Interfering hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsid assembly holds promise as a therapeutic approach for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Novel anti-HBV agents are urgently needed to overcome drug resistance challenges, with targeted protein degradation (TPD) emerging as a hopeful strategy. Herein, we report the first degradation of HBV core protein (HBC), a multifunctional structural protein, using small-molecule degraders developed by hydrophobic tagging (HyT) technology. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis identified compound HyT-S7, featuring an adamantyl group, exhibiting potent inhibitory activity (EC₅₀ = 0.46 μmol/L, HepAD38 cells) and degradation ability (DC₅₀ = 3.02 ± 0.54 μmol/L) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the autophagy-lysosome pathway was a potential driver of HyT-S7-induced HBC degradation. Remarkably, HyT-S7 effectively degraded 11 drug-resistant mutants, including highly resistant strains P25G and T33N, to Phase III drug GLS4. Furthermore, cellular thermal shift assay, surface plasmon resonance assay, and molecular dynamics simulations revealed the precise mode of HyT-S7 binding to HBC with the adamantyl group potentially mimicking protein misfolding to facilitate HBC degradation. This first proof-of-concept study highlights the potential of HyT-mediated TPD in HBC as a promising avenue for discovering novel HBV and other antiviral agents with favorable drug resistance profiles.

Purpose To investigate the expression and po-tential clinical value of heat shock protein 90α(Hsp90α)in co-lon adenocarcinoma.Methods The expression level of Hsp90αin colon adenocarcinoma and its relationship with clinicopatho-logical features,prognosis and immune cell infiltration were ana-lyzed by bioinformatics and immunohistochemistry.The prolifer-ation ability of colon cancer cells before and after Hsp90AA1 knockout was detected by CCK-8 cell proliferation assay and plate cloning assay.Results The bioinformatics tools showed that Hsp90AA1 was abnormally higher in colon cancer tissues than adjacent tissues,and the higher the expression level,the worse the prognosis of patients.The expression of Hsp90AA1 was positively correlated with the infiltration levels of CD4+T cells(Th2),CD8+T cells,myeloid inhibitory cells,Tregs cells,neutrophils,macrophages,M1 macrophages and M2 macropha-ges.Immunohistochemical results showed that the expression of Hsp90α in colon cancer tissues was significantly higher than in its adjacent tissues.The expression of Hsp90α was related to age(P＜0.05),not related to gender,tumor size,location,clini-cal classification,differentiation degree,tumor node metastasis,lympho-vascular invasion,perineural invasion(P＞0.05).The high expression of Hsp90α was an independent risk factor for the prognosis of colon cancer patients.The results of cell experi-ments showed that Hsp90AA1 knockout inhibited the growth and proliferation of colon cancer cells.Conclusion Hsp90α is highly expressed in colon adenocarcinoma,which may be a po-tential molecular marker for poor prognosis of colon adenocarci-noma.

Objective:To explore the relationship between the life satisfaction of family caregivers and the de-gree of disability of disabled elderly people in Xinjiang Uygur and Kazak nationality,and the role of family mem-bers'participation in the relationship.Methods:A total of 431 elderly people with disabilities at home and their fam-ily caregivers(247 without family members and 184 with family members)were selected from Xinjiang Uygur and Kazak ethnic groups,and the survey was conducted with the Activity of Daily Living Scale(ADL)and Life Satis-faction Index B(LSIB).Results:The LSIB scores in family caregivers were negatively correlated with the ADL scores in the disabled elderly(r=-0.19,P＜0.01),and the family members'participation in care was positively correlated with the LSIB scores of family caregivers(r=0.52,P＜0.01).Family members'participation in care could moderate the negative effect of the ADL scores in the disabled elderly on the LSIB scores in family caregivers(β=0.08,P＜0.05).Conclusion:The involvement of family members in care has a moderating effect on the life satisfaction of Uyghur and Kazak family caregivers and the degree of disability of disabled elderly people.

Objective:To investigate the diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in AIDS patients complicated with Pneumocystis jirovecii ( P. jirovecii) infection. Methods:This is a retrospective study. From January 2019 to June 2021, the respiratory tract and other body fluid samples of 236 cases of AIDS co-infected patients diagnosed in the AIDS Department of Changsha First Hospital were collected, along with corresponding medical histories. Traditional etiological hexamine silver staining and serum 1,3-β-D glucan (BDG) were performed simultaneously with mNGS detection, and Fisher′s exact test was used to analyze the results and compare the diagnostic performances of mNGS with those of hexamine silver staining and serum G test.Results:A total of 236 cases of AIDS patients with pulmonary infection were collected and tested. Seventy-seven cases were clinically diagnosed with Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia and 159 cases with non- Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia. Among the 236 AIDS patients with pulmonary infection, mNGS detected 77 [32.63%(77/236)] positive cases of Pneumocystis jiroveci, while hexamine silver staining detected 10[4.24%(10/236)] and serum BDG detected 146 [61.86% (146/236). Based on these clinical diagnostic results, the sensitivity of mNGS detection was 100% (77/77) for the 77 patients with Pneumocystis pneumoniae, significantly higher than that of silver hexamine staining [12.99% (10/77), P=0.046] and serum BDG [58.44% (45/77), P=0.038]. The mNGS showed good specificity, which was the same as that of hexamine silver staining [100% (159/159)] and significantly higher than that of serum BDG [36.48% (58/159), P=0.026]. With therapeutic clinical diagnosis as the reference method, the accuracy of mNGS detection was 100% (236/236). Conclusions:This study evaluated the diagnostic value of mNGS detection in AIDS patients with Pneumocystis jirovecii infection. The results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of mNGS detection were high, and it had exceptional clinical application value in the pathogenic detection of infectious diseases.

Objective To investigate the impacts of tanshinone ⅡA(Tan ⅡA)on lipopolysaccharide(LPS)induced proliferation and apoptosis of dental pulp stem cells by regulating the fatty acid synthase(Fas)/fatty acid synthase ligand(FasL)signaling pathway.Methods Identification of human pulp stem cells(hDPSCs)isolated from the third molar of 18～20 years old patients requiring orthodontics.Lps-induced hDPSCs were treated with low,medium and high doses of Tan ⅡA,and then human recombinant FasL protein(rh FasL)was used to intervene the LPS-induced hDPSCs after high dose Tan ⅡA.Proliferation and apoptosis of hDPSCs,levels of tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin(IL)-6 in hDPSCs supernatant,proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA),Cleaved aspartate-specific cysteine proteinase-3(Cleaved Caspase-3),Fas,FasL protein expression were detected.Results hDPSCs were successfully isolated.In a dose-dependent manner,Tan ⅡA promoted LPS-induced proliferation,inhibited apoptosis,up-regulated PCNA protein expression,and inhibited TNF-α,IL-6 level,Cleaved Caspase-3,Fas,and FasL protein expression.The effect of rh FasL on LPS-induced dental pulp stem cells was opposite to the above indexes(P<0.05).rh FasL attenuates the effect of high-dose Tan ⅡA on pro-liferation and apoptosis of LPS-induced dental pulp stem cells.Conclusion Tan ⅡA may promote LPS induced hDPSCs proliferation and inhibit apoptosis by inhibiting the Fas/FasL signaling pathway.

Phytoremediation plays an important role in the treatment of heavy metal pollution in soil. In order to elucidate the mechanism of salicylic acid (SA) on copper absorption, seedlings from Xuzhou (with strong Cu-tolerance) and Weifang Helianthus tuberosus cultivars (with weak Cu-tolerance) were selected for pot culture experiments. 1 mmol/L SA was sprayed upon 300 mg/kg soil copper stress, and the photosynthesis, leaf antioxidant system, several essential mineral nutrients and the changes of root upon copper stress were analyzed to explore the mechanism of copper resistance. The results showed that Pn, Tr, Gs and Ci upon copper stress decreased significantly compared to the control group. Meanwhile, chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and carotenoid decreased with significant increase in initial fluorescence (F₀), maximum photochemical quantum yield of PSⅡ (Fv/Fm), electron transfer rate (ETR) and photochemical quenching coefficient (qP) content all decreased. The ascorbic acid (AsA) content was decreased, the glutathione (GSH) value was increased, the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activity in the leaves were decreased, and the peroxidase (POD) activity was significantly increased. SA increased the Cu content in the ground and root system, and weakened the nutrient uptake capacity of K, Ca, Mg, and Zn in the root stem and leaves. Spray of exogenous SA can maintain the opening of leaf stomata, improve the adverse effect of copper on photosynthetic pigment and PSⅡ reaction center. Mediating the SOD and APX activity started the AsA-GSH cycle process, effectively regulated the antioxidant enzyme system in chrysanthemum taro, significantly reduced the copper content of all parts of the plant, and improved the ion exchange capacity in the body. External SA increased the content of the negative electric group on the root by changing the proportion of components in the root, promoted the absorption of mineral nutrient elements and the accumulation of osmoregulatory substances, strengthened the fixation effect of the root on metal copper, and avoided its massive accumulation in the H. tuberosus body, so as to alleviate the inhibitory effect of copper on plant growth. The study revealed the physiological regulation of SA upon copper stress, and provided a theoretical basis for planting H. tuberosus to repair soil copper pollution.
Antioxidants ; Copper ; Helianthus/metabolism* ; Salicylic Acid/pharmacology* ; Chlorophyll A/pharmacology* ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; Chlorophyll/pharmacology* ; Ascorbic Acid ; Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism* ; Photosynthesis ; Glutathione ; Plant Leaves ; Stress, Physiological ; Seedlings

Objective:To explore the effect of midwife-led specialist outpatient weight management on the delivery outcomes of pregnant women with scarred uterus.Methods:From January 2020 to January 2021, convenience sampling was used to select 120 pregnant women with singleton scarred uterus in the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University as the research object. Pregnant women were divided into the control group and the observation group by random number table method, 60 cases in each group. The control group received routine antenatal outpatient examination and guidance, while the observation group received midwife-led specialist outpatient weight management on the basis of the control group. The vaginal delivery rate, cesarean section rate, 24-hour postpartum hemorrhage, anxiety and newborn birth weight were compared between the two groups.Results:The vaginal delivery rate of pregnant women in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and the cesarean section rate, 24-hour postpartum hemorrhage, anxiety and newborn birth weight were lower than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05) . Conclusions:Midwife-led specialist outpatient weight management can effectively control the weight gain of pregnant women with scarred uterus during pregnancy, improve delivery outcomes, reduce postpartum hemorrhage and maternal anxiety, and help control the birth weight of newborns within the ideal range, which is worthy of clinical application.

Objective: To estimate the incidence of metabolic syndrome and explore possible risk factors for metabolic syndrome in adults of rural communities in Yuhuan county, Zhejiang province, China. Methods: During June-December, 2018, a follow-up survey was conducted in participants without metabolic syndrome at baseline survey in 2012 to obtain the information collected in questionnaire survey, anthropometric data and laboratory data. The incidence of metabolic syndrome in the participants was estimated, and Logistic regression model was used to explore the risk factors, adjusted risk ratio (aRR) and 95%CI. Results: Among 3 162 participants, 522 new metabolic syndrome cases were identified. The 6-year cumulative incidence rate of metabolic syndrome was 16.5%, and the cumulative incidence rate was higher in women (20.6%) than that in men (12.3%, P<0.001). Those incidence rates were higher in those in jobless, smoking or drinking groups. Being women (aRR=1.96, 95%CI: 1.50-2.58) and family history of hypertension (aRR=1.31, 95%CI: 1.04-1.63) were independent risk factors for metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: The follow up indicated that the incidence of metabolic syndrome was relatively high in rural adults on islands in Zhejiang, and women or those with family history of hypertension were more likely to have metabolic syndrome.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Islands ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome/epidemiology* ; Risk Factors ; Rural Population

Objective To determine the epidemiological and etiological characteristics of hand，foot，and mouth disease （HFMD） in Pujiang County from 2008 through 2020， so as to provide scientific evidence for prevention and control measures. Methods Descriptive epidemiological analysis was used to analyze HFMD cases retrieved in the Chinese Information System for Disease Control and Prevention in Pujiang County during 2008‒2020. Results From 2008 through 2020， a total of 9 393 cases were documented in Pujiang County， with an annual incidence of 182.3 per 100 000， showing a trend of alternating high-incidence and low-incidence years. The seasonal distribution was bimodal， and the incidence peaked in May-July and November-December. The incidence of HFMD in urban areas was significantly higher than that in rural areas， and the incidence was positively correlated with population density. Majority of cases （94.9%） were children under 5 years old， of which boys had higher incidence than girls. The number of documented cases was the highest among preschool children living in families and kindergartens， accounting for 97.3%. Totally， 558 cases were laboratory confirmed in Pujiang County in 2008-2020， of which severe cases were all caused by EV71 infection. Conclusion Enterovirus serotypes in HFMD have continually changed from 2008 through 2020 in Pujiang County. However， severe HFMD remains principally attributable to EV71 infection， suggesting that it is necessary to strengthen the surveillance on the etiology of HFMD. In addition， it warrants further promotion of EV71 vaccination.

COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection severely threatens global health and economic development. No effective antiviral drug is currently available to treat COVID-19 and any other human coronavirus infections. We report herein that a macrolide antibiotic, carrimycin, potently inhibited the cytopathic effects (CPE) and reduced the levels of viral protein and RNA in multiple cell types infected by human coronavirus 229E, OC43, and SARS-CoV-2. Time-of-addition and pseudotype virus infection studies indicated that carrimycin inhibited one or multiple post-entry replication events of human coronavirus infection. In support of this notion, metabolic labelling studies showed that carrimycin significantly inhibited the synthesis of viral RNA. Our studies thus strongly suggest that carrimycin is an antiviral agent against a broad-spectrum of human coronaviruses and its therapeutic efficacy to COVID-19 is currently under clinical investigation.