According to the codon characteristics of the prokaryotic system,we synthesized the optimized Rv2628c-Rv1737c nucleic acid sequence and constructed the expression plasmid pET24a-Rv2628c-Rv1737c.After sequencing,expression in E.coli was induced.The fusion protein was found in inclusion bodies.After renaturation and affinity chromatography purifi-cation,the Rv2628c-Rv1737c recombinant protein,with a molecular weight of 57 kDa and a purity exceeding 90％,was ob-tained.The recombinant protein was used to stimulate PBMC cells from different patients,and the differences in IFN-γ mRNA expression were analyzed with q-PCR.The Rv2628c-Rv1737c fusion protein stimulated patients with TB,particularly latent TB infection(LTBI).The level of IFN-γ mRNA in PBMC cells was higher than that in healthy controls(P＜0.05).Mice immu-nized with BCG+Rv2628c-Rv1737c/DMT showed significant induction of high levels of IgG antibodies.Rv2628c-Rv1737c re-combinant protein,as a latent infection antigen,is recognized by PBMCs cells infected with TB,with strong immunogenicity,and thus may serve as a potential TB subunit vaccine target antigen.This protein may be used to prevent TB infection,particu-larly latent infection,and to perform laboratory diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the incidence rate,clinical characteristics,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen,China.Methods Led by Shenzhen Children's Hospital,the Shenzhen Neonatal Data Collaboration Network organized 21 institutions to collect 36 cases of neonatal stroke from January 2020 to December 2022.The incidence,clinical characteristics,treatment,and prognosis of neonatal stroke in Shenzhen were analyzed.Results The incidence rate of neonatal stroke in 21 hospitals from 2020 to 2022 was 1/15 137,1/6 060,and 1/7 704,respectively.Ischemic stroke accounted for 75％(27/36);boys accounted for 64％(23/36).Among the 36 neonates,31(86％)had disease onset within 3 days after birth,and 19(53％)had convulsion as the initial presentation.Cerebral MRI showed that 22 neonates(61％)had left cerebral infarction and 13(36％)had basal ganglia infarction.Magnetic resonance angiography was performed for 12 neonates,among whom 9(75％)had involvement of the middle cerebral artery.Electroencephalography was performed for 29 neonates,with sharp waves in 21 neonates(72％)and seizures in 10 neonates(34％).Symptomatic/supportive treatment varied across different hospitals.Neonatal Behavioral Neurological Assessment was performed for 12 neonates(33％,12/36),with a mean score of(32±4)points.The prognosis of 27 neonates was followed up to around 12 months of age,with 44％(12/27)of the neonates having a good prognosis.Conclusions Ischemic stroke is the main type of neonatal stroke,often with convulsions as the initial presentation,involvement of the middle cerebral artery,sharp waves on electroencephalography,and a relatively low neurodevelopment score.Symptomatic/supportive treatment is the main treatment method,and some neonates tend to have a poor prognosis.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of apoptosis induced by acetyl-11-keto-3-boswellic acid(AKBA)in oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)cells.Methods CAL27 were randomly divided into control group(conventional culture),low-dose group(40.00 μmol·L-1 AKBA),middle-dose group(80.00 μmol·L-1 AKBA),high-dose group(120.00 μmol·L-1 AKBA),3-methyladenine(3-MA)group(120.00 μmol·L-1 AKBA+2 mmol·L-1 autophagy inhibitor 3-MA).5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine(Edu)assay was used to detect cell proliferation;Western blot assay was used to detect protein expression;flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis.Mice were randomly divided into model group(construct OSCC mouse model),AKBA-L group(10.00 mg·kg-1 AKBA after modeling),AKBA-H group(20.00 mg·kg-1 AKBA after modeling),10 animals per group.After 28 days of continuous administration,weight were detected;and the expression of related proteins were detected by Western blot assay.Results The Edu positive cell rates in control group,high-dose group were(40.18±2.53)％,(12.08±0.93)％,respectively;the protein levels of autophagy associated microtubule associated protein 1 light chain 3(LC3)Ⅱ/LC3 Ⅰ in control group,high-dose group and 3-MA group were 0.33±0.05,2.93±0.39,0.56±0.07,respectively;phosphorylated adenylate activated protein kinase catalytic subunit alpha subunit 1(p-PRKAA1)protein levels were 0.34±0.04,1.03±0.07,0.99±0.09,respectively;the apoptosis rates were(4.65±0.39)％,(25.75±2.29)％,(14.92±1.49)％,respectively.The above indexes in hige-dose group were significantly different from those in the control group(all P＜0.05).The above indexes in 3-MA group were significantly different from those in high-dose group(all P＜0.05).The tumor weight of model group,AKBA-L group and AKBA-H group were(0.96±0.08),(0.55±0.06),(0.43±0.05)g,respectively;the protein levels of LC3 Ⅱ/LC3 Ⅰ were 0.47±0.09,0.94±0.21 and 1.69±0.34,respectively.The above indexes in AKBA-L group and AKBA-H group were significantly different from those in model group(all P＜0.05).Conclusion AKBA can induce cytotoxic autophagy related apoptosis and inhibit CAL27 cell proliferation,which may be related to activation of AMPK signal.

BACKGROUND: Evidence on the relations of the American Heart Association's ideal cardiovascular health (ICH) with mortality in Asians is sparse, and the interaction between behavioral and medical metrics remained unclear. We aimed to fill the gaps. METHODS: A total of 198,164 participants without cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) were included from the China Kadoorie Biobank study (2004-2018), Dongfeng-Tongji cohort (2008-2018), and Kailuan study (2006-2019). Four behaviors (i.e., smoking, physical activity, diet, body mass index) and three medical factors (i.e., blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipid) were classified into poor, intermediate, and ideal levels (0, 1, and 2 points), which constituted 8-point behavioral, 6-point medical, and 14-point ICH scores. Results of Cox regression from three cohorts were pooled using random-effects models of meta-analysis. RESULTS: During about 2 million person-years, 20,176 deaths were recorded. After controlling for demographic characteristics and alcohol drinking, hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals) comparing ICH scores of 10-14 vs. 0-6 were 0.52 (0.41-0.67), 0.44 (0.37-0.53), 0.54 (0.45-0.66), and 0.86 (0.64-1.14) for all-cause, CVD, respiratory, and cancer mortality. A higher behavioral or medical score was independently associated with lower all-cause and CVD mortality among the total population and populations with different levels of behavioral or medical health equally, and no interaction was observed. CONCLUSIONS ICH was associated with lower all-cause, CVD, and respiratory mortality among Chinese adults. Both behavioral and medical health should be improved to prevent premature deaths.
Adult ; Humans ; Cardiovascular Diseases/prevention & control* ; East Asian People ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: Catheter-based pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is an effective and well-established intervention for symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF). Nevertheless, late recurrences of atrial fibrillation (LRAF) occurring during 3 to 12 months are common, and the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) in atrial tissue have been linked to the pathophysiological mechanisms and progression of PAF in a few studies. However, their expression patterns in peripheral blood and regulatory function in LRAF are not clear. METHODS: In the present study, the expression profile of circulating circRNAs in three paired nonvalvular PAF patients with or without LRAF was investigated by high-throughput sequencing and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatics analyses, including Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis, and circRNA/miRNA regulatory network, were performed to predict the functions and potential regulatory roles of differentially expressed (DE) circRNAs. RESULTS: A total of 12,834 circRNAs, comprising 5,491 down-regulated and 7,343 up-regulated circRNAs, were found to be DE in blood smaples from the two groups in peripheral blood between LRAF and non-recurrence control individuals. The most enriched GO categories in terms of molecular function, biological process, and cellular component features were catalytic activity, cellular metabolic process, and intracellular part, respectively. The KEGG enrichment study revealed that the most important metabolic process controlled by DE circRNAs is endocytosis. In the circRNA/microRNAs interaction network, four up-regulated circRNAs (hsa_circ_0002665, hsa_circ_0001953, hsa_circ_0003831, and hsa_circ_0040533) and one down-regulated circRNA (hsa_circ_0041103) were predicted to play potential regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of LRAF. CONCLUSIONS This investigation discovered the expression pattern of circulating circRNAs that is indicative of PAF late recurrence, which may serve as risk markers or therapeutic targets for LRAF after PVI.

OBJECTIVE To study the sp ectrum-effect relationship of anti-gastric ulcer effect of Shaoyao gancao decoction. METHODS Eleven batches of Shaoyao gancao decoction were prepared ；gastric ulcer model was established by anhydrous ethanol modeling method. Using Weikangling as positive control ，the effects of Shaoyao gancao decoction on the contents of defensive factors [nitric oxide （NO），epidermal growth factor （EGF），superoxide dismutase （SOD）] and attack factor [malondialdehyde （MDA）] in gastric tissue of model rats were investigated. HPLC fingerprints of 11 batches of Shaoyao gancao decoction were established and similarity evaluation was performed with Similarity Evaluation System of Traditional Chinese Medicine Chromatographic Fingerprint （2004A edition ）； common peaks were identified by comparing with mixed control. The spectrum-effect relationship of Shaoyao gancao decoction against gastric ulcer was analyzed based on the grey correlation analysis. RESULTS Eleven batches of Shaoyao ganyao decoction could significantly decrease the content of MDA in gastric tissue ，while increased the contents of NO ，EGF and SOD in gastric ulcer model rats （P＜0.01），and had a certain inhibitory effect on the gastric ulcer. There were 23 common peaks in chromatograms of 11 batches of samples ，and the similarity with the control fingerprint was not less than 0.9. By comparing with mixed control ，7 common peaks were identified ，namely gallic acid （peak 5），albiflorin（peak 9），paeoniflorin（peak 10），liquiritin（peak 12），isoliquiritin apioside （peak 14），isoliquiritoside（peak 15）， glycyrrhizic acid （peak 22）. The average correlation degree of 7 identified common peaks and pharmacodynamic indexes were greater than 0.6，of which peak 22（glycyrrhizic acid ），peak 10（paeoniflorin）and peak 12（liquiritin）had the largest correlation ， and their values were 0.807，0.772 and 0.770 respectively. RESULTS The anti-gastric ulcer effect of Shaoyao gancao decoction is the result of the synergistic effect of multiple components ，among which glycyrrhizic acid ，paeoniflorin and liquiritin may be the main pharmacodynamic components.

Molecular glues are a class of small molecules that induce the formation of protein-protein interactions to confer new biological function or therapeutic effects. As a unique pharmacological modality, molecular glues could target proteins without druggable binding pockets. It exhibits a variety of functions, including regulating signal transduction, stabilization or degradation of targeted proteins, through sticking different proteins together. This review will summarize the development and current status of molecular glues derived from natural products and analogs by illustrating the discovery and interaction mechanism. We hope to present a systematic view, provide valuable clues for researchers and encourage them to explore more efficient and rational molecular glue discovery strategies.

The present study focused on the potential mechanism of betulin (BT), a pentacyclic triterpenoid isolated from the bark of white birch (Betula pubescens), against chronic alcohol-induced lipid accumulation and metaflammation. AML-12 and RAW 264.7 cells were administered ethanol (EtOH), lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or BT. Male C57BL/6 mice were fed Lieber-DeCarli liquid diets containing 5% EtOH for 4 weeks, followed by single EtOH gavage on the last day and simultaneous treatment with BT (20 or 50 mg/ kg) by oral gavage once per day. In vitro, MTT showed that 0-25 mM EtOH and 0-25 μM BT had no toxic effect on AML-12 cells. BT could regulate sterolregulatory-element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1), lipin1/2, P2X7 receptor (P2X7r) and NOD-like receptor family, pyrin domains-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) expressions again EtOH-stimulation. Oil Red O staining also indicated that BT significantly reduced lipid accumulation in EtOH-stimulated AML-12 cells. Lipin1/2 deficiency indicated that BT might mediate lipin1/2 to regulate SREBP1 and P2X7r expression and further alleviate lipid accumulation and inflammation. In vivo, BT significantly alleviated histopathological changes, reduced serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and triglyceride (TG) levels, and regulated lipin1/2, SREBP1, peroxisome proliferator activated receptor α/γ (PPARα/γ) and PGC-1α expression compared with the EtOH group. BT reduced the secretion of inflammatory factors and blocked the P2X7rNLRP3 signaling pathway. Collectively, BT attenuated lipid accumulation and metaflammation by regulating the lipin1/2-mediated P2X7r signaling pathway.

Aim To investigate the mechanism by which ginsenoside Rgl regulates autophagy anrl delays brain aging in mice through AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.Methods C57BL/6J male mice were ran¬domly divided into four groups, namely brain aging model group ,control group, Rgl anti-aging group,auto¬phagy activator Rapamycin anti-aging group.After the modeling was completed, the test of each experimental index would be carried out on the next day.Morris wa¬ter maze experiment was used to detect the learning and memory ability of mice.Paraffin sections of the hippocampus were prepared, HE , Nissl and immunohis- tochemical staining were used to observe the morpholo¬gy of hippocampal neurons, the number of neurons and Nissl bodies was counted, and autophagy-related proteins p62 , ATG5 , ULK1 were detected.Brain tissue homogenates were prepared to detect the aetivity of brain tissue acetylcholinesterase ( AChE ).Western blot was userl to detect brain tissue autophagy-related proteins LC3II, P62, beclinl, P-AMPK/AMPK, P- mTOR/mTOR and apoptosis protein P53.Results Water maze test showed that Rgl and Hap significantly improved the learning and memory abilities of brain-ag¬ing mice.HE and Nissl staining showed that Rgl and Rap decreased necrotic cells and increased the number of Nissl bodies in the hippocampus of brain-aging mice.Immunohistochemistry staining showed that Rgl and Rap decreased the expression of neuronal autoph- agv protein P62 in hippocampus and increased the ex-pression of ATG5 and ULK1.Rgl and Rap decreased the activity of AhcE in brain-aging mice.Western blot showed that Rgl and Rap increased autophagy-related proteins LC3II, Beclinl , P-AMPK/AMPK, but de¬creased the expression of P-mTOR/mTOR, P62, P53.Conclusions Ginsenoside Rgl can effectively antago¬nize the aging effect of D-gal on mouse brain.The pos¬sible mechanism is related to the regulation of autoph- agv by Rgl through AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway.

The importance of gut microbes to human health has gradually attracted attention. With the use of animal models, it has been revealed that maternal microbes during pregnancy could influence their children's health outcomes through shaping their microbial composition and regulating the development of their metabolic and immune system. However, the physiological mechanism of the human body is more complex and is affected by the interaction of multiple factors. The research results obtained from animal models are often inconsistent with human studies. At present, the influence of maternal intestinal microbes during pregnancy on the microbial colonization in their offspring and on a series of children's health outcomes is still unclear. Establishing a sub-cohort to detect the microbiome of the women across pregnancy and of their offspring, and further to integrate with variety of environmental and behavioral exposures can better provide reliable support for the research on the mechanism of children's health and diseases. This paper briefly introduces the research objectives, content, progress, strength and limitations of the sub-cohort study.