1.Evaluation of public health governance capacity in Zhejiang Province
Haiyan LI ; Ting CHEN ; Chengyue LI ; Huihui HUANGFU ; Wei WANG ; Qunhong SHEN ; Chaoyang ZHANG ; Zheng CHEN ; Chuan PU ; Lingzhong XU ; Anning MA ; Zhaohui GONG ; Tianqiang XU ; Panshi WANG ; Hua WANG ; Chao HAO ; Zhi HU ; Peiwu SHI ; Mo HAO
Shanghai Journal of Preventive Medicine 2026;38(2):153-158
ObjectiveTo systematically assess the public health governance capacity in Zhejiang Province, to conduct an in-depth analysis of its strengths and weaknesses, so as to provide scientific basis and strategic recommendations for further enhancement. MethodsA systematic collection of policy documents, public information reports, and research literature related to public health governance capacity in Zhejiang Province from 2002 to 2023 was conducted (encompassing a total of 1 263 policy documents, 138 pieces of information reports and 631 research articles). Based on the evaluation criteria suitable for public health systems previously developed by the research team, the basic status and magnitude of change in public health governance capacity in Zhejiang Province was evaluated. Additionally, normative gap analyses were employed to identify the strengths and weaknesses. ResultsZhejiang Province ranked 4th nationwide in terms of public health governance capacity with a score of 733.4 points (1 000.0-point maximum). The province has effectively implemented the principle of health first (scoring 698.5 points in the assessment of health-first strategy implementation) and attached sufficient importance to health-related goals (scoring 658.2 points in the scientific rationality of goal setting). However, the implementation of inter-departmental coordination and incentive mechanisms only scored 178.7 points, the feasibility of management and monitoring mechanisms scored even lower at only 144.0 points, and the coverage of incentive mechanisms scored 286.0 points. ConclusionZhejiang Province has effectively implemented its health first strategy and attached great importance to health targets, but still needs to strengthen cross-departmental coordination mechanisms and health-oriented incentives.
2.Pathological changes and macrophage polarization in the liver and spleen of mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis
Xiaoyu QIN ; Yuchun CAI ; Yang HONG ; Fanna WEI ; Yahong HU ; Yumeng CAI ; Yuan HU ; Ting ZHANG ; Xiaojin MO ; Bin XU ; Yan LU ; Jiahui SUN ; Yan ZHOU ; Zelin ZHU ; Muxin CHEN
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2026;38(2):169-183
Objective To investigate the temporal changes in pathological damage and macrophage polarization in liver and spleen tissues of mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis, and to preliminarily unravel the peripheral immune responses during the early stage of A. cantonensis infection. Methods Forty female BALB/c mice at ages of 6 to 8 weeks were randomly divided into four groups, including the control group and 7-, 14-, and 21-day infection groups, with 10 mice in each group. Each mouse in the infection groups was inoculated with 30 third-stage (L3) larvae of A. cantonensis by oral gavage, and five mice were randomly selected from each infection group on days 7, 14, and 21 post-infection, while mice in the control group were given the same volume of physiological saline and five mice were randomly selected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. Mouse liver and spleen tissues were sampled. The histopathological changes of mouse liver and spleen tissues were observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, and the percentage of positive staining area and the co-localization positive rates of the macrophage surface antigens F4/80, CD86, and CD206 were quantified in mouse liver and spleen tissues using immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence staining. In addition, five mice were collected from each infection group on days 7, 14, and 21 post-infection, and five mice were collected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. Mouse liver and spleen tissues were sampled for detection of macrophage markers CD86 and CD206 and macrophage phenotyping using flow cytometry, and the expression of M1 macrophage markers, including inducible nitric oxide synthase (Nos2), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and M2 markers, including arginase 1 (Arg1), mannose receptor C-type 1 (Mrc1) and chitinase-like protein 3 (Chil3) was quantified in mouse liver and spleen tissues using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay. Results Proliferative lesions of the hepatocyte were observed in mouse liver tissues and the follicular structures of the mouse spleen white pulp were disrupted 21 days post-infection with A. cantonensis. Immunohistochemical staining showed that there were significant differences in the percentages of F4/80, CD86 and CD206 positive staining areas in the liver and spleen tissues among the four groups of mice (F = 242.40, 197.14, 183.19, 157.65, 242.35 and 146.24; all P values < 0.001), and the percentages of positive staining in the liver and spleen tissues of mice in the 14-day infection group [(4.45 ± 0.51)%, (3.74 ± 0.67)%, (8.32 ± 0.72)%, (16.56 ± 1.14)%, (11.62 ± 0.52)%, and (8.29 ± 0.72)%, respectively] and the 21-day infection group [(3.70 ± 0.11)%, (3.22 ± 0.43)%, (11.53 ± 1.03)%, (12.59 ± 1.05)%, (9.02 ± 0.83)%, and (11.67 ± 1.10)%, respectively] were higher than in the control group [(0.35 ± 0.16)%, (0.40 ± 0.02)%, (0.93 ± 0.05)%, (2.78 ± 0.26)%, (2.33 ± 0.20)%, and (1.85 ± 0.20)%, respectively] (all P values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed significant differences in the positive rates of F4/80 co-localization with CD86 and CD206 in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 24.42, 25.28, 54.51 and 130.55; all P values < 0.001). Flow cytometry detected significant differences in the proportions of CD86+ and CD206+ macrophages in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 67.98, 18.41, 29.77, 172.80; all P values < 0.001), and the proportions of CD206+ macrophages in the liver and spleen of the 21-day infection group were significantly higher than those in the control group [(9.25 ± 2.55)% vs (3.83 ± 0.72)%, and (4.22 ± 0.56)% vs (0.47 ± 0.18)%, respectively] (both P values < 0.05). In addition, RT-qPCR assay quantified significant differences in the relative mRNA expression of M1 macrophage markers (IL-1β, TNF-α and Nos2) and M2 macrophage markers (Arg1, Chil3 and Mrc1) in mouse liver and spleen tissues among the four groups (F = 41.30, 31.82, 199.33, 19.96, 62.01, 119.76, 23.67, 95.90, 72.27, 82.59, 123.41 and 29.75; all P values < 0.05). Conclusions A. cantonensis infection may cause progressive pathological damage in mouse liver and spleen tissues, accompanied by dynamic temporal changes in macrophage polarization. M1 macrophage polarization predominates at the early stage of A. cantonensis infection and shifts towards M2 polarization at the later stages, suggesting that M2 polarization may participate in immune regulation at late stages of A. cantonensis infection by suppressing excessive inflammatory responses and promoting tissue repair.
3.Constructing A Risk Warning Model for Severe Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia Children Based on Clinical Multi Parameters
Wan-ting MO ; Ping-ming GAO ; Rui-ping WAN ; Hui-wen XIAN ; Dan-xia LIN
Progress in Modern Biomedicine 2025;25(3):511-518
Objective:To construct a risk warning model for severe mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(SMPP)children based on clinical data,laboratory indicators and imaging indicators.Methods:162 Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP)children who were admitted in Foshan Women and Children Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023 were selected,64 SMPP children were included in severe group,the remaining 98 children were included in mild group.The general data,laboratory indicators and imaging indicators of the children were collected.The influencing factors for the occurrence of SMPP were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression models,and a risk warning model for the occurrence of SMPP children was constructed based on multivariate logistic regression model.The predictive value of the risk warning model for the occurrence of SMPP were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results:The proportion of 3 years old ≤ age<6 years old,course of disease,body temperature,fever course,C-reactive protein(CRP),erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),cyanosis of lips,positive triconcave sign,pleural effusion,lesion site was the lower lobe,abnormal electrocardiogram and extrapulmonary manifestations in severe group were significantly higher than those in mild group(P<0.05),there were no significant differences in gender,white blood cell count(WBC),neutrophil ratio and procalcitonin(PCT)between the two groups(P>0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis model showed that,3 years old ≤age<6 years old,high body temperature,long fever course,CRP elevated,ESR elevated,LDH elevated,cyanosis of lips,positive triconcave sign,pleural effusion,lesion site was the lower lobe,abnormal electrocardiogram and extrapulmonary manifestations were risk factors for the occurrence of SMPP(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that,the area under the curve(AUC)of the risk warning model was 0.829,the sensitivity was 84.82%,and the specificity was 78.15%,the actual prediction curve of the risk warning model was in good agreement with the prediction curve,the decision curve showed that,the threshold probability range of the model was 4.61%~88.14%.Conclusion:The risk warning model based on clinical multi parameters such as general data,laboratory indicators and imaging indicators has certain predictive value for the occurrence of SMPP.
4.Underlying target of bullatine A in treating rheumatoid arthritis based on LiP-SMap drug target proteomics
Hao-hong ZHANG ; Nan-ting ZOU ; Chun-fei ZHANG ; Qing-yan MO ; Ming-qian JU ; Xiao-hong LI ; Shuai LIU ; Mao-kui HUANG ; Hong-yun WANG ; Chun-ping WAN
Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(6):1072-1078
Aim To identify the underlying target of bullatine A(BA)against rheumatoid arthritis(RA)u-sing limited proteolysis-small molecule mapping(LiP-SMap)drug target proteomics and to provide a scientif-ic basis for clinical application of Aconiti brachypodi Radix in the treatment of RA.Methods LiP-SMap drug target proteomics was employed to perform bioin-formatics analysis for comparing and validating the dif-ferential protein expression after BA intervention.A collagen-induced arthritis(CIA)model was estab-lished in DBA/1 mice using bovine type Ⅱ collagen.The mice were then divided into the CIA model group,methotrexate-positive control group(MTX group),and BA groups(10 mg·kg-1 and 20 mg·kg-1)based on their clinical scores.After drug intervention,the thera-peutic efficacy against RA was assessed by joint index scores and foot thickness measurements.Histopatholog-ical changes in the arthritic joints of CIA mice were e-valuated using hematoxylin and eosin(HE)staining.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was employed to detect inflammatory cytokines interleukin-17(IL-17)and total IgG and IgG3 anti-collagen-spe-cific antibodies levels from the serum of CIA mice.Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression levels of intracellular Th17 cells(IL-17+CD4+T cells)and Th1 cells(IFN-γ+CD4+T cells).Fluorescent quanti-tative PCR was performed to detect the expression of genes related to differential proteins.Results The proteomic analysis identified Serpinb1a as a protein with strong binding affinity to BA,and KEGG enrich-ment analysis indicated IL-17 signaling pathway was a crucial pathway of BA in against RA.BA treatment significantly reduced clinical scores and foot thickness,improved local arthritis symptoms in CIA mice,and al-leviated inflammatory cell infiltration into arthritic joints(P<0.05).Differential protein validation re-sults showed that BA had strong affinity with Serpinb1a(-5.92 kJ·mol-1)and downregulated the expres-sion of Serpinb1a mRNA.Furthermore,the administra-tion of BA markedly reduced serum IL-17 A levels from CIA mice,inhibited the expression of intracellular IL-17 A and IFN-γ cytokines in splenic CD4+T cells(P<0.05),and significantly downregulated the transcrip-tional expression of IL-17F(P<0.05).Conclusion BA exhibits therapeutic effects on collagen-induced arthritis,and its mechanism of action may involve the regulation of Serpinb1a and the IL-17 signaling path-way.
5.Analysis of echinococcosis in the population and canine Echinococcus infection in Yushu City, Qinghai Province in 2023
Xiaojin MO ; Chunhua GONG ; Wentao GUO ; Gengcheng HE ; Bin JIANG ; Qiufeng LAN ; Xiao MA ; Yufang LIU ; Guirong ZHENG ; Tian TIAN ; Shijie YANG ; Shusheng WU ; Ting ZHANG ; Xiaonong ZHOU
Chinese Journal of Endemiology 2025;44(8):668-673
Objective:To study echinococcosis in the population and canine Echinococcus infection in Yushu City, Qinghai Province, and to explore the current epidemic situation and main transmission species of Echinococcus. Methods:In June 2023, a multi-stage sampling method was used to select 2 villages each in Shanglaxiu Township and Longbao Town, Yushu City, Qinghai Province. Each village included at least 100 permanent residents who had lived locally for at least 1 year and were 2 years old or older as the survey subjects. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum antibodies against Echinococcus larvae in the population, and B-mode ultrasound was used for abdominal organ scanning. Meanwhile, on the main roads of Shanglaxiu Township and Longbao Town, canine feces were collected in designated areas at intervals. ELISA was used to detect the antigen of canine fecal Echinococcus, and PCR was used to detect the types of parasites ( Echinococcus multilocularis, Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus shiquicus). Results:A total of 511 residents were investigated in Yushu City, and the positive rate of serum Echinococcus larvae antibodies in the population was 26.22% (134/511), and the detection rate of echinococcosis B-mode ultrasound was 1.37% (7/511). Among them, the detection rates of B-mode ultrasound for cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE) were 1.17% (6/511) and 0.20% (1/511), respectively. The positive rate of Echinococcus antigen in 543 canine feces detected by ELISA was 12.89% (70/543). PCR was used to test 497 canine feces, and the detection rate of Echinococcus was 3.02% (15/497). Among them, the detection rate of Echinococcus multilocularis was higher than that of Echinococcus granulosus [2.82% (14/497) vs 0.20% (1/497)], and the difference was statistically significant (χ 2 = 11.44, P < 0.001). No Echinococcus shiquicus was detected. Conclusions:The positive rates of Echinococcus larvae antibodies in the population and canine Echinococcus antigen in Yushu City, Qinghai Province are both relatively high. There is a mixed epidemic of CE and AE, with Echinococcus multilocularis being the main species.
6.Effects of electroacupuncture on the expression of metabolic enzymes and autophagy genes in gastrocnemius muscle tissues of exercising rats
Rongfa ZHENG ; Weibin MO ; Peng HUANG ; Junji CHEN ; Ting LIANG ; Fangyu ZI ; Guofeng LI
Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research 2025;29(6):1127-1136
BACKGROUND:Acute exercise tends to cause skeletal muscle tissue damage and lipid metabolism disorders in vivo,but the mechanism by which acute exercise combined with electroacupuncture modulates metabolic and autophagic pathways in vivo is unclear. OBJECTIVE:To observe the changes in metabolic enzymes and autophagy levels in skeletal muscle of rats subjected to acute exercise by electroacupuncture at the acupoints of"Zusanli"and"Huantiao." METHODS:Fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups:quiet control group(n=10),model group(n=20),and reverse electroacupuncture group(n=20).The latter two groups were set up with two time points,i.e.immediate and 3 hours after exercise groups(n=10 per time point).The model group and the reverse electroacupuncture group underwent acute exercise training after adaptive treadmill training.The rats in the reverse electroacupuncture group underwent electroacupuncture treatment(parameters:electroacupuncture on both sides of the rats at the acupoints of"Zusanli"and"Huantiao,"continuous wave,frequency of 2 Hz,intensity of 2 mA,leaving the needle in the body for 30 minutes,once a day for 7 consecutive days)before treadmill training.Bilateral gastrocnemius muscle tissues were taken under anesthesia immediately after exercise and 3 hours after exercise,and hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the histopathological changes of rat skeletal muscle.ELISA kit was used to detect the activities of hepatic lipase,fatty acid synthase,hormone-sensitive lipase,and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 in rat skeletal muscle tissues.Immunohistochemistry and western blot were used to detect the changes in the expression of autophagy genes. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:After hematoxylin-eosin staining,the arrangement of gastrocnemius muscle fibers in the model group was disturbed,swollen and ruptured immediately after exercise and 3 hours after exercise.In the reverse electroacupuncture group,gastrocnemius muscle fibers were tightly arranged and the number of swollen and ruptured cells was greatly reduced immediately after exercise and 3 hours after exercise,and there was no significant difference when compared with the quiet control group.Compared with the quiet control group,the activities of hepatic lipase and fatty acid synthase were lower while the activities of lipoprotein lipase,hormone-sensitive lipase,and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 were higher in the model group and the reverse electroacupuncture group 3 hours after exercise(P<0.05 or P<0.01).Compared with the model group,the activities of lipoprotein lipase and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 were higher in the reverse electroacupuncture group immediately after exercise(P<0.05),while the activity of lipoprotein lipase was higher and the activity of hormone-sensitive lipase was lower in the reverse electroacupuncture group 3 hours after exercise(P<0.01).Immunohistochemical results showed that compared with the quiet control group,the expression of P62,autophagy-related gene 5 and autophagy-related gene 7 was higher in the model group immediately and 3 hours after exercise,as well as in the reverse electroacupuncture group immediately after exercise(P<0.05 or P<0.01);compared with the model group,the expression of P62 and autophagy-related gene 7 was lower in the reverse electroacupuncture group immediately and 3 hours after exercise(P<0.05).Western blot results showed that the protein expression of P62 and autophagy-related gene 7 in the reverse electroacupuncture group was lower than that in the model group immediately after exercise(P<0.05);the protein expression of Parkin in the model group was higher than that in the quiet control group immediately and 3 hours after exercise(P<0.05);and the protein expression of Parkin in the reverse electroacupuncture group was lower than that in the model group immediately and 3 hours after exercise(P<0.05).To conclude,acute exercise induces disorders,swelling and rupture of gastrocnemius muscle fibers in rats and electroacupuncture on both sides of the acupoints of"Zusanli"and"Huantiao"can improve the level of lipid metabolism and regulate autophagy cells in rat skeletal muscle,preventing the disorders of lipid metabolism and damage of gastrocnemius muscle tissues caused by acute exercise.The mechanism may be closely related to the regulation of autophagy-related factor P62,autophagy-related gene 5,autophagy-related gene 7,and Parkin protein expression to promote the occurrence of autophagy or regulate the autophagy pathway in rat skeletal muscle cells.
7.Constructing A Risk Warning Model for Severe Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia Children Based on Clinical Multi Parameters
Wan-ting MO ; Ping-ming GAO ; Rui-ping WAN ; Hui-wen XIAN ; Dan-xia LIN
Progress in Modern Biomedicine 2025;25(3):511-518
Objective:To construct a risk warning model for severe mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(SMPP)children based on clinical data,laboratory indicators and imaging indicators.Methods:162 Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP)children who were admitted in Foshan Women and Children Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023 were selected,64 SMPP children were included in severe group,the remaining 98 children were included in mild group.The general data,laboratory indicators and imaging indicators of the children were collected.The influencing factors for the occurrence of SMPP were analyzed by univariate and multivariate logistic regression models,and a risk warning model for the occurrence of SMPP children was constructed based on multivariate logistic regression model.The predictive value of the risk warning model for the occurrence of SMPP were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve.Results:The proportion of 3 years old ≤ age<6 years old,course of disease,body temperature,fever course,C-reactive protein(CRP),erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),cyanosis of lips,positive triconcave sign,pleural effusion,lesion site was the lower lobe,abnormal electrocardiogram and extrapulmonary manifestations in severe group were significantly higher than those in mild group(P<0.05),there were no significant differences in gender,white blood cell count(WBC),neutrophil ratio and procalcitonin(PCT)between the two groups(P>0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis model showed that,3 years old ≤age<6 years old,high body temperature,long fever course,CRP elevated,ESR elevated,LDH elevated,cyanosis of lips,positive triconcave sign,pleural effusion,lesion site was the lower lobe,abnormal electrocardiogram and extrapulmonary manifestations were risk factors for the occurrence of SMPP(P<0.05).ROC curve analysis showed that,the area under the curve(AUC)of the risk warning model was 0.829,the sensitivity was 84.82%,and the specificity was 78.15%,the actual prediction curve of the risk warning model was in good agreement with the prediction curve,the decision curve showed that,the threshold probability range of the model was 4.61%~88.14%.Conclusion:The risk warning model based on clinical multi parameters such as general data,laboratory indicators and imaging indicators has certain predictive value for the occurrence of SMPP.
8.Dynamics of eosinophil infiltration and microglia activation in brain tissues of mice infected with Angiostrongylus cantonensis
Fanna WEI ; Renjie ZHANG ; Yahong HU ; Xiaoyu QIN ; Yunhai GUO ; Xiaojin MO ; Yan LU ; Jiahui SUN ; Yan ZHOU ; Jiatian GUO ; Peng SONG ; Yanhong CHU ; Bin XU ; Ting ZHANG ; Yuchun CAI ; Muxin CHEN
Chinese Journal of Schistosomiasis Control 2025;37(2):163-175
Objective To investigate the changes in eosinophil counts and the activation of microglial cells in the brain tissues of mice at different stages of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection, and to examine the role of microglia in regulating the progression of angiostrongyliasis and unravel the possible molecular mechanisms. Methods Fifty BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-day and 25-d infection groups, of 10 mice in each group. All mice in infection groups were infected with 30 stage III A. cantonensis larvae by gavage, and animals in the control group was given an equal amount of physiological saline. Five mice were collected from each of infection groups on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice were collected from the control group on the day of oral gavage. The general and focal functional impairment was scored using the Clark scoring method to assess the degree of mouse neurological impairment. Five mice from each of infection groups were sacrificed on days 7, 14, 21 d and 25 d post-infection, and 5 mice from the control group were sacrificed on the day of oral gavage. Mouse brain tissues were sampled, and the pathological changes of brain tissues were dynamically observed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining. Immunofluorescence staining with eosinophilic cationic protein (ECP) and ionized calcium binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) was used to assess the degree of eosinophil infiltration and the counts of microglial cells in mouse brain tissues in each group, and the morphological parameters of microglial cells (skeleton analysis and fractal analysis) were quantified by using Image J software to determine the morphological changes of microglial cells. In addition, the expression of M1 microglia markers Fcγ receptor III (Fcgr3), Fcγ receptor IIb (Fcgr2b) and CD86 antigen (Cd86), M2 microglia markers Arginase 1 (Arg1), macrophage mannose receptor C-type 1 (Mrc1), chitinase-like 3 (Chil3), and phagocytosis genes myeloid cell triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (Trem2), CD68 antigen (Cd68), and apolipoprotein E (Apoe) was quantified using real-time quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay in the mouse cerebral cortex of mice post-infection. Results A large number of A. cantonensis larvae were seen on the mouse meninges surface post-infection, and many neuronal nuclei were crumpled and deeply stained, with a large number of bleeding points in the meninges. The median Clark scores of mouse general functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 0 (interquartile range, 0.5), 6 (interquartile range, 1.0), 14 (interquartile range, 8.5) points and 20 (interquartile range, 9.0) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.45, P < 0.01), and the median Clark scores of mouse focal functional impairment were 0 (interquartile range, 0), 2 (interquartile range, 2.5), 7 (interquartile range, 3.0), 18 (interquartile range, 5.0) points and 25 (interquartile range, 6.5) points in the control group and the 7-d, 14-d, 21-d and 25-d groups, respectively (H = 22.72, P < 0.01). The mean scores of mice general and focal functional impairment were all higher in the infection groups than in the control group (all P values < 0.05). Immunofluorescence staining showed a significant difference in the eosinophil counts in mouse brain tissues among the five groups (F = 40.05, P < 0.000 1), and the eosinophil counts were significantly higher in mouse brain tissues in the 14-d (3.08 ± 0.78) and 21-d infection groups (5.97 ± 1.37) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.28) (both P values < 0.05). Semi-quantitative analysis of microglia immunofluorescence showed a significant difference in the counts of microglial cells among the five groups (F = 17.66, P < 0.000 1), and higher Iba1 levels were detected in mouse brain tissues in 14-d (5.75 ± 1.28), 21-d (6.23 ± 1.89) and 25-d infection groups (3.70 ± 1.30) than in the control group (1.00 ± 0.30) (all P values < 0.05). Skeleton and fractal analyses showed that the branch length [(162.04 ± 34.10) μm vs. (395.37 ± 64.11) μm; t = 5.566, P < 0.05] and fractal dimension of microglial cells (1.30 ± 0.01 vs. 1.41 ± 0.03; t = 5.266, P < 0.05) were reduced in mouse brain tissues in the 21-d infection group relative to the control group. In addition, there were significant differences among the 5 groups in terms of M1 and M2 microglia markers Fcgr3 (F = 48.34, P < 0.05), Fcgr2b (F = 55.46, P < 0.05), Cd86 (F = 24.44, P < 0.05), Arg1 (F = 31.18, P < 0.05), Mrc1 (F = 15.42, P < 0.05) and Chil3 (F = 24.41, P < 0.05), as well as phagocytosis markers Trem2 (F = 21.19, P < 0.05), Cd68 (F = 43.95, P < 0.05) and Apoe (F = 7.12, P < 0.05) in mice brain tissues. Conclusions A. cantonensis infections may induce severe pathological injuries in mouse brain tissues that are characterized by massive eosinophil infiltration and persistent activation of microglia cells, thereby resulting in progressive deterioration of neurological functions.
9.Phenotypic Function of Legionella pneumophila Type I-F CRISPR-Cas.
Ting MO ; Hong Yu REN ; Xian Xian ZHANG ; Yun Wei LU ; Zhong Qiu TENG ; Xue ZHANG ; Lu Peng DAI ; Ling HOU ; Na ZHAO ; Jia HE ; Tian QIN
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2025;38(9):1105-1119
OBJECTIVE:
CRISPR-Cas protects bacteria from exogenous DNA invasion and is associated with bacterial biofilm formation and pathogenicity.
METHODS:
We analyzed the type I-F CRISPR-Cas system of Legionella pneumophila WX48, including Cas1, Cas2-Cas3, Csy1, Csy2, Csy3, and Cas6f, along with downstream CRISPR arrays. We explored the effects of the CRISPR-Cas system on the in vitro growth, biofilm-forming ability, and pathogenicity of L. pneumophila through constructing gene deletion mutants.
RESULTS:
The type I-F CRISPR-Cas system did not affect the in vitro growth of wild-type or mutant strains. The biofilm formation and intracellular proliferation of the mutant strains were weaker than those of the wild type owing to the regulation of type IV pili and Dot/Icm type IV secretion systems. In particular, Cas6f deletion strongly inhibited these processes.
CONCLUSION
The type I-F CRISPR-Cas system may reduce biofilm formation and intracellular proliferation in L. pneumophila.
Legionella pneumophila/pathogenicity*
;
CRISPR-Cas Systems
;
Biofilms/growth & development*
;
Phenotype
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Bacterial Proteins/metabolism*
;
Gene Deletion
10.Research Progress in Effects of Vermiform Appendix on the Occurrence and Development of Diseases Related to Gut-Brain Axis.
Mo SHU-TING ; Tian ZHE ; Lei XIN ; Chao HAN ; Yu-Hua CHEN
Acta Academiae Medicinae Sinicae 2025;47(1):95-101
The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication pathway connecting the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract,playing a key role in the occurrence and development of diseases related to this axis.The vermiform appendix,as a part of the gut that is connected to the cecum,has a unique anatomical location,a rich microbiome,and abundant immune cells.Appendicitis and appendectomy have been found to be associated with the development of diseases related to the gut-brain axis.This review first introduces the anatomy and functions of the vermiform appendix and then expounds the associations of appendicitis and appendectomy with diseases related to the gut-brain axis.Furthermore,this review summarizes and prospects the mechanisms of the vermiform appendix in affecting the occurrence and development of diseases related to the gut-brain axis.
Humans
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Appendix/anatomy & histology*
;
Brain
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Appendicitis
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Appendectomy/adverse effects*
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Gastrointestinal Microbiome
;
Brain-Gut Axis

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