Objective : To examine the role of LMO4 in the regulation of endothelial cell differentiation and angio- genesis in murine embryonic stem cells (mESC) ． Methods : Mouse Lmo4 cDNA was obtained from MEL cells by using the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and subcloned into the expression vector pFG to generate the pFLG ，in which contained Flk-1 promoter to drive Lmo4 expresses in only FLK-1 + cells．The mESC were transfected with pFG or pFLG plasmids and subsequently screened with geneticin ( G418) to produce cell clones． These cell clones were named mESC /pFG and mESC /pFLG ，respectively． The mESC /pFG and mESC /pFLG were cultured in the differentiation medium for either 4 days or 10 days to generate embryoid bodies (EB) ．The 10-day embryoid bodies ( 10 d-EBs) carrying the pFG and pFLG vectors were subsequently stimulated to generate the blast-colony forming cells (BL-CFC) ，which indicated the presence of hemangioblasts．The endo- thelial cell sprouting analysis was performed by using 10 d-EBs．The expression of the interest genes was detected by using qualitative RT-PCR or Western blot analysis. Results : The pFLG expression vector was successfully con- structed through PCR identification．The mESC /pFG and mESC /pFLG cells were obtained after transfected with the pFG or pFLG vectors and selected by G418．The cells spontaneously differentiate to generate EBs，in which some green fluoresce cells were present．Western blot analysis showed that a significant increase in LMO4 expression in both 4 d-EB and 10 d-EB when compared to mESC．BL-CFC analysis showed that the 4 d-EB/ pFLG had a higher cloning efficiency ( 7. 70% ± 1. 27% ) ，comparing with that of the 4 d-EB/ pFG ( 1. 15% ± 0. 48% ) ( P = 0. 021) ．Quantitative RT-PCR results showed that the expression of Flk-1，C-kit，Tie-2 and Ve-cad genes in 10 d- EBs /pFLG increased more than 2-fold compared to 10 d-EBs /pFG．The endothelial cell sprouting analysis result showed a significant increase in the number and length of new blood vessels in 10 d-EB/ pFLG compared to 10 d- EB/ pFG (P＜0. 05) ． Conclusion Overexpression of LMO4 promotes hemangioblast differentiation from mESC， and benefits for endothelial cell differentiation and angiogenesis.

Objective: To investigate the effect of G protein-coupled receptor 108(GPR108) gene knockout on systemic inflammation in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-induced sepsis mice. Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice and GPR108 gene knockout mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: WT group, WT-LPS group, KO group, KO-LPS group. The physiological characteristics of mice in different groups were observed, and the morphological changes of liver and lung tissues were observed. Macrophages were extracted from bone marrow and subjected to flow cytometry to detect their M1 polarization status. The expression levels of IL-6 in liver and lung tissues, macrophages, and serum were also measured. Results: KO-LPS group mice showed significant liver and lung tissue damage, with a significantly greater number of bone marrow-derived macrophages polarizing towards M1 in the KO-LPS group compared to the WT-LPS group. Additionally, at the tissue, cellular, and serum levels, the expression of IL-6 in the KO-LPS group mice was significantly higher than that in the WT-LPS group mice(P<0.05). Conclusion During the systemic inflammatory infection induced by LPS in mice, the lack of GPR108 exacerbates the systemic inflammatory response. GPR108 has an inhibitory effect on the inflammatory response in mice with LPS-induced sepsis.

Bluetongue virus is an arbovirus that seriously harms ruminants such as sheep,this study aims to investigate the molecular mechanism of bluetongue virus infection and host cell interferon antiviral immune response.The study was conducted to characterize the mRNA expression of inter-feron pathway genes by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR,as well as Western blot analysis of MDA5,TRAF3,RIG-Ⅰ,and TBK1 protein expression in BHK-21 cells induced by BTV with a multiplicity of infections(MOI)of 1 for 18,24,and 36 h.The results showed that the most pro-nounced changes in the expression of interferon signaling pathway genes were observed at 24 h of induction,the gene mRNA expression levels of the IFN-α,IFN-β,RIG-Ⅰ,TBK1,MDA5,VISA,and TRAF3 genes were upregulated.However,the mRNA expression levels of IKKε and TRAF6 genes were downregulated.At the protein level,MDA5 and TBK1 proteins were upregulated while RIG-1 and TRAF3 proteins were downregulated,which showed that BTV infection induces a typeⅠ interferon immune response in BHK-21 cells.This study lays the foundation for further exploring the antiviral immunity mechanism of IFN-Ⅰ signaling pathway regulatory genes in host cells infected with BTV infection.

Objective To investigate the role and mechanism of urate in chronic kidney disease complicated with renal interstitial fibrosis(CKD-RIF).Methods Mice were continuously fed with a diet containing 0.2％adenine for a duration of 9 weeks to establish mice models with CKD-RIF.By the end of the 9-week experimental periods,collected blood samples from the posterior orbital venous plexus of mice to measure renal functions and serum urate concentrations prior to euthanizing the mice.Hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining and periodic acid-Schiff staining(PAS)were used to investigate the pathological alternations in kidney tissues.Masson's trichrome staining was used to observe the extent of renal fibrosis.Urate staining was used to detect urate deposition in renal tissues.Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of target molecules.Scratch tests were used to ex-amine the migration abilities of cells treated with different concentrations of uric acid.Results The kidney function analysis showed that a significant increase in the levels of serum urea nitrogen(P=0.006 4),creatinine(P=0.008 0)and urate(P=0.000 7)in the CKD-RIF mice compared with the normal control group.The results of HE staining and PAS staining showed a significance of renal tubule injury and infiltration of inflammatory cells in the model group.Masson's trichrome staining showed that a marked increase in collagen deposition in the model group.The results of urate staining showed a significant presence of urate crystals in kidney tissue of the model group when compared to the control group.Animal tissue immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry analysis showed a significant increase in the expression levels of vimentin,α-SMA and TGF-β1 in the model group in comparison to the control group.Conversely,in the model group,E-cadherin levels exhibited a dramatic reduction compared to the control group.The findings from the scratching tests showed that uric acid significantly enhanced cell migration.Western blot analysis showed a dramatic increase in the expression levels of vimentin and α-SMA,while E-cadherin exhibited significant decrease in the cells subjected to uric acid treatment.Conclusion Urate stimulates the secre-tion of TGF-β1 by renal tubule epithelial cells and induces epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation,thereby ex-acerbating renal interstitial fibrosis in CKD.

Background/Aims: Roxadustat, an oral medication for treating renal anemia, is a hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor used for regulating iron metabolism and promoting erythropoiesis. To investigate the efficacy and safety of roxadustat in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) with erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness. Methods: Single-center, retrospective study, 81 PD patients (with erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness) were divided into the roxadustat group (n = 61) and erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) group (n = 20). Hemoglobin (Hb), total cholesterol, intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), related indicators of cardiac function and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were collected. Additionally, adverse events were also recorded. The follow-up period was 16 weeks. Results: The two groups exhibited similar baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. At baseline, the roxadustat group had a mean Hb level of 89.8 ± 18.9 g/L, while the ESAs group had a mean Hb level of 95.2 ± 16.0 g/L. By week 16, the Hb levels had increased to 118 ± 19.8 g/L (p < 0.05) in the roxadustat group and 101 ± 19.3 g/L (p > 0.05) in the ESAs group. The efficacy of roxadustat in improving anemia was not influenced by baseline levels of hs-CRP and iPTH. Cholesterol was decreased in the roxadustat group without statin use. An increase in left ventricular ejection fraction and stabilization of BNP were observed in the roxadustat group. Conclusions For PD patients with erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness, roxadustat can significantly improve renal anemia. The efficacy of roxadustat in improving renal anemia was not affected by baseline levels of hs-CRP0 and iPTH.

The diagnostic technology of acute stroke by microwave imaging has the advantages of being non-ionizing, fast, small, and low-cost. Therefore, this technology is expected to become an auxiliary or alternative means to CT and MRI technology. As the signal transmitting and receiving device of the microwave imaging system, the antenna has an important influence on the performance of the imaging system. At present, there are many antennas with different performances used in imaging systems, but there is a lack of clear evaluation criteria for them. In this paper, several typical antennas were introduced, their advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of bandwidth and near-field were analyzed, and the common requirements of imaging systems for antennas and the performance indicators of various types of imaging systems were summarized. Moreover, the development trend of antenna technology for microwave imaging was pointed out to provide a reference for the study of stroke microwave imaging technology.

Objective:To investigate the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) of the abdomen and pelvis.Method:The retrospec-tive and descriptive study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 8 patients with DSRCT of the abdomen and pelvis, including 3 cases admitted in Yueqing People's Hospital and 5 cases admitted in Wenzhou People's Hospital, from January 2008 to June 2022 were collected. There were 5 males and 3 females, aged (43±5)years. All patients underwent MRI plain and enhanced scanning. Observa-tion indicators: (1) imaging features of DSRCT of the abdomen and pelvis; (2) treatment and pathological examination characteristics of DSRCT of the abdomen and pelvis; (3) follow-up. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD, and measurement data with skewed distri-bution were represented as M(range). Count data were described as absolute numbers. Results:(1) Imaging features of DSRCT of the abdomen and pelvis. ① Tumor location. Of the 8 patients, there were 6 cases with tumors located respectively at the lower edge of the liver in the right quarter costal region, the medial side of the ileocecal region in the right iliac region, the medial side of the caecum in the right iliac region, the gastro-pancreatic space in the left quarter costal region, the mesenteric space in the left iliac region and the right side of pelvic bladder, and 2 cases with tumors located at retroperitoneal space of left quarter rib region. ② Tumor size. There were 13 lesions in the 8 patients, and the maximum diameter of tumor was 9.1 (range, 3.5?20.0)cm. Of the 8 patients, there were 5 cases with single tumor and 3 cases with multiple tumors. ③ Tumor shape and boundary. Of the 8 patients, there were 4 cases with tumor in expansive growth and 4 cases with tumor in invasive growth. There were 5 cases with tumor of intratumoral necrosis and cystic degene-ration, 4 cases with tumor of intratumoral hemorrhage, 4 cases with tumor of intratumoral spot calcification, 3 cases with tumor of peritumoral tissue exudation. One patient may combined with multiple imaging manifestations. ④ Imaging characteristics of MRI plain scanning. Of the 8 patients, there were 4 cases with tumor of homogeneous hypointensity signal and 4 cases with tumor of hypointensity mixed with speckled hyperintensity (with hemorrhage) in T1 weighted imaging of MRI plain scanning. There were 3 cases with tumor of homogeneous hyperintensity and 5 cases with tumor of high signal at the edge, patchy and spot-shaped in the center in T2 weighted imaging of MRI plain scanning. There were 5 cases with tumor of high, equal and low confounding signals and 3 cases with tumor of high and low signals in T2 weighted imaging fat suppression sequence of MRI plain scanning. There were 3 cases with tumor of uniform high signals and 5 cases with tumor of high, equal and low mixed signals in diffusion weighted imaging of MRI plain scanning. ⑤ Imaging characteristics of MRI enhanced scanning. All 8 patients had tumor of heterogeneous enhancement in MRI enhanced scanning, including 2 cases with significant enhancement in arterial phase, continuous enhancement in portal phase, slightly reduced enhancement in delayed phase, 4 cases with moderate enhancement in arterial phase, continuous enhancement in portal phase, slowly exited enhancement in delayed phase, 2 cases with mild enhancement in arterial phase, continuous enhancement in portal phase, slowly exited enhancement in delayed phase. Of the 8 patients, there were 3 cases with tumor of annular enhancement with intratumoral strip or grid signals and 3 cases with tumor of peritumoral blood vessels increased and thickened signals. ⑥ Tumor invasion and metastasis. Of the 8 patients, there were 4 cases with tumor invaded bowel, 2 cases with tumor invaded surrounding tissues, 1 case with tumor invaded left kidney, spleen and pancreatic tail, 1 case with tumor invaded distal of left ureter. There were 5 cases with abdominal, retroperitoneal and inguinal lymph nodes enlargement, 4 cases with multiple nodular thickening of peritoneum and ascites, 2 cases with tumor liver and lung metastasis and 1 case with tumor rib, femur and sacrum metastasis. One patient may combined with multiple tumor metastasis. (2) Treatment and patholo-gical examination characteristics of DSRCT of the abdomen and pelvis. Of the 8 patients, 3 patients underwent complete resection as clear tumor boundary, 3 patients underwent tumor partial resection as tight adhesion between tumor and surrounding blood vessels, 2 cases underwent tumor tissue pathological examination as extensive metastasis of peritoneum, omentum, mesentery and surrounding intestine. All 8 patients were diagnosed as DSRCT by microscopic examination, electron microscopic examination, immunohistochemical staining and cytogenetic examination. (3) Follow-up. All 8 patients underwent postoperative follow-up and died during the follow-up.Conclusion:MRI features of abdominal and pelvic DSRCT include single or multiple lobulated masses with unclear boundaries, invading the omentum, mesentery, peritoneum and adjacent tissues in most cases, mixed signals and heterogeneous mild to moderate enhancement in enhanced scanning.

Objective:To explore the imaging features of hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI).Methods:One hundred patients with clinically diagnosed HFI were enrolled from Department of Radiology, Yueqing People's Hospital and Department of Imaging, Wenzhou People's Hospital from January 2011 to December 2022. MRI alone was performed in 45 patients; MRI+DR was performed in 14, and MRI+CT was performed in 41. The imaging features of these patients were analyzed retrospectively.Results:In these 100 patients, 20 were with external hyperplasia, 51 with internal hyperplasia, and 29 with intermediate hyperplasia. External hyperplasia manifested as proliferating towards the diploe, enjoying clear boundary, uniform high signals of the hyperplastic inner plate and diploe on T1WI and T2WI, and high density of the hyperplastic inner plate and diploe on CT and DR. Internal hyperplasia manifested as proliferating towards the cranial cavity, enjoying wavy or nodular inner edges, non-uniform low signals of hyperplastic inner plate on T1WI and T2WI, and high density of the hyperplastic inner plate on CT and DR. Intermediate hyperplasia manifested as proliferating simultaneously towards the cranial cavity and diploe, enjoying thin and blurred diploe, uniform or non-uniform high signals of the hyperplastic inner plate and diploe on T1WI and T2WI, and non-uniform high density of the hyperplastic inner plate and diploe on CT and DR. Compressed and displaced brain parenchyma, reduced anterior cranial fossa volume, and narrowed subarachnoid space were noted in these 100 patients, including 47 patients with obvious frontal lobe brain tissue compression (depth of 3.0-17 mm, averaged [8.6±5.9] mm), 35 with lacunar cerebral infarction, 33 with subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy, and 32 with varied degrees of cerebral atrophy.Conclusion:HFI is characterized by thickening and hardening of the bilateral frontal bone inner plates, with wavy, nodular or spindle-shaped inner edges, compressed brain tissues, and reduced anterior cranial fossa; these imaging features can help the definite diagnosis of HFI.

Objective: To establish a Tohoku hospital pediatrics-1 (THP-1) cell line with G protein-coupled recep- tor108 ( GPR108) deletion and explore its functions． Methods: According to the requirements of the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats ( CRISPR) / CRISPR-associated protein 9 ( Cas9 ) system ，two single guide RNAs (sgRNA1 and sgRNA2) paring to the flanking fragments of human GPR108 gene were designed and synthesized．The two oligonucleotides were inserted in the pL-CRISPR. EFS．GFP vector to generate the new recombinant vectors ( pL-CRISPR. EFS．GFP-sgRNA1 and pL-CRISPR. EFS．GFP-sgRNA2 ) ．The recombinant vectors and packaging plasmids (pMD2. G and psPAX2) ，were co-transfected into 293T cells to generate virus for infecting THP-1 cells．The GFP + cells were screened and isolated in 96-well culture plates by flow cytometry to obtain single-cell clones．PCR and Western blot were used to detect whether GPR108 was successfully knocked out in THP- 1 cells．Both GPR108 + / + and GPR108 －/ － THP-1 cells were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) ．Interleukin 8 (IL-8) derived from the THP-1 cells，which were treated by LPS，was detected with Western blot and cytometric bead array ( CBA) analysis. Results: The recombinant lentiviral vector pL-CRISPR. EFS．GFP-sgRNA was successfully constructed and single-cell clone F9 was obtained by flow cytometric sorting after transfection of THP-1 cells．PCR and Western blot both confirmed that F9 was a GPR108 －/ － THP-1 single-cell clone． LPS stimulated GPR108 －/ － and GPR108 + / + THP-1 cells，both Western blot and CBA results showed a significant decrease in IL- 8 synthesis and secretion in GPR108 －/ － THP-1 cells． Conclusion The GPR108 －/ － THP-1 cell clone is success- fully obtained based on the CRISPR / Cas9 system．GPR108 deletion in THP-1 cells treated by LPS leads to a decrease of IL-8 expression and secretion．It lays the foundation for further research on the molecular mechanisms of GPR108 in the immune inflammatory response.

Objective: To investigate the role and mechanism of Sigirr deletion in chronic kidney disease complicated with renal interstitial fibrosis (CKD⁃RIF) in mice. Methods: polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for identification of gene types of mice. Mice were continuously fed with the foods containing 0. 2% adenine for 12 weeks to establish the CKD⁃RIF models. Then , serum was collected to detect levels of creatinine and nitrogen when mice were killed. H&E staining was used to analyze the pathological changes of kidney tissues. Masson staining was used to observe the degree of renal fibrosis. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the changes of the interest proteins , such as IL⁃1β , MyD88 , activated NF⁃κB , TGF⁃ β1 , E ⁃cadherin and Vimentin. Results: Serum creatinines and urea nitrogens of mice fed with high adenine (CKD⁃RIF groups) significantly increased , compared with those of the control groups. H&E and Masson staining results showed that there were more infiltrated inflammatory cells and more critical collagen fiber deposition in the renal tissues of the Sigirr - / - mice with CKD⁃RIF. Western blot and Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expression of IL⁃1β and its downstream MyD88 increased , and the level of phosphorylated NF⁃κB (p⁃P65) significantly increased in the renal tissues of CKD⁃RIF mice compared with the controls. And upregulation of these proteins in renal tissues of Sigirr - / - mice with CKD⁃RIF was more obvious than that of the CKD⁃RIF Sigirr + / + mice. TGF⁃ β1 , as a key cytokine involved in renal interstitial fibrosis , significantly increased ,followed by the increase of vimentin , as well as the decrease of E ⁃cadherin . The results of vimentin and cadherin E detected by Western blot were consistent with those of immunohistochemistry , and α ⁃SMA also increased significantly. Conclusion Adenine diet successfully induces CKD⁃RIF mice models. Sigirr deletion is beneficial to activation of the IL⁃1β mediating NF⁃κB signal pathway ,which promotes TGF⁃ β1 expression in the renal interstitiums to induce renal interstitial fibrosis.