OBJECTIVE: Patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection frequently develop central nervous system damage, yet the mechanisms driving this pathology remain unclear. This study investigated the primary pathways and key factors underlying brain tissue damage induced by the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant (lineage B.1.351). METHODS: K18-hACE2 and C57BL/6 mice were intranasally infected with the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant. Viral replication, pathological phenotypes, and brain transcriptomes were analyzed. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis was performed to identify altered pathways. Expression changes of host genes were verified using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot. RESULTS: Pathological alterations were observed in the lungs of both mouse strains. However, only K18-hACE2 mice exhibited elevated viral RNA loads and infectious titers in the brain at 3 days post-infection, accompanied by neuropathological injury and weight loss. GO analysis of infected K18-hACE2 brain tissue revealed significant dysregulation of genes associated with innate immunity and antiviral defense responses, including type I interferons, pro-inflammatory cytokines, Toll-like receptor signaling components, and interferon-stimulated genes. Neuroinflammation was evident, alongside activation of apoptotic and pyroptotic pathways. Furthermore, altered neural cell marker expression suggested viral-induced neuroglial activation, resulting in caspase 4 and lipocalin 2 release and disruption of neuronal molecular networks. CONCLUSION These findings elucidate mechanisms of neuropathogenicity associated with the SARS-CoV-2 beta variant and highlight therapeutic targets to mitigate COVID-19-related neurological dysfunction.
Animals ; COVID-19/genetics* ; Mice ; Brain/metabolism* ; Apoptosis ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; SARS-CoV-2/physiology* ; Pyroptosis ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Transcriptome ; Male ; Female

Objective:To explore the correlation between ASXL1 gene mutation characteristics and clinical manifestations and prognosis in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS).Methods:The clinical date of 264 patients with MDS in Xuzhou Central Hospital,Southeast University from August 2010 to April 2024 was retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into ASXL1wt group and ASXL1mut group according to the presence of ASXL1 gene mutation,and the correlation between gene mutation characteristics and clinical manifestations and prognosis was analyzed.Results:Compared with ASXL1wt group,the ASXL1mut group had a higher age of onset(P＜0.05),a higher proportion of males(P＜0.05),while the incidence of del(5q)was lower(P＜0.01).The mutation frequency of ASXL1 in MDS patients was 21.97％,and most of them were frameshift mutations.The p.Gly646fs was the most common amino acid variant,with a mutation frequency of 20.69％.The median overall survival(OS)and leukemia-free survival of patients with this sequence variant was 18.1 and 23.8 months,respectively,while in those without this sequence variant was 30 months and not reached,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The results of multivariate analysis showed that the mutation of NRAS,WT1,KIT gene and the p.Gly646fs sequence mutation of ASXL1 gene were independent prognostic factors for OS in ASXL1mut patients.The median OS of ASXL1wt and ASXL1mut patients was 27.9(21.3-40.4)and 23.7(18.6-NA)months,respectively(P＞0.05).Among 58 ASXL1mut patients,5 cases(8.6％)transformed to acute leukemia,including 3 cases with RUNX1 mutation and 3 cases with TET2 mutation.Among 206 ASXL1wt patients,28 cases(13.6％)transformed to acute leukemia.The difference in leukemia transformation rate between the two groups was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The efficacy of different treatment regimens was similar in the ASXL1mut group,while in the ASXL1wt group,patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had a significantly better prognosis than those receiving other treatment regimens(P＜0.001).The overall response rate to demethylation therapy was 68.7％and 67.6％in ASXL1mut and ASXL1wt group,respectively,and the difference between the two groups was not significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion:The overall survival of MDS patients with ASXL1mut is poor.The patients with p.Gly646fs sequence mutation have a higher proportion of bone marrow blasts and a worse prognosis.There are no statistical differences in efficacy of different treatment strategies in ASXL1mut group.ASXL1 mutation shows no significant effect on the response of MDS to hypomethylating agent therapy.

The chemical components of Carthami Flos were investigated by using macroporous resin, silica gel column chromatography, reversed-phase octadecylsilane(ODS) column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). The planar structures of the compounds were established based on their physicochemical properties and ultraviolet-visible(UV-Vis), infrared(IR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(HR-ESI-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) spectroscopic technology. The absolute configurations were determined by comparing the calculated and experimental electronic circular dichroism(ECD). Six flavonoid C-glycosides were isolated from the 30% ethanol elution fraction of macroporous resin obtained from the 95% ethanol extract of Carthami Flos, and identified as saffloquinoside F(1), 5-hydroxysaffloneoside(2), iso-5-hydroxysaffloneoside(3), isosafflomin C(4), safflomin C(5), and vicenin 2(6). Among these, the compounds 1 to 3 were new chalcone C-glycosides. The compounds 1, 2, 4, and 5 could significantly increase the viability of H9c2 cardiomyocytes damaged by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) at a concentration of 50 μmol·L~(-1), showing their good cardioprotective activity.
Glycosides/pharmacology* ; Flowers/chemistry* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/pharmacology* ; Carthamus tinctorius/chemistry* ; Chalcones/pharmacology* ; Animals

ObjectiveTo construct an animal model of respiratory syncytial virus（RSV）-infected pneumonia suitable for preclinical studies. MethodsThe virulence of RSV to the four cell lines was observed by cytopathic effect （CPE）， and 50% tissue culture infective dose（TCID₅₀） was calculated. Twenty BALB/c mice were randomly divided into a normal group and a model group. Six BALB/c-hIGF1R mice served as the humanized IGF1R model group. Except for the normal group， the other groups received intranasal RSV infection on days 1 and 3 to establish a viral pneumonia model. The efficacy of establishing an RSV-induced pneumonia animal model based on humanized insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor （IGF1R） mice was evaluated by measuring organ indices， peripheral blood lymphocyte percentages， pulmonary pathology and imaging， and pulmonary viral load. Additionally， ten BALB/c mice served as normal group， and thirty-two BALB/c-hIGF1R mice were randomly assigned to humanized IGF1R model group， ribavirin group （82.5 mg·kg^-¹·d^-¹）， and high and low dose groups of Lianhua Qingwen （3.3 mg·kg^-¹·d^-¹ ， 1.65 mg·kg^-¹·d^-¹）， with 8 mice per group. The viral load in lung tissue was measured after ribavirin and Lianhua Qingwen intervention， and the model was applied to the evaluation of anti-RSV drugs. ResultsIn the lungs of the humanized IGF1R model group， large solid and diffuse ground-glass shadows were seen， and the lung volume was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The lung index was significantly increased （P<0.01）， and both the spleen index and thymus index were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The percentages of CD3⁺ and CD4⁺T cells were significantly decreased （P<0.05）， and there was a large amount of inflammation and stasis in the perivascular area of the lung tissue， which was predominantly characterized by lymphocytes. The endothelium of blood vessels was partially detached， with a small number of eosinophils. After infecting BALB/c-hIGF1R mice with RSV， the expression of viral nucleic acids in the lung tissue of the mice was significantly increased， with significant differences compared with the normal group （P<0.01）. The expression of viral nucleic acids in the ribavirin group and the high and low dose groups of Lianhua Qingwen was significantly reduced， with significant differences compared with the normal group （P<0.01）. ConclusionHumanized IGF1R mice are more susceptible to respiratory SVC， and the animal model of RSV-infected pneumonia based on humanized IGF1R mice was successfully constructed， which is suitable for the evaluation of anti-RSV drugs.

ObjectiveTo construct an animal model of respiratory syncytial virus（RSV）-infected pneumonia suitable for preclinical studies. MethodsThe virulence of RSV to the four cell lines was observed by cytopathic effect （CPE）， and 50% tissue culture infective dose（TCID₅₀） was calculated. Twenty BALB/c mice were randomly divided into a normal group and a model group. Six BALB/c-hIGF1R mice served as the humanized IGF1R model group. Except for the normal group， the other groups received intranasal RSV infection on days 1 and 3 to establish a viral pneumonia model. The efficacy of establishing an RSV-induced pneumonia animal model based on humanized insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor （IGF1R） mice was evaluated by measuring organ indices， peripheral blood lymphocyte percentages， pulmonary pathology and imaging， and pulmonary viral load. Additionally， ten BALB/c mice served as normal group， and thirty-two BALB/c-hIGF1R mice were randomly assigned to humanized IGF1R model group， ribavirin group （82.5 mg·kg^-¹·d^-¹）， and high and low dose groups of Lianhua Qingwen （3.3 mg·kg^-¹·d^-¹ ， 1.65 mg·kg^-¹·d^-¹）， with 8 mice per group. The viral load in lung tissue was measured after ribavirin and Lianhua Qingwen intervention， and the model was applied to the evaluation of anti-RSV drugs. ResultsIn the lungs of the humanized IGF1R model group， large solid and diffuse ground-glass shadows were seen， and the lung volume was significantly increased （P<0.01）. The lung index was significantly increased （P<0.01）， and both the spleen index and thymus index were significantly decreased （P<0.01）. The percentages of CD3⁺ and CD4⁺T cells were significantly decreased （P<0.05）， and there was a large amount of inflammation and stasis in the perivascular area of the lung tissue， which was predominantly characterized by lymphocytes. The endothelium of blood vessels was partially detached， with a small number of eosinophils. After infecting BALB/c-hIGF1R mice with RSV， the expression of viral nucleic acids in the lung tissue of the mice was significantly increased， with significant differences compared with the normal group （P<0.01）. The expression of viral nucleic acids in the ribavirin group and the high and low dose groups of Lianhua Qingwen was significantly reduced， with significant differences compared with the normal group （P<0.01）. ConclusionHumanized IGF1R mice are more susceptible to respiratory SVC， and the animal model of RSV-infected pneumonia based on humanized IGF1R mice was successfully constructed， which is suitable for the evaluation of anti-RSV drugs.

Objective To construct a model combining with traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome for predicting the risk of disease progression in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy(IMN)by machine learning methods,thus to quantitatively evaluating the value of TCM syndrome in the prediction of the risk of disease progression in IMN.Methods Monofactor analysis,recursive feature elimination(RFE)and multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis were used to screen the independent related factors affecting the risk of disease progression of IMN,and then a risk prediction model was constructed.A total of 102 patients with IMN were randomly assigned to the training set and the test set in a ratio of 65∶35,and then the comparison was conducted in the performance indicators of accuracy,sensitivity,specificity,F1 value,and area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)area under the curve(AUC)of the risk prediction model with or without the inclusion of the TCM syndrome information.Results Before the inclusion of TCM syndrome information,12 clinical characteristic variables for patients with MN were obtained after monofactor analysis combined with RFE screening,and they were age,hemoglobin quantification,urinary occult blood,24-hour urine protein quantification,urine protein-creatinine ratio,estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),creatinine,uric acid,alanine transaminase,anti-phospholipase A2 receptor antibody(PLA2R-Ab),total cholesterol,and low-density lipoprotein cholesterd.A risk cholesterol prediction model containing the above variables was constructed.The multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis showed that the differences of the clinical variables mentioned above between the training-set group and test-set group were statistically significant,and the risk prediction model presented good sensitivity and predictability.Monofactor analysis combined with RFE screening was performed again after the inclusion of TCM syndrome information,and then 14 variables were obtained,which included blood stasis syndrome and dampness obstruction syndrome.The sensitivity and specificity of the model with the inclusion of the TCM syndrome information were significantly improved when compared with those without the inclusion of TCM syndrome information.Conclusion The results of the study initially indicate that TCM syndrome can be used as an important supplementary variable for predicting the risk of disease progression in IMN,and will provide a reference for intelligent diagnosis through the integration of traditional Chinese and western medicine information,and will supply the guidance for the treatment of IMN with TCM.

Objective:To explore the correlation between ASXL1 gene mutation characteristics and clinical manifestations and prognosis in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS).Methods:The clinical date of 264 patients with MDS in Xuzhou Central Hospital,Southeast University from August 2010 to April 2024 was retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into ASXL1wt group and ASXL1mut group according to the presence of ASXL1 gene mutation,and the correlation between gene mutation characteristics and clinical manifestations and prognosis was analyzed.Results:Compared with ASXL1wt group,the ASXL1mut group had a higher age of onset(P＜0.05),a higher proportion of males(P＜0.05),while the incidence of del(5q)was lower(P＜0.01).The mutation frequency of ASXL1 in MDS patients was 21.97％,and most of them were frameshift mutations.The p.Gly646fs was the most common amino acid variant,with a mutation frequency of 20.69％.The median overall survival(OS)and leukemia-free survival of patients with this sequence variant was 18.1 and 23.8 months,respectively,while in those without this sequence variant was 30 months and not reached,and the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).The results of multivariate analysis showed that the mutation of NRAS,WT1,KIT gene and the p.Gly646fs sequence mutation of ASXL1 gene were independent prognostic factors for OS in ASXL1mut patients.The median OS of ASXL1wt and ASXL1mut patients was 27.9(21.3-40.4)and 23.7(18.6-NA)months,respectively(P＞0.05).Among 58 ASXL1mut patients,5 cases(8.6％)transformed to acute leukemia,including 3 cases with RUNX1 mutation and 3 cases with TET2 mutation.Among 206 ASXL1wt patients,28 cases(13.6％)transformed to acute leukemia.The difference in leukemia transformation rate between the two groups was not statistically significant(P＞0.05).The efficacy of different treatment regimens was similar in the ASXL1mut group,while in the ASXL1wt group,patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had a significantly better prognosis than those receiving other treatment regimens(P＜0.001).The overall response rate to demethylation therapy was 68.7％and 67.6％in ASXL1mut and ASXL1wt group,respectively,and the difference between the two groups was not significant(P＞0.05).Conclusion:The overall survival of MDS patients with ASXL1mut is poor.The patients with p.Gly646fs sequence mutation have a higher proportion of bone marrow blasts and a worse prognosis.There are no statistical differences in efficacy of different treatment strategies in ASXL1mut group.ASXL1 mutation shows no significant effect on the response of MDS to hypomethylating agent therapy.

Objective:To measure and compare the difference of personal attenuation rating (PAR) of the workers wearing foam earplugs before and after the training, and to evaluate the effect of ear protector wearing training on the noise protection.Methods:In February 2023, 94 workers exposed to noise in a machinery manufacturing factory were selected as subjects. The production noise in the workplace was measured and subjects were trained to wear earplugs. The PAR values of wearing 3M 1110 foam test earplugs were measured and recorded before and after the training by using the fit testing of hearing protection device. The differences between the actual PAR values with nominal values and the noise attenuation values in related standards were compared, and the protective effect of hearing protection device before and after training was evaluated.Results:The average age of the subjects was (36.76±11.48) years old, the average length of service was (16.34±11.64) years, and the average exposure time to noise was (15.67±11.64) years. The noise detection results of the subjects' posts were ranged from 80.1 to 94.3 dB (A). The results of subjects wore 3M 1110 foam test earplugs for fit testing showed that the binaural PAR value after training was (19.3±6.4) dB (A), which was significantly higher than that before training (11.1±7.4) dB (A) ( t=13.31, P<0.001). After training, 11 people (11.70%) could reach the corrected noise reduction value (NRR value), 26 people (27.66%) could reach the standard of single noise reduction value (SNR value) ×0.6, and 84 people (89.36%) could reach the standard of (NRR-7) /2. The under protection rate of hearing protectors after training (7.45%) was significantly lower than that before training (45.74%), and the difference of different protection levels before and after training was statistically significant (χ 2=40.83, P<0.001) . Conclusion:It is suggested that enterprises should use the fit testing instead of nominal value estimation to evaluate the noise reduction effect of hearing protection device. Special training on the selection and use of hearing protection device should be strengthened, so as to ensure that workers wear them correctly and improve the protective effect of hearing protection device.

Objective:To measure and compare the difference of personal attenuation rating (PAR) of the workers wearing foam earplugs before and after the training, and to evaluate the effect of ear protector wearing training on the noise protection.Methods:In February 2023, 94 workers exposed to noise in a machinery manufacturing factory were selected as subjects. The production noise in the workplace was measured and subjects were trained to wear earplugs. The PAR values of wearing 3M 1110 foam test earplugs were measured and recorded before and after the training by using the fit testing of hearing protection device. The differences between the actual PAR values with nominal values and the noise attenuation values in related standards were compared, and the protective effect of hearing protection device before and after training was evaluated.Results:The average age of the subjects was (36.76±11.48) years old, the average length of service was (16.34±11.64) years, and the average exposure time to noise was (15.67±11.64) years. The noise detection results of the subjects' posts were ranged from 80.1 to 94.3 dB (A). The results of subjects wore 3M 1110 foam test earplugs for fit testing showed that the binaural PAR value after training was (19.3±6.4) dB (A), which was significantly higher than that before training (11.1±7.4) dB (A) ( t=13.31, P<0.001). After training, 11 people (11.70%) could reach the corrected noise reduction value (NRR value), 26 people (27.66%) could reach the standard of single noise reduction value (SNR value) ×0.6, and 84 people (89.36%) could reach the standard of (NRR-7) /2. The under protection rate of hearing protectors after training (7.45%) was significantly lower than that before training (45.74%), and the difference of different protection levels before and after training was statistically significant (χ 2=40.83, P<0.001) . Conclusion:It is suggested that enterprises should use the fit testing instead of nominal value estimation to evaluate the noise reduction effect of hearing protection device. Special training on the selection and use of hearing protection device should be strengthened, so as to ensure that workers wear them correctly and improve the protective effect of hearing protection device.

ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism of treadmill exercise against type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) based on the regulator effects of exercise on ferroptosis. MethodsEight 8-week-old male m/m mice were used as control group (Con, n=8), and db/db mice of the matched age were randomly divided into T2DM model group (db/db, n=8), exercise group (db+Exe, n=8), p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor group (db+SB203580, n=8) and exercise combined with p38 MAPK inhibitor group (db+Exe+SB203580, n=8). After one-week adaptive feeding, the mice in the db+Exe group and db+Exe+SB203580 group underwent moderate intensity treadmill exercise for 40 min/d, 5 d/week lasting 8 weeks. The db+SB203580 group and db+Exe+SB203580 group were treated with SB203580 (a specific inhibitor of p38 MAPK) with a dose of 5 mg/kg, 5 d/week for 8 weeks. And the exercise intervention was performed 2 h later after the intraperitoneal injection of SB203580. The body weight and fasting blood glucose of mice were measured regularly every week during the experiment. After 24 h of the last intervention, the mice were weighted, the liver tissues were taken, weighted and the liver index was calculated. The pathological changes of liver were determined by Oil Red O and hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The levels of blood lipids, liver function, Fe²⁺ and oxidative stress markers of liver were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The related mRNA expression levels of lipogenesis and inflammation were evaluated by quantitative reverse transcriptase-mediated PCR (qRT-PCR). The related protein expression levels of lipogenesis and ferroptosis in liver were determined by immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and Western blot. ResultsThe body weight, fasting blood glucose, liver index, blood lipid and transaminase levels in the db/db group were significantly increased compared with the Con group. HE and Oil Red O staining showed severe lipid accumulation and ballooning change in the liver of db/db mice. Biochemical tests showed that Fe²⁺ and MDA level of liver constitution homogenate increased, while GSH level decreased significantly. The results of qRT-PCR showed that the mRNA levels of MCP-1, IL-6, SREBF1 and ACC1 in liver tissue of db/db mice were all significantly increased. Western blot results showed that the expression levels of SREBF1, ACC1 increased, ferroptosis relative proteins were significantly decreased. The 8 weeks of exercise significantly reduced the rise in body weight, blood glucose, liver index and blood lipid levels in db/db mice. Exercise intervention also alleviated hepatic steatosis and reduced the expression levels of Fe²⁺, MDA, MCP-1, IL-6, ACC1 and SREBF1, upregulated the expression levels of GSH, NRF2, HO-1, SLC7A11 and GPX4 in liver tissue of db/db mice. The intervention of exercise combined with SB203580 significantly down-regulated the mRNA expression levels of ACC1, MCP-1, IL-6, reduced the levels of Fe²⁺ and MDA, and up-regulated the level of GSH in db/db mice. Compared with the db+Exe group, the expression of Fe²⁺, MDA, MCP-1, and SREBF1 in the liver of the db+Exe+SB203580 group mice significantly increased, while the expression level of GSH and expression levels of ferroptosis relative proteins also significantly decreased. In addition, compared with db+SB203580 group, the iron accumulation and lipid peroxidation in the liver of db+Exe+SB203580 group were significantly improved. ConclusionThe8-week treadmill exercise can effectively alleviate liver injury and steatosis, and its mechanism may be related to the inhibition of hepatocyte ferroptosis through p38 MAPK signal.