ObjectiveTo explore the effects of different concentrations of oleic acid on human osteosarcoma cell lines 143B and HOS， as well as the impacts of the optimal concentration of oleic acid on cellular lipid droplet synthesis and cell functions. MethodsThe 143B and HOS cells were treated with varying concentrations of oleic acid （0， 25， 50， 100， and 200 µmol/L） for 48 hours. Following treatment， oil red O staining and BODIPY staining were performed to determine the optimal concentration. Subsequently， CCK-8 assays and colony formation experiments were conducted to assess the effect of this optimal concentration of oleic acid on the cell proliferation of both cell lines. Transwell migration assays were utilized to evaluate the influence of the optimal concentration on migratory capacity and Transwell invasion assays were utilized to evaluate the invasive ability. Additionally， Western blot analysis was employed to examine the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition （EMT） markers Epithelial cadherin （E-cadherin） and Neural cadherin （N-cadherin） in response to treatment with the optimal concentration of oleic acid. ResultsTreatment with oleic acid did not induce significant cell death in either 143B or HOS cells； however， an increase in intracellular lipid droplets was observed alongside enhanced proliferation， migration， invasion capabilities as well as EMT transformation potential （P<0.05）. ConclusionOleic acid induces lipid droplet synthesis in osteosarcoma cells which subsequently promotes their proliferation， migration and invasion abilities along with EMT transformation.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the therapeutic mechanism of 2,6-dimethoxy-1,4-benzoquinone (DMQ) for alleviating dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) in mice. METHODS: Eighteen male C57BL/6J mice were equally randomized into control group, DSS group and DMQ treatment group. In DSS and DMQ groups, the mice were treated with DSS in drinking water to induce UC, and received intraperitoneal injections of sterile PBS or DMQ (20 mg/kg) during modeling. The changes in body weight, disease activity index (DAI), colon length, spleen weight, and colon histological scores of the mice were examined, and the percentages of Th17 and IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen were analyzed using flow cytometry. The expressions of tight junction proteins (Occludin and ZO-1), proteins associated with inflammasome activation (caspase-1 and p20), IL-1β and TNF-α in the colon tissues were detected using Western blotting or ELISA. In the cell experiment, mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) primed with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were treated with DMQ, followed by stmulation with nigericin to activate the classical NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. In cultured human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) treated with either LPS alone or LPS plus nigericin, the effects of DMQ on inflammasome activation, pyroptosis, and cytokine release were evaluated via Western blotting, ELISA, and flow cytometry. RESULTS: In DSS-treated mice, DMQ treatment significantly alleviated DSS-induced body weight loss, colon shortening, spleen enlargement, and colon inflammation. The DMQ-treated mice showed significantly reduced percentages of Th17 cells and IFN-γ⁺ CD8⁺ T cells in the mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen, with increased occludin and ZO-1 expressions and decreased caspase-1 expression in the colon tissue. DMQ obviously inhibited classical NLRP3 inflammasome activation in mouse BMDMs and both the classical and alternative pathways of NLRP3 activation in human PBMCs, causing also suppression of caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis. CONCLUSIONS DMQ ameliorates DSS-induced UC in mice by inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.
Animals ; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/metabolism* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Colitis, Ulcerative/metabolism* ; Dextran Sulfate/adverse effects* ; Male ; Inflammasomes/metabolism* ; Mice ; Benzoquinones/therapeutic use* ; Th17 Cells ; Caspase 1/metabolism*

Microbial communities such as those residing in the human gut are highly diverse and complex, and many with important implications for health and diseases. The effects and functions of these microbial communities are determined not only by their species compositions and diversities but also by the dynamic intra- and inter-cellular states at the transcriptional level. Powerful and scalable technologies capable of acquiring single-microbe-resolution RNA sequencing information in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of complex microbial communities together with their hosts are therefore utterly needed. Here we report the development and utilization of a droplet-based smRNA-seq (single-microbe RNA sequencing) method capable of identifying large species varieties in human samples, which we name smRandom-seq2. Together with a triple-module computational pipeline designed for the bacteria and bacteriophage sequencing data by smRandom-seq2 in four human gut samples, we established a single-cell level bacterial transcriptional landscape of human gut microbiome, which included 29,742 single microbes and 329 unique species. Distinct adaptive response states among species in Prevotella and Roseburia genera and intrinsic adaptive strategy heterogeneity in Phascolarctobacterium succinatutens were uncovered. Additionally, we identified hundreds of novel host-phage transcriptional activity associations in the human gut microbiome. Our results indicated that smRandom-seq2 is a high-throughput and high-resolution smRNA-seq technique that is highly adaptable to complex microbial communities in real-world situations and promises new perspectives in the understanding of human microbiomes.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/genetics* ; Bacteriophages/physiology* ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Sequence Analysis, RNA/methods* ; Bacteria/virology*

Objective This study investigated the regulatory effect of high mobility group protein B1 (HMGB1) in the peripheral blood of patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) on myeloid dendritic cells (mDC) and Th17/regulatory T cells (Treg) balance. Methods The study enrolled 30 newly diagnosed ITP patients and 30 healthy controls.Flow cytometry was used to measure the proportion of mDC, Th17, and Treg cells in the peripheral blood of ITP patients and healthy controls. ELISA was conducted to quantify the serum levels of HMGB1, interleukin 6 (IL-6), IL-23, IL-17, and transforming growth factor β(TGF-β). The mRNA levels of retinoic acid-related orphan receptor γt(RORγt) and forehead box P3(FOXP3) were detected by real-time PCR. The correlation between the abovementioned cells, cytokines, and platelet count was assessed using Pearson linear correlation analysis. Results The proportion of Th17 cells and the expression levels of HMGB1, IL-6, IL-23, IL-17 and the level of RORγt mRNA in the peripheral blood of ITP patients were higher than those in healthy controls. However, the Treg cell proportion and TGF-β level were lower in ITP patients than those in healthy controls. In patients with ITP, the proportion of mDC and the level of FOXP3 mRNA did not show significant changes. The proportion of mDC cells was significantly correlated with the expression of IL-6 and IL-23. Moreover, the expression of HMGB1 showed a significant correlation with the expression of mDC, IL-6, IL-23, RORγt mRNA, and IL-17. Notably, both the proportion of mDC cells and the expression of HMGB1 were negatively correlated with platelet count. Conclusion The high expression of HMGB1 in peripheral blood of ITP patients may induce Th17/Treg imbalance by promoting the maturation of mDC and affecting the secretion of cytokines, thereby potentially playing a role in the immunological mechanism of ITP.
Humans ; Th17 Cells/cytology* ; HMGB1 Protein/genetics* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory/cytology* ; Female ; Male ; Dendritic Cells/metabolism* ; Adult ; Middle Aged ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/genetics* ; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3/genetics* ; Young Adult ; Interleukin-23/blood* ; Interleukin-17/blood* ; Interleukin-6/blood* ; Forkhead Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Myeloid Cells/cytology* ; Aged

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*

As an important strategy in antiviral drug development, nucleoside analogs (NAs) have attracted considerable attention due to their unique mechanisms of action and favorable safety profile. This review systematically summarizes recent advances in the mechanisms of action of NAs, focusing on the following four aspects: (1) Targeting viral polymerases, inhibiting viral replication through mechanisms such as non-absolute termination, delayed chain termination and induction of viral RNA mutations in addition to classical chain termination, which has been newly discovered; (2) Regulating RNA methylation modifications—for instance, competitively inhibiting methyltransferases, which significantly reduces viral replication efficiency; (3) Depleting nucleotide pools—by affecting host cell purine nucleotide synthesis pathways, thereby indirectly inhibiting viral replication; and (4) Immunomodulatory functions—including activation of the STING pathway to promote interferon production. Furthermore, this review systematically discusses the breakthrough progress in prodrug technologies for addressing key clinical challenges such as drug resistance and off-target toxicity of NAs. These advances provide crucial technical support for the clinical translation of NAs. These advances provide key technical support for the clinical translation of NAs. This review clarifies the multi-target action rules of NAs and provides a theoretical framework for the design of next-generation broad-spectrum antiviral agents.

Objective:To analyze the clinical features of postnatal cytomegalovirus (pCMV) infection in very preterm infants or very low birth weight infants.Methods:This was a case-control study. A total of 50 very preterm or very low birth weight infants who were hospitalized and diagnosed with pCMV infection in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Children′s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine from January 2019 to June 2024, were enrolled as the pCMV group. Meanwhile, through propensity score matching, each infant in the pCMV group was paired with a very preterm or very low birth weight infant without cytomegalovirus infection during the same period, constituting the control group, also consisting of 50 cases. Subsequently, the pCMV group was divided into a treated subgroup and an untreated subgroup according to antiviral treatment. Clinical data of all enrolled infants, including clinical features, laboratory test results, and clinical outcomes were collected. Differences in relevant parameters were analyzed using with χ2 test or continuity-corrected χ2 test or Fisher′s exact test, independent-samples t test, Mann-Whitney U test as appropriate. Logistic regression was employed to analyze the risk factors, and Spearman correlation analysis was applied for non-normal distribution data or ordinal data. Results:There were no significant differences between the pCMV group and the control group in terms of gestational age, birth weight, proportion of male infants, Apgar score at the 1 st minute and 5 th minute and days of breastfeeding during the first 3 weeks of life (all P>0.05). Compared with the control group, the duration of hospital stay and invasive mechanical ventilation were both longer in the pCMV group (both P<0.05). The risks of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, and hearing impairment were all higher in the pCMV group when compared with the control group(all P<0.05). The body weight and body length of the infants in the pCMV group were both lower than those of in the control group at the corrected gestational age of 36 weeks (both P<0.05). pCMV infections were associated with the increased incidence of both necrotizing enterocolitis ( OR=11.50, 95% CI 1.94-68.30, P=0.007) and severe intraventricular hemorrhage ( OR=6.82, 95% CI 1.19-38.97, P=0.031) in very preterm infants or very low birth weight infants. In the treated group, the platelet count was significantly improved after 6-8 weeks of antiviral treatment compared with that before treatment ((245±19)×10 9/L vs. (119±14)×10 9/L, t=5.37, P<0.001). Conclusions:Very preterm infants or very low birth weight infants with postnatal cytomegalovirus infection have longer hospital stay and duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, and are highly susceptible to bronchopulmonary dysplasia, retinopathy of prematurity, hearing impairment, and growth restriction. Antiviral treatment can effectively ameliorate thrombocytopenia in these infants.

Objective:To explore the application value of the double-low technique of auto-prescription technique combined with iterative reconstruction algorithm in CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA).Methods:A total of 86 patients who were clinically suspected of having pulmonary embolism and underwent CTPA examination in the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University were prospectively collected and randomly assigned to a control group ( n = 45) and an observation group ( n = 41) according to the random number table method. In the control group, a tube voltage of 120 kVp was used with a standard iodine contrast agent dose of 60 ml, and images were reconstructed using the 40% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction algorithm (ASIR-V). In the observation group, the tube voltage was set by auto-prescription technique, and 0.4 ml/kg of personalized low iodine contrast agent was used. Images were reconstructed with 40%, 60%, and 80% ASIR-V, respectively, and designated as observation 1, observation 2, and observation 3 respectively. The volume CT dose index (CTDI vol), dose-length product (DLP), and effective dose ( E) were recorded and compared among the four groups. The CT values and standard deviation (SD) of the main pulmonary artery, left and right pulmonary arteries, as well as the left and right pulmonary lobe arteries were measured, and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of these arteries were calculated. Additionally, the SD value at the contrast medium concentration in the superior vena cava was measured, and the artifact index (AI) was subsequently calculated. Two observers independently assessed the visibility of the pulmonary arteries, image noise, and sclerosis artifacts in the superior vena cava using a blinded method. Results:The E in the observation group was 3.28 (2.08, 3.93) mSv, which was significantly lower than that in the control group [5.03 (4.86, 5.20)] mSv, and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = 174.00, P < 0.05). The contrast agent dosage in the observation group was 28 (25, 30) ml, which was lower than that in the control group (60 ml), and the difference was statistically significant ( Z = 0, P < 0.05). The CT values for the main pulmonary artery and the left and right pulmonary lobe arteries in the observation group were higher than those in the control group, and the differences were all statistically significant ( t = -3.65 to -3.89, P < 0.05). The SNR and CNR of the observation groups 2 and 3 were greater than those of the control group ( t = -9.20 to -2.98, P < 0.05). The consistency of subjective evaluations between the two observers was good ( Kappa = 0.729 - 0.879, P < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the subjective score of pulmonary artery visibility between the control and observation group ( P > 0.05). The subjective scores for image noise in observation group 2 and group 3 were higher than those in the control group ( U =598.50, 654.00, P < 0.05). The presence of artifacts due to sclerosis in the superior vena cava was significantly lower in the observation group compared to the control group ( χ2 = 46.09, P < 0.001). Conclusions:The combination of auto-prescription technique with ASIR-V reconstruction algorithm and low contrast agent imaging protocol can reduce the radiation dose and contrast agent dose without compromising image quality, and enable personalized double low CTPA imaging.

Objective:To characterize the vaginal flora of pregnant women during the second trimester using full-length 16S rRNA sequencing.Methods:A total of 142 pregnant women were systematically sampled from a pregnancy cohort. Vaginal swabs were collected for full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing，and bioinformatics analysis was performed to characterize the vaginal microbiota and identify associated influencing factors.Results:Among the 142 pregnant women，the most frequently detected species were Lactobacillus iners（83.10%，118/142）and Lactobacillus crispatus（49.30%，70/142）. The majority of samples（90.85%，129/142）were classified as Lactobacillus-dominant vagitypes，with the Lactobacillus iners vagitype accounting for 48.59%（69/142）and the Lactobacillus crispatus vagitype accounting for 38.73%（55/142）. The vaginal microbiota was clustered into five community state types（CSTs）：Ⅰa，Ⅰb，Ⅲa，Ⅲb，and Ⅳ. The most prevalent CSTs were Lactobacillus iners-dominated CST-Ⅲ（51.41%，73/142）and Lactobacillus crispatus-dominated CST-Ⅰ（24.65%，35/142）. No samples were classified as CST-Ⅱ or CST-Ⅴ. A significant negative correlation was observed between Lactobacill and vaginosis-associated bacteria. Age，alcohol consumption，smoking，and vaginal treatments showed significant associations or trends toward significance with various Alpha diversity indices. Vaginal douching was associated with CST clustering，while obstetric history（primiparity，previous miscarriage history）was associated with vagitype classification. However，no significant associations were identified between maternal baseline characteristics and Beta diversity indices. Conclusions:Full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing reveals that the vaginal microbiota of pregnant women is dominated by Lactobacillus iners and Lactobacillus crispatus. Maternal age，lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption，and obstetric history are significantly associated with variations in vaginal microbiota composition.

Objective:To explore the impact of noise and dust exposure in the mechanical manufacturing industry on the risk of hypertension and abnormal electrocardiogram in workers, and their combined effects, in order to provide support for the prevention and treatment of occupational related diseases among workers.Methods:In January 2024, A convenience sampling method was used to study 2802 on-the-job workers who underwent occupational health check-ups from January 2023 to December 2023 at a machinery manufacturing enterprise in Baotou, Inner Mongolia. Blood pressure and electrocardiogram results were analyzed in the noise group, dust group, dust noise group and control group according to the exposure factors. For count data, the chi-square test was employed to analyze differences among groups. Additionally, a binary logistic regression model was utilized to assess the impact of dust and noise exposure on the prevalence of hypertension and electrocardiogram abnormalities.Results:The stratified analysis results showed that the differences in hypertension prevalence among the four groups were statistically significant ( P<0.001) in males, age groups >30-40 years, >40-50 years, >50 years, different exposure durations, and different enterprise sizes. For ECG abnormalities, significant differences were observed among the four groups ( P<0.001) in males, the age group >30-40 years, different enterprise sizes, and those with exposure durations ≤15 years. The trend test for hypertension prevalence across different age groups revealed that as age increased, the prevalence of hypertension showed an upward trend in the noise-exposed group, dust-exposed group, and combined dust-noise-exposed group ( χ2=10.76, 4.25, 6.60, P<0.001, 0.039, 0.010) . Binary regression model analyses revealed that the the risk of hypertension in the noise group, dust group and dust noise group was 2.63 times ( OR=2.63, 95% CI: 1.89~3.67, P<0.001) , 2.36 times ( OR=2.36, 95% CI: 1.76~3.16, P<0.001) and 2.69 times ( OR=2.69, 95% CI: 2.14~3.38, P<0.001) . Using ECG abnormalities as the dependent variable and incorporating the statistically significant variables from Table 1 as independent variables into the binary logistic regression model, the results showed no statistically significant differences in the risk of ECG abnormalities in the dust-exposed, noise-exposed, and combined dust-noise-exposed groups compared to the control group ( P> 0.05) . Conclusion:Combined exposure to dust and noise increases the risk of hypertension in workers and has a combined effect.