Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and abundant infiltration of non-malignant lymphocytes, which renders patients potentially suitable candidates for immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) inhibit the growth of NPC cells and enhance cellular apoptosis and differentiation. Currently, the relationship between PLUNC (as a tumor-suppressor) and PD-L1 in NPC is unclear. Methods: We collected clinical samples of NPC to verify the relationship between PLUNC and PD-L1. PLUNC plasmid was transfected into NPC cells, and the variation of PD-L1 was verified by western blot and immunofluorescence. In NPC cells, we verified the relationship of PD-L1, activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), and β-catenin by western blot and immunofluorescence. Later, we further verified that PLUNC regulates PD-L1 through β-catenin. Finally, the effect of PLUNC on β-catenin was verified by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Results: We found that PLUNC expression was lower in NPC tissues than in paracancer tissues. PD-L1 expression was opposite to that of PLUNC. Western blot and immunofluorescence showed that β-catenin could upregulate ATF3 and PD-L1, while PLUNC could downregulate ATF3/PD-L1 by inhibiting the expression of β-catenin. PLUNC inhibits the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus. Co-IP experiments demonstrated that PLUNC inhibited the interaction of DEAD-box helicase 17 (DDX17) and β-catenin. Conclusions PLUNC downregulates the expression of PD-L1 by inhibiting the interaction of DDX17/β-catenin in NPC.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and abundant infiltration of non-malignant lymphocytes, which renders patients potentially suitable candidates for immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) inhibit the growth of NPC cells and enhance cellular apoptosis and differentiation. Currently, the relationship between PLUNC (as a tumor-suppressor) and PD-L1 in NPC is unclear. Methods: We collected clinical samples of NPC to verify the relationship between PLUNC and PD-L1. PLUNC plasmid was transfected into NPC cells, and the variation of PD-L1 was verified by western blot and immunofluorescence. In NPC cells, we verified the relationship of PD-L1, activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), and β-catenin by western blot and immunofluorescence. Later, we further verified that PLUNC regulates PD-L1 through β-catenin. Finally, the effect of PLUNC on β-catenin was verified by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Results: We found that PLUNC expression was lower in NPC tissues than in paracancer tissues. PD-L1 expression was opposite to that of PLUNC. Western blot and immunofluorescence showed that β-catenin could upregulate ATF3 and PD-L1, while PLUNC could downregulate ATF3/PD-L1 by inhibiting the expression of β-catenin. PLUNC inhibits the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus. Co-IP experiments demonstrated that PLUNC inhibited the interaction of DEAD-box helicase 17 (DDX17) and β-catenin. Conclusions PLUNC downregulates the expression of PD-L1 by inhibiting the interaction of DDX17/β-catenin in NPC.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is characterized by high programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and abundant infiltration of non-malignant lymphocytes, which renders patients potentially suitable candidates for immune checkpoint blockade therapies. Palate, lung, and nasal epithelium clone (PLUNC) inhibit the growth of NPC cells and enhance cellular apoptosis and differentiation. Currently, the relationship between PLUNC (as a tumor-suppressor) and PD-L1 in NPC is unclear. Methods: We collected clinical samples of NPC to verify the relationship between PLUNC and PD-L1. PLUNC plasmid was transfected into NPC cells, and the variation of PD-L1 was verified by western blot and immunofluorescence. In NPC cells, we verified the relationship of PD-L1, activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), and β-catenin by western blot and immunofluorescence. Later, we further verified that PLUNC regulates PD-L1 through β-catenin. Finally, the effect of PLUNC on β-catenin was verified by co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP). Results: We found that PLUNC expression was lower in NPC tissues than in paracancer tissues. PD-L1 expression was opposite to that of PLUNC. Western blot and immunofluorescence showed that β-catenin could upregulate ATF3 and PD-L1, while PLUNC could downregulate ATF3/PD-L1 by inhibiting the expression of β-catenin. PLUNC inhibits the entry of β-catenin into the nucleus. Co-IP experiments demonstrated that PLUNC inhibited the interaction of DEAD-box helicase 17 (DDX17) and β-catenin. Conclusions PLUNC downregulates the expression of PD-L1 by inhibiting the interaction of DDX17/β-catenin in NPC.

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

Healthy lifestyles and good living habits are effective strategies and important approaches to prevent chronic non-communicable diseases. With the development of evidence-based medicine, the evidence translation system has made some achievements in clinical practice. There is, however, no comprehensive, professional and efficient system for translating lifestyle evidence globally. Therefore, the Health Lifestyle Evidence (HLSE) Group of Lanzhou University constructed the HLSE Evidence Translation System (https://hlse.cn/), with the aim of synthesizing, evaluating, translating, and applying lifestyle-related evidence resources. This paper aims to introduce the functional module design of the evidence translation system, the system development process and testing, introduce the interface design and function demonstration, and explain the significance of constructing the HLSE.

ObjectiveTo observe the mechanism of Jiawei Guizhi Fuling decoction （JGFD） in alleviating sciatic nerve injury in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy （PDPN） rats by regulating mitophagy through the PTEN-induced putative kinase 1 （PINK1）/Parkin signaling pathway. MethodThe PDPN model was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin （STZ）. After modeling， the rats were randomly divided into JGFD high， medium， and low dose groups （JGFD-H， JGFD-M， JGFD-L； 39.6， 19.8， 9.9 g·kg^-1·d^-1， respectively）， a positive drug group （lipoic acid capsules， LA； 50 mg·kg^-1·d^-1）， and a model group （PDPN）. A blank control group （CON） was established. Drug intervention was administered continuously for 8 weeks after modeling. Measurements included body weight and fasting blood glucose of PDPN rats at weeks 0， 2， 4， and 8， mechanical pain threshold and thermal pain threshold at weeks 0 and 8， and motor nerve conduction velocity at week 8. Hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining was used to observe the morphology of sciatic nerve tissue. The ultrastructure of mitochondria and autophagosomes was observed by transmission electron microscopy. Western blot was performed to detect the protein expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， p62， Beclin-1， and LC3 in sciatic nerve tissue. Additionally， real-time quantitative PCR （Real-time PCR） was performed to detect the mRNA expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， p62， Beclin-1， and LC3 in sciatic nerve tissue. ResultCompared with the CON group， the PDPN group showed a significant decrease in body weight at all time points， a significant increase in fasting blood glucose， significantly shortened mechanical pain and thermal pain thresholds， and significantly reduced motor nerve conduction velocity. The protein and mRNA expression of PINK1， Parkin， Beclin-1， and microtubule-associated protein light chain 3（LC3） in sciatic nerve tissue was significantly reduced， while p62 protein and mRNA expression was significantly increased （P<0.01）. Pathological changes included edema of sciatic nerve fibers， segmental demyelination， loose and disordered arrangement of the myelin sheath layers， significant swelling of mitochondria， reduced electron density， disappearance of cristae， and absence of typical autophagosome and autolysosome structures. Compared with the PDPN group， each JGFD dose group showed a significant increase in body weight and a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose （P<0.05， P<0.01）. The mechanical pain threshold and thermal pain threshold were significantly prolonged， and motor nerve conduction velocity was significantly increased across all JGFD and LA groups. The expression levels of PINK1， Parkin， Beclin-1， and LC3 proteins and mRNA in sciatic nerve tissue were significantly increased， while p62 protein and mRNA expression levels were significantly decreased （P<0.05， P<0.01）. Pathological damage to the sciatic nerve was alleviated to varying degrees， with a relatively intact myelin sheath morphology and intact or slightly edematous outer mitochondrial membrane. Autophagolysosome structures were observed in the JGFD-M and JGFD-H groups. Compared with the LA group， the JGFD-H group showed a significant increase in body weight， a significant reduction in fasting blood glucose， a significant increase in motor nerve conduction velocity， a significant increase in PINK1 protein expression and PINK1， Parkin， and Beclin-1 mRNA expression in sciatic nerve tissue， and a significant decrease in p62 mRNA expression （P<0.05， P<0.01）. ConclusionJGFD may alleviate sciatic nerve injury in PDPN rats by activating mitophagy through the regulation of the PINK1/Parkin signaling pathway.

Objective To analyze the short-term clinical efficacy and prognosis of one-stop transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)+percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the treatment of aortic valve disease with coronary heart disease. Methods The clinical data of patients with aortic valve disease complicated with coronary heart disease who underwent one-stop TAVR+PCI treatment at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2018 to June 2023 were retrospective analyzed. The preoperative and postoperative clinical data were compared, and 1-month follow-up results were recorded. Results A total of 37 patients were enrolled, including 22 males and 15 females, with an average age of 69.14±6.47 years. Thirty-six patients recovered and were discharged after the surgery, and 1 (2.7%) patient died during the surgery. Self-expanding TAVR valves were implanted through the femoral artery in all patients. One coronary artery was opened by PCI in 35 (94.6%) patients, and two coronary arteries were opened by PCI in 2 (5.4%) patients. All PCI opened arteries had a stenosis>70%. During the postoperative hospitalization, the complications included pulmonary infection in 11 (30.6%) patients, severe pneumonia in 10 (27.8%) patients, liver function injury in 14 (38.9%) patients, renal function injury in 5 (13.9%) patients, cerebral infarction in 1 (2.8%) patient, atrial fibrillation in 1 (2.8%) patient, ventricular premature beats in 2 (5.6%) patients, atrioventricular block in 2 (5.6%) patients, and complete left bundle branch block in 5 (13.9%) patients. The median postoperative ventilation assistance time was 12.0 (0.0, 17.0) h, the ICU monitoring time was 1.0 (0.0, 2.0) d, and the postoperative hospitalization time was 5.0 (4.0, 7.0) d. There was a significant improvement in the New York Heart Association cardiac function grading after surgery (P<0.001). After surgery, there were 21 (58.3%) patients had minor perivalve leakage, 6 (16.7%) patients had minor to moderate perivalve leakage, and no moderate or above degree of perivalve leakage. After one month of postoperative follow-up, 36 patients showed significant improvement in heart function. There were no patients with recurrent acute coronary syndrome, re-PCI, or cardiovascular system disease related re-hospitalization. Conclusion The one-stop TAVR+PCI treatment for patients with aortic valve disease and coronary heart disease can obtain satisfactory short-term clinical efficacy, which is worth further trying and studying.

Healthy lifestyles and good living habits are effective strategies and important approaches to prevent chronic non-communicable diseases. With the development of evidence-based medicine, the evidence translation system has made some achievements in clinical practice. There is, however, no comprehensive, professional and efficient system for translating lifestyle evidence globally. Therefore, the Health Lifestyle Evidence (HLSE) Group of Lanzhou University constructed the HLSE Evidence Translation System (https://hlse.cn/), with the aim of synthesizing, evaluating, translating, and applying lifestyle-related evidence resources. This paper aims to introduce the functional module design of the evidence translation system, the system development process and testing, introduce the interface design and function demonstration, and explain the significance of constructing the HLSE.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Ganjie Bingmei Tablet （甘桔冰梅片， GBT） in treating acute pharyngitis with wind-heat invading the lung syndrome. MethodsUsing multi-center， rando-mized， double-blind， double-dummy， positive and parallel controlled clinical trial design， 144 acute pharyngitis patients with wind-heat invading the lung syndrome from October 8th， 2022 to March 31st， 2023 were collected and randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group， with 72 cases in each group. The treatment group was treated by GBT （0.4 g each time， 4 times a day） combined with Ganjie Qingyan Granules （甘桔清咽颗粒， GQG） placebo （10 g each time， 3 times a day）， while the control group was treated by GQG （10 g each time， 3 times a day） combined with GBT placebo （0.4 g each time， 4 times a day）， both for 5 days. The clinical efficacy of the two groups was observed， and the disappearance rate of pharyngalgia and the efficacy regarding TCM syndromes were compared between groups after treatment. The visual analog scale （VAS） score before and after treatment was assessed， and the safety was evaluated. ResultsThe disappearance rate of pharyngalgia in the treatment group was 98.61%（71/72）， significantly higher than 80.56%（58/72） in the control group （P＜0.01）. The VAS scores in both groups significantly decreased after treatment （P＜0.05）， and lower score was found in the treatment group than the control group （P＜0.05）. The total effective rate regarding TCM syndromes was 100% in both groups， but the curative rate was significantly higher in the treatment group（73.61%， 53/72） than the control group （62.50%， 45/72， P＜0.05）. There were no obvious adverse reactions in the both groups. ConclusionGBT is effective and safe in treating acute pharyngitis with wind-heat affecting the lung syndrome.

Objective To investigate the correlation between serum nickel-like protein(Metrnl)level and glycolipid metabolism and inflammatory state in patients with T2DM complicated with abdominal obesity.Methods One hundred and twenty-four T2DM patients and 140 non-diabetic controls who were hospitalized in Gansu Provincial People's Hospital from May to September 2022 were selected and divided into T2DM combined abdominal obesity group(T2DM+AO,n=81),T2DM group(n=43),abdominal obesity group(AO,n=69)and normal control group(NC,n=71)according to whether they suffered from T2DM and abdominal obesity.ELISA method was used to determine the levels of serum Metrnl,IL-4 and IL-13.The correlation between serum Metrnl and the indicators of glucose and lipid metabolism,WC,BMI,VFA,FPG,HbA1c,TC,TG,LDL-C,HDL-C and the indicators of inflammatory state,IL-4 and IL-13 were analyzed.Results Compared with NC group,serum Metrnl levels in T2DM group,AO and T2DM+AO group were decreased(P＜0.05).Serum Metrnl was negatively correlated with WC,BMI,VFA,FPG,HbA1c,TG,IL-4,IL-13(P＜0.01),and positively correlated with HDL-C(P＜0.05).Age,WC,BMI and IL-4 were the influencing factors of Metrnl.WC,VFA,FPG and Metrnl were the influencing factors of T2DM combined with abdominal obesity.The ROC curve showed that serum Metrnl had a sensitivity of 82.5%and a specificity of 93.8%for the diagnosis of T2DM with abdominal obesity.Conclusions Serum Metrnl in T2DM patients with abdominal obesity is significantly reduced,and is closely related to glucose and lipid metabolism and inflammatory status.Serum Metrnl may be a novel biomarker factor for T2DM complicated with abdominal obesity.