OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical features and management of two brothers affected with X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) deficiency. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical presentations, treatment, and follow-up of two brothers with XIAP deficiency diagnosed at Shanghai Children's Hospital in 2020, and summarized similar cases recorded in databases such as PubMed, Wanfang, Chinese Medical Association Journals, and WIP from January 2006 to November 2024. This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of our hospital (Ethics No.: 2025R128-E01). RESULTS: Patient 1 was the younger brother, who presented at 8 years of age with growth retardation, folliculitis, erythema nodosum, and perineal abscess. Sequencing revealed that he has carried a hemizygous c.566T>C (p.Leu189Pro) variant of the XIAP gene, which was inherited from his mother. He was allergic to infliximab treatment and underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in January 2021. During a follow-up of 3 years and 10 months post-transplantation, he showed no gastrointestinal symptoms and had a good outcome. Patient 2 was the elder brother, who presented at 10 years and 6 months of age with growth retardation, rash, and anal fistula. Genetic testing revealed the same variant. He was treated with oral azathioprine but did not have regular follow-ups. At 14-years-and-6-months of age, he had developed severe gastrointestinal infection and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, which was alleviated after treatment with antibiotics, glucocorticoids, immunoglobulin, and rituximab. He is currently being prepared for HSCT. A total of 13 publications were retrieved, which involved 64 patients from 23 families, with 23 different variants identified. The main clinical manifestations included splenomegaly (34 cases, 53.1%), hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (27 cases, 42.2%), and inflammatory bowel disease or colitis (20 cases, 31.8%). There were significant phenotypic differences among patients from the same family. Thirteen patients (20.3%) underwent HSCT, with a survival rate of 61.5%. CONCLUSION For male children with early onset, poor treatment response, especially those with unexplained splenomegaly and IBD-like symptoms, early genetic testing is recommended. HSCT is a safe and effective treatment for XIAP deficiency. For patients with developmental delay, early onset, and severe IBD phenotype, early transplantation is recommended.
Humans ; Male ; X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein/deficiency* ; Child ; Genetic Diseases, X-Linked/therapy* ; Phenotype ; Siblings ; Retrospective Studies ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a central neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive cognitive decline and memory impairment in clinical. Currently, there are no effective treatments for AD. In recent years, a variety of therapeutic approaches from different perspectives have been explored to treat AD. Although the drug therapies targeted at the clearance of amyloid β-protein (Aβ) had made a breakthrough in clinical trials, there were associated with adverse events. Neuroinflammation plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of AD. Continuous neuroinflammatory was considered to be the third major pathological feature of AD, which could promote the formation of extracellular amyloid plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. At the same time, these toxic substances could accelerate the development of neuroinflammation, form a vicious cycle, and exacerbate disease progression. Reducing neuroinflammation could break the feedback loop pattern between neuroinflammation, Aβ plaque deposition and Tau tangles, which might be an effective therapeutic strategy for treating AD. Traditional Chinese herbs such as Polygonum multiflorum and Curcuma were utilized in the treatment of AD due to their ability to mitigate neuroinflammation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and indomethacin had been shown to reduce the level of inflammasomes in the body, and taking these drugs was associated with a low incidence of AD. Biosynthetic nanomaterials loaded with oxytocin were demonstrated to have the capability to anti-inflammatory and penetrate the blood-brain barrier effectively, and they played an anti-inflammatory role via sustained-releasing oxytocin in the brain. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells could reduce neuroinflammation and inhibit the activation of microglia. The secretion of mesenchymal stem cells could not only improve neuroinflammation, but also exert a multi-target comprehensive therapeutic effect, making it potentially more suitable for the treatment of AD. Enhancing the level of TREM2 in microglial cells using gene editing technologies, or application of TREM2 antibodies such as Ab-T1, hT2AB could improve microglial cell function and reduce the level of neuroinflammation, which might be a potential treatment for AD. Probiotic therapy, fecal flora transplantation, antibiotic therapy, and dietary intervention could reshape the composition of the gut microbiota and alleviate neuroinflammation through the gut-brain axis. However, the drugs of sodium oligomannose remain controversial. Both exercise intervention and electromagnetic intervention had the potential to attenuate neuroinflammation, thereby delaying AD process. This article focuses on the role of drug therapy, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, gut microbiota therapy, exercise intervention, and brain stimulation in improving neuroinflammation in recent years, aiming to provide a novel insight for the treatment of AD by intervening neuroinflammation in the future.

OBJECTIVES: Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignant renal tumor that poses a significant threat to patient health. Accurate preoperative pathological grading plays a crucial role in determining the appropriate treatment for this disease. Currently, deep learning technology has become an important method for pathological grading of RCC. However, existing methods primarily rely on single-phase computed tomography (CT) imaging for analysis and prediction, which has limitations such as missing small lesions, one-sided evaluation, and local focusing issues. Therefore, this study proposes a multi-modal deep learning algorithm that integrates multi-phase enhanced CT images with clinical variable data, aiming to provide a basis for predicting the pathological grading of RCC. METHODS: First, the algorithm took four-phase enhanced CT images from the plain scan, arterial phase, venous phase, and delayed phase, along with clinical variables, as inputs. Then, an embedding encoding module was used to extract heterogeneous information from the clinical variables, and a 3-dimensional (3D) ResNet50 model was employed to capture spatial information from the multi-phase enhanced CT image data. Finally, a Fusion module deeply integrated the feature information from clinical variables and each phase's CT image features, further utilizing a cross-self-attention mechanism to achieve multi-phase feature fusion. This approach comprehensively captures the deep semantic information from the patient data, fully leveraging the complementary advantages of multi-modal and multi-phase data. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, a total of 1 229 RCC patients were approved by ethics review were included to train the model. RESULTS: Experimental results demonstrated superior performance compared to traditional radiomics and state-of-the-art deep learning methods, achieving an accuracy of 83.87%, a recall rate of 95.04%, and an F1-score of 82.23%. CONCLUSIONS The proposed algorithm exhibits strong stability and sensitivity, significantly enhancing the predictive performance of RCC pathological grading. It offers a novel approach for accurate RCC diagnosis and personalized treatment planning.
Humans ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell/pathology* ; Deep Learning ; Kidney Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods* ; Algorithms ; Neoplasm Grading ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged

Liver transplantation (LT) has become a standard treatment for end-stage liver diseases, and graft injury is intricately associated with poor prognosis. Granzyme B (GZMB) plays a vital role in natural killer (NK) cell biology, but whether NK-derived GZMB affects graft injury remains elusive. Through the analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing data obtained from human LT grafts and the isolation of lymphocytes from mouse livers following ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), we demonstrated that 2NK cells with high expression of GZMB are enriched in patients and mice. Both systemically and liver-targeted depletion of NK cells led to a notable reduction in GZMB⁺ cell infiltration, subsequently resulting in diminished graft injury. Notably, the reconstitution of Il2rg ^-/- Rag2 ^-/- mice with purified Gzmb-KO NK cells demonstrated superior outcomes compared to those with wild-type NK cells. Crucially, global knockout of GZMB and pharmacological inhibition exhibited remarkable improvements in liver function in both mouse IRI and rat LT models. Moreover, a phosphorylated derivative of FDA-approved vidarabine was identified as an effective inhibitor of mouse GZMB activity by molecular dynamics, which could provide a potential avenue for therapeutic intervention. Therefore, targeting NK cell-derived GZMB during the LT process suggests potential therapeutic strategies to improve post-transplant outcomes.

Gene regulation relies on the precise binding of transcription factors (TFs) at regulatory elements, but simultaneously detecting hundreds of TFs on chromatin is challenging. We developed cFOOT-seq, a cytosine deaminase-based TF footprinting assay, for high-resolution, quantitative genome-wide assessment of TF binding in both open and closed chromatin regions, even with small cell numbers. By utilizing the dsDNA deaminase SsdAtox, cFOOT-seq converts accessible cytosines to uracil while preserving genomic integrity, making it compatible with techniques like ATAC-seq for sensitive and cost-effective detection of TF occupancy at the single-molecule and single-cell level. Our approach enables the delineation of TF footprints, quantification of occupancy, and examination of chromatin influences on TF binding. Notably, cFOOT-seq, combined with FootTrack analysis, enables de novo prediction of TF binding sites and tracking of TF occupancy dynamics. We demonstrate its application in capturing cell type-specific TFs, analyzing TF dynamics during reprogramming, and revealing TF dependencies on chromatin remodelers. Overall, cFOOT-seq represents a robust approach for investigating the genome-wide dynamics of TF occupancy and elucidating the cis-regulatory architecture underlying gene regulation.
Transcription Factors/genetics* ; Humans ; Chromatin/genetics* ; Animals ; Binding Sites ; Mice ; DNA Footprinting/methods*

OBJECTIVE: Pneumoconiosis, a lung disease caused by irreversible fibrosis, represents a significant public health burden. This study investigates the causal relationships between gut microbiota, gene methylation, gene expression, protein levels, and pneumoconiosis using a multi-omics approach and Mendelian randomization (MR). METHODS: We analyzed gut microbiota data from MiBioGen and Esteban et al. to assess their potential causal effects on pneumoconiosis subtypes (asbestosis, silicosis, and inorganic pneumoconiosis) using conventional and summary-data-based MR (SMR). Gene methylation and expression data from Genotype-Tissue Expression and eQTLGen, along with protein level data from deCODE and UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project, were examined in relation to pneumoconiosis data from FinnGen. To validate our findings, we assessed self-measured gut flora from a pneumoconiosis cohort and performed fine mapping, drug prediction, molecular docking, and Phenome-Wide Association Studies to explore relevant phenotypes of key genes. RESULTS: Three core gut microorganisms were identified: Romboutsia ( OR = 0.249) as a protective factor against silicosis, Pasteurellaceae ( OR = 3.207) and Haemophilus parainfluenzae ( OR = 2.343) as risk factors for inorganic pneumoconiosis. Additionally, mapping and quantitative trait loci analyses revealed that the genes VIM, STX8, and MIF were significantly associated with pneumoconiosis risk. CONCLUSIONS This multi-omics study highlights the associations between gut microbiota and key genes ( VIM, STX8, MIF) with pneumoconiosis, offering insights into potential therapeutic targets and personalized treatment strategies.
Humans ; Male ; East Asian People/genetics* ; Europe ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Lung ; Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors/metabolism* ; Mendelian Randomization Analysis ; Multiomics ; Pneumoconiosis/microbiology* ; Intramolecular Oxidoreductases

Central nervous system diseases (CNSDs) refer to a range of disorders resulting from structural or functional impairments of the brain and spinal cord, including stroke, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury (SCI), and brain tumors. As a leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death worldwide, CNSDs involve complex pathological mechanisms that profoundly affect patients’ physical and mental health as well as their quality of life. Therefore, identifying potential therapeutic targets and developing targeted intervention strategies for the prevention and treatment of CNSDs is of great significance. Recent studies have revealed that lactate can transmit energy between cells via the “lactate shuttle” mechanism and act as an endogenous signaling molecule, exerting diverse biological functions in CNSDs. Lactylation, a novel type of post-translational modification that uses lactate and lysine residues as substrates, plays a critical role in regulating gene transcription, immune responses, and cellular metabolism under both physiological and pathological conditions. Studies have confirmed that lactate participates in the onset and progression of CNSDs through both lactate metabolism and lactylation. In AD, lactate promotes Aβ plaque formation and impairs synaptic plasticity and cognitive function. Lactylation contributes to AD pathogenesis by regulating Aβ accumulation, Tau protein phosphorylation, neuroinflammation, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis. In ischemic stroke (IS), lactate suppresses neuroinflammation and alleviates ischemic injury. Lactylation is involved in the regulation of neuroinflammation, endothelial cell apoptosis, and neuronal ferroptosis, contributing to IS progression. In SCI, lactate promotes the phenotypic transition of astrocytes from the A1 to the A2 type, thereby mitigating neural injury. Lactylation alleviates neurological dysfunction by modulating neuroinflammation, axonal regeneration, mitochondrial function, and microglial proliferation. In glioblastoma (GBM), lactate promotes M2 polarization of microglia, facilitating tumor cell growth and dissemination. Lactylation further accelerates GBM progression by enhancing tumor cell migration, proliferation, immune evasion, and drug resistance. These findings suggest that lactate may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of CNSDs. However, its precise role in CNSDs remains unclear, and the specific mechanisms by which lactate metabolism and lactylation influence disease progression warrant further investigation. Moreover, studies have confirmed that exercise, as a key non-pharmacological intervention, holds great promise in the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of CNSDs. Specifically, exercise can regulate lactate metabolism and lactylation, which in turn suppresses neuroinflammation, enhances synaptic plasticity, promotes neurogenesis and angiogenesis, improves mitochondrial function in the hippocampus, and facilitates the release of neuroprotective factors, ultimately contributing to the improvement of CNSDs. This review summarizes the roles of lactate metabolism and lactylation in CNSDs, as well as the potential mechanisms by which exercise regulates lactate metabolism and lactylation to improve CNSDs, providing a theoretical basis for the benefits of exercise on brain health.

Objective:To explore the key components and mechanism of Qufeng Ningfei Powder in treating asthma through qualitative analysis of its blood components, combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques.Methods:The blood components of Qufeng Ningfei Powder were qualitatively analyzed using UPLC-QE-Orbitrap-MS technology. R language was employed to analyze chip data from the GEO database, obtaining a list of differentially expressed genes. SwissTargetPrediction was utilized to predict the targets of drug components. Asthma-related targets were searched through databases such as OMIM, GeneCards, and TTD. The intersection of drug and disease targets was identified using Venn online analysis tool, constructing a "drug-component-target-disease" network to screen potential core components. A protein-protein interaction network (PPI) of core targets was constructed using STRING platform and Cytoscape software. GO function enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis were conducted using DAVID database to validate potential mechanism. Molecular docking was performed to verify the interaction between key components and core targets.Results:A total of 64 components were identified, from which 53 active components were screened, corresponding to 609 targets. Further searching disease databases revealed 96 target genes related to asthma, with an intersection of 6 genes between drug and asthma differential genes. Core target gene IL6 and its corresponding core compound were determined through network topology analysis. Molecular docking confirmed the binding of the main active components of Qufeng Ningfei Powder with the core target protein IL6.Conclusion:The blood components of Qufeng Ningfei Powder may regulate IL-17 through IL6, counteract airway remodeling, oxidative stress, and airway hyperresponsiveness, and thus treat asthma.

This study aimed to explore the effects and mechanisms of total extracts from Anthriscus sylvestris on pulmonary hypertension in rats. Sixty male SD rats were divided into normal(NC) group, model(M) group, positive drug sildenafil(Y) group, low-dose A. sylvestris(ES-L) group, medium-dose A. sylvestris(ES-M) group, and high-dose A. sylvestris(ES-H) group. On day 1, rats were intraperitoneally injected with monocrotaline(60 mg·kg~(-1)) to induce pulmonary hypertension, and the rat model was established on day 28. From days 15 to 28, intragastric administration of the respective treatments was performed. After modeling and treatment, small animal echocardiography was used to detect the right heart function of the rats. Arterial blood gas was measured using a blood gas analyzer. Hematoxylin and eosin(HE) staining and Masson staining were performed to observe cardiopulmonary pathological damage. Flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in the lung and myocardial tissues and reactive oxygen species(ROS) levels. Western blot was applied to detect the expression levels of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1), phosphorylated mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3(p-Smad3), Smad3, tissue plasminogen activator(t-PA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1(PAI-1) in lung tissue. A blood routine analyzer was used to measure inflammatory immune cell levels in the blood. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was used to detect the expression levels of P-selectin and thromboxane A2(TXA2) in plasma. The results showed that, compared with the NC group, right heart hypertrophy index, right ventricular free wall thickness, right heart internal diameter, partial carbon dioxide pressure(PaCO_2), apoptosis in cardiopulmonary tissue, and ROS levels were significantly increased in the M group. In contrast, the ratio of pulmonary blood flow acceleration time(PAT)/ejection time(PET), right cardiac output, change rate of right ventricular systolic area, systolic displacement of the tricuspid ring, oxygen partial pressure(PaO_2), and blood oxygen saturation(SaO_2) were significantly decreased in the M group. After administration of the total extract of A. sylvestris, right heart function and blood gas levels were significantly improved, while apoptosis in cardiopulmonary tissue and ROS levels significantly decreased. Further testing revealed that the total extract of A. sylvestris significantly decreased the levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β), interleukin-6(IL-6), and PAI-1 proteins in lung tissue, while increasing the expression of t-PA. Additionally, the extract reduced the levels of inflammatory cells such as leukocytes, lymphocytes, granulocytes, and monocytes in the blood, as well as the levels of P-selectin and TXA2 in plasma. Metabolomics results showed that the total extract of A. sylvestris significantly affected metabolic pathways, including arginine biosynthesis, tyrosine metabolism, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. In conclusion, the total extract of A. sylvestris may exert an anti-pulmonary hypertension effect by inhibiting the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway, thereby alleviating immune-inflammatory responses and thrombosis.
Animals ; Male ; Smad3 Protein/metabolism* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/metabolism* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Rats ; Signal Transduction/drug effects* ; Hypertension, Pulmonary/genetics* ; Thrombosis/immunology* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/administration & dosage* ; Humans ; Apoptosis/drug effects*

The tumor microenvironment is a crucial factor in tumor occurrence and progression. The hypoxic microenvironment is widely present in tumor tissue and is a key endogenous factor accelerating tumor deterioration. The "blood stasis toxin" theory, as an emerging perspective in tumor research, is regarded as the unique "soil" in tumor progression from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) due to its dynamic evolution mechanism, which closely resembles the formation of the hypoxic microenvironment. Scientifically integrating TCM theories with the biological characteristics of tumors and exploring precise syndrome differentiation and treatment strategies are key to achieving comprehensive tumor prevention and control. This article focused on the hypoxic microenvironment of the tumor, elucidating its formation mechanisms and evolutionary processes and carefully analyzing the internal relationship between the "blood stasis toxin" theory and the hypoxic microenvironment. Additionally, it explored the interaction among blood stasis, toxic pathogens, and hypoxic environment and proposed micro-level prevention and treatment strategies targeting the hypoxic microenvironment based on the "blood stasis toxin" theory, aiming to provide TCM-based theoretical support and therapeutic approaches for precise regulation of the hypoxic microenvironment.
Humans ; Tumor Microenvironment/drug effects* ; Neoplasms/therapy* ; Animals ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Disease Progression ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal