Objective To explore the construction of α-1,3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) gene-knockout (GTKO) Diannan miniature pigs and the kidney xenotransplantation from pigs to rhesus macaques, and to assess the effectiveness of GTKO pigs. Methods The GTKO Diannan miniature pigs were constructed using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing system and somatic cell cloning technology. The phenotype of GTKO pigs was verified through polymerase chain reaction, Sanger sequencing and immunofluorescence staining. Flow cytometry was used to detect antigen-antibody (IgM) binding and complement-dependent cytotoxicity. Kidney xenotransplantation was performed from GTKO pigs to rhesus macaques. The humoral immunity, cellular immunity, coagulation and physiological indicators of the recipient monkeys were monitored. The function and pathological changes of the transplanted kidneys were analyzed using ultrasonography, hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence staining. Results Single-guide RNA (sgRNA) targeting exon 4 of the GGTA1 gene in Diannan miniature pigs was designed. The pGL3-GGTA1-sgRNA1-GFP vector was transfected into fetal fibroblasts of Diannan miniature pigs. After puromycin selection, two cell clones, C59# and C89#, were identified as GGTA1 gene-knockout clones. These clones were expanded to form cell lines, which were used as donor cells for somatic cell nuclear transfer. The reconstructed embryos were transferred into the oviducts of trihybrid surrogate sows, resulting in 13 fetal pigs. Among them, fetuses F04 and F11 exhibited biallelic mutations in the GGTA1 gene, and F04 had a normal karyotype. Using this GTKO fetal pig for recloning and transferring the reconstructed embryos into the oviducts of trihybrid surrogate sows, seven surviving piglets were obtained, all of which did not express α-Gal epitope. The binding of IgM from the serum of rhesus monkey 20# to GTKO pig PBMC was reduced, and the survival rate of GTKO pig PBMC in the complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay was higher than that of wild-type pig. GTKO pig kidneys were harvested and perfused until completely white. After the left kidney of the recipient monkey was removed, the pig kidney was heterotopically transplanted. Following vascular anastomosis and blood flow restoration, the pig kidney rapidly turned pink without hyperacute rejection (HAR). Urine appeared in the ureter 6 minutes later, indicating successful kidney transplantation. The right kidney of the recipient was then removed. Seven days after transplantation, the transplanted kidney had good blood flow, the recipient monkey's serum creatinine level was stable, and serum potassium and cystatin C levels were effectively controlled, although they increased 10 days after transplantation. Seven days after transplantation, the levels of white blood cells, lymphocytes, monocytes and eosinophils in the recipient monkey increased, while platelet count and fibrinogen levels decreased. The activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time and prothrombin time remained relatively stable but later showed an upward trend. The recipient monkey survived for 10 days. At autopsy, the transplanted kidney was found to be congested, swollen and necrotic, with a small amount of IgG deposition in the renal tissue, and a large amount of IgM, complement C3c and C4d deposition, as well as CD68⁺ macrophage infiltration. Conclusions The kidneys of GTKO Diannan miniature pigs may maintain normal renal function for a certain period in rhesus macaques and effectively overcome HAR, confirming the effectiveness of GTKO pigs for xenotransplantation.

Aluminum adjuvants are widely used in the field of vaccines due to their ability to induce efficient and long-lasting immune responses and good safety profile. With the development of immunology, the requirements for adjuvants have gradually increased, and traditional aluminum adjuvants can no longer meet all the needs of application. The development of novel aluminum adjuvants has become a hot research topic in order to achieve good immunity-enhancing effects and induce specific types and strengths of immune responses. This review briefly introduces the mechanism of action and safety of aluminum adjuvants, with focus on the research progress of novel aluminum adjuvants in recent years, mainly including nano-aluminum adjuvants and composite aluminum adjuvants (aluminum adjuvants compounded with immunity-stimulating molecules or delivery carriers), and a prospect of their future research direction, aiming to provide some reference for the further development and clinical application of aluminum adjuvants.

Objective To evaluate the physical activities of the patients under haemodialysis(HD)with triaxial accelerometers so as to provide data for development of interventional exercise programs for the HD patients.Methods A total of 38 patients who underwent HD in our hospital between March 2021 and July 2021 were included in the study group.Further 38 healthy subjects without chronic disease with matched gender and age to the HD patients in the study group,were recruited from local communities as a control group.The subjects in both groups were asked to wear an Altigraph GT3X+ accelerometer on waist after getting up in the morning for 12 hours a day for 7 consecutive days.The average number of steps and the standard rate of exercise time in the 7 days were compared between the groups.Durations of the exercises,standing,walking,sitting,and lying down were also compared between the groups.Results Both groups had completed the study.The number of daily steps in the HD group was found significantly lower than that in the control group(5684.3±1238.5 step/day vs.8792.2±2870.8 step/day,P<0.001).The rate of sedentariness in the HD group was significantly higher than that in the control group(47.4%vs.10.5%,P<0.001).In comparison with the control group,HD patients spent more time for lying down per day(195.6±77.8 min/day vs.47.8±15.5 min/day,P<0.001)and sitting(369.3±79.8 min/day vs.301.2±77.1 min/day,P<0.001).For intragroup comparison,on the days of dialysis,the HD patients spent more time for lying down[250.1±71.1 min/day vs.152.1±40.6 min/day,P<0.001],sitting(371.2±76.9 min/day vs.332.2±88.6 min/day,P<0.05)and with less walking(4362.3±1084.5 steps/day vs.7007.6±2437.8 steps/day,P<0.001),in comparison with those on the non-dialysis days.Conclusions HD patients spend less time on physical activities,but more time on sitting and lying down.The situation is even worse on the days of dialysis treatment.The HD patients should be advised and encouraged to take more physical activities.

IF1 (ATPIF1) is a nuclear DNA-encoded mitochondrial protein whose activity is inhibition of the F

Objective: To investigate the role of CD11b agonist leukadherin-1 (LA1) in the development of intestinal inflammation and colitis disease in a mouse model of dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis. Methods: The mouse model of experimental colitis was induced by DSS. Body weight changes and survival status were monitored every day. The length of colons was measured at day 7. Colon tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and observed under an optical microscope for pathological analysis. The percentages of apoptotic cells in colon tissues were observed by TUNEL staining. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was measured with MPO activity detection kit. IL-1β and TNF-α levels were detected by ELISA. Macrophages and TNF-α in colon tissues were observed using immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. Flow cytometry was performed to detect the changes in TLR4 expression on macrophages after stimulating mice with LA1 for 0, 3, 6 and 12 h. Moreover, TLR4 expression was also measured by Western blot after treating bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) with LA1 for 0, 3, 6 and 12 h. Unpaired t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Compared with the DSS group, the LA1+ DSS group presented lower mortality rate, greater body weight and longer colon and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant. Moreover, the LA1+ DSS group showed lighter pathological damages, decreased percentage of apoptotic cells and suppressed MPO activity as compared with those of the DSS group. The number of macrophages and the relative concentrations of IL-1β and TNF-α in colon tissues were lower in the LA1+ DSS group than in the DSS group, and the differences between the two groups were statistically significant. There was no significant difference in the total expression of TLR4 on macrophages before and after LA1 treatment. However, the mean flourscence indensity (MFI) of TLR4 was weaker on the LA1-treated macrophages than on the untreated macrophages. Conclusions LA1 could alleviate the DSS-induced experimental colitis in mice through suppressing the activation of TLR4 pathway on macrophages. This study provided a new insight and theoretical reference for understanding the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Objective To investigate the effect and the mechanism of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in renal tubular cells induced by uric acid.Methods Normal rat kidney tubular cell line (NRK-52E) were exposed to different concentrations of uric acid (100,200,400,600,800 μmol/L UA) for 48 hours to induce EMT.Morphological changes of the NRK-52E cells were examined under an inverted phase contrast microscope.The protein expression of E-cadherin,α-SMA,p-Akt and Akt were detected by Western blotting.The distribution of E-cadherin and α-SMA were detected by immunofluorescence.NRK-52E cells were pretreated by different concentrations of LY294002(0,2.5,5,10,15 μmol/L),the inhibitor of PI3K/p-Akt signaling pathway,and then processed by uric acid (400 μmol/L) for 48 hours.Western blotting was used to detect the protein expression of p-Akt and Akt.NRK-52E cells were then divided into four groups:normal group (N),uric acid group (UA),LY294002 group (LY),uric acid with LY294002 group (UA + LY).The protein expression of E-cadherin and α-SMA were detected by Western blotting,the distribution of E-cadherin,α-SMA and p-Akt were detected by immunofluorescence.Results There was abundant cellular expression of E-cadherin in unstimulated renal tubular cells whereas its expression was significantly decreased in uric acidstimulated cells (P ＜ 0.05).In addition,uric acid induced de novo expression of α-SMA in contrast to almost negative staining in untreated cells (P ＜ 0.05).p-Akt were obviously increased in high uric acid group (P ＜ 0.05) and Akt changed not significantly (P ＞ 0.05).NRK-52E cells transformed into elongated fibroblast-like cells from cuboidal clustered epithelial cells.These indicated that uric acid has induced EMT and activated PI3K/p-Akt signaling pathway in NRK-52E cells.However,the above effects of uric acid were abolished when p-Akt was blocked by the PI3K inhibitor (10,15 μmol/L LY294002),indicated that LY294002 has reversed the trend of EMT.Conclusions High uric acid induces phenotypic transition of renal tubular cells probably via activating PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Objective To assess the impact of physical training on physiological function of adult renal transplant recipients by meta-analysis and to provide theoretical guidance for clinical practice.Methods Randomized controlled trials of physical training for the treatment of renal transplant recipients until October 2017 were searched in the database of Cochrane library,PubMed,Embase,Web of Science,Wanfang Data and CNKI.Data extracted from the literatures were analyzed with RevMan software (version 5.3).Results A total of 10 studies in 10 manuscripts met the inclusion criteria,and 557 cases were included.Meta-analysis results were as follows.Compared with the control group (routine drug therapy),the level of peak exercise oxygen uptake (peak VO2) was significantly increased in physical training group (routine drug therapy and physical training) (MD=2.40,95％ CI 0.15-4.64,P=0.04).However,there was no statistically significant difference in the change of blood lipid,blood pressure,hemoglobin and serum creatinine between the two groups (all P ＞0.05).Conclusions Physical training can improve cardio respiratory fitness of renal transplant recipients in the early stage,but it has no obvious effect on blood pressure,blood lipid,hemoglobin and blood creatinine.

Objective To investigate the serological and molecular identification of 2 rare B( A) blood groups. Methods The ABO blood groups of 2 samples from blood donors were detected by routine serological method. The genotype features was identified by PCR-sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) and direct sequence analysis. Results The serological results for the 2 blood donors showed the characteristics of B(A) phenotype. The sample 1 was genotyped as BO2 subtype by PCR-SSP and direct sequencing showed B alleles in exon 7, presented nt640 A＞G mutation which was confirmed to be B(A)04/O02 genotype.The sample 2 was genotyped as BO1 sub-type by PCR-SSP and direct sequencing showed B alleles presented nt700 C＞G mutation in exon 7 which was confirmed to be B(A)02/O01 genotype. Conclusion The phenotype of the two samples should be B ( A ) and the genotypes should be rare B(A)04/O02 and B(A)02/O01.

Objective: To investigate the incidence and pathogen distribution of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among preterm infants admitted to level Ⅲ neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in China. Method: A prospective study was conducted in 25 level Ⅲ NICU, enrolling all preterm infants <34 weeks gestational age admitted to the participating NICU within the first 7 days of life from May 2015 to April 2016. Chi-square test, t test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. Result: A total of 7 918 patients were enrolled, within whom 4 623(58.4%) were males. The birth weight was (1 639±415) g and the gestational age was (31.4±2.0) weeks; 4 654(58.8%) infants required non-invasive mechanical ventilation and 2 154(27.2%) required intubation. Of all the mechanically ventilated patients, VAP occurred in 95 patients. The overall VAP rate was 7.0 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days, varying from 0 to 34.4 episodes per 1 000 ventilator days in different centers. The incidence of VAP was 9.6 and 6.0 per 1 000 ventilator days in children′s hospitals and maternity-infant hospitals respectively, without significant differences (t=1.002, P=0.327). Gram-negative bacilli (76 strains, 91.6%) were the primary VAP microorganisms, mainly Acinetobacter baumannii (24 strains, 28.9%), Klebsiella pneumonia (23 strains, 27.7%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10 strains, 12.0%). Conclusion The incidence of VAP in China is similar to that in developed counties, with substantial variability in different NICU settings. More efforts are needed to monitor and evaluate the preventable factors associated with VAP and conduct interventions that could effectively reduce the occurrence of VAP.

Objective To discuss the diagnostic value of HIT-antibodies in suspected HIT patients with heart diseases.Methods A single center study.We collected 242 blood samples of suspected HIT patients whose platelet count decreased after heparin application during July 1 st ,2012 to June 30th ,2016 in Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital and detected the concentration of HIT antibodies , meanwhile the 4T′s score were calculated.Among the study objects , there are 206 patients received cardiac surgery , 28 received cardiac interventional therapy and 8 received drug therapy.And we divided them into HIT group (44, median age 57.5, 23 females ) and non-HIT group ( 198, median age 63.5, 87 females ) according to clinical diagnosis.Quantitative data was analyzed by independent t-test or Mann-Whitney U test.Qualitative data was analyzed by Fisher′s exact test.We drew ROC curve according to the statistical analysis to determine the optimal threshold value of antibodies in diagnosis of HIT andsensitivity , specificity, negative likelihood ratio, positive likelihood ratio of the HIT antibody detection .Therefore, we can assess the value of HIT antibody detection in HIT clinical diagnosis and treatment .Moreover, we used the optimal threshold value of antibodies to testify the suspected HIT patients .Results The HIT antibody concentration of HIT group (44) and non-HIT group ( 198 ) are 3.2 ( 95% CI:1.8 -5.5 ) U/ml and 0.4 ( 95% CI:0.3 -0.4 ) U/ml, respectively.The concentration of HIT group is much higher than the non-HIT group(P<0.000).When the cut-off value of HIT-Ab is set at 0.9 U/ml, sensitivity and specificity are 93.2%and 91.9%, respectively. And negative likelihood ratio and positive likelihood ratio are 0.07 and 11.53, respectively.When the cut-off value of HIT-Ab is set at 0.6 U/ml, sensitivity and specificity are 100.0%and 73.7%.HIT-Ab and 4T′s score of ROC-AUC are 0.971 and 0.745, respectively.The diagnosis value of HIT-Ab in HIT is significantly higher than the 4T′s score ( P<0.000).Conclusions HIT antibody detection is a simple and effective auxiliary diagnostic method in HIT exclusion .And HIT antibody detection is more optimal than the 4T′s score in HIT diagnosis and treatment .