Objective:To analyze the respiratory virus infection status and epidemiological characteristics of influenza-like illness (ILI) cases in Shandong Province during the 2020 -2021 influenza surveillance year. Methods:According to the National Influenza Surveillance Plan (2017 version), throat swab samples of ILI cases were collected from 14 surveillance sentinel hospitals in Shandong Province. Nucleic acid was extracted from all samples. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-PCR) was utilized to detect six common viruses, including human metapneumovirus (HMPV), human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) types 1, 2 and 3, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and adenovirus (ADV). Subsequently, the obtained detection results were analyzed.Results:A total of 2 386 specimens were collected, with a detection rate of 24.22% (578). Six viruses were detected, with detection rates of 6.75% (162 cases) for HMPV, 5.87% (140 cases) for RSV, 3.56% (85 cases) for HPIV3, 3.14% (75 cases) for HPIV2, 2.98% (71 cases) for HPIV1, and 2.77% (66 cases) for ADV. There was no significant difference in detection rates between genders, but a notable variation among different age groups ( P<0.001). The highest detection rate was observed in individuals aged 0-4 years (31.94%), followed by those aged≥60 years (26.06%). The prevalence of six viruses showed a monthly variation, with the detection rate of HMPV being higher in December and HPIV1 being higher in February. HPIV2, HPIV3, RSV, and ADV had higher detection rates in November. The co-detection rate of multiple viruses was 0.80%, with RSV being the most common pathogen involved in co-detection, primarily in individuals aged 0-4 years. Conclusion:The detection of six multiple pathogens in ILI cases in Shandong Province is dominated by HMPV, RSV and HPIV3. The prevalence of respiratory viruses varies by age and time.

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological, etiological and genetic characteristics of influenza virus in Shandong Province during 2023-2024.Methods:The surveillance data of influenza-like illness (ILI) in sentinel hospitals in Shandong from 2023 to 2024 were collected and analyzed. The isolated influenza strains with hemagglutination titers ≥8 were selected for antigenicity analysis, drug susceptibility test, gene sequencing and evolutionary analysis.Results:From 2023 to 2024, the positive rate of influenza virus in Shandong was 8.51% (23 663/277 995), the highest positive rate was in the age group of 5-14 years (15.78%, 6 073/38 478), and the highest positive rate was in the 49 th week (35.86%, 2 264/6 313). Both antigenicity analysis and evolutionary analysis showed that the A(H1N1)pdm09 subtype and B(Victoria) strain had good matching effect and close evolutionary distance with the 2023-2024 surveillance year vaccine strain. The A(H3N2) subtype strain did not have a high matching effect with the 2023-2024 vaccine strain and had a long evolutionary distance, but had a close evolutionary distance with the 2024-2025 vaccine strain. Drug susceptibility test showed that oseltamivir sensitivity of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 strain decreased greatly, and the amino acid site mutation of neuraminidase was H275Y. Conclusions:In the 2023-2024 surveillance year, the peak of influenza virus epidemic in Shandong was mainly occurred in winter and spring, and the age group of 5-14 years was the focus of prevention and control. The dominant strain was subtype A(H3N2), which had poor matching effect with the vaccine strain in the 2023-2024 surveillance year. One A(H1N1)pdm09 resistant strain was found in the drug resistance monitoring work. Follow-up prevention and control work should be strengthen the surveillance for the epidemiological characteristics, genetic variation and drug resistance of influenza viruses, timely understand the epidemic trend and mutation of influenza viruses, timely discover drug-resistant strains of influenza viruses, promote influenza vaccination, and improve of influenza prevention and control.

AIM To explore the differential metabolites of different aged Citrus reticulate'Chachi'and their processed cakes.METHODS Non-targeted metabolomics technology of GC-TOF-MS was used to analyze the chemical constituents.The data was processed by principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis,and the differential metabolites were identified.RESULTS A total of 74 differential metabolites were identified,including 16 glycosides,14 organic acids and their derivatives,11 amino acids and their derivatives,and 4 flavonoids.Comparative analysis revealed 40 and 30 differential metabolites between fresh C.reticulate'℃hachi'and 3-year or 5-year aged samples,respectively.Furthermore,27 and 34 differential metabolites were identified between the 3-year or 5-year aged samples and their corresponding processed cakes,respectively.Differential metabolites among fresh,aged C.reticulate'Chachi',and processed cakes were predominantly enriched in 6 metabolic pathways,including the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites.Specifically,differential metabolites between 3-year aged C.reticulate'Chachi'and its processed cake were significantly enriched in 4 pathways,such as ABC transporters.Differential metabolites between 5-year aged C.reticulate'Chachi'and its processed cake were mainly enriched in 5 pathways,including carbon metabolism.CONCLUSION Non-targeted metabolomics technology can elucidate the chemical compositional differences among fresh/aged and processed cakes of C.reticulate'Chachi',laying a foundation for the research into C.reticulate'Chachi'aging processing techniques and the development of processed products.

Lung cancer remains the disease with the highest incidence and mortality rates globally,po-sing a severe threat to human health.HOX genes constitute an evolutionarily conserved family of transcription factors that play critical roles in embryonic development,tissue patterning,and cell differentiation.Dysregula-tion of HOX gene expression has been observed in many malignant tumors,affecting tumorigenesis,progres-sion,and treatment response.This article reviewed systematically summarized the expression,functions,and diagnostic significance of HOX genes in lung cancer.

Insulin is an important protein hormone that participates in multiple metabolic pathways.Biosynthetic insulin has been widely used in the treatment of type 1 and type 2 diabetes.Currently,the number of reported cases of insulin overdose both at home and abroad is gradually increasing,and insulin homicide is no longer a means of"committing murder without leaving a trace".At present,there are no systematic protocols for the identification of insulin overdose in the field of forensic medi-cine in China.This article introduces the causes,toxicological characteristics,forensic examination,labo-ratory testing methods and indicator reference of insulin overdose.Based on the identification practice and research results and referring to relevant studies on insulin overdose at home and abroad,this pa-per aims to provide recommendations and references for the formulation of forensic identification guide-lines for insulin overdose cases.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic potential of pseudolaric acid B (PAB) on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its underlying molecular mechanism in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: Eight-week-old male C57BL/6J mice (n=32) were fed either a normal chow diet (NCD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 8 weeks. The HFD mice were divided into 3 groups according to a simple random method, including HFD, PAB low-dose [10 mg/(kg·d), PAB-L], and PAB high-dose [20 mg/(kg·d), PAB-H] groups. After 8 weeks of treatment, glucose metabolism and insulin resistance were assessed by oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and insulin tolerance test (ITT). Biochemical assays were used to measure the serum and cellular levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). White adipose tissue (WAT), brown adipose tissue (BAT) and liver tissue were subjected to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining or Oil Red O staining to observe the alterations in adipose tissue and liver injury. PharmMapper and DisGeNet were used to predict the NAFLD-related PAB targets. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) pathway involvement was suggested by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and search tool Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) analyses. Luciferase reporter assay, cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA), and drug affinity responsive target stability assay (DARTS) were conducted to confirm direct binding of PAB with PPARα. Molecular dynamics simulations were applied to further validate target engagement. RT-qPCR and Western blot were performed to assess the downstream genes and proteins expression, and validated by PPARα inhibitor MK886. RESULTS: PAB significantly reduced serum TC, TG, LDL-C, AST, and ALT levels, and increased HDL-C level in HFD mice (P<0.01). Target prediction analysis indicated a significant correlation between PAB and PPARα pathway. PAB direct target binding with PPARα was confirmed through luciferase reporter assay, CETSA, and DARTS (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The target engagement between PAB and PPARα protein was further confirmed by molecular dynamics simulations and the top 3 amino acid residues, LEU321, MET355, and PHE273 showed the most significant changes in mutational energy. Subsequently, PAB upregulated the genes expressions involved in lipid metabolism and mitochondrial biogenesis downstream of PPARα (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Significantly, the PPARα inhibitor MK886 effectively reversed the lipid-lowering and PPARα activation properties of PAB (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION PAB mitigates lipid accumulation, ameliorates liver damage, and improves mitochondrial biogenesis by binding with PPARα, thus presenting a potential candidate for pharmaceutical development in the treatment of NAFLD.
Animals ; PPAR alpha/metabolism* ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/pathology* ; Male ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Lipid Metabolism/drug effects* ; Diterpenes/therapeutic use* ; Organelle Biogenesis ; Diet, High-Fat ; Humans ; Mice ; Liver/metabolism* ; Insulin Resistance ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Molecular Docking Simulation

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the antioxidative mechanism of snake venom-derived protein C activator (PCA) in mitigating vascular endothelial cell injury. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in DMEM containing 1.0 g/L D-glucose and exposed to hypoxia (1% O₂) for 6 h followed by reoxygenation for 2 h to establish a cell model of oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R). The cell model was treated with 2 μg/mL PCA alone or in combination with 2-ME2 (a HIF-1α inhibitor) or DMOG (a HIF-1α stabilizer), and intracellular production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protein expression levels of HIF-1α, BNIP3, and Beclin-1 were detected using DCFH-DA fluorescence probe, flow cytometry, and Western blotting. The OGD/R cell model was transfected with a BNIP3-specific siRNA or a scrambled control sequence prior to PCA treatment, and the changes in protein expressions of HIF-1α, BNIP3 and Beclin-1 and intracellular ROS production were examined. RESULTS: In the OGD/R cell model, PCA treatment significantly upregulated HIF-1α, BNIP3 and Beclin-1 expressions and reduced ROS production. The effects of PCA were obviously attenuated by co-treatment with 2-ME2 but augmented by treatment with DMOG (a HIF-1α stabilizer). In the cell model with BNIP3 knockdown, PCA treatment increased BNIP3 expression and decreased ROS production without causing significant changes in HIF-1α expression. Compared with HUVECs with PCA treatment only, the cells with BNIP3 knockdown prior to PCA treatment showed significantly lower Beclin-1 expression and higher ROS levels. CONCLUSIONS Snake venom PCA alleviates OGD/R-induced endothelial cell injury by upregulating HIF-1α/BNIP3 signaling to suppress ROS generation, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic agent against oxidative stress in vascular pathologies.
Humans ; Reactive Oxygen Species/metabolism* ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit/metabolism* ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells/drug effects* ; Membrane Proteins/metabolism* ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins/metabolism* ; Up-Regulation ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cells, Cultured ; Snake Venoms/chemistry* ; Beclin-1

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological, etiological and genetic characteristics of influenza virus in Shandong Province during 2023-2024.Methods:The surveillance data of influenza-like illness (ILI) in sentinel hospitals in Shandong from 2023 to 2024 were collected and analyzed. The isolated influenza strains with hemagglutination titers ≥8 were selected for antigenicity analysis, drug susceptibility test, gene sequencing and evolutionary analysis.Results:From 2023 to 2024, the positive rate of influenza virus in Shandong was 8.51% (23 663/277 995), the highest positive rate was in the age group of 5-14 years (15.78%, 6 073/38 478), and the highest positive rate was in the 49 th week (35.86%, 2 264/6 313). Both antigenicity analysis and evolutionary analysis showed that the A(H1N1)pdm09 subtype and B(Victoria) strain had good matching effect and close evolutionary distance with the 2023-2024 surveillance year vaccine strain. The A(H3N2) subtype strain did not have a high matching effect with the 2023-2024 vaccine strain and had a long evolutionary distance, but had a close evolutionary distance with the 2024-2025 vaccine strain. Drug susceptibility test showed that oseltamivir sensitivity of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 strain decreased greatly, and the amino acid site mutation of neuraminidase was H275Y. Conclusions:In the 2023-2024 surveillance year, the peak of influenza virus epidemic in Shandong was mainly occurred in winter and spring, and the age group of 5-14 years was the focus of prevention and control. The dominant strain was subtype A(H3N2), which had poor matching effect with the vaccine strain in the 2023-2024 surveillance year. One A(H1N1)pdm09 resistant strain was found in the drug resistance monitoring work. Follow-up prevention and control work should be strengthen the surveillance for the epidemiological characteristics, genetic variation and drug resistance of influenza viruses, timely understand the epidemic trend and mutation of influenza viruses, timely discover drug-resistant strains of influenza viruses, promote influenza vaccination, and improve of influenza prevention and control.

This study investigated the epidemic status of H3N2 influenza virus and the genetic evolution characteristics of hemagglutinin(HA)and neuraminidase(NA)of H3N2 subtype influenza viruses isolated in Shandong Province during 2023-2024,to understand their compatibility with vaccine strains and drug resistance status.A total of 25 H3N2 subtype influenza virus strains were randomly selected from the strains isolated by the influenza surveillance network laboratory.The HA and NA genes were sequenced with the vaccine strains recommended by the WHO as a reference.Monitoring of sensitivity to oseltamivir and zanamivir was conducted through neuraminidase inhibition experiments.The H3N2 influenza viruses in Shandong Province belonged to the 3C.2a1b.2a.2a.3a.1 clade.Nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that the HA1 and NA genes were closely related to the WHO-recommended vaccine strain A/Darwin/9/2021 for the current season,with homology rates of 97.8%-98.2%and 98.9%-99.3%,respectively.Amino acid sequence analysis indicated 22 amino acid sequence variations in the HA1 protein,and antigenic drift was detected in 8 strains.A glycosylation site was added at position 94 of the HA protein in all 25 strains.Variations occurred in the NA antigenic determinants of some strains.Neuraminidase inhibition experiments indicated that all tested influenza viruses were sensitive to oseltamivir and zanamivir.Some differences in HA and NA proteins were observed between the monitored strains and vaccine strains.Continued monitoring of the molecular evolution characteristics of influenza viruses is necessary to understand the risk of influenza outbreaks,and their effects on the effectiveness of influenza vaccines and therapeutic drugs.

Objective To analyze the epidemiological distribution,microbiological characteristics,drug-resistance status,and risk factors for mortality in adult intensive care unit(ICU)patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae infection.Methods This multi-center prospective cohort study included ICU patients with suspected infection from 67 hospitals across 16 Chinese provinces/municipalities between July 1,2021 and December 31,2022.Clinical data and microbiological results were collected,and patients were divided into survival and non-survival groups according to their survival status and drug-resistance situation.Risk factors for mortality and drug resistance in ICU patients with Klebsiella pneumonia infection were determined through univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses.Results A total of 2964 ICU-infected patients were enrolled,with 12 175 microbial specimens submitted for testing.Among these,487 specimens tested positive for Klebsiella pneumoniae.Ultimately,314 patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae infection were identified,primarily from lung infections,with a drug-resistance rate of 78.3%.The in-hospital mortality rate of ICU patients infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae was 19.8%.Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that older age(P=0.027),high drug-resistance rate(P=0.028),and low clinical-effectiveness rate(P<0.001)were independent risk factors for mortality in ICU patients infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae.Drug-resistance analysis showed that,compared with non-resistant cases,ICU patients with drug-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae infection had lower pathogen-clearance rates(P=0.003),clinical-effectiveness rates(P=0.004),and antibiotic-effectiveness rates(P<0.010),and higher mortality rates(P=0.006).Patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae abdominal infection(P=0.003)and urinary tract infection(P=0.007)had higher drug-resistance incidences.There were no statistically significant differences in clinical-effectiveness rate,Klebsiella pneumoniae clearance,drug-resistance incidence,mortality rate,or hospital-stay length between patients with lung infection and those with non-lung infection of Klebsiella pneumoniae(P>0.05).Compared with patients with non-bloodstream infection,patients with bloodstream infection of Klebsiella pneumoniae had lower clinical-effectiveness rates(P=0.027)and higher mortality rates(P=0.021).Conclusions Older age,high drug-resistance rate,and low clinical-effectiveness rate are independent risk factors for mortality in ICU patients infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae.ICU patients with bloodstream infection of Klebsiella pneumoniae may have lower clinical-effectiveness rates and higher mortality rates.ICU patients with abdominal and urinary tract infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae are more likely to develop drug resistance.