Objective To explore the biological functions of pyroptosis-related genes in pneumonic plague using bioinformatics methods,and to evaluate their potential applicability as diagnostic markers.Methods The pneumonic plague-related dataset GSE220123 was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus(GEO)database and screened for differentially expressed pyroptosis-related genes(DE-PRGs).The functions of DE-PRGs were studied via Gene Ontology(GO),Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses,and immune infiltration analysis.The hub genes were identified via protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis,and further screened for key genes with sustained high expression characteristics based on differential expression analysis.The relative expression levels of the key genes were verified using the reverse transcription real-time quantitative PCR(qPCR)method.Results A total of 17 DE-PRGs were screened,and PPI network analysis revealed 7 Hub genes.Among them,Casp4 continued to be up-regulated during the course of pneumonic plague.The results of reverse transcription qPCR were consistent with the those of bioinformatic analyses.Conclusion DE-PRGs play a crucial role in the immune response of pneumonic plague,especially Casp4,which has significant applications as a diagnostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for pneumonic plague.

Diabetic kidney disease(DKD)is not only the main microvascular complication of diabetes mellitus,but also a common cause of end stage renal disease.Oxidative stress and nuclear factor E2-related factor 2(Nrf2)/kelch like epichlorohydrin related protein 1/antioxidant response element pathway damage may be involved in the occurrence and development of DKD.This article reviews the research progress of targeted activation of Nrf2 pathway and DKD treatment.

Objective: In order to provide guidance for the prevention and control of epidemic situations in schools, this paper explores the risk perception and prevention behaviors of college students after classes resume in the post-epidemic period of novel coronavirus pneumonia. Methods: By using convenient sampling method, 835 college students who resumed classes were randomly selected from a university in Guizhou. Self-efficacy questionnaire, perceived social support questionnaire and self-designed questionnaire were adiministered. Results: Totally 37.0% of college students believed that the risk of infection was high, 57.4% of college students believed the severity of infection was very high once get infected, meanwhile, 84.3% of them think that keeping away from crowded places was a better preventive behavior, 89.7% of college students often wear masks, 91.4% of college students wash their hands frequently. There was a significant positive correlation between general self-efficacy, perceived social support and preventive behavior (r=0.10-0.65, P<0.01). General self-efficacy and perceived social support play both a partial intermediary role and a chain intermediary role between risk perception and preventive behavior. Conclusion Risk perception of Novel Coronavirus was moderate among college students, who can take active measures to effectively prevent it. Risk perception could not only directly affect the prevention behavior of college students, but also indirectly affect the prevention behavior of college students through understanding social support and general self-efficacy.

Structure of natural product-ursolic acid was modified for increasing its antitumor activity. Ursolic acid was acylated, esterified, hydrolized or oxidized to obtain target pentacyclic triterpenoid compounds with different substitutes. Sixteen derivatives of ursolic acid were designed and synthesized including eleven new compounds. Anti-tumor activities of ursolic acid and these derivatives against HeLa, SKOV3 and BGC-823 cells in vitro were investigated by MTT assay. The results indicated that compounds 7a and 8a were found to have stronger cell growth inhibitory than ursolic acid on HeLa cells and SKOV3 cells separately, and are worth to be intensively studied further.