BACKGROUND:Mitophagy is closely associated with the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,but its mechanism remains unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the biological mechanism of mitophagy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and provide ideas for the risk prediction of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and subtype differentiation.METHODS:The mitophagy-related genes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were obtained through GEO and Reactome Pathway databases.The mitophagy-related characteristic genes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were screened based on intergroup differences and random forest model.GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG,Reactome with WIKI pathway enrichment analyses were performed by g:Profiler database.Mitophagy subtypes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were distinguished by consensus clustering method and immune infiltration analysis was performed.The mitophagy-related key gene was screened.Finally,the predictive value of mitophagy-related key gene for the risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was quantified by alignment diagram and the correlation between mitophagy-related key gene and clinical characteristics of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was explored.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 13 genes related to mitophagy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were identified and 5 characteristic genes were screened,containing PINK1,RPS27A,SRC,HIF1A,and CDH6.(2)GO analysis was mainly involved in ubiquitin protein ligase binding,and cellular response to hypoxia.Pathway enrichment analysis was mainly involved in PINK1-PRKN mediated mitophagy,NOTCH signaling pathway,signaling by EGFR and angiogenesis.(3)HIF1A had significant expression differences between subtypes,which might serve as a key gene for the differentiation of mitophagy subtypes of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.(4)Immune infiltration analysis suggested that myeloid-derived suppressor cell,neutrophil and type 1 T helper cell might have infiltration differences between subtypes,while HIF1A was positively correlated with multiple immune cells.(5)Alignment diagram suggested that the risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis might be predicted by the expression level of HIF1A.(6)Clinical characteristics analysis indicated patients with high expression of HIF1A might have poorer lung function and more severe fibrosis.It is concluded that PINK1,RPS27A,SRC,HIF1A,and CDH6 may influence the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis through mitophagy,in which HIF1A may serve as a key gene for risk prediction with clinical subtype differentiation and HIF1A is strongly associated with the lung function of patients.

Objective To investigate the establishment and evaluation of an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF)mouse model induced by the intratracheal infusion of bleomycin(BLM)of different concentrations.Methods Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a control group,Model-L group(1.5 mg/kg,BLM),Model-M group(2.5 mg/kg,BLM),and Model-H group(3.5 mg/kg,BLM).An IPF mouse model was constructed by one-time intratracheal infusion of BLM.The general status,body mass,survival rate,and lung coefficient of mice in different groups were compared.Pathological changes in lung tissue,the hydroxyproline content,fibrosis markers and inflammatory factor levels were observed.Results Compared with the control group,the survival rate decreased and body weight showed a downward trend in the low-,medium-,and high-dose model groups,with significant increases in lung coefficients.Inflammatory infiltration(P＜0.01)and collagen deposition(P＜0.0001)were observed in the lung tissues of all model groups.Hydroxyproline levels in lung tissue and serum were significantly elevated(P＜0.05).The mRNA levels of fibrosis markers α-Sma,Fn1,and Col1a1 were upregulated(P＜0.001),with significant increases in corresponding protein expression(P＜0.05).The mRNA expression of the inflammatory factor Tgfb1 also increased(P＜0.0001).Conclusion 1.5,2.5 and 3.5 mg/kg BLM can induce an IPF model in C57BL/6J mice.Based on the results observed for survival rate,body mass,lung coefficient changes,lung tissue gross and pathological changes,and fibrosis-related biomarkers,2.5 mg/kg BLM is the optimal concentration for inducing an IPF mouse model.

BACKGROUND:Mitophagy is closely associated with the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,but its mechanism remains unclear.OBJECTIVE:To investigate the biological mechanism of mitophagy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and provide ideas for the risk prediction of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and subtype differentiation.METHODS:The mitophagy-related genes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were obtained through GEO and Reactome Pathway databases.The mitophagy-related characteristic genes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were screened based on intergroup differences and random forest model.GO functional enrichment analysis and KEGG,Reactome with WIKI pathway enrichment analyses were performed by g:Profiler database.Mitophagy subtypes in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were distinguished by consensus clustering method and immune infiltration analysis was performed.The mitophagy-related key gene was screened.Finally,the predictive value of mitophagy-related key gene for the risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was quantified by alignment diagram and the correlation between mitophagy-related key gene and clinical characteristics of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was explored.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 13 genes related to mitophagy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were identified and 5 characteristic genes were screened,containing PINK1,RPS27A,SRC,HIF1A,and CDH6.(2)GO analysis was mainly involved in ubiquitin protein ligase binding,and cellular response to hypoxia.Pathway enrichment analysis was mainly involved in PINK1-PRKN mediated mitophagy,NOTCH signaling pathway,signaling by EGFR and angiogenesis.(3)HIF1A had significant expression differences between subtypes,which might serve as a key gene for the differentiation of mitophagy subtypes of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.(4)Immune infiltration analysis suggested that myeloid-derived suppressor cell,neutrophil and type 1 T helper cell might have infiltration differences between subtypes,while HIF1A was positively correlated with multiple immune cells.(5)Alignment diagram suggested that the risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis might be predicted by the expression level of HIF1A.(6)Clinical characteristics analysis indicated patients with high expression of HIF1A might have poorer lung function and more severe fibrosis.It is concluded that PINK1,RPS27A,SRC,HIF1A,and CDH6 may influence the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis through mitophagy,in which HIF1A may serve as a key gene for risk prediction with clinical subtype differentiation and HIF1A is strongly associated with the lung function of patients.

Objective To investigate the establishment and evaluation of an idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis(IPF)mouse model induced by the intratracheal infusion of bleomycin(BLM)of different concentrations.Methods Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into a control group,Model-L group(1.5 mg/kg,BLM),Model-M group(2.5 mg/kg,BLM),and Model-H group(3.5 mg/kg,BLM).An IPF mouse model was constructed by one-time intratracheal infusion of BLM.The general status,body mass,survival rate,and lung coefficient of mice in different groups were compared.Pathological changes in lung tissue,the hydroxyproline content,fibrosis markers and inflammatory factor levels were observed.Results Compared with the control group,the survival rate decreased and body weight showed a downward trend in the low-,medium-,and high-dose model groups,with significant increases in lung coefficients.Inflammatory infiltration(P＜0.01)and collagen deposition(P＜0.0001)were observed in the lung tissues of all model groups.Hydroxyproline levels in lung tissue and serum were significantly elevated(P＜0.05).The mRNA levels of fibrosis markers α-Sma,Fn1,and Col1a1 were upregulated(P＜0.001),with significant increases in corresponding protein expression(P＜0.05).The mRNA expression of the inflammatory factor Tgfb1 also increased(P＜0.0001).Conclusion 1.5,2.5 and 3.5 mg/kg BLM can induce an IPF model in C57BL/6J mice.Based on the results observed for survival rate,body mass,lung coefficient changes,lung tissue gross and pathological changes,and fibrosis-related biomarkers,2.5 mg/kg BLM is the optimal concentration for inducing an IPF mouse model.

Objective The goals of this study were to identify early warning markers of severe dengue based on bioinformatics com-bined with machine learning,and explore the evaluation system of the risk of occurrence of severe dengue.Methods Based on the Gene Expression Omnibus database,the differentially expressed genes between dengue and severe dengue were analyzed,and Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses were conducted.Early warning genes of severe dengue were screened using a random forest model,and the accuracy of the genes was verified using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves.Finally,nomograms were constructed to quantify the warning genes and predict the risk of progression from dengue to severe dengue based on the expression level of these genes.Results A total of 817 differentially expressed genes were identified,along with the associated biolo-gical processes that may be closely related to the occurrence and development of severe dengue,namely,antimicrobial humoral response,humoral immune response,serine hydrolase activity,and arachidonic acid metabolism.Based on this analysis,five early warning genes were isolated:AZU1,PDCD4,COL4A3BP,TRPM4,and ATP4A.Among these,ATP4A,COL4A3BP,and TRPM4 showed low expression levels,whereas AZU1and PDCD4were highly expressed.The ROC curves indicated that these genes were accurate pre-dictors of severe dengue.The nomograms indicated good predictive accuracy,clinical benefit rate,and clinical effectiveness of the model.Conclusion Measuring the expression levels of five warning genes(AZU1,PDCD4,COL4A3BP,TRPM4,and ATP4A)may help to evaluate the risk of severe dengue.

OBJECTIVE： To explore potential mechanism of “Astragalus membranaceus-Draba nemorosa” couplet medicine for heart failure. METHODS： By network pharmacology， based on drug-like and oral bioavailability， the active components of “A. membranaceus-D. nemorosa” for chronic heart failure were screened and the targets of treating chronic heart failure were predicted by using TCMSP，GeneCards database， OMIM database and DRAR-CPI. The active component-chronic heart failure target network was established by Cytoscape 3.6.0 software. The protein-protein interaction network was constructed by utilizing STRING database. Then top 5 targets in the list of connectivity were screened and performed a molecular docking in molecular docking server. Finally， GO bioprocess analysis and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis were performed in DAVID database. RESULTS： The study predicted 28 active components in total， including 20 A. membranaceus and 12 D. nemorosa， such as kaempferol and quercetin， there were four components in common. Totally 92 target gene of active components were obtained， including heat shock protein 90α （HSP90AA1）， tyrosine protein kinase SRC gene， etc. Results of GO bioprocess analysis showed an association with mitochondrial electron transport， mitochondrial intima， cytoplasmic sol， extracellular body， mitochondrial matrix and drug response. KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed a link with MAPK signal pathway， TGF signal pathway， PI3K signal pathway， cAMP signal pathway， protein kinase B signal pathway， EPK1 signal pathway and NF-κB signal pathway. CONCLUSIONS： “A. membranaceus-D. nemorosa” couplet medicine exerts therapeutic effects on heart failure from multiple targets as HSP90AA1， SRC and mitochondrial electron transport and MAPK signaling pathway. The study can provide reference for further researches on its material basis and mechanism.

OBJECTIVE： To study the mechanism of Prunus persica-Carthamus tinctorius couplet medicine in the treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head （ONFH）. METHODS： The network pharmacology was adopted. The active components of P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine and ONFH target were screened through TCM systematic pharmacological analysis platform target （TCMSP）， DRAR-CPI， hnuman gene database （GeneCards） and online medelian inheritance in man （OMIM） using oral availability of compounds （OB）＞30％ and drug like （DL）＞0.18 as standard. Network topology attribute analysis software Cytoscape 3.6.0 was utilized to construct the active components-ONFH targets network. Target protein interaction network was established on the basis of STRING database， and top 5 target proteins in the list of connectivity were screened， and molecular docking server was used to predict the combination activity of active components from P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine. The biological processes of target gene ontology （GO） and metabolic pathways in Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes （KEGG） were enriched and analyzed by DAVID. RESULTS： A total of 44 active components were screened from P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine， including baicalin， quercetin， etc.， and 78 targets related to ONFH including VEGF， VEGI， CRP， etc. Through analysis of molecular docking server， binding activity of active components of P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine to target protein was strong. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis showed that biological process of P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine for ONFH was related with negative regulation of apoptosis process and positive regulation of nuclear factor-κB transcription factor， mainly through regulating secretory glycoprotein signaling pathway， melanogenesis signaling pathway， VEGF signaling pathway， signaling pathway of basal cell carcinoma， adenosine-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS： This study preliminarily validates the major targets and pathways of P. persica -C. tinctorius couplet medicine for ONFH， which lay a foundation for further study on their pharmacological action.

OBJECTIVE： To systematically evaluate therapeutic efficacy of modified Cangfu daotan decoction （MCDD） combined with chemical medicine versus chemical medicine alone in the treatment of polycystic ovarian syndrome （PCOS）， and to provide evidence-based reference for clinical decision. METHODS： Retrieved from PubMed， Embase， Cochrane Library， CJFD， Wanfang database， VIP and CBM， randomized controlled trials （RCTs） about MCDD combined with chemical medicine [ethynestradiol cycloprogesterone （Diane-35）， clomiphene， metformin] （trial group） versus chemical medicine alone （control group） in the treatment of PCOS were collected. After data extraction and quality evaluation with Cochrane 5.1.0 bias risk evaluation tool and Jadad scale， Meta-analysis was conducted for total response rate， serum hormone level （FSH， LH， LH/FSH， testosterone）， BMI， ovulation rate and physical signs （hirsutism， acne） by using Stata 14.0 software. Trial sequential analysis（TSA）was conducted by using TSA 0.9 software. RESULTS： A total of 20 RCTs were included， involving 1 484 patients. Results of Meta analysis showed that total response rate [RR＝1.13，95％CI （1.02，1.24），P＜0.05]， serum hormone level {FSH [WMD＝－0.59，95％CI（－0.98，－0.20），P＜0.05]，LH [WMD＝－0.95，95％CI（－1.41， －0.52），P＜0.05]，LH/FSH [WMD＝－1.04，95％CI（－1.78，－0.33），P＜0.05]，testosterone [WMD＝－0.93，95％CI（－1.38，－0.28），P＜0.05]}， BMI [SMD＝－1.01，95％CI  （－1.76，－0.27），P＜0.05]， ovulation rate [RR＝1.17，95％CI（1.02，1.34），P＜0.05] and physical signs {hirsutism [WMD＝－0.48，95％CI（－0.86， －0.10），P＜0.05]， acne [WMD＝－1.16，95％CI（－1.56，－0.75），P＜0.05]} of trial group were all better than those of control group， with statistical significance. TSA showed that there are reliable evidences for MCDD combined with chemical medicine in the treatment of PCOS. CONCLUSIONS： Versus chemical medicine alone in the treatment of PCOS， MCDD combined with chemical medicine can improve total response rate and ovulation rate， reduce serum hormone levels， BMI and physical signs.