Objective:The prevalence of seasonal allergic rhinitis （AR） and its combined diseases have been increasing recently. The purpose was to investigate the clinical characteristics and treatment of seasonal AR in northern China. Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in AR patients. The Visual analogue scale （VAS）, combined diseases, clinical features, allergic pollen and treatments were analyzed. Results:Of the 789 AR subjects included, 54.1% had a family history of atopic disease. The mian course wa s（7.4±5.9） years. 95.4% of the subjects had moderate to severe AR. The prevalence rates of allergic conjunctivitis （AC）, allergic asthma （AA）, and pollen food allergy syndrome （PFAS） were 71.1%, 19.0%, and 39.5% respectively. Among the patients, 13.8% presented with only AR, while 39.3% had an AR combined with other disease, and 1.9% exhibited comorbidity involving five different diseases. VAS was positively correlated with the number of comorbidities（r=0.186, P<0.001）. The mugwort exhibited the highest rate of pollen sensitization （48.9%）, closely followed by cypress （48.3%）. The prevalence of mono-sensitization to pollen was 20.2%, while the positive rates for double-sensitized pollens and more than three sensitized pollens were 17.4% and 62.4%, respectively. Among the study participants, 19.9% did not receive any form of treatment, while 66.2% were administered oral medication and 27.5% underwent nasal steroid spray therapy. The proportion of individuals receiving anti-IgE monoclonal antibodies was 4.3%, and allergen immunotherapy （AIT） treatment was undergone by 11.8%. Meanwhile, 41.2% of patients undergoing anti-IgE monoclonal antibody treatment also received AIT. The distribution of therapy types among patients was as follows: 44.7% received a single type, 22.2% received two types, and 9.8% received three types of therapy. Additionally, there was a subset of patients（1%） who were undergoing five distinct forms of treatment. The VAS score exhibited a significant negative correlation with no treatment（r=-0.199, P<0.001）, while it showed a positive association with the number of treatment modalities（r=0.245, P<0.001）. Conclusion:Mugwort and cypress are the predominant allergenic pollens responsible for seasonal AR in northern China. The majority of cases present with moderate to severe AR, often accompanied by various comorbidities, necessitating consideration of diverse treatment modalities. However, the current rate of adoption for AIT remains relatively insufficient.
Humans ; China/epidemiology* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal/therapy* ; Pollen/immunology* ; Adult ; Male ; Female ; Young Adult ; Adolescent ; Middle Aged ; Child ; Prevalence ; Allergens/immunology* ; Asthma/epidemiology* ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic

Liver diseases have become a major challenge threating the global health, posing a heavy burden on both social and personal well-being. In recent years, the development of the gut-liver axis theory has provided new research perspectives and intervention strategies for the prevention and treatment of liver diseases. Natural products, recognized as biological molecules with diverse sources, rich activities, and minimal side effects, demonstrate great potential in regulating intestinal flora and improving liver health. Studies have shown that natural products such as saponins, polyphenols, polysaccharides, and alkaloids can regulate the composition and metabolites of intestinal flora, thereby intervening in liver diseases. In this paper, we systematically review the role of natural products in the regulation of the intestinal flora-gut-liver axis and summarize recent research progress in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases. Furthermore, we outline the challenges and limitations currently facing the study in this field. Finally, this paper makes an outlook on the clinical application of natural products in treating liver diseases and discusses future research directions, aiming to give new insights into the mechanisms by which natural products regulate the intestinal flora-gut-liver axis and the applications of these products in the prevention and treatment of liver diseases.
Humans ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome/drug effects* ; Liver Diseases/prevention & control* ; Biological Products/pharmacology* ; Polyphenols/pharmacology* ; Saponins/pharmacology* ; Intestines/microbiology* ; Alkaloids/pharmacology* ; Polysaccharides/pharmacology* ; Liver

OBJECTIVE To investigate effects of children with allergic rhinitis on physical and mental condition of their family caregivers.METHODS The family caregivers of 149 children with allergic rhinitis were enrolled,and fatigue,anxiety and depression scales were investigated and risk factors were analyzed through questionnaires.RESULTS The symptoms of fatigue,anxiety and depression in family caregivers were more frequent in family caregivers whose children had more severe symptoms of allergic rhinitis(r=0.426,P=0.000;r=0.479,P=0.000;r=0.358,P=0.000).Family caregivers with children aged＜3 years or with other allergic diseases combined had higher levels of fatigue(P=0.000,P=0.000),anxiety(P=0.000,P=0.000)and depression(P=0.003,P=0.001),while the family caregivers of children with perennial/persistent symptoms had higher levels of depression(P=0.021).The degree of fatigue,anxiety and depression in females was significantly higher than that in males(P=0.032,P=0.018,P=0.021).CONCLUSION Children with allergic rhinitis in children had significant impact on the fatigue,anxiety and depression of their family caregivers.The symptoms of fatigue,anxiety and depression were related to age of children,characteristics of disease,whether they were combined with other allergic diseases,and gender and education level of the family caregivers.

Intracerebral hemorrhage is the bleeding caused by spontaneous non-traumatic rupture of blood vessels in brain parenchyma. It has high disability rate and mortality. A series of injuries after intracerebral hemorrhage will lead to neuronal apoptosis. If apoptotic neurons are not cleared in time, intracellular toxic substances will be released, thereby further aggravating the inflammatory reaction. Therefore, the timely clearance of apoptotic cells is of great significance to the brain homeostasis after intracerebral hemorrhage. At the same time, a large number of phagocytic "eat me" signal phosphatidylserine (PS) will appear on the surface of apoptotic neurons. Microglia, as resident macrophages in the brain, have a variety of PS receptors on their surface, which promote the phagocytosis of apoptotic neurons by microglia and reduce the occurrence of local inflammatory responses.

The disability and mortality rate of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage are very high. At present, there is no effective treatment to improve the outcome of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Mechanical compression of hematoma and release of toxic products are the main causes of primary and secondary brain injury in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, while safe and effective acceleration of hematoma regression is the key strategy to improve the neurological deficit in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage. Microglia/macrophages are the main phagocytic system that mediates hematoma clearance and are mainly polarized into M1 and M2 phenotypes. Cell surface receptors and possible signal transduction pathways play an important role in regulating the endogenous hematoma regression mediated by microglia/macrophages, and may become a new target for clinical treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage and improvement of the outcomes of patients in the future.

Purpose: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is one of the most common liver primary tumors but its treatments are limited. Bioinformatics showed that the expression level of long non-coding RNA cancer-associated susceptibility 15 gene (CASC15) is correlated with ICC progression, but its functional mechanism remains unclear. Materials and Methods: Tissues from ICC patients, tumor and adjacent tissue, were used for detection of the expression of CASC15. Clinical data were also collected for clinicopathologic and survival analysis. Short interfering RNA and lentiviral short hairpin RNA were used to knock down CASC15 and PRDX2 expression in ICC cell lines, for the analysis of changes of cell function and xenografts. RNA-pulldown and RNA immunoprecipitation assays were used to detect RNA-binding protein, PRDX2. Male nude mice were used for ICC xenografts, and livers were collected after 4 weeks for immunohistochemistry. Results: CASC15 is highly expressed in ICC tissues and is related to higher TNM stage. Knockdown of CASC15 in ICC cells reduced cell proliferation, migration, invasiveness and increased apoptosis, and G1/S block. PRDX2 bound to CASC15. Knockdown of CASC15 decreased PRDX2 expression which was rescued by the inhibition of proteasome formation. Downregulation of PRDX2 resulted in G1/S block, reduced ICC cell invasion. Downregulation of CASC15 inhibited phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/c-Myc pathway through downregulating of PRDX2 and overexpressed PRDX2 rescued the block. CASC15 knockout in ICC xenografts suppressed tumor development in vivo, decreased the expression of PRDX2 and Ki67 and inhibited PI3K/AKT pathway. Conclusion CASC15 promotes ICC possibly by targeting PRDX2 via the PI3K/AKT pathway, indicating poor prognosis and high degree of malignancy of ICC.

Objective:To investigate sensitization rate of cow′s milk in children, and explore its clinical features.Methods:This study enrolled a total of 818 patients under 18 years old with suspected food allergy who were admitted to the Allergy department in Beijing Shijitan Hospital during June 2018 to November 2020. The ImmunoCAP fluorescent enzyme-linked immunoassay system was used to quantify cow milk-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE). Mild sensitization to cow′s milk was defined as Radio-Allergo-Sorbent-Test (RAST) class 1, moderate sensitization was defined as class 2-3 and severe sensitization was class 4-6. Statistical methods such as χ 2 test, independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Spearman correlation analysis were used to retrospectively clarify differences of cow′s milk sensitization rate between ages of children and elaborate its clinical features. Results:Overall sensitization rate of cow′s milk reached 25.7% (210/818). Positive rate of cow milk sensitization (39.2%), cow milk sIgE levels [0.93 (0.52, 2.62)] kU/L, and moderate to severe sensitization rate (23.5%) were highest in infants aged between 0-3 years old. The sensitization rate and severity of sensitization declined with age. Most common clinical manifestation of cow milk sensitization was skin symptoms (50.0%), followed by respiratory symptoms (38.9%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (36.1%). Skin symptoms were the most common manifestation in 0-3 year-old group (47.3%), and respiratory symptoms were more common in 4-6 and 7-18 year-old groups (58.7%, 56.0%). Multiple-sensitization rate of patients with moderate to severe cow milk sensitization was 74.1%, most of which (70.4%) were co-sensitized by other food allergens, and 31.5% were co-sensitized by inhaled allergens.Conclusions:In population with age under 18 years old, infants aged between 0-3 years old suffered highest cow milk sensitization rate and increased sensitization severity. Then the severity decreased with age increasing. Patients with cow milk sensitization manifested skin symptoms most.

Objective:To investigate sensitization rate of cow′s milk in children, and explore its clinical features.Methods:This study enrolled a total of 818 patients under 18 years old with suspected food allergy who were admitted to the Allergy department in Beijing Shijitan Hospital during June 2018 to November 2020. The ImmunoCAP fluorescent enzyme-linked immunoassay system was used to quantify cow milk-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE). Mild sensitization to cow′s milk was defined as Radio-Allergo-Sorbent-Test (RAST) class 1, moderate sensitization was defined as class 2-3 and severe sensitization was class 4-6. Statistical methods such as χ 2 test, independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Spearman correlation analysis were used to retrospectively clarify differences of cow′s milk sensitization rate between ages of children and elaborate its clinical features. Results:Overall sensitization rate of cow′s milk reached 25.7% (210/818). Positive rate of cow milk sensitization (39.2%), cow milk sIgE levels [0.93 (0.52, 2.62)] kU/L, and moderate to severe sensitization rate (23.5%) were highest in infants aged between 0-3 years old. The sensitization rate and severity of sensitization declined with age. Most common clinical manifestation of cow milk sensitization was skin symptoms (50.0%), followed by respiratory symptoms (38.9%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (36.1%). Skin symptoms were the most common manifestation in 0-3 year-old group (47.3%), and respiratory symptoms were more common in 4-6 and 7-18 year-old groups (58.7%, 56.0%). Multiple-sensitization rate of patients with moderate to severe cow milk sensitization was 74.1%, most of which (70.4%) were co-sensitized by other food allergens, and 31.5% were co-sensitized by inhaled allergens.Conclusions:In population with age under 18 years old, infants aged between 0-3 years old suffered highest cow milk sensitization rate and increased sensitization severity. Then the severity decreased with age increasing. Patients with cow milk sensitization manifested skin symptoms most.