Objective To explore the mechanism of Bufei Jiedu Granules in the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)chronic infection using network pharmacology;To verify it through animal experiments.Methods Active components and potential targets in Bufei Jiedu Granules were screened through the TCMSP database,and genes related to MRSA infection were retrieved through GeneCards,OMIM,DisGeNET,TTD,DrugBank and PharmGKB databases.The STRING database was employed to construct a protein-protein interaction network on common targets,and GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted to identify key signaling pathways for Bufei Jiedu Granules treatment of MRSA infection.The effects of Bufei Jiedu Granules on bacterial load and pathological changes in the lung,liver and kidney of MRSA chronic infection mice models were evaluated through WT and T/B immune cell deficient Rag2-/-mouse animal experiments.The mRNA expressions of inflammatory factors(IFN-γ,IL-10)and immune checkpoints(PD1,TIM3)were detected.Results Totally 54 active components related to Bufei Jiedu Granules were selected,and 50 potential targets related to MRSA infection were identified.118 signaling pathways significantly associated with MRSA infection were identified through GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis,in which the JAK-STAT signaling pathway,Th17 cell differentiation,and PD-L1 expression and PD-1 checkpoint pathway were closely related to cell activation and T cell differentiation.Animal experimental results indicated that Bufei Jiedu Granules could effectively reduce the bacterial load in organs and ameliorate the pathological damage in the chronic MRSA infection mouse model,increase the mRNA expression of IFN-γ in the lung tissue,and decrease the mRNA expressions of IL-10,PD1 and TIM3.Conclusion Bufei Jiedu Granules has the characteristics of multi-component and multi-target in the treatment of MRSA infection,and may be involved in adaptive immune activation to effectively treat chronic MRSA infection.

Objective:To review and analyze obesity-related research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC) to understand the overall landscape and hotspots of approval in this field, and to provide reference for subsequent applicants.Methods:To assess the funding situation of obesity-related projects from 2014 to 2023, we used " obesity" as a search term to extract project information from ZCOOL, LetPub, and MedSci databases. The data were organized, frequency statistics were performed, and results were presented visually using Excel spreadsheets.Results:Over the past 10 years, the NSFC has funded a total of 778 obesity-related research projects with a funding amount of 350 million yuan, showing a constant upward trend. In terms of project types, general projects and youth projects accounted for 87.66%, with other categories, such as key projects, regional projects, major research plans, and international collaboration projects, providing diversified support for obesity research. In terms of disciplinary distribution, obesity-related projects encompass not only medical and life sciences but also fields such as chemistry, information science, earth science, mathematical sciences, management, and others, demonstrating the interdisciplinary integration of research. The primary research directions include obesity prevention and treatment and obesity-related complications. Regional analysis indicates that the issue of uneven development among provinces persists in obesity research.Conclusion:The continuous investment of NSFC in obesity-related research has contributed to the advancement of obesity research in China, enabling the country to play a leading role in the international field.

Objective:To review and analyze obesity-related research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC) to understand the overall landscape and hotspots of approval in this field, and to provide reference for subsequent applicants.Methods:To assess the funding situation of obesity-related projects from 2014 to 2023, we used " obesity" as a search term to extract project information from ZCOOL, LetPub, and MedSci databases. The data were organized, frequency statistics were performed, and results were presented visually using Excel spreadsheets.Results:Over the past 10 years, the NSFC has funded a total of 778 obesity-related research projects with a funding amount of 350 million yuan, showing a constant upward trend. In terms of project types, general projects and youth projects accounted for 87.66%, with other categories, such as key projects, regional projects, major research plans, and international collaboration projects, providing diversified support for obesity research. In terms of disciplinary distribution, obesity-related projects encompass not only medical and life sciences but also fields such as chemistry, information science, earth science, mathematical sciences, management, and others, demonstrating the interdisciplinary integration of research. The primary research directions include obesity prevention and treatment and obesity-related complications. Regional analysis indicates that the issue of uneven development among provinces persists in obesity research.Conclusion:The continuous investment of NSFC in obesity-related research has contributed to the advancement of obesity research in China, enabling the country to play a leading role in the international field.

Objective To explore the mechanism of Bufei Jiedu Granules in the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA)chronic infection using network pharmacology;To verify it through animal experiments.Methods Active components and potential targets in Bufei Jiedu Granules were screened through the TCMSP database,and genes related to MRSA infection were retrieved through GeneCards,OMIM,DisGeNET,TTD,DrugBank and PharmGKB databases.The STRING database was employed to construct a protein-protein interaction network on common targets,and GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted to identify key signaling pathways for Bufei Jiedu Granules treatment of MRSA infection.The effects of Bufei Jiedu Granules on bacterial load and pathological changes in the lung,liver and kidney of MRSA chronic infection mice models were evaluated through WT and T/B immune cell deficient Rag2-/-mouse animal experiments.The mRNA expressions of inflammatory factors(IFN-γ,IL-10)and immune checkpoints(PD1,TIM3)were detected.Results Totally 54 active components related to Bufei Jiedu Granules were selected,and 50 potential targets related to MRSA infection were identified.118 signaling pathways significantly associated with MRSA infection were identified through GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis,in which the JAK-STAT signaling pathway,Th17 cell differentiation,and PD-L1 expression and PD-1 checkpoint pathway were closely related to cell activation and T cell differentiation.Animal experimental results indicated that Bufei Jiedu Granules could effectively reduce the bacterial load in organs and ameliorate the pathological damage in the chronic MRSA infection mouse model,increase the mRNA expression of IFN-γ in the lung tissue,and decrease the mRNA expressions of IL-10,PD1 and TIM3.Conclusion Bufei Jiedu Granules has the characteristics of multi-component and multi-target in the treatment of MRSA infection,and may be involved in adaptive immune activation to effectively treat chronic MRSA infection.

Objective To explore the mechanism of Baihu Decoction in the treatment of acute lung injury based on network pharmacology and molecular docking technology;To carry out experimental verification.Methods The active components and targets of Baihu Decoction were searched through TCMSP and BATMAN-TCM databases,and human gene searches were conducted in GeneCards,NCBI,and OMIM databases.PPI network construction and GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were conducted to determine the important signaling pathways of Baihu Decoction and acute lung injury.Molecular docking of main active components and core target proteins was performed.The effects of Baihu Decoction on survival rate and inflammatory cytokine content in acute lung injury lethal model mice were observed through animal experiments.Results Totally 211 common targets for Baihu Decoction and acute lung injury were screened,and identified effective components such as quercetin,kaempferol,and stigmasterol,etc.Analysis of KEGG pathway enrichment indicated that Baihu Decoction exerted its pharmacological effects in acute lung injury through a variety of signal pathways,including Toll-like receptor signaling pathway,NOD-like receptor signaling pathway,T cell receptor signaling pathway,and MAPK signaling pathway.Molecular docking results showed that Baihu Decoction had good binding strength with MAPK14,STAT3,JUN,MAPK1,MAPK3,FOS and RELA.The results of animal experiments showed that compared with the model group,the survival rate of mice in the Baihu Decoction group was significantly increased,the degree of pathological injury in the lung tissue was reduced,and serum IL-6,TNF-α contents decreased significantly(P<0.05).Conclusion Baihu Decoction can treat acute lung injury by reducing pathological injury to lung tissue and releasing of inflammatory factors.

Purpose: To assess the feasibility of applying ultra-widefield fundus (UWF) images for macular staphyloma area (MSA) measurement and investigate the associated factors with MSA. Methods: This is a retrospective study. MSA was measured by UWF imaging. Central foveal thickness, subfoveal choroidal thickness, subfoveal scleral thickness were measured on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Intraclass correlation coefficients of MSA measurement would be evaluated. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the associated factors with MSA. Results: In total, 135 eyes of 92 patients were enrolled. The mean age was 64.73 ± 10.84 years. Mean MSA on UWF image was 279.67 ± 71.70 mm2. Intraclass correlation coefficients of MSA measurement was 0.965 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.946 to 0.977; p < 0.001). In the multiple linear regression analysis, after adjusting for subfoveal choroidal thickness, best-corrected visual acuity, central foveal thickness, and subfoveal scleral thickness, the factors independently related to MSA were axial length (β = 8.352; 95% CI, 3.306 to 13.398; p = 0.001), sex (β = -26.673; 95% CI, -51.759 to -1.586; p = 0.037), age (β = 1.184; 95% CI, 0.020 to 2.348; p = 0.046). Conclusions It is feasible to measure MSA on UWF image. Female, longer axial length, and older age may indicate larger MSA.

Objective:To explore the characteristics of T lymphocyte subsets and cytokines in hyperlipidemia-induced acute pancreatitis (HLAP) and its prognostic value.Methods:This study included 184 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from January 2018 to May 2021. Based on disease etiology, there were 92 HLAP cases and 92 non-hyperlipidemia-induced AP (NHLAP) cases. Stratified by disease severity according to 2012 Atlanta classification criteria, the patients were divided into the severe subgroup (SAP) and non-severe subgroup (NSAP). Peripheral venous blood samples were taken from all patients on day 1, 3, and 5 after admission. T lymphocyte subsets were determined by flow cytometry, and cytokines were detected by flow fluorometry. The number of CD4 +% and CD8 +% and the expression of cytokines were compared by Student’s t test or Mann-Whitney U analysis. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors for severe AP, and a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed to predict severe AP. Statistical significance was taken as P<0.05. Results:Compared with the NHLAP group, patients in the HLAP group had lower CD4 +%, while higher levels of IL-2 on day 1 ( P<0.05), and had also lower CD4 +%, while higher levels of IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 on day 3 ( P<0.05). Furthermore, IL-6 and IL-10 levels of the HLAP group were significantly increased compared to the NHLAP group on day 5 ( P<0.05). IL-10 levels in the SAP subgroup were significantly higher than those in the NSAP subgroup on day 1 ( P<0.05). Compared with the NSAP subgroup, the SAP subgroup had elevated levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-γ on day 3 (all P<0.05), and had lower CD4 +%, while increased levels of IL-6 and IL-10 on day 5 (all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that IL-10 was an immune indicator of independent risk factor for severe AP in the HLAP group on day 1 ( OR=1.139, 95% CI: 1.038-1.251, P<0.05). Finally, ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve of IL-10 to assess HLAP with severe AP was 0.772, and the best cut-off value for predicting severe AP was 5.6 pg/mL, with a sensitivity of 83.3% and a specificity of 68.8%. Conclusions:Changes of CD4 +% and cytokines are different between the HLAP and NHLAP groups. IL-10 can be used as a predictor of early disease severity in patients with HLAP.

Objective: The consistency of 24-hour oropharyngeal Dx-pH monitoring and proton pump inhibitor(PPI) test in the diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) was investigated. Methods: Sixty patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) related symptoms who had never received PPI treatment were assessed by reflux symptom index (RSI) and reflux finding score (RFS) between October 2017 and October 2018, including 28 males and 38 females, aged from 16 to 72 years, with a medium age of 38 years. Prior to treatment, all patients were evaluated with 24 hours oropharyngeal Dx-pH monitoring(Restech). After empiric therapy with PPI twice-daily for 8 weeks, the efficacy was evaluated according to posttreatment RSI score.The data was analysed with Kruskal-Wallis test, Student Newman Keuls test and consistency check. Results: (1)Among all 60 patients,13 patients (21.7%) had pathologic Ryan score and all resulted responsive to PPI;27 patients (45.0%) with a negative Ryan score were unresponsive to PPI; 20 patients (33.3%) despite a negative Ryan score resulted responsive to PPI therapy. Considering responsiveness to PPI therapy as the gold standard for the diagnosis of LPRD, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of Ryan score were 39.4%, 100%, 100% and 57.4% respectively. The Kappa value was 0.369 (P<0.01). (2)Among 34 patients (56.7%) with positive Dx-pH results (24-hour oropharyngeal acid reflux events≥ 3 times), 29 patients were positive and 5 patients were negative in PPI test. Among 26 patients with negative Dx-pH results (24-hour oropharyngeal acid reflux events<3 times), 4 patients were positive and 22 patients were negative in PPI test. Considering responsiveness to PPI therapy as the gold standard for the diagnosis of LPRD, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 24-hour oropharyngeal acid reflux events were 87.9%, 81.5%, 85.3% and 84.6% respectively. The Kappa value was 0.696(P<0.01). Conclusions There is a positive correlation between 24-hour oropharyngeal Dx-pH monitoring positive results (24-hour oropharyngeal acid reflux events≥3 times) and PPI test in the diagnosis of LPRD. The 24-hour oropharyngeal Dx-pH monitoring can be a promising tool for the diagnosis of suspected LPRD patients, and more sensitive and accurate Dx-pH diagnostic index will be required in the clinic.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated proteins (Cas) system is a hotspot of gene editing and gene expression research, in which CRISPR/Cas13 system provides a new direction for RNA interference and editing. In this study, we designed and synthesized the corresponding gRNAs of CRISPR/Cas13a and CRISPR/Cas13b systems in non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway, such as Ku70 and Lig4, and then detected the expression of ku70 and lig4 in HEK293T cells. The CRISPR/Cas13a system could efficiently knockdown the mRNA expression of ku70 and lig4 more than 50%, and CRISPR/Cas13b system also suppressed ku70 and lig4 about 92% and 76%, respectively. Also, CRISPR/Cas13a, b systems could down-regulate Ku70 and Lig4 proteins level to 68% and 53%, respectively. The study demonstrates that the CRISPR/Cas13 system could effectively knockdown the expression of RNA and protein in HEK293T cells, providing a new strategy for gene function and regulation research.
CRISPR-Cas Systems ; DNA Ligase ATP ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation ; genetics ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; HEK293 Cells ; Humans ; Ku Autoantigen ; genetics

Objective:To identify the key factors affecting the time of proton and carbon ion radiotherapy by analyzing the timing characteristics of the accelerator system and to find out potential solutions to enhance treatment efficiency.Methods:The log files for 47 patients with different types of tumors treated with proton beams and carbon ion beams were analyzed. Lung cancer patients were treated with the gating technology. The timing characteristics of beam delivery were analyzed and potential solutions to enhance treatment efficiency were explored.Results:The mean spill time and mean cycle time per iso-energy slice (IES) for proton radiotherapy with beam gating technology were (2.98±1.98) s and (5.71±4.51) s, which were longer than the radiotherapy without using gating technology. The mean total cycle time for treatment without using gating technology was approximately 7 min for both proton and carbon ion beams. The mean total cycle time for lung cancer treatment using gating technology was approximately 15 min.Conclusion:Application of mini-ridge filter or ripple filter to reduce per IES numbers and use of passive breath hold technology to eliminate interruptions during beam delivery in each IES for gating radiotherapy are two feasible approaches to improve treatment efficiency for this specific machine.