Objective To analyze the detection results and distribution characteristics of serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin(Ig)E antibodies in patients with type Ⅰ allergic diseases(hereinafter referred to as allergic diseases)in Chongqing,and to provide epidemiological data and diagnostic evidence for the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.Methods A total of 9189 patients who underwent allergen-specific IgE an-tibody detection in this hospital from January 2023 to February 2024 were included in the study.The positive cases of allergen specific IgE antibodies detection were statistically analyzed according to age groups,genders,and sea-sons,and the distribution characteristics and patterns of specific allergens were analyzed.Results Among the 9 189 patients with allergic diseases,4 143 cases showed positive allergen-specific IgE antibodies detection results,with a positive rate of 45.09％.The proportion of patients with multiple sensitization was 68.53％.The main inhalant allergens included Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus(28.95％),Dermatophagoides farinae(23.62％),and Blomia tropicalis(10.95％);while the main ingested allergens were milk(7.57％),shrimp/crab(2.84％),and egg white(1.98％).The positive rate of inhalant allergens was higher than that of ingested al-lergens.The positive rate of allergens in males was higher than that in females(P＜0.05).The allergens in infants and toddlers under 3 years old were mainly ingested and mostly sensitized by single allergen.The posi-tive rate of allergens and multiple sensitization rate were the highest in patients aged 12-＜18 years.The pos-itive rate of allergens was the lowest in patients over 60 years old.The positive rate of allergens was the high-est in autumn,and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae were the main allergens in all seasons.Conclusion Patients with allergic diseases in Chongqing exhibited the following characteristics:Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and Dermatophagoides farinae are the main allergens,the positive rate of al-lergens in males is higher than that in females,the majority patients are 12-＜18 years old,and the disease is more prone to occur in autumn.These findings can provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of al-lergic diseases in this region.

Objective: This cross-sectional investigation aimed to determine the incidence, clinical characteristics, prognosis, and related risk factors of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain in mainland China. Methods: Data of patients with SARS-CoV-2 from December 28, 2022, to February 21, 2023, were collected through online and offline questionnaires from 45 tertiary hospitals and one center for disease control and prevention in mainland China. The questionnaire included demographic information, previous health history, smoking and alcohol drinking, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, olfactory and gustatory function before and after infection, other symptoms after infection, as well as the duration and improvement of olfactory and gustatory dysfunction. The self-reported olfactory and gustatory functions of patients were evaluated using the Olfactory VAS scale and Gustatory VAS scale. Results: A total of 35 566 valid questionnaires were obtained, revealing a high incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain (67.75%). Females(χ2=367.013, P<0.001) and young people(χ2=120.210, P<0.001) were more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Gender(OR=1.564, 95%CI: 1.487-1.645), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), oral health status (OR=0.881, 95%CI: 0.839-0.926), smoking history (OR=1.152, 95%CI=1.080-1.229), and drinking history (OR=0.854, 95%CI: 0.785-0.928) were correlated with the occurrence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2(above P<0.001). 44.62% (4 391/9 840) of the patients who had not recovered their sense of smell and taste also suffered from nasal congestion, runny nose, and 32.62% (3 210/9 840) suffered from dry mouth and sore throat. The improvement of olfactory and taste functions was correlated with the persistence of accompanying symptoms(χ2=10.873, P=0.001). The average score of olfactory and taste VAS scale was 8.41 and 8.51 respectively before SARS-CoV-2 infection, but decreased to3.69 and 4.29 respectively after SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recovered to 5.83and 6.55 respectively at the time of the survey. The median duration of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions was 15 days and 12 days, respectively, with 0.5% (121/24 096) of patients experiencing these dysfunctions for more than 28 days. The overall self-reported improvement rate of smell and taste dysfunctions was 59.16% (14 256/24 096). Gender(OR=0.893, 95%CI: 0.839-0.951), SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status (OR=1.334, 95%CI: 1.164-1.530), history of head and facial trauma(OR=1.180, 95%CI: 1.036-1.344, P=0.013), nose (OR=1.104, 95%CI: 1.042-1.171, P=0.001) and oral (OR=1.162, 95%CI: 1.096-1.233) health status, smoking history(OR=0.765, 95%CI: 0.709-0.825), and the persistence of accompanying symptoms (OR=0.359, 95%CI: 0.332-0.388) were correlated with the recovery of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to SARS-CoV-2 (above P<0.001 except for the indicated values). Conclusion: The incidence of olfactory and taste dysfunctions related to infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron strain is high in mainland China, with females and young people more likely to develop these dysfunctions. Active and effective intervention measures may be required for cases that persist for a long time. The recovery of olfactory and taste functions is influenced by several factors, including gender, SARS-CoV-2 vaccination status, history of head and facial trauma, nasal and oral health status, smoking history, and persistence of accompanying symptoms.
Female ; Humans ; Adolescent ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Smell ; COVID-19/complications* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; Incidence ; Olfaction Disorders/etiology* ; Taste Disorders/etiology* ; Prognosis

Uric acid (UA) is the final product of purine metabolism in human body,and its metabolic disorder will induce hyperuricemia (HUA).The occurrence and development of HUA are associated with a variety of pathological mechanisms such as oxidative stress injury,activation of inflammatory cytokines,and activation of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system.These mechanisms directly or indirectly affect the bioavailability of endogenous nitric oxide (NO).The decrease in NO bioavailability is common in the diseases with high concentration of UA as an independent risk factor.In this review,we summarize the mechanisms by which high concentrations of UA affect the endogenous NO bioavailability,with a focus on the mechanisms of high-concentration UA in decreasing the synthesis and/or increasing the consumption of NO.This review aims to provide references for alleviating the multisystem symptoms and improving the prognosis of HUA,and lay a theoretical foundation for in-depth study of the correlations between HUA and other metabolic diseases.
Humans ; Nitric Oxide ; Uric Acid ; Hyperuricemia ; Biological Availability ; Cytokines

The development of chemoresistance which results in a poor prognosis often renders current treatments for colorectal cancer(CRC).In this study,we identified reduced microvessel density(MVD)and vascular immaturity resulting from endothelial apoptosis as therapeutic targets for overcoming chemoresistance.We focused on the effect of metformin on MVD,vascular maturity,and endothelial apoptosis of CRCs with a non-angiogenic phenotype,and further investigated its effect in overcoming chemoresistance.In situ transplanted cancer models were established to compare MVD,endothelial apoptosis and vascular maturity,and function in tumors from metformin-and vehicle-treated mice.An in vitro co-culture system was used to observe the effects of metformin on tumor cell-induced endothelial apoptosis.Transcriptome sequencing was performed for genetic screening.Non-angiogenic CRC developed inde-pendently of angiogenesis and was characterized by vascular leakage,immaturity,reduced MVD,and non-hypoxia.This phenomenon had also been observed in human CRC.Furthermore,non-angiogenic CRCs showed a worse response to chemotherapeutic drugs in vivo than in vitro.By suppressing endo-thelial apoptosis,metformin sensitized non-angiogenic CRCs to chemo-drugs via elevation of MVD and improvement of vascular maturity.Further results showed that endothelial apoptosis was induced by tumor cells via activation of caspase signaling,which was abrogated by metformin administration.These findings provide pre-clinical evidence for the involvement of endothelial apoptosis and subsequent vascular immaturity in the chemoresistance of non-angiogenic CRC.By suppressing endothelial apoptosis,metformin restores vascular maturity and function and sensitizes CRC to chemotherapeutic drugs via a vascular mechanism.

Cancer is one of the most devastating diseases worldwide and definitive therapeutics for treating cancer are not yet available despite extensive research efforts. The key challenges include limiting factors connected with traditional chemotherapeutics, primarily drug resistance, low response rates, and adverse side-effects. Therefore, there is a high demand for novel anti-cancer drugs that are both potent and safe for cancer prevention and treatment. Gallic acid (GA), a natural botanic phenolic compound, can mediate various therapeutic properties that are involved in anti-inflammation, anti-obesity, and anti-cancer activities. More recently, GA has been shown to exert anti-cancer activities via several biological pathways that include migration, metastasis, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, angiogenesis, and oncogene expression. This review discusses two aspects, one is the anti-cancer potential of GA against different types of cancer and the underlying molecular mechanisms, the other is the bibliometric analysis of GA in cancer and tumor research. The results indicated that lung cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, and colon adenocarcinoma may become a hot topic in further research. Overall, this review provides evidence that GA represents a promising novel, potent, and safe anti-cancer drug candidate for treating cancer.
Adenocarcinoma/drug therapy* ; Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use* ; Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Gallic Acid/therapeutic use* ; Humans ; Male

Circular RNAs (circRNAs),a kind of novel non-coding RNAs, have been shown to play animportant role in cellular redox reactions. In the previous study, we found that hsa_circ_0087354 wasclosely related to the cellular redox state by real-time PCR. After overexpression of hsa_circ_0087354, the relative expression of ROS1 were decreased significantly (P < 0. 01), while the levels of SOD1 wereincreased significantly (P < 0. 05) . The activities of SOD and Gpx as well as GSH concentration weresignificantly increased (P < 0. 01), and cell proliferation was promoted in cells (P < 0. 05) . Bioinformatics analysis predicted that there were binding sites between hsa-miR-199-3p and hsa_circ_0087354 as well as solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11), which might have a targetedregulatory relationship. Dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed the targeted regulatory relationshipbetween hsa-miR-199-3p with hsa_circ_0087354, and SLC7A11. Overexpressed hsa_circ_0087354 plasmid and ctrl plasmid were constructed, hsa-miR-199a-3p, hsa-miR-199b-3p and hsa-miR-NC mimicswere synthesized. Real-time PCR analysis showed that the relative expression of hsa-miR-199-3p was observably decreased (P < 0.01), while the relative expression of SLC7A11 in cells was dramaticallyincreased after transfection of has_circ_0087354 plasmid (P < 0.05) . After transfection with hsa-miR-199-3p, the relative expressions of SLC7A11 were markedly decreased (P < 0.001) . The activities ofSOD and Gpx, GSH concentration (P<0.01), and cell proliferation rate (P < 0.05) were significantlyreduced. In conclusion, hsa_circ_0087354 could enhance the expression of SLC7A11, promote theproliferation of cells and reduce the oxidative stress by adsorption of hsa-miR-199-3p.

Leaves of Euryale ferox are rich in anthocyanins. Anthocyanin synthesis is one of the important branches of the flavonoid synthesis pathway, in which flavonoid 3'-hydroxylase(F3'H) can participate in the formation of important intermediate products of anthocyanin synthesis. According to the data of E. ferox transcriptome, F3'H cDNA sequence was cloned in the leaves of E. ferox and named as EfF3'H. The correlation between EfF3'H gene expression and synthesis of flavonoids was analyzed by a series of bioinforma-tics tools and qRT-PCR. Moreover, the biological function of EfF3'H was verified by the heterologous expression in yeast. Our results showed that EfF3'H comprised a 1 566 bp open reading frame which encoded a hydrophilic transmembrane protein composed of 521 amino acid residues. It was predicted to be located in the plasma membrane. Combined with predictive analysis of conserved domains, this protein belongs to the cytochrome P450(CYP450) superfamily. The qRT-PCR results revealed that the expression level of EfF3'H was significantly different among different cultivars and was highly correlated with the content of related flavonoids in the leaves. Eukaryotic expression studies showed that EfF3'H protein had the biological activity of converting kaempferol to quercetin. In this study, EfF3'H cDNA was cloned from the leaves of E. ferox for the first time, and the biological function of the protein was verified. It provi-ded a scientific basis for further utilizing the leaves of E. ferox and laid a foundation for the further analysis of the biosynthesis pathway of flavonoids in medicinal plants.
Anthocyanins ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System/metabolism* ; Plant Leaves/metabolism* ; Plant Proteins/metabolism* ; Transcriptome

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Bmi-1 expression on the chemosensitivity of THP-1 cells and its relative mechanism. METHODS: The pGenesil-2-Bmi-1 1 siRNA, p-MSCV-Bmi-1 plasmid was transfected into THP-1 cells to reduce or increase the expression of Bmi-1. The expression of Bmi-1 mRNA and protein was verified by PCR and Western blot. The effect of camptothecin (CPT) on the proliferation and chemosensitivity of THP-1 cells affected by Bmi-1 gene were detected by MTT assay. The expression of DNA double-strand breaks marker-γ-H2AX was detected by immunofluorescence assay. Mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis were observed by flow cytometry. The expression of Cytochrome C, Caspase 3, Bax and BCL-2 was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Silencing Bmi-1 could inhibit proliferation and enhance the sensitivity of THP-1 cells to CPT, while overexpressed Bmi-1 could promote the cell proliferation and attenucate sensitivity of THP-1 cells to CPT. Silencing Bmi-1 could enhance CPT-induced DNA double-strand breaks, decrease mitochondrial membrane potential and promote CPT-induced apoptosis. While increasing Bmi-1 gene expression could attenuate CPT-induced DNA double-strand breaks, enhamce mitochondrial membrane potential and significantly reduce CPT-induced apoptosis of cells. CONCLUSION Bmi-1 expression could influence the sensitivity of THP-1 cells to CPT, and its relative mechanism may relate to DNA double-strand breaks and endogenous apoptotic pathways.
Apoptosis ; Camptothecin/pharmacology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; THP-1 Cells

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between pretransplant serum ferritin (SF) level and prolonged or prolonged isolated thrombocytopenia (PT) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). METHODS: The clinical data of 35 patients with PT after allo-HSCT were retrospectively analyzed, and 35 patients were matched according to age and sex as a controls from 424 allo-HSCT patients with normal platelet count. The serum ferritin level before the transplantation was analyzed. The potential risk factors were analyzed by chi-square test and Fisher's exact test as well as univariate and multivariate logistic regression. The survival curve was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier model to explore its clinical significance. In addition, ROC curve was used to verify the predictive power of SF. RESULTS: Compared with control group, the SF level in the PT group before transplantation significantly increased (P=0.001). Multivariate analysis results showed that SF level before transplantation was a risk factor for prolonged thrombocytopenia after HSCT, and patients with SF≥1000 ng / ml showed a higher risk of death (P=0.014). ROC curve showed that SF level could be used as a predictor of prolonged thrombocytopenia after allo-HSCT. CONCLUSION The SF level before allo-HSCT relates with occurrence and prognosis of PT in patients after allo-HSCT. Detection of SF level can provide guidance for the intervention of prolonged thrombocytopenia after HSCT.
Ferritins ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombocytopenia ; Transplantation, Homologous

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of Radix Kansui (RK) stir-fried with vinegar (VRK) decreased hepatotoxicity in mice. METHODS: According to a random number table, 40 mice were randomly divided into negative control group (0.5% carboxymethylcellulose sodium, 20 mL/kg), positive control group (0.1% mixture of carbon tetrachloride in soybean oil, 20 mL/kg), RK group (the ethyl acetate extracts of RK, 250 g crude drug/kg) and VRK group (the ethyl acetate extracts of VRK, 250 g crude drug/kg) with 10 mice per group. All mice were administered orally by gavage daily for 7 continuous days. The morphology of liver tissues was examined to assess the liver injury by a transmission electron microscope. Hepatocyte apoptosis in vivo was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nickend labeling (TUNEL) assay. Immunohistochemical technique was adopted to detect the expression of particular antiapoptotic and proapoptotic proteins in the mitochondrial pathways, including B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2) and caspase-3, as well as the expression of inflammatory mediators, including nuclear factor kappa B (NF- κ B) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). RESULTS: Liver injury and hepatocyte apoptosis were observed in RK mice, and the liver injury were significantly reduced in VRK-treated mice. In immunohistochemistry study, compared with the negative control group, RK inhibited dramatically the Bcl-2 protein expression and significantly increased the expression of caspase-3, NF- κ B and ICAM-1 (all P<0.01). Compared with the RK group, VRK group induced significant increase on Bcl-2 protein expression, and decreased the caspase-3, NF- κ B and ICAM-1 protein expression (P<0.05 or P<0.01). CONCLUSION The mechanism of reduced hepatotoxicity of VRK may be associated with the reduced inflammation, regulation of antiapoptotic and proapoptotic mediators in the mitochondrial pathway.