumulation was detected by oil red O staining. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of TREM-1 and signaling pathway proteins, and HE staining was used to detect liver tissue changes. Results: TREM-1 was up-regulated in liver tissue of NAFLD mice [(0.936±0.127) vs. (0.432±0.105)] and in oleic acid-treated HepG2 cells. In oleic acid-treated HepG2 cells, overexpression of TREM-1 increased inflammatory factor expression and increased lipid droplets; inhibition of TREM-1 expression decreased inflammatory factor expression, and lipid droplets decreased. Knockout of TREM-1 and inhibition of NF-κB in NAFLD mice reduced hepatocyte inflammatory factor expression and reduced liver damage; knockout of TREM-1 and inhibition of AKT reduced liver tissue lipids and drops accumulate. Conclusions The overexpression of TREM-1 in NAFLD mice liver tissue can regulate inflammatory factor expression and lipid droplets through NF-κB and AKT signal pathway. TREM-1 might be a potential therapeutic target of NAFLD.

OBJECTIVE: To screen the differentially expressed proteins at the early stage of K562 cells treated with meisoindigo by using tandem mass tags (TMT)-based proteomics technology, and to explore the mechanism for meisoindigo-inducing apoptosis. METHODS: The half inhibitory concentration (IC) of mesoindigo on K562 cells was determined by CCK8. The flow cytometry was used to assay the apoptosis of K562 cells treated by meisoindigo or DMSO. Total proteins were extracted from the cells treated with 0.2% DMSO (control) or 20 μmol/L meisoindigo (Test) for 2 hours. Then, the TMT-labeling HPLC-MS/MS was used to identify and quantify the peptides and their abundance, all the tests were repeated for 3 times. The Mascot software was used to identify the proteins; the GO annotations, enrichment and cluster analysis were used to analyze the differentially expressed proteins. RESULTS: Meisoindigo-induced K562 cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner (r=0.98), 5 544 proteins were identified, 4792 of which were quantified. The protein with expression difference>1.5-folds in Test group accoanted for 8, out of which the expression of 4 proteins were up-regulated and 4 were down-regulated. The differentially expressed proteins mainly associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS). CONCLUSION Several proteins including DDIT4 were found to have dramatic changes in the early stage of K562 cells treated with meisoindigo by using quantitative proteomics technology. The ROS metabolic process may play important roles in meisoindigo-inducing apoptosis of K562 cells.
Apoptosis ; Humans ; Indoles ; K562 Cells ; Proteomics ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of TBLR1-RARα on the differentiation induction of leukemia cell line K562 cells into erythroid lineage and to investigate its related mechanisms.

METHODSTet-Off inducible system was used to construct the conditional expression vector of TBLR1-RARα fusion gene by cloning the TBLR1-RARα fragment into lentivirus vector pLVX-Tight-Puro, the expression of TBLR1-RARα fusion gene was induced by doxycycline (Dox). Then, K562 cells were transfected with lentivirus pLVX-Tight-Puro-TBLR1-RARα-flag, and the expression of fusion proteins was verified by Western blot. After treatment of K562 with all-trans retinoid acid (ATRA), real time RT-PCR was performed to test the expression of erythroid differentiation-related CD71 and α, ε, γ-globins gene. Flow cytometry was used also to analyze the expression of erythroid differentiation markers CD71 and CD235a. Benzidine staining was used to detect the production of hemoglobin in K562 cells.

RESULTSqRT-RCR showed that ATRA could increase the expression level of CD71 and α, ε, γ-globin genes when TBLR1-RARα was expressed. After treatment of ATRA, the proportion of CD71(+) cells detected by the flow cytometry also increased. Benzidine staining showed that ATRA could induce hemoglobin production in K562 cells with TBLR1-RARα fusion gene expression.

CONCLUSIONThe expression of TBLR1-RARα fusion gene contribute to ATRA-inducing differentiation of K562 cells into erythroid lineage.

Cell Differentiation ; Erythrocytes ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; K562 Cells ; Nuclear Proteins ; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear ; Receptors, Retinoic Acid ; Repressor Proteins ; Retinoic Acid Receptor alpha ; gamma-Globins

Objective To investigate the incidence and possible influencing factors of secondary relative hypoparathyroidism (SRHOP) in the patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD). Methods Totally 182stable chronic renal failure patients with MHD for more than 3 months were selected from the Blood Purification Center ofShanghai 7th People's Hospital from January 2012 to December 2012. The status of plasma intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) was analyzed according to the KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) guidelines. The patients were divided into two groups according to plasma iPTH concentrations: SRHOP group (iPTH < 150 pg/mL, n=73) and non-SRHOP group (iPTH ≥ 150 pg/mL, n = 109). The influencing factors for the SRHOP of MHD patients were investigated by Spearman correlation analysis and Logistic regressionanalysis. Results The average concentration of plasma iPTH of 182 MHD patients was (173. 5 ± 114.3) pg/mL, and the concentration decreased gradually with age. According to KDIGO guidelines, the concentrations of plasma iPTH reached the standard in 83 cases (45. 6%), lower than the standard in 73 cases (40. 1%), and higher than the standard in 26 cases (14. 3%). The concentrations of plasma iPTH were not significantly different between the genders. The age, incidence of diabetes, and plasma corrected calcium concentration of the SRHOP patients were significantly higher, while the plasma phosphorus, albumin and normalized protein equivalent of nitrogen appearance (nPNA) levels were significantly lower than those of the non-SRHOP patients (P < 0. 05). There were no significant differences in gender composition, duration of dialysis, blood pressure, plasma urea nitrogen, plasma creatinine, urea clearance index (Kt/V), numbers of patients with oral calcium or vitamin D, and hemoglobin between the two groups. Spearman analysis showed that age, diabetes, plasma corrected calcium, and phosphorus and albumin levels were associated with SRHOP, and Logistic regression analysis indicated that the age and plasma phosphorus level of MHD patients were independent risk factors for SRHOP. Conclusion SRHOP, rather than secondary hyperparathyroidism, often occurs in MHD patients. The patient age and plasma phosphorus level are the independent risk factors for SRHOP.