Objective:To investigate the correlation between immune function and age-related pulmonary fibrosis, as well as the potential impact of bacterial lysates on this condition.Methods:Twenty-four healthy male C57BL/6 mice, aged 24, were randomly divided into three groups: a control group(Group N), a pulmonary fibrosis group(Group M), and a pulmonary fibrosis+ bacterial lysis product intervention group(Group P). Mice in Groups M and P were intratracheally injected with bleomycin(5 mg/kg)to induce a mouse pulmonary fibrosis model, while mice in Group N were injected with saline.After modeling, mice in Group P were orally administered 0.4 ml of a bacterial lysis product once a day.After 28 days, lung tissue and blood samples were collected for analysis.Pathological changes in lung tissue were assessed using hematoxylin and tosin staining(HE)and Masson staining and the Ashcroft score.The expression of CD4+ and CD8+ in lung tissue was evaluated using immunohistochemistry.The levels of serum interferon-γ(INF-γ), interleukin-3(IL-13), and immunoglobulin A(IgA)protein were measured using Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbent Assay(ELISA). The levels of INF-γ and IL-13 mRNA in lung tissue were determined using Real-Time Quantitative Transcription PCR(RT-qPCR). Additionally, the protein expression levels of matrix metalloprotein-9(MMP-9)and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteincise 1(TIMP-1)in lung tissue were assessed using blot analysis.Results:The degree of lung fibrosis was significantly reduced in mice in group P compared with group M when treated with bacterial lysis products.Group M showed a significant decrease in the expression of CD4+ T cells and an increase in the expression of CD8+ T cells( P<0.05)compared to group N. Additionally, the content of IgA was decreased( P<0.05)in group M. On the other hand, group P showed a significant increase in the expression of CD4+ T cells and a decrease in the expression of CD8+ T cells( P<0.05)compared to group M. Furthermore, the content of IgA was elevated( P<0.05)in group P. After bacterial lysis product intervention, mRNA and protein expression levels of IFN-γ were elevated( P<0.05), while mRNA and protein expression levels of IL-13 were reduced( P<0.05). Moreover, protein expression of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 was significantly up-regulated in group M compared with group N( P<0.05), and decreased after bacterial lysis product intervention( P<0.05). Conclusions:It is well-known that immune mechanisms play a crucial role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis.The use of bacterial lysates has been found to effectively regulate immune balance and mitigate the severity of pulmonary fibrosis in elderly mice.

Objective:To analyze the results of lymphocyte subsets and 12 plasma cytokines in patients with tuberculosis by flow cytometry and to evaluate their diagnostic efficacy in these patients.Methods:This is a retrospective case-control study. A total of 128 patients with evidence of tuberculosis disease or clinically confirmed tuberculosis who were admitted to the 8th Medical Center of PLA General Hospital from January 2022 to December 2023 were included. According to the location of mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, the patients were divided into the pulmonary tuberculosis group (83 cases) and the extrapulmonary tuberculosis group (45 cases), and 100 healthy age-and sex matched people who underwent health check up during the study period were selected as the control group. Flow cytometry was used to detect peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets and 12 plasma cytokines [including 10 pro-inflammatory factors: interleukin (IL)-5, interferon (IFN)-α, IL-2, IL-6, IL-1β, IFN-γ, IL-8, IL-17, IL-12P70, Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and two anti-inflammatory factors: IL-4, IL-10] in participants of all groups. Spearman correlation method was used to analyze the correlation between lymphocyte subsets and cytokines, binary Logistic regression was used to screen the TB related factors, and receiver operating curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of TB related factors.Results:Compared with the control group, the absolute number of CD3 +T lymphocytes, CD3 +CD8 +T lymphocytes, CD3 +CD4 +T lymphocytes, NK cells and B cells were lower in pulmonary tuberculosis group and extrapulmonary tuberculosis group (all P<0.05). Except for IL-1β, the levels of other 11 cytokines are all significantly higher in the pulmonary tuberculosis group (all P<0.01), and the levels of IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-17, TNF-α, IL-4 and IL-10 were significantly higher in extrapulmonary tuberculosis group (all P<0.05). Compared with extrapulmonary tuberculosis group, the level of IL-8 was higher in pulmonary tuberculosis group ( P=0.026). Spearman correlation analysis showed that IL-6, IFN-γ and IL-8 were negatively correlated with the absolute numbers of CD3 +T lymphocytes, CD3 +CD8 +T lymphocytes, CD3 +CD4 +T lymphocytes, NK cells and B cells (IL-6: R2=-0.30, -0.28, -0.32, -0.26, -0.28; IFN-γ: R2=-0.36, -0.31, -0.37, -0.25, -0.36; IL-8: R2=-0.14, -0.13, -0.16, -0.14, -0.22; all P<0.05), IL-10 was negatively correlated with the absolute number of CD3 +CD4 +T lymphocytes, NK cells and B cells ( R 2=-0.14, -0.19, -0.21, all P<0.05); Binary Logistic regression analysis showed that IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-8 and IL-10 were the related factors of tuberculosis ( OR=1.809, 1.136, 0.910, 2.218, all P<0.05), ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-8 and IL-10 in the joint diagnosis of tuberculosis was 0.845, the sensitivity was 0.766, and the specificity was 0.820. Conclusion:The lower absolute number of lymphocyte subsets and cytokine levels in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary tuberculosis indicate that their immune function is in a low state, and the higher levels of pro-inflammatory factors (IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-8) and anti-inflammatory factor (IL-10) indicates the higher inflammatory status, and evaluation of these 4 cytokines has satisfactory diagnostic efficacy for tuberculosis.

Objective:This study aims to establish an early warning diagnosis model for acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and to provide a simple, rapid, and accurate auxiliary diagnosis basis for clinical practice.Methods:The sample bank of subjects (patients admitted to the Eighth Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital from September 10, 2021, to July 25, 2023) was constructed, including the model establishment cohort [SCOPD group 49, 42 males and 7 females, (69.71±11.16) years old; AECOPD group 53, 49 males and 4 females, (72.60±10.19) years old] and the model validation cohort [SCOPD group 35, 28 males and 7 females, (69.97±10.40) years old; AECOPD group 35, 33 males and 2 females, (71.43±9.67) years old]. Fasting peripheral blood samples were collected, and the expression levels of IL-5, IL-17A, and IFN-α were detected by flow cytometry. Different expression levels were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to screen the related risk factors of COPD patients in acute exacerbation. The diagnostic efficacy of the model was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:The levels of IL-5 [1.64 (0.60, 2.86) pg/ml], IL-17A [1.42 (0.88, 2.29) pg/ml], and IFN-α [0.91 (0.59, 1.81) pg/ml] in the SCOPD group were significantly decreased compared with the AECOPD group IL-5 [4.68 (2.34, 9.40) pg/ml, Z=-5.033, P<0.001], IL-17A [2.33 (1.59, 4.62) pg/ml, Z=-3.919, P<0.001], IFN-α [2.83 (0.91, 3.75) pg/ml, Z=-4.127, P<0.01] in the cohort of model establishment. The results of binary logistic regression analysis between SCOPD and AECOPD groups showed that IL-5, IL-17A, and IFN-α were independent risk factors for acute exacerbation of patients with COPD ( P<0.05). And the regression equation is Y=-2.861+0.364×IL-5+0.385×IL-17A+0.445×IFN-α. The AUC value of IL-5, IL-17A, IFN-α and combined detection was 0.866 ( P<0.001). Compared to the SCOPD group and the AECOPD group in the cohort of model validation, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed that the combined model of three (AUC=0.858, P<0.001) could be used to diagnose the AECOPD. And the Kappa value was 0.773( P<0.05). Conclusion:The combined detection of IL-5, IL-17A, and IFN-α has high diagnostic efficacy for patients with acute exacerbation of COPD. This method provides a new potential tool for the clinical diagnosis of AECOPD and has the value of further exploration and optimization, promotion, and application.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effects and mechanism of atorvastatin on the proliferation， autophagy and glucose metabolism of AGS cells in human gastric cancer. METHODS The effects of low， medium and high concentrations of atorvastatin （12.5， 25， 50 μmol/L） on the viability of AGS cells were investigated through preliminary experiments， and the concentration of action was screened. The formal experiment was divided into control group （no intervention）， atorvastatin group （25 μmol/L）， positive control group （50 mg/L 5-fluorouracil）， inhibitor group [25 μmol/L atorvastatin +10 μmol/L phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase （PI3K）/protein kinase B （Akt） signaling pathway inhibitor LY294002] and activator group （25 μmol/L atorvastatin +10 μmol/L PI3K/Akt signaling pathway activator SC79）， all of which were treated for 24 h. Glucose metabolism （glucose and lactic acid contents） and cell proliferation rate were detected， as well as the expression of autophagy-associated protein light chain 3 （LC3） Ⅰ， LC3Ⅱ and PI3K/Akt signaling pathway-associated proteins in cells. RESULTS Both medium and high concentrations of atorvastatin could significantly inhibit the viability of AGS cells （P＜0.05）， and 25 μmol/L atorvastatin was selected for the official experiment for follow-up experiments. Compared with the control group， the contents of glucose and lactic acid， cell proliferation rate， p-PI3K/PI3K and p-Akt/Akt ratios in the positive control group and atorvastatin group were significantly decreased （P＜ 0.05）， and the protein expression levels of LC3 Ⅰ and LC3 Ⅱ were significantly increased （P＜0.05）. Compared with the atorvastatin group， the inhibitor further promoted the changes in the above indexes （P＜0.05）， and the activator significantly reversed the changes in the above indexes （P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS Atorvastatin could inhibit glucose metabolism and proliferation of AGS cells in human gastric cancer and promote autophagy. The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Objective:To investigate the effect and mechanism of longikaurin A (LK-A) on glioma proliferation.Methods:Resuscitated frozen human glioma cell lines U87 and SNB19 were in vitro sub-cultured; CCK-8 assay was used to detect the cell activity changes 24 and 48 h after 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0 μmol/L LK-A. Edu proliferation assay was used to detect the changes in number of Edu positive cells after 0, 1, 2 and 3 μmol/L LK-A, and cell clonal formation assay was used to detect the changes in number of cell colony formation after 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 μmol/L LK-A. Flow cytometry was used to detect the changes in cell cycle proportion after 0, 1, 2 and 3 μmol/L LK-A. Expression changes of proliferation-related proteins (Ki-67 and c-Myc) and cell cycle-related proteins (Cyclin B1, Cyclin D1, cyclin dependent kinase 1 [CDKl]) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signaling pathway-related proteins were detected by Western blotting after 0, 1, 2, and 3 μmol/L LK-A. Results:U87 and SNB19 cell viabilities decreased gradually after being treated with 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, and 8.0 μmol/L LK-A for 24 and 48 h compared with those with 0 μmol/L LK-A, with significant differences ( P<0.05); cell viability was dose-dependent. The number of Edu positive cells in U87 and SNB19 after being treated with 2, and 3 μmol/L LK-A was significantly decreased compared with that with 0 μmol/L LK-A ( P<0.05). The colony formation number of U87 and SNB19 cells after being treated with 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 μmol/L LK-A decreased significantly compared with that with 0 μmol/L LK-A ( P<0.05). The proportion of U87 and SNB19 cells at G2/M phase after being treated with 2 and 3 μmol/L LK-A were increased significantly compared with that with 0 μmol/L LK-A ( P<0.05). The Ki-67, c-Myc, Cyclin B1, CDK1, p-PI3K and p-AKT expressions were significantly decreased, while Cyclin D1 expression was significantly increased in U87 and SNB19 cells after being treated with 2 and 3 μmol/L LK-A compared with those with 0 μmol/L LK-A ( P<0.05). Conclusion:LK-A can inhibit the glioma proliferation and arrest glioma at G2/M phase, with dose-dependent manner; the mechanism is related to inhibition of PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by LK-A.

Objective:To evaluate a self-designed intelligent robot-assisted minimally invasive reduction system in the reduction of unstable pelvic fractures by a cadaveric anatomic study.Methods:Ten unembalmed cadavers (7 male and 3 female ones) were used in this study. In each cadaveric specimen an unstable pelvic fracture was created in accordance with clinical case models (3 cases of type B1, 4 cases of type B2 and 3 cases of type C1 by the Tile classification). A self-designed intelligent robot-assisted minimally invasive reduction system was used to assist the reduction in the cadaveric models. Intraoperative registration and navigation time, autonomous reduction time, total operation time and reduction error were measured.Results:Effective reduction was completed in 10 bone models with the assistance of our self-designed intelligent robot-assisted minimally invasive reduction system. The time for intraoperative registration and navigation averaged 47.4 min (from 32 to 74 min), the autonomous reduction time 73.9 min (from 48 to 96 min), and the total operation time 121.3 min (from 83 to 170 min). The reduction error averaged 2.02 mm (from 1.67 to 2.62 mm), and the reduction results met the clinical requirements.Conclusion:Our self-designed intelligent robot-assisted minimally invasive reduction system is a new clinical solution for unstable pelvic fractures, showing advantages of agreement with clinical operative procedures, high reduction accuracy and operational feasibility, and reduced radiation exposure compared to a conventional operation.

Objective To investigate the dynamic changes of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets and their correlation with renal function in recipients with stable graft status after renal transplantation. Methods Forty-five recipients who underwent renal transplantation for the first time and had stable graft function within postoperative 6 months were selected. The proportion and absolute value of lymphocyte subsets were detected by flow cytometry (FCM) in 180 peripheral blood samples from recipients at 15 d, 1, 3 and 6 months after renal transplantation. The dynamic changes of lymphocyte subsets with the extension of postoperative time and their correlation with serum creatinine (Scr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were analyzed. Results The Scr levels did not significantly differ at 4 time points after renal transplantation (all P > 0.05). The BUN levels significantly differed between 15 d and 1 month after renal transplantation, and between 1 and 3 months after renal transplantation (P=0.002, P=0.001). The proportion of CD3⁺CD8⁺T cells, CD3⁺CD4⁺T cells, natural killer (NK) cells and CD4/CD8 ratio at postoperative 15 d significantly differed from those at 1 month after operation (P=0.009, P=0.004, P < 0.001, P=0.004). The proportion of B cells significantly differed between 15 d and 1 month, and between 1 and 3 months after renal transplantation (both P < 0.001). The absolute values of CD3⁺T cells, CD3⁺CD8⁺T cells, CD3⁺CD4⁺T cells and NK cells at postoperative 15 d significantly differed from those at 1 month after renal transplantation (P=0.001, P=0.002, P=0.003, P < 0.001). The absolute values of CD3⁺CD8⁺T cells significantly differed between 3 and 6 months after operation (P=0.015). The absolute value of B cells at 1 month after renal transplantation significantly differed from that at 3 months after renal transplantation (P=0.001). The proportion and absolute value of lymphocyte subsets were not significantly correlated with the Scr level (both P > 0.05). The proportion and absolute value of CD3⁺CD8⁺T cells and NK cells were negatively correlated with BUN (P < 0.001-0.05), whereas the proportion of CD3⁺CD4⁺T cells and B cells was positively correlated with the BUN level (P < 0.001-0.05). The absolute value of CD3⁺T cells was negatively associated with the BUN level (P < 0.05). Conclusions T cells and NK cells in the lymphocyte subsets of stable recipients raise to the stable state within 1 month after renal transplantation, whereas B cells decrease to stable state within 3 months renal transplantation. The dynamic changes of lymphocyte subsets are correlated with the BUN level.

The BCL6 (B-Cell Lymphoma 6) gene is a proto-oncogene that is often expressed in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs). BCL6 loss of function can kill DLBCL cells, demonstrating that BCL6 is necessary for the survival of DLBCL cells and could be a therapeutic target. In this study, we found that BCL6 protein levels were consistently upregulated in DLBCL tissues, whereas its mRNA levels varied randomly in tissues, suggesting that a post-transcriptional mechanism was involved in BCL6 regulation. We used bioinformatics analysis to search for miRNAs, which potentially target BCL6, and identified specific targeting sites for miR-10a in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of BCL6. We further identified an inverse correlation between miR-10a levels and BCL6 protein levels, but not mRNA levels, in DLBCL tumor tissue samples. By overexpressing or knocking down miR-10a in DLBCL cells, we experimentally validated that miR-10a directly recognizes the 3'-UTR of the BCL6 transcript and regulated BCL6 expression. Furthermore, we demonstrated that negatively regulating BCL6 by miR-10a suppressed the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of DLBCL cells.
3' Untranslated Regions ; Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; genetics ; metabolism ; therapy ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6 ; biosynthesis ; genetics

The complete coding sequence of Haemonchus (H.) contortus HC29 cDNA was generated by rapid amplification of cDNA ends in combination with PCR using primers targeting the 5'- and 3'-ends of the partial mRNA sequence. The cloned HC29 cDNA was shown to be 1,113 bp in size with an open reading frame of 507 bp, encoding a protein of 168 amino acid with a calculated molecular mass of 18.9 kDa. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that the cloned HC29 cDNA contained the conserved catalytic triad and dimer interface of selenium-independent glutathione peroxidase (GPX). Alignment of the predicted amino acid sequences demonstrated that the protein shared 44.7~80.4% similarity with GPX homologues in the thioredoxin-like family. Phylogenetic analysis revealed close evolutionary proximity of the GPX sequence to the counterpart sequences. These results suggest that HC29 cDNA is a GPX, a member of the thioredoxin-like family. Alignment of the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of HC29 with those of the reported selenium-independent GPX of H. contortus showed that HC29 contained different types of spliced leader sequences as well as dimer interface sites, although the active sites of both were identical. Enzymatic analysis of recombinant prokaryotic HC29 protein showed activity for the hydrolysis of H2O2. These findings indicate that HC29 is a selenium-independent GPX of H. contortus.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary/genetics/isolation & purification ; Glutathione Peroxidase/*genetics/*metabolism ; Goat Diseases/parasitology ; Goats ; Haemonchiasis/parasitology/prevention & control/*veterinary ; Haemonchus/*enzymology/*genetics ; Hydrogen Peroxide/metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Helminth/chemistry/genetics ; Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sequence Alignment ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Because of the complexity of the cathepsin B-like (CBL) family, an information on the biological and biochemical characteristics of individual CBL genes is lacking. In this study, we investigated the degradative effects of the recombinant HC58 protein isolated from Haemonchus contortus parasites on protein substrates over a broad pH range in vitro. This protein, which hydrolyzed the synthetic peptide substrates Z-FR-AMC and Z-RR-AMC, had characteristics of the cysteine protease class of proteins. In the acidic pH range, the isolated protein actively degraded hemoglobin (Hb), the heavy chain of goat immunoglobulin G, and azocasein. By contrast, it degraded fibrinogen in the alkaline pH range. These activities were strongly inhibited in the presence of the cysteine protease inhibitor E-64. While the protein digested Hb, it did not induce the agglutination of erythrocytes from its natural host. These results suggest that the HC58 protein may play a role in the nutrition of this parasite.
Animals ; Caseins/metabolism ; Cathepsin B/antagonists&inhibitors/*genetics/isolation & purification/*metabolism ; Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors/pharmacology ; DNA, Complementary/genetics ; Goat Diseases/*parasitology ; Goats ; Haemonchiasis/parasitology/*veterinary ; Haemonchus/*enzymology/genetics/isolation & purification ; Hemagglutination Tests/veterinary ; Hemoglobins/metabolism ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Immunoglobulin G/metabolism ; Leucine/analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; RNA, Helminth/chemistry/genetics ; Recombinant Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary