Objective:To investigate whether the rs612529 C/T and rs11669663 G/A in VSTM1 gene are associated with leukocyte signaling inhibitory receptor-1(SIRL-1)expression and an increased risk for systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)in a Han Chinese cohort.Methods:A total of 200 patients with SLE and 218 healthy controls(HC)were enrolled.Relevant laboratory characteris-tics of patients with SLE were also collected.Genotyping of rs612529 C/T and rs11669663 G/A were performed by Sanger sequencing technology.SIRL-1 expression was assessed in peripheral blood neutrophils and monocytes was detected by flow cytometry.Levels of autoantibodies associated with SLE were detected by ELISA.Results:In both SLE group and HC,the C allele of rs612529 was asso-ciated with a decreased expression level of SIRL-1 on monocytes,with a gradual increased in SIRL-1 protein level from the CC over the CT to the TT genotype.C allele of rs612529 was associated with higher serum anti-dsDNA antibody titers in patients with SLE(P<0.05).In the case of rs11669663 G/A,no significant association of genotypes with SLE susceptibility was detected.Conclusion:VSTM1 rs612529 C/T may contribute to SLE disease activity and regulate SIRL-1 expression on monocytes in the Han Chinese cohort.

Objective At the level of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes(hiPSC-CMs)and neonatal rat cardiomyocytes(NRVMs),investigate the role of serum glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1(SGK1)in the myocardial injury caused by sunitinib and the potential protective effect of berberine.Methods Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the effect of sunitinib and incubation with berberine on the level of NT-proBNP and cTn-I in hiPSC-CMs.The effect of sunitinib and incubation with berberine on the activity of SGK1 in hiPSC-CMs was quantitatively tested using kinase activity photometry.Western blot was used to detect the expression of SGK1 in NRVMs.And the above indicators were detected again after SGK1 blockade using SGK1 blocker.Results Sunitinib and SGK1 inhibitor significantly increased the NT-proBNP and cTn-I level of hiPSC-CMs(P<0.01),and incubation with berberine activated SGK1 could significantly protect hiPSC-CMs from the increase in NT-proBNP level caused by sunitinib(P<0.01),while the SGK1 inhibitor resisted the protective effect of berberine(P<0.01).Sunitinib and SGK1 inhibitor significantly decreased the activity of SGK1 in hiPSC-CMs(P<0.01),and incubation with berberine activated SGK1,which significantly protected hiPSC-CMs from the inhibition of SGK1 activity caused by sunitinib(P<0.01).Sunitinib and SGK1 inhibitors significantly reduced SGK1 protein expression in NRVMs(P<0.01),and incubating berberine to activate SGK1 significantly protected SGK1 protein expression decrease induced by sunitinib(P<0.01).Conclusions Sunitinib inhibits the activity of SGK1,leading to myocardial injury,while berberine activates SGK1 and has protective effects.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective tumor treatment agents with survival benefits.However,immune toxicity to various organs has become a new challenge in clinical practice.The cardiac involvement can be presented as heart failure,arrhythmia(atrial fibrillation,atrioventricular block,bundle branch block,ventricular tachycardia,etc.),myocardial-pericarditis,myocardiopathy,and sudden cardiac death,etc.This patient developed abnormally increased myocardial enzymes,impaired cardiac function,and atrioventricular block after 1-month treatment with tislelizumab.Endomyocardial biopsy examination confirmed the diagnosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis.Through the diagnosis,treatment,and review of relevant literatures of this case,we wish to improve the understanding of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis,and therefore improve the diagnosis and treatment of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis for clinicians.

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Guben Fangxiao decoction-containing serum on the expression of transcription factors and cytokines associated with calcitonin gene-related peptide （CGRP）， γ-aminobutyric acid （GABA）， and type Ⅱ innate lymphoid cells （ILC2） in human bronchial epithelial cells （BEAS-2B） stimulated with interleukin-4 （IL-4） combined with interleukin-13 （IL-13）， and explore the possible mechanism of Guben Fangxiao decoction-containing serum in alleviating type Ⅱ inflammation of bronchial epithelial cells. MethodsBEAS-2B cells stimulated with IL-4 combined with IL-13 were treated with the sera containing high （20%）， medium （15%）， and low （10%） doses of Guben Fangxiao decoction and the montelukast-containing serum （10%）. Real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA levels of CGRP， GABA， mucin 5AC （MUC5AC）， thymic stromal lymphopoietin （TSLP）， interleukin （IL）-25， IL-33， IL-5， GATA-binding protein 3 （GATA3）， and B cell lymphoma/leukemia 11B （Bcl-11B） in each group. Western blot was employed to determine the relative protein levels of CGRP and MUC5AC. The immunofluorescence assay was employed to observe the relative expression of CGRP and GABA in the cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify the protein levels of IL-33， MUC5AC， and IL-5 in the culture and cell supernatants. Periodic acid-Schiff staining was performed to assess mucin secretion. ResultsCompared with the control group， the model group showed up-regulated mRNA levels of CGRP， GABA， MUC5AC， TSLP， IL-25， and IL-33 （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the normal group， the Guben Fangxiao decoction-containing serum down-regulated the mRNA levels of CGRP， GABA， MUC5AC， IL-5， GATA3， and Bcl-11B （P<0.05， P<0.01） in a dose-dependent manner. Compared with the normal group， the model group showed up-regulated protein levels of CGRP， GABA， MUC5AC， IL-33， and IL-5 （P<0.05， P<0.01）， which were down-regulated by the Guben Fangxiao decoction-containing serum （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Compared with the normal group， the model group showed enhanced average fluorescence intensity of CGRP and GABA （P<0.01）， which was weakened by the Guben Fangxiao decoction-containing serum （P<0.01）. Compared with the normal group， the model group showed increased secretion of mucin， which was reduced by the Guben Fangxiao decoction-containing serum. ConclusionGuben Fangxiao decoction can treat bronchial asthma by alleviating type Ⅱ immune airway inflammation and reducing airway mucus secretion， which is achieved by regulating the expression of CGRP， GABA， MUC5AC， and ILC2-related transcription factors.

Objective At the level of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes(hiPSC-CMs)and neonatal rat cardiomyocytes(NRVMs),investigate the role of serum glucocorticoid regulated kinase 1(SGK1)in the myocardial injury caused by sunitinib and the potential protective effect of berberine.Methods Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the effect of sunitinib and incubation with berberine on the level of NT-proBNP and cTn-I in hiPSC-CMs.The effect of sunitinib and incubation with berberine on the activity of SGK1 in hiPSC-CMs was quantitatively tested using kinase activity photometry.Western blot was used to detect the expression of SGK1 in NRVMs.And the above indicators were detected again after SGK1 blockade using SGK1 blocker.Results Sunitinib and SGK1 inhibitor significantly increased the NT-proBNP and cTn-I level of hiPSC-CMs(P<0.01),and incubation with berberine activated SGK1 could significantly protect hiPSC-CMs from the increase in NT-proBNP level caused by sunitinib(P<0.01),while the SGK1 inhibitor resisted the protective effect of berberine(P<0.01).Sunitinib and SGK1 inhibitor significantly decreased the activity of SGK1 in hiPSC-CMs(P<0.01),and incubation with berberine activated SGK1,which significantly protected hiPSC-CMs from the inhibition of SGK1 activity caused by sunitinib(P<0.01).Sunitinib and SGK1 inhibitors significantly reduced SGK1 protein expression in NRVMs(P<0.01),and incubating berberine to activate SGK1 significantly protected SGK1 protein expression decrease induced by sunitinib(P<0.01).Conclusions Sunitinib inhibits the activity of SGK1,leading to myocardial injury,while berberine activates SGK1 and has protective effects.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective tumor treatment agents with survival benefits.However,immune toxicity to various organs has become a new challenge in clinical practice.The cardiac involvement can be presented as heart failure,arrhythmia(atrial fibrillation,atrioventricular block,bundle branch block,ventricular tachycardia,etc.),myocardial-pericarditis,myocardiopathy,and sudden cardiac death,etc.This patient developed abnormally increased myocardial enzymes,impaired cardiac function,and atrioventricular block after 1-month treatment with tislelizumab.Endomyocardial biopsy examination confirmed the diagnosis of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis.Through the diagnosis,treatment,and review of relevant literatures of this case,we wish to improve the understanding of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis,and therefore improve the diagnosis and treatment of immune checkpoint inhibitor-associated myocarditis for clinicians.

Objective:To investigate whether the rs612529 C/T and rs11669663 G/A in VSTM1 gene are associated with leukocyte signaling inhibitory receptor-1(SIRL-1)expression and an increased risk for systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)in a Han Chinese cohort.Methods:A total of 200 patients with SLE and 218 healthy controls(HC)were enrolled.Relevant laboratory characteris-tics of patients with SLE were also collected.Genotyping of rs612529 C/T and rs11669663 G/A were performed by Sanger sequencing technology.SIRL-1 expression was assessed in peripheral blood neutrophils and monocytes was detected by flow cytometry.Levels of autoantibodies associated with SLE were detected by ELISA.Results:In both SLE group and HC,the C allele of rs612529 was asso-ciated with a decreased expression level of SIRL-1 on monocytes,with a gradual increased in SIRL-1 protein level from the CC over the CT to the TT genotype.C allele of rs612529 was associated with higher serum anti-dsDNA antibody titers in patients with SLE(P<0.05).In the case of rs11669663 G/A,no significant association of genotypes with SLE susceptibility was detected.Conclusion:VSTM1 rs612529 C/T may contribute to SLE disease activity and regulate SIRL-1 expression on monocytes in the Han Chinese cohort.

Objective:With the in-depth study of complement dysregulation,glomerulonephritis with dominant C3 has received increasing attention,with a variety of pathologic types and large differences in symptoms and prognosis between pathologic types.This study analyzes the clinical,pathological,and prognostic characteristics of different pathological types of glomerulonephritis with dominant C3,aiming to avoid misdiagnosis and missed diagnoses. Methods:The clinical,pathological,and follow-up data of 52 patients diagnosed as glomerulonephritis with dominant C3 by renal biopsy from June 2013 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.According to the clinical feature and results of pathology,15 patients with post-infectious glomerulonephritis(PIGN)and 37 patients with of non-infectious glomerulonephritis(N-PIGN)were classified.N-PIGN subgroup analysis was performed,and 16 patients were assigned into a C3-alone-deposition group and 21 in a C3-dominant-deposition group,or 27 in a C3 glomerulopathy(C3G)group and 10 in a non-C3 nephropathy(N-C3G)group. Results:The PIGN group had lower creatinine values(84.60 μmol/L vs 179.62 μmol/L,P= 0.001),lower complement C3 values(0.36 g/L vs 0.74 g/L,P<0.001)at biopsy,and less severe pathological chronic lesions compared with the N-PIGN group.In the N-PIGN subgroup analysis,the C3-dominant-deposition group had higher creatinine values(235.30 μmol/L vs 106.70 μmol/L,P=0.004)and higher 24-hour urine protein values(4 025.62 mg vs 1 981.11 mg,P=0.037)than the C3-alone-deposition group.The prognosis of kidney in the PIGN group(P=0.049),the C3-alone-deposition group(P=0.017),and the C3G group(P=0.018)was better than that in the N-PIGN group,the C3-dominant-deposition group,and the N-C3G group,respectively. Conclusion:Glomerulonephritis with dominant C3 covers a variety of pathological types,and PIGN needs to be excluded before diagnosing C3G because of considerable overlap with atypical PIGN and C3G;in addition,the deposition of C1q complement under fluorescence microscope may indicate poor renal prognosis,and relevant diagnosis,treatment,and follow-up should be strengthened.

OBJECTIVES: Tubulointerstitial diseases is one of the common causes of renal dysfunction. Some rare pathological types are easy to be misdiagnosed and missedly diagnosed because of their low prevalence and relatively insufficient understanding, which affects the treatment and prognosis of patients. This study aims to explore clinical manifestations and pathological characteristics of several rare tubulointerstitial diseases, and therefore to improve their diagnosis and treatment. METHODS: A total of 9 363 patients diagnosed by renal biopsy in the Department of Nephrology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University from November 2011 to September 2021 were selected. Six cases of light chain cast nephropathy (LCCN), 2 cases of light chain proximal tubulopathy (LCPT), 1 case of LCCN with LCPT, 4 cases of genetic tubulointerstitial disease, and 6 cases of non-genetic related tubulointerstitial lesion were screened out, and their clinical manifestations and renal biopsy pathological results were collected, compared, and analyzed. RESULTS: Patients with LCCN presented with mild to moderate anemia, microscopic hematuria, and mild to moderate proteinuria. Compared with patients with LCPT, proteinuria and anemia were more prominent in patients with LCCN. Five patients with LCCN and 2 patients with LCPT had elevated serum free kappa light chain. Five patients with LCCN presented clinically with acute kidney injury (AKI). Two patients with LCPT and 1 patient with LCCN and LCPT showed CKD combined with AKI, and 1 LCPT patient presented with typical Fanconi syndrome (FS). Five patients with LCCN, 2 patients with LCPT, and 1 patient with LCCN and LCPT were diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Five patients with LCCN had kappa light chain restriction in tubules on immunofluorescence and a "fractured" protein casts with pale periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining on light microscopy. Immunohistochemical staining of 2 LCPT patients showed strongly positive kappa light chain staining in the proximal tubular epithelial cells. And monoclonal light chain crystals in crystalline LCPT and abnormal lysosomes and different morphological inclusion bodies in noncrystalline LCPT were observed under the electron microscope. Six patients with LCCN were mainly treated by chemotherapy. Renal function was deteriorated in 1 patient, was stable in 4 patients, and was improved in 1 patient. Two patients with LCPT improved their renal function after chemotherapy. Four patients with genetic tubulointerstitial disease were clinically presented as CKD, mostly mild proteinuria, with or without microscopic hematuria, and also presented with hyperuricemia, urine glucose under normal blood glucose, anemia, polycystic kidneys. Only 1 case had a clear family history, and the diagnosis was mainly based on renal pathological characteristics and genetic testing. Compared with patients with non-genetic related tubulointerstitial lesion, patients with genetic tubulointerstitial disease had an earlier age of onset, higher blood uric acid, lower Hb and estiated glomemlar fitration (eGFR), and less edema and hypertension. Renal pathology of genetic tubulointerstitial disease presented tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis, abnormal tubular dilation, glomerular capsuledilation, and glomerular capillary loop shrinkage. Glomerular dysplasia and varying degrees of glomerular sclerosis were observed. Genetic tubulointerstitial disease patients were mainly treated with enteral dialysis, hypouricemic and hypoglycemic treatment. Two genetic tubulointerstitial disease patients had significantly deteriorated renal function, and 2 patients had stable renal function. CONCLUSIONS Patients with AKI or FS, who present serum immunofixation electrophoresis and/or serum free kappa light chain abnormalities, should be alert to LCCN or LCPT. Renal biopsy is a critical detection for diagnosis of LCCN and LCPT. Chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation could delay progression of renal function in patients with LCCN and LCPT. If the non-atrophic area of the renal interstitium presents glomerular capsule dilatation, glomerular capillary loop shrinkage, and abnormal tubular dilatation under the light microscopy, genetic tubulointerstitial disease might be considered, which should be traced to family history and can be diagnosed by genetic testing.
Humans ; Hematuria ; Immunoglobulin Light Chains/analysis* ; Multiple Myeloma ; Proteinuria ; Nephritis, Interstitial ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Anemia ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

Objective:This work aims to assess the distribution of peripheral blood monocyte subsets, the expression level of the functional markers in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients, and analyze the correlation between the above indexes and the onset of RA.Methods:Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected and isolated from 62 RA patients, 52 healthy control (HC) and 12 disease control group′s patients via density centrifugation. The enrolled patients were attended or underwent physical examination in East Hospital, Tongji University from June 2020 to December 2021. Monocytes could be classified into classical (CM), intermediate (IM) and non-classical (NCM). Then, the flow cytometry was performed to examine the distribution of monocyte subsets and the measure the expression level of human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR), intracellular tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in peripheral blood monocytes. The statistical methods in this study mainly include: Kruskal-Wallis H test, Chi-Square test, Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed ranks test, Spearman correlation coefficient test and Logistic regression analysis. The diagnostic value of IM proportion in RA was analyzed by ROC curve. Results:The monocytes number and monocytes proportion in white blood cells were much higher in RA [0.40 (0.40, 0.50), 7.60% (5.97%, 8.53%)] and disease control [0.40 (0.40, 0.68), 8.20% (5.85%, 10.28%)] compared with HC [0.30 (0.30, 0.40), 5.80% (5.03%, 6.38%)] ( H=24.733, P<0.001; H=27.469, P<0.001). A statistic-significant difference was detected among the proportion of CM[85.49%(76.91%,89.21%),88.94%(86.36%,91.72%),90.26%(80.25%, 92.56%)],IM[11.65%(8.47%,17.89%),7.89%(5.36%,10.75%), 5.56%(4.17%, 8.27%)], NCM[2.22%(1.39%, 3.74%), 2.49%(1.74%, 4.66%), 5.13%(3.39%, 9.85%)] in RA group, HC group and disease control group ( H=11.389, P=0.003; H=20.815, P<0.001; H=10.640, P=0.005). The proportion of CM was lower in RA and the IM proportion was increased in RA( P=0.003; P=0.003). The intracellular TNF-α level of monocytes in all three groups revealed the trend that IM>NCM>CM. The intracellular TNF-α in IM of RA was positively associated with serum TNF-α ( r=0.376, P=0.041). The HLA-DR expression in IM subsets were higher than CM and NCM subsets in all RA,HC and disease control groups. The expression of HLA-DR of IM in RA group and disease control was higher than HC group [8 611.50 (6201.3, 9890.8), 10 295.0 (7 899.0, 13632.0), 6 278.00(4 057.8, 9522.0), H=10.495, P=0.005]. There were no correlations between the proportion of peripheral blood IM and clinical characteristics CRP ( r=0.119, P=0.359), RF ( r=0.204, P=0.112) and ESR ( r=0.153, P=0.236). Logistic regression analysis showed that the proportion of IM ( OR=1.169, 95% CI 1.003-1.363, P=0.046), CRP ( OR=1.277, 95% CI 1.000-1.631, P=0.050), RF ( OR=1.179, 95% CI 1.080-1.287, P<0.001) are positively correlated with RA onset. The area under ROC curve for diagnosis of RA with IM proportion was 0.687, and the 95% confidence interval was 0.590-0.784, P<0.001. Conclusions:The distribution of monocyte subsets in peripheral blood of RA patients is abnormal. The increase in the proportion of IM, the enhanced antigen-presenting ability, and the increased level of TNF-α secretion in RA patients may play an important role in the pathogenesis of RA.