Rheumatoid arthritis （RA） is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovitis as its pathological basis. Although current therapeutic drugs can alleviate symptoms， they are often accompanied by a high risk of side effects. In recent years， the use of flavonoids from traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in the treatment of RA has garnered significant attention. Studies have shown that the mechanisms by which flavonoids treat RA include inhibiting the release of pro-inflammatory factors， regulating multiple cellular signaling pathways， alleviating oxidative stress， modulating immune system functions， inhibiting bone destruction， and suppressing angiogenesis. Due to their notable anti-inflammatory， antioxidant， and immunomodulatory activities， flavonoids hold promise as potential therapeutic agents for RA. A substantial number of articles in this field have been published. By reviewing Chinese and international literature and applying bibliometric and visual analysis using CiteSpace， this paper explored research hotspots and frontiers in this field， systematically reviewed the structures and anti-RA mechanisms of TCM flavonoids， provided a theoretical basis for their use in RA treatment and clinical applications， and offered new perspectives and references for the discovery of novel TCM-based anti-RA drugs.

Rheumatoid arthritis （RA） is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by synovitis as its pathological basis. Although current therapeutic drugs can alleviate symptoms， they are often accompanied by a high risk of side effects. In recent years， the use of flavonoids from traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） in the treatment of RA has garnered significant attention. Studies have shown that the mechanisms by which flavonoids treat RA include inhibiting the release of pro-inflammatory factors， regulating multiple cellular signaling pathways， alleviating oxidative stress， modulating immune system functions， inhibiting bone destruction， and suppressing angiogenesis. Due to their notable anti-inflammatory， antioxidant， and immunomodulatory activities， flavonoids hold promise as potential therapeutic agents for RA. A substantial number of articles in this field have been published. By reviewing Chinese and international literature and applying bibliometric and visual analysis using CiteSpace， this paper explored research hotspots and frontiers in this field， systematically reviewed the structures and anti-RA mechanisms of TCM flavonoids， provided a theoretical basis for their use in RA treatment and clinical applications， and offered new perspectives and references for the discovery of novel TCM-based anti-RA drugs.

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Objective: To establish a mouse model of lung injury induced by self-antigens and explore its pathological mechanisms to provide a reliable animal model for studying the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease(RA-ILD). Methods: The mice were injected intradermal with antigenemulsion made of complete freund′s adjuvant(CFA) and lung tissue protein, and the emulsion prepared with incomplete Freund′s adjuvant(IFA) was used to enhance immunity. HE staining was used to observe the histopathological changes in the mice. Masson staining was used to detect pulmonary fibrosis. The mRNA levels of rheumatoid factor(RF), krebs von den lungen-6(KL-6) and surfactant protein D(SP-D) were detected by qPCR. The levels of ACPA, IgG1, IgG2a and IgG3 antibodies were detected by ELISA. The changes of inflammatory cells and α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA)expression in lung tissue were detected by immunofluorescence staining. The protein expression levels of Collagen I and α-SMA were detected by Western blot. The changes of immune cells were detected by flow cytometry. Results: HE staining showed that inflammatory cell infiltration increased and tissue structure changed significantly in lung tissue after the model was established by self-lung tissue antigen. Masson staining showed increased collagen deposition in lung tissue of model mice. qPCR tests revealed elevated mRNA levels of RF, KL-6 and SP-D. ELISA tests revealed elevated levels of ACPA, IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies. Immunofluorescence results showed that monocytes and T cells increased, and α-SMA expression increased in the model group. Western blot results showed increased protein expressions of Collagen Ⅰ and α-SMA. The flow cytometry results showed an increase in T cells and monocytes in the lung tissue. Conclusion The mouse model of lung injury induced by self-antigens is successfully established, and T cells and monocytes may be involved in the occurrence and progression of the disease.

The Spt-Ada-Gcn5-acetyltransferase (SAGA) is an ancillary transcription initiation complex which is highly conserved. The ADA1 (alteration/deficiency in activation 1, also called histone H2A functional interactor 1, HFI1) is a subunit in the core module of the SAGA protein complex. ADA1 plays an important role in plant growth and development as well as stress resistance. In this paper, we performed genome-wide identification of banana ADA1 gene family members based on banana genomic data, and analyzed the basic physicochemical properties, evolutionary relationships, selection pressure, promoter cis-acting elements, and its expression profiles under biotic and abiotic stresses. The results showed that there were 10, 6, and 7 family members in Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana and Musa itinerans. The members were all unstable and hydrophilic proteins, and only contained the conservative SAGA-Tad1 domain. Both MaADA1 and MbADA1 have interactive relationship with Sgf11 (SAGA-associated factor 11) of core module in SAGA. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that banana ADA1 gene family members could be divided into 3 classes. The evolution of ADA1 gene family members was mostly influenced by purifying selection. There were large differences among the gene structure of banana ADA1 gene family members. ADA1 gene family members contained plenty of hormonal elements. MaADA1-1 may play a prominent role in the resistance of banana to cold stress, while MaADA1 may respond to the Panama disease of banana. In conclusion, this study suggested ADA1 gene family members are highly conserved in banana, and may respond to biotic and abiotic stress.
Musa/genetics* ; Phylogeny ; Fungal Proteins ; Cell Nucleus ; Histones ; Stress, Physiological/genetics*

Objective To explore the expression and clinical significance of autophagy related proteins Beclin-1,microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)in placenta tissues of pregnant women with fetal growth restric-tion(FGR).Methods A total of 40 pregnant women undergoing delivery due to FGR and 40 pregnant women un-dergoing normal delivery in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were enrolled as FGR group and healthy group between August 2022 and August 2023.The general clinical data in the two groups were collected.The levels of Beclin-1 and LC3 mRNA in placenta tissues were detected by PCR,and expressions of Beclin-1 and LC3 proteins were detected by immunohistochemistry.The differences in positive of Beclin-1 and LC3 proteins among patients with different clinical data were analyzed.Results The placental thickness,placental mass and neonatal weight in FGR group were lower than those in healthy group(P＜0.05).The mRNA levels of Beclin-1 and LC3 in FGR group were higher than those in healthy group(P＜0.05)and positive expression rates of Beclin-1 and LC3 proteins were significantly higher than those in healthy group(P＜0.05).There was significant difference in positive expression profile of Beclin-1 and LC3 proteins among patients with different placental thickness,placental mass and neonatal weight(P＜0.05).Conclusions The positive expressions of autophagy genes(Beclin-1 and LC3)are related to FGR,and their specific expression levels are closely related to fetal growth and development.

Objective:To explore the effect of complement component C1s on the proliferation,migration and adhesion of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)cells and on the growth of xenograft tumors in nude mice.Methods:The C1S mRNA ex-pression of ESCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues(ANTs)were analyzed using NCBI-GEO database.The C1s expression of ESCC cell lines was analyzed with RT-qPCR and Western blot.The knockdown or overexpression of C1s in ESCC cells lines was performed using C1s small interfering RNA(siRNA),C1s short hairpin RNA(shRNA)or C1s overexpression lentivirus,and the cell prolifera-tion was detected by CCK-8 assay,cell migration was detected by cell wound healing assay,cell adhesion was detected by cell-matrix adhesion assay,the expressions of matrix metalloproteinases MMP1 and MMP13 were detected by Western blot,and the effect of C1s on the growth of xenograft tumors in nude mice was detected by subcutaneous tumorigenesis assay in nude mice.The expression of CD34 in the xenograft tumors was detected by immunohistochemistry,and the formation of tumor microvessel was analyzed.Results:The expression of C1S mRNA in ESCC tissues was significantly higher than that in ANTs.Knockdown of C1s significantly suppressed proliferation,migration and cell-matrix adhesion of ESCC cells,as well as growth of xenograft tumors in nude mice,while overexpres-sion of C1s had the opposite effects.The expressions of MMP1 and MMP13 were decreased in ESCC cells TE-1 with C1s knockdown.Compared with control group,the microvessel of the xenograft tumors in the C1s overexpression group were more abundant.Conclu-sion:C1s is significantly upregulated in ESCC tissues,and promotes proliferation,migration,cell-matrix adhesion of ESCC cells,and the growth of xenograft tumors.C1s may play an important role in the occurrence and development of ESCC.

Objective To screen and verify the genes that play key role in the occurrence and development of esophageal cancer by u-sing bioinformatics and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)methods to find new markers for diagnosis of esophageal cancer(ESCA).Methods Using the TCGA database and Wayne plot analysis,the cross genes between the differentially expressed genes of ESCA and the genes which have the most significant impacts on disease-free survival(DFS)rate in esophageal cancer patients were preliminarily identified.Following conducting protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis on the overlapping genes,GO and KEGG functional analysis was performed to screen the potential key genes as the diagnostic markers of esophageal cancer.qRT-PCR was used to quantitatively analyze the expression of mRNA of the key gene in peripheral blood.Statistical analysis was con-ducted based on the clinico-pathological characteristics of the patients to determine its potential value as a new diagnostic marker for e-sophageal cancer.Results After overlapping of differentially expressed genes of ESCA and disease-free survival genes in the TCGA database,39 upregulated genes and 20 downregulated genes were found to be differentially expressed,all of which affected disease-free survival rate.After conducting PPI network analysis,15 upregulated genes with core interactions were identified,and the downregulat-ed genes did not form any interaction network.Further enrichment analysis of these 15 core interacting genes through GO and KEGG,revealed that fibronectin 1(FN1)may be a potential biomarker for ESCA diagnosis.The qRT-PCR results showed that compared with the healthy control group,the mRNA expression level of FN1 in the peripheral blood of esophageal cancer patients was significantly ele-vated.After analyzing the clinical characteristics of patients,it was found that the patients with poor differentiation and high clinico-pathological staging had significantly increased peripheral blood FN1 mRNA levels.The model with FN1 mRNA expression levels can distinguish esophageal cancer patients from healthy individuals.Conclusion FN1 mRNA may be a potential non-invasive diagnostic biomarker for esophageal cancer.

Background::Limited information exists regarding the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection on psoriasis patients. The objective of this study was to identify clinical factors associated with the prognosis of psoriasis following SARS-CoV-2 infection.Methods::A retrospective, multicenter study was conducted between March and May 2023. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify factors associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related psoriasis outcomes. The study included 2371 psoriasis patients from 12 clinical centers, with 2049 of them having been infected with SARS-CoV-2.Results::Among the infected groups, lower exacerbation rates were observed in individuals treated with biologics compared to those receiving traditional systemic or nonsystemic treatments (22.3% [236/1058] vs. 39.8% [92/231] vs. 37.5% [140/373], P <0.001). Psoriasis progression with lesions (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 8.197, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 5.685–11.820, compared to no lesions), hypertension (adjusted OR = 1.582, 95% CI = 1.068–2.343), traditional systemic (adjusted OR = 1.887, 95% CI= 1.263–2.818), and nonsystemic treatment (adjusted OR= 1.602, 95% CI= 1.117–2.297) were found to be associated with exacerbation of psoriasis after SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not biologics (adjusted OR = 0.931, 95% CI = 0.680–1.274, compared to no treatment), according to multivariable logistic regression analysis. Conclusions::A reduced risk of psoriasis exacerbation after SARS-CoV-2 infection was observed with biologics compared to traditional systemic and nonsystemic treatments. Significant risk factors for exacerbation after infection were identified as existing psoriatic lesions and hypertension.