Objective To study the correlation between expression levels of serum Spexin and Pannexin 1 protein,glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin resistance in elderly patients with diabetic cataract.Methods A total of 118 elderly diabetic cataract patients were selected as the case group,and 103 elderly diabetic non-cataract patients were selected as the control group who were treated in the same hospital during the same period.Serum levels of Spexin and Pannexin1 were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Fasting blood glucose(FPG)and glycosylated hemoglobin(HbA1c)were measured.Lipid metabolism related indicators including triacylglycerol(TG),high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C),total cholesterol(TC)and low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C)were detected in two groups of patients.Insulin resistance related indexes:fasting insulin(FINS),insulin sensitivity index(ISI),insulin resistance index(HOMA-IR)and islet beta cell function index(HOMA-β)were also detected.The correlation between serum Spexin and Pannexin1 levels,glucolipid metabolism and ISI was detected by Pearson method.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were used to assess the predictive value of serum Spexin and Pannexin1 levels and their combination in the development of cataract in elderly diabetic patients.Results The level of Spexin was lower in the observation group than that in the control group,and the level of Pannexin1 was higher than that in the control group(P＜0.01).Levels of TG,TC,LDL-C,FPG,HbA1c,FINS and HOMA-IR of the observation group increased compared with the control group,while HDL-C,ISI and HOMA-β levels decreased compared with the control group(P＜0.01).Pearson correlation analysis showed that serum Spexin level was positively correlated with ISI and HOMA-β,and negatively correlated with TG,TC,LDL-C,FPG,HbA1c,FINS and HOMA-IR in elderly patients with diabetic cataract(P＜0.05).Serum Pannexin1 was negatively correlated with ISI and HOMA-β,and positively correlated with TG,TC,LDL-C,FPG,HbA1c,FINS and HOMA-IR(P＜0.05).There was no correlation between the above indexes and HDL-C(P＞0.05).The combination of both serum Spexin and Pannexin1 predicted the development of cataracts in elderly diabetic patients was better than serum Spexin and Pannexin1 assessed individually(Z both combination-Spexin=3.220,P=0.001,Z both combination-Pannexin1=4.838,P＜0.001).Conclusion In elderly patients with diabetic cataract,the expression of serum Spexin decreases and the expression of Pannexin1 increases,and they have a certain correlation with glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin resistance

BACKGROUND: T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma/acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-LBL/ALL) is an aggressive form of hematological malignancy associated with poor prognosis in adult patients. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are aberrantly expressed in T-LBL/ALL and are considered potential therapeutic targets. Here, we investigated the antitumor effect of a novel HDAC inhibitor, chidamide, on T-LBL/ALL. METHODS: HDAC1, HDAC2 and HDAC3 levels in T-LBL/ALL cell lines and patient samples were compared with those in normal controls. Flow cytometry, transmission electron microscopy, and lactate dehydrogenase release assays were conducted in Jurkat and MOLT-4 cells to assess apoptosis and pyroptosis. A specific forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) inhibitor was used to rescue pyroptosis and upregulated gasdermin E (GSDME) expression caused by chidamide treatment. The role of the FOXO1 transcription factor was evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. The efficacy of chidamide in vivo was evaluated in a xenograft mouse. RESULTS: The expression of HDAC1, HDAC2 and HDAC3 was significantly upregulated in T-LBL/ALL. Cell viability was obviously inhibited after chidamide treatment. Pyroptosis, characterized by cell swelling, pore formation on the plasma membrane and lactate dehydrogenase leakage, was identified as a new mechanism of chidamide treatment. Chidamide triggered pyroptosis through caspase 3 activation and GSDME transcriptional upregulation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed that chidamide led to the increased transcription of GSDME through a more relaxed chromatin structure at the promoter and the upregulation of FOXO1 expression. Moreover, we identified the therapeutic effect of chidamide in vivo . CONCLUSIONS This study suggested that chidamide exerts an antitumor effect on T-LBL/ALL and promotes a more inflammatory form of cell death via the FOXO1/GSDME axis, which provides a novel choice of targeted therapy for patients with T-LBL/ALL.
Humans ; Pyroptosis/drug effects* ; Forkhead Box Protein O1/genetics* ; Aminopyridines/pharmacology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Benzamides/pharmacology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy* ; Phosphate-Binding Proteins/metabolism* ; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors/pharmacology* ; Jurkat Cells ; Histone Deacetylases/metabolism* ; Apoptosis/drug effects* ; Gasdermins

BACKGROUND: Treatment with chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cells has shown promising effectiveness in patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL), although the process of preparing for this therapy usually takes a long time. We have recently created CD19 Fast-CAR-T (F-CAR-T) cells, which can be produced within a single day. The objective of this study was to evaluate and contrast the effectiveness and safety of CD19 F-CAR-T cells with those of CD19 conventional CAR-T cells in the management of R/R B-ALL. METHODS: A multicenter, retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 44 patients with R/R B-ALL was conducted. Overall, 23 patients were administered with innovative CD19 F-CAR-T cells (F-CAR-T group), whereas 21 patients were given CD19 conventional CAR-T cells (C-CAR-T group). We compared the rates of complete remission (CR), minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative CR, leukemia-free survival (LFS), overall survival (OS), and the incidence of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with the C-CAR-T group, the F-CAR-T group had significantly higher CR and MRD-negative rates (95.7% and 91.3%, respectively; 71.4% and 66.7%, respectively; P = 0.036 and P = 0.044). No significant differences were observed in the 1-year or 2-year LFS or OS rates between the two groups: the 1-year and 2-year LFS for the F-CAR-T group vs.C-CAR-T group were 47.8% and 43.5% vs. 38.1% and 23.8% (P = 0.384 and P = 0.216), while the 1-year and 2-year OS rates were 65.2% and 56.5% vs. 52.4% and 47.6% (P = 0.395 and P = 0.540). Additionally, among CR patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) following CAR-T-cell therapy, there were no significant differences in the 1-year or 2-year LFS or OS rates: 57.1% and 50.0% vs. 47.8% and 34.8% (P = 0.506 and P = 0.356), 64.3% and 57.1% vs. 65.2% and 56.5% (P = 0.985 and P = 0.883), respectively. The incidence of CRS was greater in the F-CAR-T group (91.3%) than in the C-CAR-T group (66.7%) (P = 0.044). The incidence of ICANS was also greater in the F-CAR-T group (30.4%) than in the C-CAR-T group (9.5%) (P = 0.085), but no treatment-related deaths occurred in the two groups. CONCLUSION Compared with C-CAR-T-cell therapy, F-CAR-T-cell therapy has a superior remission rate but also leads to a tolerably increased incidence of CRS/ICANS. Further research is needed to explore the function of allo-HSCT as an intermediary therapy after CAR-T-cell therapy.

Objective:To evaluate the changes of right atrial volume and function in patients with atrial septal defect（ASD）by four-dimensional ultrasound automatic quantitative technology，and to explore the predictive value and clinical significance for ASD with pulmonary arterial hypertension（PAH）.Methods:Sixty-one patients with ASD and 32 healthy volunteers（control group）who attended Central China Fuwai Hospital of Zhengzhou University，Fuwai Central China Cardiovascular Hospital from March 2023 to April 2024 were prospectively collected，and classified ASD patients into ASD without PAH group（non-PAH group， n=30）and ASD with PAH group（PAH group， n=31）according to whether or not they had PAH，and obtained right atrial reserve，ductal，systolic longitudinal and circumferential strains（RASr，RAScd，RASct，RASr-c，RAScd-c，RASct-c），right atrial minimal，maximal，and presystolic volumes（RAVmin，RAVmax，and RAVpreA），and calculated right atrial total，passive，and active ejection fraction（RAEF，RAPEF，RAAEF）. The ultrasound parameters and clinical data were compared between groups. Pearson's linear correlation was applied to analyse the correlation between the parameters（RASr，RAA，PASP，NT-proBNP）and mean pulmonary artery pressure（mPAP）. ROC curves were plotted and the area under the curve（AUC）was calculated to analyse the value of the four-dimensional strain parameters of the right atrium in independently and jointly predicting the combination of ASD with PAH. Results:①Compared with the control group，RAVmin，RAVmax，and RAVpreA were elevated in the non-PAH and PAH groups，and the absolute values of RAPEF and RAScd were decreased，whereas the absolute values of RAEF，RAAEF，RASr，RASct，RASr-c，and RASct-c were elevated in the non-PAH group，and decreased in the PAH group（all P<0.05）；compared with the non-PAH group，only RAVmin，RAVmax，and RAVpreA were elevated in the PAH group，and the rest of the above parameters were reduced，with statistically significant differences（all P<0.05）. ②The right atrial four-dimensional strain parameter RASr had the highest predictive value for ASD combined with PAH，with an AUC of 0.876，a specificity of 83.3%，and a sensitivity of 77.4%，respectively. ③RASr was negatively correlated with mPAP（ r=-0.591， P<0.001）and RAA，PASP and NT-proBNP were positively correlated with mPAP（ r=0.539，0.697，0.616；all P<0.001）. ④The predictive value of RASr combined with RAA，PASP，and NT-proBNP was superior for ASD combined with PAH（AUC=0.933）. Conclusions:Four-dimensional ultrasound automatic quantitative technology can effectively evaluate the changes of right atrial volume and function in patients with ASD. ASD patients without PAH have increased right atrial reserve and pump function，and decreased right atrial pipeline function. The right atrial function of ASD patients with PAH is significantly reduced，and the impairment is more severe. Among the right atrial four-dimensional strain parameters，RASr has the highest efficacy in predicting ASD combined with PAH. Moreover，the combination of RASr with RAA，PASP，and NT-proBNP has the best predictive efficacy for ASD combined with PAH，which holds significant clinical value.

Purpose To investigate the value of non-invasive preoperative prediction of programmed death ligand 1 expression status in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma using MRI radiomics combined with clinical features through nomograms.Materials and Methods A retrospective collection was made of 87 cases of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma diagnosed through surgical pathology in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2011 to December 2021.These were randomly divided into training and testing sets at a 7∶3 ratio.Using 3D-Slicer software,regions of interest were manually delineated layer-by-layer on MRI images,and radiomic features were extracted.Data normalization,feature dimensionality reduction and selection were then performed.A Gaussian naive Bayes classifier was used to construct the radiomics model,and radiomics scores were obtained.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to screen clinical features,and individual clinical and combined models were constructed.The predictive performances of the three models were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),and the goodness of fit and clinical net benefit of the combined model nomogram were assessed through calibration and decision curves.Results Nine radiomic features and three clinical features were finally selected.The clinical features included alanine transaminase(P=0.020),aspartate transaminase(P=0.025)and total bilirubin(P=0.026).The predictive performance of the combined model(training set AUC 0.813,testing set AUC 0.818)was superior to that of the individual clinical model(training set AUC 0.711,testing set AUC 0.705)and the radiomics model(training set AUC 0.769,testing set AUC 0.767).Calibration and decision curves indicated good fit and better clinical net benefit for the combined model nomogram.Conclusion Based on preoperative multi-sequence MRI images and the radiomics score,along with alanine transaminase,aspartate transaminase and total bilirubin as clinical features,the constructed combined model nomogram effectively predicts the programmed death ligand 1 expression status in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.This provides guidance for the precise and personalized immunotherapy for patients.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of Danggui Shaoyaosan on ferroptosis in the rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease （NAFLD） and explore the underlying mechanism based on the nuclear factor E₂-related factor 2 （Nrf2）/solute carrier family 7 member 11 （SLC7A11）/glutathione peroxidase 4 （GPX4） signaling pathway. MethodsThe sixty SD rats were randomly grouped as follows： control， model， Yishanfu （0.144 g·kg^-1）， and low-， medium-， and high-dose （2.44， 4.88， and 9.76 g·kg^-1， respectively） Danggui Shaoyaosan. A high-fat diet was used to establish the rat model of NAFLD. After 12 weeks of modeling， rats were treated with corresponding agents for 4 weeks. Then， the body weight and liver weight were measured， and the liver index was calculated. At the same time， serum and liver samples were collected. The levels or activities of total cholesterol （TC）， triglycerides （TG）， alanine aminotransferase （ALT）， aspartate aminotransferase （AST）， and Fe²⁺ in the serum and TC， TG， free fatty acids （FFA）， malondialdehyde （MDA）， superoxide dismutase （SOD）， glutathione peroxidase （GPX）， and Fe²⁺ in the liver were measured. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and oil red O staining were employed to observe the pathological changes in the liver. Immunofluorescence was used to assess the reactive oxygen species （ROS） content in the liver. Mitochondrial morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The protein levels of Nrf2， SLC7A11， GPX4， transferrin receptor 1 （TFR1）， and divalent metal transporter 1 （DMT1） in the liver were determined by Western blot. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group showed increases in the body weight， liver weight， liver index， levels or activities of TC， TG， ALT， AST， and Fe²⁺ in the serum， levels of TC， TG， FFA， MDA， Fe²⁺， and ROS in the liver， and protein levels of TFR1 and DMT1 in the liver （P<0.01）， and decreases in the activities of SOD， GPX and the protein levels of Nrf2， SLC7A11， and GPX4 in the liver （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Meanwhile， the liver tissue in the model group presented steatosis， iron deposition， mitochondrial shrinkage， and blurred or swollen mitochondrial cristae. Compared with the model group， all doses of Danggui Shaoyaosan reduced the body weight， liver weight， liver index， levels or activities of TC， TG， ALT， AST， and Fe²⁺ in the serum， levels of TC， TG， FFA， MDA， Fe²⁺， and ROS in the liver， and protein levels of TFR1 and DMT1 in the liver （P<0.01）， while increasing the activities of SOD and GPX and the protein levels of Nrf2， SLC7A11， and GPX4 in the liver （P<0.01）. Furthermore， Danggui Shaoyaosan alleviated steatosis， iron deposition， and mitochondrial damage in the liver. ConclusionDanggui Shaoyaosan may inhibit lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis by activating the Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway to treat NAFLD.

Extensive epigenetic reprogramming involves in memory CD8+ T-cell differentiation. The elaborate epigenetic rewiring underlying the heterogeneous functional states of CD8+ T cells remains hidden. Here, we profile single-cell chromatin accessibility and map enhancer-promoter interactomes to characterize the differentiation trajectory of memory CD8+ T cells. We reveal that under distinct epigenetic regulations, the early activated CD8+ T cells divergently originated for short-lived effector and memory precursor effector cells. We also uncover a defined epigenetic rewiring leading to the conversion from effector memory to central memory cells during memory formation. Additionally, we illustrate chromatin regulatory mechanisms underlying long-lasting versus transient transcription regulation during memory differentiation. Finally, we confirm the essential roles of Sox4 and Nrf2 in developing memory precursor effector and effector memory cells, respectively, and validate cell state-specific enhancers in regulating Il7r using CRISPR-Cas9. Our data pave the way for understanding the mechanism underlying epigenetic memory formation in CD8+ T-cell differentiation.
CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism* ; Cell Differentiation ; Chromatin/immunology* ; Animals ; Mice ; Immunologic Memory ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; SOXC Transcription Factors/immunology* ; NF-E2-Related Factor 2/immunology* ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Enhancer Elements, Genetic

Purpose To investigate the value of non-invasive preoperative prediction of programmed death ligand 1 expression status in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma using MRI radiomics combined with clinical features through nomograms.Materials and Methods A retrospective collection was made of 87 cases of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma diagnosed through surgical pathology in the Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University from January 2011 to December 2021.These were randomly divided into training and testing sets at a 7∶3 ratio.Using 3D-Slicer software,regions of interest were manually delineated layer-by-layer on MRI images,and radiomic features were extracted.Data normalization,feature dimensionality reduction and selection were then performed.A Gaussian naive Bayes classifier was used to construct the radiomics model,and radiomics scores were obtained.Multivariate Logistic regression was used to screen clinical features,and individual clinical and combined models were constructed.The predictive performances of the three models were evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve(AUC),and the goodness of fit and clinical net benefit of the combined model nomogram were assessed through calibration and decision curves.Results Nine radiomic features and three clinical features were finally selected.The clinical features included alanine transaminase(P=0.020),aspartate transaminase(P=0.025)and total bilirubin(P=0.026).The predictive performance of the combined model(training set AUC 0.813,testing set AUC 0.818)was superior to that of the individual clinical model(training set AUC 0.711,testing set AUC 0.705)and the radiomics model(training set AUC 0.769,testing set AUC 0.767).Calibration and decision curves indicated good fit and better clinical net benefit for the combined model nomogram.Conclusion Based on preoperative multi-sequence MRI images and the radiomics score,along with alanine transaminase,aspartate transaminase and total bilirubin as clinical features,the constructed combined model nomogram effectively predicts the programmed death ligand 1 expression status in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.This provides guidance for the precise and personalized immunotherapy for patients.