Acute lung injury (ALI) is a significant complication of sepsis, characterized by high morbidity, mortality, and poor prognosis. Neutrophils, as critical intrinsic immune cells in the lung, play a fundamental role in the development and progression of ALI. During ALI, neutrophils generate neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), and excessive NETs can intensify inflammatory injury. Research indicates that Taohe Chengqi decoction (THCQD) can ameliorate sepsis-induced lung inflammation and modulate immune function. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms by which THCQD improves ALI and its relationship with NETs in sepsis patients, seeking to provide novel perspectives and interventions for clinical treatment. The findings demonstrate that THCQD enhanced survival rates and reduced lung injury in the cecum ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced ALI mouse model. Furthermore, THCQD diminished neutrophil and macrophage infiltration, inflammatory responses, and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α). Notably, subsequent experiments confirmed that THCQD inhibits NET formation both in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, THCQD significantly decreased the expression of peptidyl arginine deiminase 4 (PAD4) protein, and molecular docking predicted that certain active compounds in THCQD could bind tightly to PAD4. PAD4 overexpression partially reversed THCQD's inhibitory effects on PAD4. These findings strongly indicate that THCQD mitigates CLP-induced ALI by inhibiting PAD4-mediated NETs.
Extracellular Traps/immunology* ; Acute Lung Injury/immunology* ; Animals ; Sepsis/immunology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Mice ; Neutrophils/immunology* ; Male ; Protein-Arginine Deiminase Type 4/genetics* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Humans ; Disease Models, Animal ; Cytokines/metabolism*

Objective To explore the expression of leukemia inhibitory factor receptor(LIFR)in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(NSTEMI)and its possible associa-tion with myocardial remodeling.Methods A total of 188 patients with acute myocardial infarc-tion who underwent coronary angiography in our hospital from January 2023 to November 2024 were prospectively enrolled and divided into a control group(94 cases)and an NSTEMI group(94 cases)according to being diagnosed with NSTEMI or not.General clinical data of the patients were collected,and the correlation between serum LIFR level and other indicators was analyzed using linear regression analysis.Results Compared with the control group,the NSTEMI group had significantly higher ratios of smoking history,elevated levels of LIFR,NT-proBNP,cTnⅠ,Cr and UA,increased WBC count,but lower LVEF value[48.94％vs 13.83％,P＜0.01;5.82(4.23,8.11)mmol/L vs 0.97(0.60,1.41)mmol/L,P＜0.01;2.53(1.24,9.71)pg/L vs 0.03(0.02,0.04),P＜0.01;18.57(4.11,250.00)ng/L vs 0.00(0.00,0.00)ng/L,P＜0.01;82.50(68.00,121.25)μmol/L vs 68.50(53.00,88.25)μmol/L,P＜0.01;411.00(349.00,521.25)μmol/L vs 337.00(286.75,406.00)μmol/L,P＜0.01;10.21(8.71,13.09)× 109/L vs 6.22(4.67,7.46)× 109/L,P＜0.01;47.00(38.00,54.00)％vs 59.00(56.00,60.00)％,P＜0.01].Serum LIFR level in the patients was posi-tively correlated with NT-proBNP,cTnⅠ,Cr and WBC count(β=1.403,95％CI:10 597.867-17 327.087,P=0.000;β=0.232,95％CI:114.558-1769.808,P=0.026;β=0.336,95％CI:0.164-0.617,P=0.001).Conclusion LIFR may be involved in the development of myocardial remode-ling and heart failure after myocardial infarction through its role in inflammation.

Objective To explore the role of ferroptosis in DIC through bioinformatics analysis of hub genes involved in ferroptosis in doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy(DIC),combined with in vitro experimental validation.Methods Divalent iron fluorescence staining confirms the occurrence of ferroptosis in myocardial cells of DIC.The GSE207737 dataset was retrieved from the Gene Expression Comprehensive Database(GEO)and intersected with the FerrDb database to identify ferroptosis-related genes.Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses of the intersected genes and intersecting the genes obtained from LASSO regression analysis and SVM-SFR machine learning methods were used to obtain ferroptosis hub genes for DIC.Real-time PCR was used to validate H9C2 cells in the control and DIC model groups,and Western blotting was used to further validate those whose bioinformatics and real-time PCR results that did not match.Results Thirty-eight ferroptosis-related genes in DIC were identified,and GO and KEGG analyses showed that these genes mainly participate in cell metabolism.Five hub genes for ferroptosis in DIC were obtained using machine learning methods:Mpc1,Prdx1,Kdm4a,Alox 12b,and Tfrc.Through in vitro experiments,the mRNA expression levels of Mpc1,Prdx1,and Kdm4a were downregulated in the DIC model group compared to those in the control group(P＜0.001),whereas the mRNA expression level of Alox12b was upregulated(P＜0.001).There were no significant differences in the mRNA or protein expression levels of Tfrc(P＞0.05).Conclusion Mpc1,Prdx1,Kdm4a,and Alox12b are key genes involved in ferroptosis in doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy and potential targets for the prevention and treatment of doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in ferroptosis.

Objective To explore the expression of leukemia inhibitory factor receptor(LIFR)in patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(NSTEMI)and its possible associa-tion with myocardial remodeling.Methods A total of 188 patients with acute myocardial infarc-tion who underwent coronary angiography in our hospital from January 2023 to November 2024 were prospectively enrolled and divided into a control group(94 cases)and an NSTEMI group(94 cases)according to being diagnosed with NSTEMI or not.General clinical data of the patients were collected,and the correlation between serum LIFR level and other indicators was analyzed using linear regression analysis.Results Compared with the control group,the NSTEMI group had significantly higher ratios of smoking history,elevated levels of LIFR,NT-proBNP,cTnⅠ,Cr and UA,increased WBC count,but lower LVEF value[48.94％vs 13.83％,P＜0.01;5.82(4.23,8.11)mmol/L vs 0.97(0.60,1.41)mmol/L,P＜0.01;2.53(1.24,9.71)pg/L vs 0.03(0.02,0.04),P＜0.01;18.57(4.11,250.00)ng/L vs 0.00(0.00,0.00)ng/L,P＜0.01;82.50(68.00,121.25)μmol/L vs 68.50(53.00,88.25)μmol/L,P＜0.01;411.00(349.00,521.25)μmol/L vs 337.00(286.75,406.00)μmol/L,P＜0.01;10.21(8.71,13.09)× 109/L vs 6.22(4.67,7.46)× 109/L,P＜0.01;47.00(38.00,54.00)％vs 59.00(56.00,60.00)％,P＜0.01].Serum LIFR level in the patients was posi-tively correlated with NT-proBNP,cTnⅠ,Cr and WBC count(β=1.403,95％CI:10 597.867-17 327.087,P=0.000;β=0.232,95％CI:114.558-1769.808,P=0.026;β=0.336,95％CI:0.164-0.617,P=0.001).Conclusion LIFR may be involved in the development of myocardial remode-ling and heart failure after myocardial infarction through its role in inflammation.

Objective To explore the role of ferroptosis in DIC through bioinformatics analysis of hub genes involved in ferroptosis in doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy(DIC),combined with in vitro experimental validation.Methods Divalent iron fluorescence staining confirms the occurrence of ferroptosis in myocardial cells of DIC.The GSE207737 dataset was retrieved from the Gene Expression Comprehensive Database(GEO)and intersected with the FerrDb database to identify ferroptosis-related genes.Gene Ontology(GO)and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)enrichment analyses of the intersected genes and intersecting the genes obtained from LASSO regression analysis and SVM-SFR machine learning methods were used to obtain ferroptosis hub genes for DIC.Real-time PCR was used to validate H9C2 cells in the control and DIC model groups,and Western blotting was used to further validate those whose bioinformatics and real-time PCR results that did not match.Results Thirty-eight ferroptosis-related genes in DIC were identified,and GO and KEGG analyses showed that these genes mainly participate in cell metabolism.Five hub genes for ferroptosis in DIC were obtained using machine learning methods:Mpc1,Prdx1,Kdm4a,Alox 12b,and Tfrc.Through in vitro experiments,the mRNA expression levels of Mpc1,Prdx1,and Kdm4a were downregulated in the DIC model group compared to those in the control group(P＜0.001),whereas the mRNA expression level of Alox12b was upregulated(P＜0.001).There were no significant differences in the mRNA or protein expression levels of Tfrc(P＞0.05).Conclusion Mpc1,Prdx1,Kdm4a,and Alox12b are key genes involved in ferroptosis in doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy and potential targets for the prevention and treatment of doxorubicin-induced cardiomyopathy in ferroptosis.

Thyroid associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease. TAO is clinically classified into active and inactive stage, and the accurate judgment is the key point of treatment choice. Clinical activity score (CAS) is often used for the assessment of TAO activity, which is subjective to some extent. With the development of imaging techniques, ultrasonography, CT, MRI and radionuclide imaging have gradually been applied into the diagnosis and treatment of TAO. What′s more, the imaging is an important complement to CAS from the aspects of anatomical and functional metabolism, which can better assess the activity and the therapy response of TAO. The clinical value of medical imaging in activity and treatment efficacy evaluation of TAO is reviewed in this article.

Objective To propose strategies for developing clinical predictive models,aiming to assist researchers in conducting standardized clinical prediction model studies.Methods Literature review was conducted to summarize the operational steps and content for developing clinical predictive models.Then,a methodological framework was summarized and refined through expert consultation.Results The 11-step methodological framework for developing clinical predictive models was obtained by synthesizing the experience of 456 clinical predictive modeling studies and expert consultation,and the details were analyzed and elaborated.Conclusions This study presents methodological strategies and recommendations for the development of clinical predictive models,intended to serve as a guide for researchers.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract on oral ulcer in rats and its underlying mechanism. Methods The contents of polyphenols and flavonoids in Euryale ferox seed shells were determined by Folin-phenol assay and aluminum nitrate colorimetry, respectively. DPPH · , ABTS+· , · OH and · O2- scavenging experiments were performed to evaluate the antioxidant activities of Euryale ferox seed shell extract in vitro. In a rat model of oral ulcer induced by burning with glacial acetic acid, the therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract was assessed by detecting changes in serum levels of oxidative factors by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and observing pathological changes of the ulcerous mucosa using HE staining; the therapeutic mechanism of the extract was explored by detecting the expression levels of Keap1, Nrf2, Nes-Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins in ulcerous mucosa using Western blotting. Results The ethyl acetate extract of Euryale ferox seed shells contained 306.74±1.04 mg/g polyphenols and 23.43±0.61 mg/g flavonoids and had IC50 values for scavenging DPPH · and ABTS+· free radicals of 3.42 ± 0.97 μg/mL and 3.32 ± 0.90 μg/mL, respectively. In the rat models, the ethyl acetate extract significantly ameliorated oral mucosal ulcer, increased serum CAT level, and decreased serum MDA level. The protein expression levels of Nes-Nrf2 and HO-1 were increased and Keap1 protein expression was lowered significantly in the ulcerous mucosa of the rats after treatment with the extract (P<0.05 or 0.01). Conclusion The therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract on oral ulcers in rats is mediated probably by activation of the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract on oral ulcer in rats and its underlying mechanism. Methods The contents of polyphenols and flavonoids in Euryale ferox seed shells were determined by Folin-phenol assay and aluminum nitrate colorimetry, respectively. DPPH · , ABTS+· , · OH and · O2- scavenging experiments were performed to evaluate the antioxidant activities of Euryale ferox seed shell extract in vitro. In a rat model of oral ulcer induced by burning with glacial acetic acid, the therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract was assessed by detecting changes in serum levels of oxidative factors by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and observing pathological changes of the ulcerous mucosa using HE staining; the therapeutic mechanism of the extract was explored by detecting the expression levels of Keap1, Nrf2, Nes-Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins in ulcerous mucosa using Western blotting. Results The ethyl acetate extract of Euryale ferox seed shells contained 306.74±1.04 mg/g polyphenols and 23.43±0.61 mg/g flavonoids and had IC50 values for scavenging DPPH · and ABTS+· free radicals of 3.42 ± 0.97 μg/mL and 3.32 ± 0.90 μg/mL, respectively. In the rat models, the ethyl acetate extract significantly ameliorated oral mucosal ulcer, increased serum CAT level, and decreased serum MDA level. The protein expression levels of Nes-Nrf2 and HO-1 were increased and Keap1 protein expression was lowered significantly in the ulcerous mucosa of the rats after treatment with the extract (P<0.05 or 0.01). Conclusion The therapeutic effect of Euryale ferox seed shell extract on oral ulcers in rats is mediated probably by activation of the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway.

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics, imaging, myopathology and outcomes of patients with COVID-19 related autoimmune myopathy.Methods:The clinical features, serum creatine kinase (CK), myositis antibodies, muscle magnetic resonance imaging, myopathology and therapy of 5 patients with COVID-19 related autoimmune myopathy diagnosed in Peking University First Hospital from December 2022 to April 2023 were collected. The effects of the therapy after a short term follow up were analyzed.Results:Among the 5 patients, there were 3 males and 2 females, with onset age of 42-86 years. All patients presented with proximal muscle weakness in the recovery term of COVID-19. Myalgia was noted in 3 cases, dysphagia in 1, skin damage in 2, interstitial lung disease in 1. The serum CK of the 5 patients was 1 663-16 000 IU/L, 1 patient had anti-3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase autoantibodies and 1 patient had anti-signal recognition particle autoantibodies. The electromyography showed myogenic lesions in all patients. Muscle magnetic resonance imaging showed diffuse muscle edema in all patients, myofascial edema in 3 and subcutaneous-tissue edema in 3. The muscle biopsies in 4 patients revealed necrotic myopathy,with high P62 expression in muscle fibers. The electromicroscopy of 2 patients revealed vacuolated mitochondria and intranuclear tubulofilamentous inclusions in muscle fibers. Four patients were treated with glucocorticoids, of whom 2 patients combined with intravenous immunoglobulin, tacrolimus or cyclophosphamide. One case had close monitoring without drug therapy. They showed significant improvement, but the CK was still abnormal in 4 patients.Conclusions:COVID-19 leads to immune mediated myopathy. The manifestation of patients is characterized by proximal predominant weakness and high creatine kinase level. Muscle magnetic resonance imaging shows diffuse muscle edema. The muscle biopsies reveal necrotic myopathy. The effectiveness of immunosuppression needs to be further studied.