Objective: This study aimed to construct an animal model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) that integrates disease and syndrome based on the "deficiency-blood stasis-toxin" pathogenesis and to evaluate it comprehensively. Methods: The HFpEF mouse model was constructed using a combination of Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and a high-fat diet. According to the random number table method, SPF-grade male C57BL/6J mice were randomly assigned to the control, L-NAME, high-fat diet, and model groups, 10 in each group. Comprehensive observations and data collection on macroscopic signs (e.g., fur condition, mental state, stool and urine, oral and nasal condition, paw and body condition, etc.) and cardiac function were performed after 10 and 16 weeks of model induction. Additionally, the syndrome evolution was elucidated based on diagnostic criteria for clinical syndromes of heart failure. Furthermore, pathological and molecular biological examinations of myocardial tissue were performed to assess the stability and reliability of the model. Results: Mice in the model group showed typical characteristics of syndrome of qi deficiency and blood stasis, as well as syndrome of internal heat accumulation, including lethargy, slow response, dull paw color and oral/nasal color, exercise intolerance, abnormal platelet activation, dry feces, and dark yellow urine. The time window for these syndromes was between 10 and 16 weeks post-modeling. Cardiac function assessments revealed severe diastolic dysfunction, concentric myocardial hypertrophy, and myocardial fibrosis in the model group. Pathological examinations showed a significantly increased collagen deposition in the myocardial interstitium, enlarged cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes, and sparse coronary microvasculature in the model group. Molecular biological analyses indicated marked activation of the inducible nitric oxide synthase/nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells/NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 inflammatory pathway and significantly elevated inflammation levels in the myocardial tissue of the model group. Although mice in the L-NAME and high-fat diet groups also showed certain manifestations of qi deficiency syndrome, the substantial cardiac damage was relatively limited compared to the control group. Conclusion This study has constructed an animal model of HFpEF that integrates disease and syndrome based on the "deficiency-blood stasis-toxin" pathogenesis. The macroscopic and microscopic characteristics of this model are consistent with the manifestations of syndrome of qi deficiency and blood stasis, toxin syndrome, and syndrome of internal heat accumulation. Moreover, it can stably simulate the HFpEF state and reflect phenotypic changes in human disease. This model provides a suitable experimental platform to explore the pathogenesis of HFpEF, evaluate the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment regimens, and promote in-depth research on TCM syndromes of heart failure.

Objective:To establish an antibody expression system to reduce the antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) effect of target antibody.Methods:Site-directed mutagenesis was used to mutate the 234 and 235 sites of the Fc region of the mammalian cell antibody expression vector-L234A and L235A to establish the antibody expression vector pFRT-IgG1κ-FcM. An antibody Wt-WNV with significant ADE effect obtained in previous work was selected and expressed by the pFRT-IgG1κ-FcM system to obtain mutant antibody FcM-WNV. The binding ability of FcM-WNV to target antigen West Nile virus envelope protein-DⅢ (WNV E-DⅢ) was detected by ELISA, and the its binding ability to human high-affinity IgG Fc receptor hFcγRⅠ (hCD64 ) was analyzed by flow cytometry. The neutralizing activity of FcM-WNV in vitro was detected by pseudovirus infection of host cells (BHK21 and K562). Results:The expression levels of FcM-WNV and Wt-WNV were comparable, and FcM-WNV could recognize and bind to WNVE-DIII in a concentration-dependent manner. Compared with Wt-WNV, the binding ability of FcM-WNV to hCD64 was significantly weakened, showing a significant decrease in fluorescence intensity. Consistent with the previous experimental results, Wt-WNV at a concentration of 5 μg/ml significantly enhanced the infection of K562 by WNV pseudovirus, while FcM-WNV at a concentration of 5 μg/ml could effectively block pseudovirus infection in both K562 and BHK21 cells.Conclusions:The established antibody expression system can effectively reduce the ADE effect of the target antibody.

Objective To assess the effectiveness and safety of prone positioning in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome(NRDS)using invasive respiratory support.Methods A prospective study was conducted from June 2020 to September 2023 at Suining County People's Hospital,involving 77 preterm infants with gestational ages less than 35 weeks requiring invasive respiratory support for NRDS.The infants were randomly divided into a supine group(37 infants)and a prone group(40 infants).Infants in the prone group were ventilated in the prone position for 6 hours followed by 2 hours in the supine position,continuing in this cycle until weaning from the ventilator.The effectiveness and safety of the two approaches were compared.Results At 6 hours after enrollment,the prone group showed lower arterial blood carbon dioxide levels,inspired oxygen concentration,oxygenation index,rates of tracheal intubation bacterial colonization,and Neonatal Pain,Agitation and Sedation Scale scores compared to the supine group(P<0.05).There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of pH,arterial oxygen pressure,positive end-expiratory pressure,duration of mechanical ventilation,accidental extubation,ventilator-associated pneumonia,air leak syndrome,skin pressure sores,feeding intolerance,and grades II-IV intraventricular hemorrhage(P>0.05).Conclusions Compared to supine positioning,prone ventilation effectively improves oxygenation,increases comfort,and reduces tracheal intubation bacterial colonization in neonates requiring mechanical ventilation for NRDS,without significantly increasing adverse reactions.

Objective:To establish an in vivo infection model of H5N1 pseudovirus and to detect the neutralizing activity of FHA3 antibody using this model. Methods:Based on the sequence information of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) of A/Anhui/1/2005/H5N1 strain, two recombinant plasmids of pcDNA3.1-HA5 and pcDNA3.1-NA1 were constructed. The two plasmids and plasmid pNL4-3.Luc.R-E- were co-transfected into 293T cells to prepare H5N1 pseudovirus supernatant. The morphology of pseudovirus particles in the supernatant was observed by electron microscopy. MDCK cells were infected with the pseudovirus supernatant and the virus titer was detected. BALB/c mice were injected with the pseudovirus supernatant by intraperitoneal injection and subjected to bioluminescence imaging at 2, 5, 8, and 12 d after infection to detect the pseudovirus infection in vivo. The functional activity of FHA3 antibody in vivo was evaluated using the established mouse infection model. Results:The recombinant plasmids pcDNA3.1-HA5 and pcDNA3.1-NA1 were correctly constructed and could be used to prepare pseudovirus supernatants of high titer by co-transfecting 293T cells with the plasmid pNL4-3.Luc.R-E-. The virus particles were round under electron microscope. H5N1 pseudovirus-infected mice exhibits strong fluorescence signals, which were attenuated by FHA3 treatment before challenge.Conclusions:The in vivo infection model of H5N1 pseudovirus was successfully constructed and FHA3 antibody was proved to be protective against the pseudovirus infection.

Professor FU Wen-bin, based on the concept of the "yang-oriented approach", identifies "yang deficiency with excess yin" as the underlying pathological mechanism of "five delays and five weaknesses" in children. He recommends a treatment model that included acupuncture, moxibustion, and rehabilitation, integrating various therapeutic methods of acupuncture, refined moxibustion, and auricular point sticking. Specific acupoints along the conception vessel, governor vessel, and bladder meridian, as well as related acupoints with tonifying effects on spleen and kidney, are selected to achieve the therapeutic goal of "promoting yang and nourishing yang simultaneously".
Child ; Humans ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Meridians ; Moxibustion ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are the preferred host cells for the production of complex recombinant therapeutic proteins. Adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) is a key enzyme in the purine biosynthesis step that catalyzes the condensation of adenine with phosphoribosylate to form adenosine phosphate AMP. In this study, the gene editing technique was used to knock out the aprt gene in CHO cells. Subsequently, the biological properties of APRT-KO CHO cell lines were investigated. A control vector expressed an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and an attenuation vector (containing an aprt-attenuated expression cassette and EGFP) were constructed and transfected into APRT-deficient and wild-type CHO cells, respectively. The stable transfected cell pools were subcultured for 60 generations and the mean fluorescence intensity of EGFP in the recombinant CHO cells was detected by flow cytometry to analyze the EGFP expression stability. PCR amplification and sequencing showed that the aprt gene in CHO cell was successfully knocked out. The obtained APRT-deficient CHO cell line had no significant difference from the wild-type CHO cells in terms of cell morphology, growth, proliferation, and doubling time. The transient expression results indicated that compared with the wild-type CHO cells, the expression of EGFP in the APRT-deficient CHO cells transfected with the control vector and the attenuation vector increased by 42%±6% and 56%±9%, respectively. Especially, the EGFP expression levels in APRT-deficient cells transfected with the attenuation vector were significantly higher than those in wild-type CHO cells (P < 0.05). The findings suggest that the APRT-deficient CHO cell line can significantly improve the long-term expression stability of recombinant proteins. This may provide an effective cell engineering strategy for establishing an efficient and stable CHO cell expression system.
Adenine/metabolism* ; Adenine Nucleotides ; Adenine Phosphoribosyltransferase/genetics* ; Adenosine Monophosphate ; Animals ; CHO Cells ; Cricetinae ; Cricetulus ; Recombinant Proteins/genetics*

Objective:To prepare and identify a broad-spectrum antibody FHA3 targeting influenza A virus hemagglutinin (HA).Methods:According to the single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) sequence, the heavy chain (VH) and light chain (VL) variable regions of FHA3 were amplified by PCR and a recombinant plasmid pFRT-IgG1κ-FHA3 was constructed by linking the expression vector pFRT-IgG1κ. FHA3 was expressed in the ExpiCHO system and purified by affinity purification. The binding activity of FHA3 to influenza A virus HA was detected by ELISA. The neutralizing activity of FHA3 was detected in vitro by infecting host cells with pseudovirus. Results:SDS-PAGE showed that high-purity FHA3 was obtained. FHA3 could bind to H1N1 HA, H2N2 HA, H3N2 HA, H5N1 HA, H7N9 HA and H9N2 HA in a concentration-dependent manner. FHA3 had good neutralizing activity in vitro that was it could effectively block the invasion of H5N1 and H7N9 pseudoviruses into target cells at a low concentration of 5 μg/ml and H1N1 pseudovirus at 0.012 5 μg/ml. Conclusions:A broad spectrum antibody targeting HA protein of influenza A virus with neutralizing activity in vitro was obtained.

Objective:To prepare and identify a functional antibody FNA1 targeting the neuraminidase (NA) of influenza A virus N1 subtype.Methods:According to single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) sequence, the heavy chain and light chain variable region sequences of FNA1 were synthesized, and the recombinant expression plasmid pFRT-IgG1κ-FNA1 was constructed by linking the expression vector pFRT-IgG1κ. The FNA1 antibody was expressed in ExpiCHO cells and purified using affinity purification technique. The binding ability of FNA1 to the target proteins, influenza A virus N1 subtype NA antigens, was detected by ELISA. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the binding ability of FNA1 to the NA antigens expressed on the surface of cell membrane. The in vitro activity of FNA1 against NA was evaluated by infecting 293T cells with pseudovirus. Results:Protein electrophoresis showed that FNA1 with high purity was obtained. FNA1 specifically recognized and bound to N1 subtype NA antigens in a concentration-dependent manner. FNA1 could effectively block NA activity by binding to N1 subtype NA protein expressed on the surface of cell membrane, thus inhibiting the release of packaged pseudovirus from cell surface and further inhibiting target cell infection.Conclusions:An antibody FNA1 targeting influenza A virus N1 subtype NA with in vitro functional activity was obtained.

A blood-brain barrier microfluidic chip platform for studying the permeability of active components in traditional Chinese medicine was developed. This model used primary human brain microvascular endothelial cells on a microfluidic chip consisting of two perpendicularly-crossing channels and a single layer porous polycarbonate membrane. The physiological shear stress in the human vasculature was also modeled in this device. Cell viability on the chip was monitored by cell staining and immunofluorescence staining. The cells spread well and the structure of an intercellular adhesion protein was satisfactory. The permeability of fluorescent tracers and three model drugs and the functional expression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp)on the blood-brain barrier were investigated. The results show that the apparent permeability coefficients (P_app) of the fluorescent tracers and three model drugs were consistent with those reported in the literature, and P-gp on the chip showed normal function, indicating that there was a complete structure and a functional BBB. The permeability of six active components of traditional Chinese medicine was investigated through this microfluidic chip and the drug concentration was determined by HPLC-MS/MS to obtain the P_app of each component. The P_app of corydaline was (4.51 ± 1.90)×10^-7 cm·s^-1, the P_app of tetrahydropalmatine was (9.10 ± 6.59)×10^-7 cm·s^-1, and the P_app of imperatorin was (9.38 ± 2.53)×10^-7 cm·s^-1; the concentration of isoimperatorin, baicalin and chlorogenic acid was below the limit of quantification, which suggested that isoimperatorin, baicalin and chlorogenic acid have poor permeability in this BBB chip. This blood-brain barrier microfluidic platform possesses a complete barrier function and near-physiological conditions and could be a valuable in vitro tool for drug permeability evaluation.

Objective: To explore the development of a CAR-T cells targeting CLL-1 and verify its function. Methods: The expression levels of CLL-1 targets in cell lines and primary cells were detected by flow cytometry. A CLL-1 CAR vector was constructed, and the corresponding lentivirus was prepared. After infection and activation of T cells, CAR-T cells targeting CLL-1 were produced and their function was verified in vitro and in vivo. Results: CLL-1 was expressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines and primary AML cells. The transduction rate of the prepared CAR T cells was 77.82%. In AML cell lines and AML primary cells, CLL-1-targeting CAR-T cells significantly and specifically killed CLL-1-expressing cells. Compared to untransduced T cells, CAR-T cells killed target cells and secreted inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 and interferon-γ, at significantly higher levels (P<0.001) . In an in vivo human xenograft mouse model of AML, CLL-1 CAR-T cells also exhibited potent antileukemic activity and induced prolonged mouse survival compared with untransduced T cells [not reached vs 22 days (95%CI 19-24 days) , P=0.002]. Conclusion: CAR-T cells targeting CLL-1 have been successfully produced and have excellent functions.
Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cytokines ; Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive ; Lectins, C-Type ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism* ; Mice ; Receptors, Mitogen ; T-Lymphocytes