Objective To explore the mechanism by which She-Ti-Zhi-Qiu decoction alleviates allergic rhinitis (AR) through gut microbiota-mediated regulation of T helper cell 17(Th17)/regulatory T cells(Treg) balance and related cytokines. Methods Twenty-eight female SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: the Control group, Model group, STZQ group, and Probiotics group. Except for the Control group, all other groups were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) to establish AR models. The Control and Model groups received intragastric administration of normal saline, while the STZQ group was administered She-Ti-Zhi-Qiu Decoction, and Probiotics group received probiotics. After two weeks of continuous intragastric administration, nasal mucosa, serum, peripheral blood, and colon contents were collected. The inflammation of nasal mucosal tissue was assessed via HE staining. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to detect and analyze the structure and content of bacteria in colon contents. Flow cytometry was used to detect the relative proportions of Treg and Th17 cells in peripheral blood. ELISA was used to measure the levels of Th17- and Treg-related cytokines in serum. Results Compared with the Control group, the Model group showed an inflammatory response in nasal mucosal tissue, along with increased IL-17A and IL-17E levels and decreased IL-10 levels. The percentage of Th17 cells in peripheral blood increased, while the percentage of Treg cells decreased. Beneficial bacteria in the intestine were decreased, while pathogenic bacteria were increased. Compared with the Model group, the STZQ group showed lower serum IL-17A and IL-17E levels and higher IL-10 levels. The percentage of Th17 in peripheral blood decreased, while the percentage of Treg increased. There was an increase in beneficial bacteria in the intestine and a decrease in pathogenic bacteria. The changes in the microbiota were correlated with IL-17A, IL-17E, and IL-10 levels. Conclusion She-Ti-Zhi-Qiu decoction can ameliorate the inflammation of AR by regulating gut microbiota and Th17/Treg immune balance.
Animals ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/drug effects* ; Th17 Cells/drug effects* ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Female ; Rhinitis, Allergic/microbiology* ; Rats ; Cytokines

Extensive epigenetic reprogramming involves in memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation. The elaborate epigenetic rewiring underlying the heterogeneous functional states of CD8+ T cells remains hidden. Here, we profile single-cell chromatin accessibility and map enhancer-promoter interactomes to characterize the differentiation trajectory of memory CD8+ T cells. We reveal that under distinct epigenetic regulations, the early activated CD8+ T cells divergently originated for short-lived effector and memory precursor effector cells. We also uncover a defined epigenetic rewiring leading to the conversion from effector memory to central memory cells during memory formation. Additionally, we illustrate chromatin regulatory mechanisms underlying long-lasting versus transient transcription regulation during memory differentiation. Finally, we confirm the essential roles of Sox4 and Nrf2 in developing memory precursor effector and effector memory cells, respectively, and validate cell state-specific enhancers in regulating Il7r using CRISPR-Cas9. Our data pave the way for understanding the mechanism underlying epigenetic memory formation in CD8+ T-cell differentiation.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Chromatin/immunology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Immunologic Memory ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; SOXC Transcription Factors/immunology* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Enhancer Elements, Genetic

Objective:To analyze the contamination characteristics and pathogenic potential of Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in pre-packaged and refrigerated ready-to-eat cooked meat products in Chengdu City. Methods:From September 2022 to May 2023, pre-packaged and refrigerated ready-to-eat cooked meat products were collected from six districts and counties in Chengdu City. Qualitative and quantitative determination of LM was performed on these samples. Whole genome sequencing was carried out on the isolated strains. Different ST strains were selected for cell adhesion and invasion experiments. The results were expressed as adhesion rate and invasion rate. One-way ANOVA was used for comparison between groups, and the Dunnett t-test was used for pairwise comparison. Results:A total of 145 samples were collected, and LM was detected and isolated in 29 samples. The total detection rate was 20.00%, and the detection rate of braised pork was the highest (68.18%). The contamination level of LM in 9 samples (31.03%) was greater than 100.00 MPN/g. The 29 strains of Listeria monocytogenes belonged to 7 STs, including ST 3 (27.59%), ST 8 (17.24%) and ST 87 (13.79%). The strain of ST 87 carried Listeria pathogenicity islands 4 (LIPI-4), which was a highly virulent strain. The medium and high virulence strains accounted for 79.31%. Some moderately virulent and highly virulent strains of ST 8 and ST 87 were closely related to clinical patient strains. Some LM isolates of the same ST type had little SNP differences (1-6) in the same manufacturer at different stages. In vitro cell experiments showed that the highly virulent strain ST 87 had the strongest adhesion and invasion ability towards Caco-2 cells. Conclusion:The pre-packaged and refrigerated cooked meat products have a high contamination rate. Some samples have high contamination levels and carry medium and high virulence strains, posing potential health risks to human beings. LM residues continue to persist in some manufacturers′ production and processing stages.

Randomized controlled trials have long been regarded as the gold standard for evaluating vaccine efficacy. However, conducting randomized controlled trials to assess vaccines in real-world settings is often impractical due to limitations in research resources and ethical considerations. In recent years, the emulated target trial has emerged as a novel methodological framework that applies the design principles of randomized trials to observational studies. By using observational data to emulate the randomization and treatment assignment of a clinical trial, this approach enables the evaluation of vaccine effectiveness in the real world. The application of emulated target trials enhances the quality and applicability of real-world evidence. This article explains the fundamental principles, design elements, advantages, and limitations of using emulated target trials to evaluate vaccine effectiveness, providing methodological guidance for conducting such studies in China.

Objective:To investigate, for multi-sensitized allergic rhinitis (AR) patients allergic to dust mites combined with other allergens (pollen, mold, animal dander, etc.), whether the single dust mite subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) can improve the specific symptoms caused by other allergens in the patients, and to analyze the relationship between the effectiveness of symptom improvement in these patients and the type, quantity and severity of the allergens.Methods:A multicenter retrospective study was conducted to collect mul-sensitized AR patients from allergy or respiratory departments of 5 hospitals who received house dust mite allergen preparation SCIT for 12 to 36 months and met other inclusion and exclusion criteria from February to July 2024. General clinical data were collected and the perennial or seasonal symptoms before and after treatment were evaluated with visual analogue scale (VAS) to assess whether there was an perennial or allergen-specific symptom improvement (VAS score decrease ≥30%), by which the patients were divided into effective group and ineffective. R software was used to analyze the differences between groups by using Fisher′s exact test and Mann-Whitney U test. Results:A total of 62 patients were enrolled, and the treatment were effective in 39 of them, with an effective rate of 62.9%. For allergen-specific symptoms, the median age of the effective group was higher than that of the ineffective group (12 years old vs. 8 years old, P=0.039), and the effective rate in dust mite specific immunoglobin E (sIgE) grade ≤5 group was higher than that in sIgE grade >5 group (81.6% vs. 45.5%, P=0.008), and the effective rate of mold sIgE grade ≤2 group was higher than that of sIgE grade >2 group (83.3% vs. 28.6%, P=0.045), and there was no statistically significant correlation between the other allergen grades and the effective rate ( P>0.05). For perennial symptoms, the effective rate in the mold grade ≤2 group was higher than that in the sIgE grade >2 group (91.3% vs. 28.6%, P=0.010), and there was no statistically significant correlation between the other allergen grades and the effective rate ( P>0.05). There was no significant correlation between the treatment effectiveness of perennial or allergen-specific symptoms and the number of combined allergens, the grade of skin test, and the difference between the grade of combined allergens and that of dust mites ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Among the patients with multi-sensitized AR allergic to dust mites included in this study, single dust mite SCIT is effective in some of them, and for allergen-specific symptoms, the effective group was elder, and dust mite sIgE grade 6 and mold sIgE grade ≥2 was related to the low effective rate of SCIT. The present results are insufficient for selecting single or multiple AIT in any type of multi-sensitized patients.

Objective To conduct a quantitative risk assessment of Listeria monocytogenes(LM)in prepackaged,non-vacuum sealed,short shelf-life,ready-to-eat meat products in Chengdu using the@Risk software.Methods Based on monitoring data of LM contamination in pre-packaged,non-vacuum sealed,refrigerated ready-to-eat meat products in Chengdu obtained from a previous study,a risk assessment model was established.The risk of LM infection caused by consuming cooked meat products in different groups of people was quantitatively assessed.In addition,the growth of LM in cooked meat products,from retail to consumption,was also taken into consideration in the assessment.Results In Chengdu,the numbers of potential cases of listeriosis caused by consumption of prepackaged,non-vacuum sealed,refrigerated ready-to-eat meat products were 0.01(95％confidence interval[CI]:0-1.71 × 10-2)per year per million in healthy individuals aged 5-＜65 years old,0.22(95％CI:0-2.67 × 10-1)in healthy individuals aged 65 and above,and 2.88(95％CI:3.85 × 10-8-4.35)in pregnant women.According to the results of the sensitivity analysis,the initial pollution level of LM in the retail stage was the most important factor affecting the prevalence(R=0.25),followed by retail temperature(R=0.08),retail time(R=0.07),and amount of consumption per meal(R=0.07).Conclusions For pre-packaged,non-vacuum sealed,cooked meat products,the most important measure to reduce the prevalence of listeriosis is to control the initial contamination level,which requires food processing plants to regularly clean and strictly disinfect the processing environment and equipment to minimize LM contamination at the source.Retail delicatessens should strictly maintain a storage temperature below 5.0℃ and strictly adhere to product shelf-life recommendations.As for consumers,they should consume these meat products as soon as possible after purchase or store them under refrigerated conditions and shorten the storage time.Pregnant women should thoroughly heat the meat products before eating to reduce the risk of listeriosis.

Objective To explore the correlation between aging and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF)and reveal the underlying molecular mechanisms.Methods IPF models were established using young(2-month-old)and aged(18-month-old)C57BL/6J mice by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin(BLM)hydrochloride(2.5 mg/kg)after fully exposing the trachea.The control groups received an equal volume of saline administered in the same manner.Mice were divided randomly into four groups:a young control(Ctrl-Y)group,young model(IPF-Y)group,aged control(Ctrl-A)group,and aged model(IPF-A)group.Histopathological changes were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin and Masson staining.Collagen type Ⅰ alpha 1 chain(COL1A1),α-smooth muscle actin(SMA),and fibronectin(FN)expression were detected by immunohistochemistry.Cell senescence was detected by senescence-associated beta-galactosidase(SA-β-Gal)staining.Differentially expressed genes were detected by transcrip tome sequencing,followed by gene ontology functional annotation(GO)and kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis.Core gene expression was validated by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.Results The fibrosis score was significantly higher in the IPF-A group compared with the IPF-Y group(P＜0.05).Expression levels of α-SMA,and FN were significantly upregulated in the IPF-A group versus the IPF-Y group by 36％,and 25％,respectively(P＜0.05).The SA-β-Gal-positive area indicating senescence was significantly larger in the IPF-A group than in the IPF-Y group.Fifty-five senescence-IPF interactive genes were identified,among which Cdkn1a,MMP3,and Pdcd1 were synergistically upregulated in the IPF-A group(P＜0.05).KEGG analysis revealed the activation of signaling pathways such as extracellular matrix(ECM)-receptor interaction,phagosome,cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction,efferocytosis,and PI3K-Akt(FDR＜0.05).Conclusions aging promotes IPF progression,which induces lung tissue senescence.The underlying mechanism may involve ECM remodeling driven by immunosenescence,inflammatory accumulation,and metabolic disorders.

Objective To systematically evaluate the psychological characteristics of adolescent inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)patients during the transition period and provide evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals in developing transition management strategies.Methods A systematic search was conducted across The Cochrane Library,PubMed,Web of Science,CINAHL,Embase,SinoMed,CNKI,Wanfang,and VIP databases for qualitative studies on adolescent IBD patients during transition,from database inception to May 2024.Eligible studies were critically appraised,and themes were synthesized using the meta-aggregation approach of meta-synthesis.Results Twelve studies were included,yielding 13 findings that were synthesized into five categories:self-development challenges,healthcare system transition barriers,family support conflicts,social adaptation difficulties,and lack of societal support systems.Conclusion Adolescents with IBD experience complex psychological challenges during transition,characterized by excessive psychological burdens,inadequate healthcare support,and insufficient societal recognition.Targeted interventions are needed to improve psychological outcomes during this critical phase.

Based on the analysis of relevant policy documents,industry data,and case studies,this paper systematically reviews the current situation,policy environment,and usage of intra-hospital formulations in medical institutions in Guangzhou,and compares them with policies in other countries.It is found that although Guangzhou has achieved certain results in terms of policy support,number of varieties,and usage range of intra-hospital formulations,there are also problems such as limited pro-duction capacity,inadequate quality control,insufficient research and development investment,increasing cost pressure,and in-adequate protection of intellectual property rights.Therefore,this paper suggests the establishment of a regional Chinese medicine formulation industrial park,the development of new dosage forms and technologies,the expansion of medical insurance coverage,the strengthening of research platform construction,and the promotion of multidimensional achievement transformation to promote the high quality development of the intra-hospital formulation industry in Guangzhou.