1.Role of Innate Trained Immunity in Diseases
Chuang CHENG ; Yue-Qing WANG ; Xiao-Qin MU ; Xi ZHENG ; Jing HE ; Jun WANG ; Chao TAN ; Xiao-Wen LIU ; Li-Li ZOU
Progress in Biochemistry and Biophysics 2025;52(1):119-132
The innate immune system can be boosted in response to subsequent triggers by pre-exposure to microbes or microbial products, known as “trained immunity”. Compared to classical immune memory, innate trained immunity has several different features. Firstly, the molecules involved in trained immunity differ from those involved in classical immune memory. Innate trained immunity mainly involves innate immune cells (e.g., myeloid immune cells, natural killer cells, innate lymphoid cells) and their effector molecules (e.g., pattern recognition receptor (PRR), various cytokines), as well as some kinds of non-immune cells (e.g., microglial cells). Secondly, the increased responsiveness to secondary stimuli during innate trained immunity is not specific to a particular pathogen, but influences epigenetic reprogramming in the cell through signaling pathways, leading to the sustained changes in genes transcriptional process, which ultimately affects cellular physiology without permanent genetic changes (e.g., mutations or recombination). Finally, innate trained immunity relies on an altered functional state of innate immune cells that could persist for weeks to months after initial stimulus removal. An appropriate inducer could induce trained immunity in innate lymphocytes, such as exogenous stimulants (including vaccines) and endogenous stimulants, which was firstly discovered in bone marrow derived immune cells. However, mature bone marrow derived immune cells are short-lived cells, that may not be able to transmit memory phenotypes to their offspring and provide long-term protection. Therefore, trained immunity is more likely to be relied on long-lived cells, such as epithelial stem cells, mesenchymal stromal cells and non-immune cells such as fibroblasts. Epigenetic reprogramming is one of the key molecular mechanisms that induces trained immunity, including DNA modifications, non-coding RNAs, histone modifications and chromatin remodeling. In addition to epigenetic reprogramming, different cellular metabolic pathways are involved in the regulation of innate trained immunity, including aerobic glycolysis, glutamine catabolism, cholesterol metabolism and fatty acid synthesis, through a series of intracellular cascade responses triggered by the recognition of PRR specific ligands. In the view of evolutionary, trained immunity is beneficial in enhancing protection against secondary infections with an induction in the evolutionary protective process against infections. Therefore, innate trained immunity plays an important role in therapy against diseases such as tumors and infections, which has signature therapeutic effects in these diseases. In organ transplantation, trained immunity has been associated with acute rejection, which prolongs the survival of allografts. However, trained immunity is not always protective but pathological in some cases, and dysregulated trained immunity contributes to the development of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Trained immunity provides a novel form of immune memory, but when inappropriately activated, may lead to an attack on tissues, causing autoinflammation. In autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis, trained immunity may lead to enhance inflammation and tissue lesion in diseased regions. In Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, trained immunity may lead to over-activation of microglial cells, triggering neuroinflammation even nerve injury. This paper summarizes the basis and mechanisms of innate trained immunity, including the different cell types involved, the impacts on diseases and the effects as a therapeutic strategy to provide novel ideas for different diseases.
2.Compliance and correctness of hand hygiene of health care workers in intensive care units of a tertiary first-class hospital
Ming-Jun ZOU ; Li TAN ; Min XU ; Chuan XU ; Kun TAN ; Xiao WANG
Chinese Journal of Infection Control 2024;23(3):298-304
Objective To study the compliance and correctness of hand hygiene(HH)of staff in intensive care units(ICUs)of a tertiary first-class hospital,and provide theoretical basis for HH intervention.Methods In April 2023,staff in 17 ICUs of this hospital were performed on-site survey by infection control staff,and monitoring forms about HH compliance and correctness were filled out.Results A total of 874 HH opportunities were ob-served with the concealed observation method,501 HH opportunities were implemented,the compliance rate was 57.32%,273 HH opportunities were correctly implemented,with an correct rate of 54.49%.The compliance and correct rate of HH among staff in different ICUs varied significantly.Compliance and correct rates of HH among staff with different jobs were statistically different:HH compliance rate of cleaners(31.97%)was lower than that of nurses(63.83%),doctors(58.77%)and other personnel(58.14%);HH correct rate of cleaners(30.77%)was lower than that of nurses(58.17%).The causes for not implementing HH among staff with different jobs and at different HH opportunities were statistically different:the rate of not implementing any HH measures after con-tact with patients(84.75%)was higher than before contact with patients(41.27%),before clean and sterile ma-nipulation(30.00%),as well as after contact with blood and body fluid(45.45%).The rate of not implementing any HH measures after contact with the patient's surrounding environment(66.67%)was higher than before con-tact with patient as well as before clean and sterile manipulation.The rates of incomplete HH steps and insufficient HH time among staff with different jobs were statistically different:The rates of incomplete HH steps of other per-sonnel(82.35%)was higher than that of doctors(52.63%).The rates of insufficient HH time of doctors(82.46%)and nurses(78.18%)were higher than that of cleaners(51.85%).Conclusion The implementation of HH among different occupational groups and at different HH implementation opportunities in ICU is significantly different,which should be intervened based on their characteristics.
3.Clinical characteristics, treatment status, and prognosis analysis of 972 outpatient and inpatient heart failure patients
Shaoshuai LIU ; Huiqiong TAN ; Siqi LYU ; Xiaoning LIU ; Xiao GUO ; Jun ZHU ; Litian YU
Journal of Chinese Physician 2024;26(8):1216-1221
Objectives:To understand the differences in clinical characteristics, treatment status, and prognosis between outpatient and inpatient heart failure patients in the real world.Methods:A prospective, multicenter registration study was conducted to select 972 outpatient or inpatient heart failure patients from 24 different regions and levels of hospitals in China from December 2012 to November 2014. Demographic and clinical data, as well as treatment status, were collected and followed up at 1 year. The difference in medication treatment status between baseline and 1-year follow-up was compared using McNemar paired χ 2 test. Pearson χ 2 test was used to compare the differences in clinical data, treatment status, and outcomes between outpatient and inpatient patients. Results:There were 610 outpatient patients (62.8%), and the proportion of outpatient patients under 65 years old was higher than that of hospitalized patients [44.9%(274/610) vs 35.1%(127/362), P<0.05]. The proportion of NYHA grade Ⅲ/Ⅳ patients was as high as 50.8%(310/610), and 92.5%(564/610) of outpatient patients had difficulty breathing while walking uphill. 27.9%(170/610) of outpatient patients had jugular vein pressure greater than 6 cmH 2O, and 24.3%(148/610) of outpatient patients had pulmonary moist rales. There was no significant difference in the main causes of heart failure between outpatient and inpatient patients ( P=0.063), with ischemic cardiomyopathy being the main cause. At baseline, the use of beta blockers in outpatient patients was higher than that in hospitalized patients [63.0%(384/610) vs 54.4%(197/362), P<0.05], while the use of diuretics and aldosterone receptor antagonists was lower than that in hospitalized patients [53.1%(324/610) vs 72.1%(261/362), 49.5%(302/610) vs 61.3%(222/362), P<0.05]. There was no statistically significant difference in the use of ACEI/ARB between the two groups [67.4%(411/610) vs 62.4%(226/362), P>0.05]. At one-year follow-up, the use of ACEI/ARB in outpatient patients decreased [63.5%(360/567) vs 67.4%(411/610), P<0.05], the usage rate of aldosterone receptor antagonists in hospitalized patients decreased by [50.3%(165/328) vs 61.3%(222/362), P<0.05]. The one-year all-cause mortality rate of the two groups of patients was close to [6.7%(41/610) vs 9.4%(34/362), P=0.124], The hospitalization rate for heart failure in the outpatient group was lower than that of hospitalized patients [25.4%(155/610) vs 36.5%(132/362), P<0.05], but still>25.0%. Conclusions:Outpatient heart failure patients still have obvious symptoms and signs, and the prognosis is poor. The standardized management of outpatient heart failure patients cannot be ignored.
5.Correlation of DNA Damage Repair Gene FANCI with Prognosis and Immune Infiltration of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Ying YOU ; Mei-hua MEI ; Ning-xin TAN ; Yi-li CHEN ; Pei-dong CHI ; Xiao-shun HE ; Jun-qi HUANG
Journal of Sun Yat-sen University(Medical Sciences) 2023;44(1):51-62
ObjectiveTo evaluate the expression level of DNA damage repair gene FANCI in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its relationship with prognosis, clinical stage and immune infiltration. MethodsIn this study, TCGA, GTEx, TIMER2.0, HPA database and qRT-PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the expression of FANCI in HCC and its correlation with different clinical stages; Kaplan-Meier Plotter database was used to explore the relationship between FANCI and the prognosis of HCC; the TISIDB database was used to analyze the relationship between FANCI and immune cell infiltration and immune checkpoints in HCC; the STRING database was used to detect the protein binding with FANCI; the TCGA and GTEx databases were used for GO and KEGG enrichment analysis; Cell experiments were used to explore the role of FANCI in HCC. ResultsCompared with normal tissues, the mRNA and protein expression levels of FANCI in tumor tissues were up-regulated (P<0.001); and HCC patients with high expression of FANCI had poor prognosis (P<0.001); the expression of FANCI in tumor tissues was positively correlated with the number of activated CD4+ T cells, the number of Th2 cells and the expression of immune checkpoints, and B-cell and macrophage infiltration was significantly lower in the FANCI high expression group (P<0.01); GO and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that FANCI-related genes were enriched in various biological processes such as amino acid transmembrane transporter activity; Cell experiments showed that knockdown of FANCI could inhibit the proliferation, invasion and migration of HCC (P<0.05). ConclusionsFANCI is highly expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues, which may play a role in suppressing anti-tumor immunity and acting on pathways such as amino acid transmembrane transport, and is associated with poor prognosis. The proliferation, invasion and migration ability of hepatocellular carcinoma are inhibited after knocking down FANCI.
6.Nanopolyphenol rejuvenates microglial surveillance of multiple misfolded proteins through metabolic reprogramming.
Dayuan WANG ; Xiao GU ; Xinyi MA ; Jun CHEN ; Qizhi ZHANG ; Zhihua YU ; Juan LI ; Meng HU ; Xiaofang TAN ; Yuyun TANG ; Jianrong XU ; Minjun XU ; Qingxiang SONG ; Huahua SONG ; Gan JIANG ; Zaiming TANG ; Xiaoling GAO ; Hongzhuan CHEN
Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B 2023;13(2):834-851
Microglial surveillance plays an essential role in clearing misfolded proteins such as amyloid-beta, tau, and α-synuclein aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases. However, due to the complex structure and ambiguous pathogenic species of the misfolded proteins, a universal approach to remove the misfolded proteins remains unavailable. Here, we found that a polyphenol, α-mangostin, reprogrammed metabolism in the disease-associated microglia through shifting glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation, which holistically rejuvenated microglial surveillance capacity to enhance microglial phagocytosis and autophagy-mediated degradation of multiple misfolded proteins. Nanoformulation of α-mangostin efficiently delivered α-mangostin to microglia, relieved the reactive status and rejuvenated the misfolded-proteins clearance capacity of microglia, which thus impressively relieved the neuropathological changes in both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease model mice. These findings provide direct evidences for the concept of rejuvenating microglial surveillance of multiple misfolded proteins through metabolic reprogramming, and demonstrate nanoformulated α-mangostin as a potential and universal therapy against neurodegenerative diseases.
7.Impact of assisted reproductive technology on birth weight discordance in twins.
Qiu-Ying LI ; Hui ZHANG ; Qian CHEN ; Bi-Jun SHI ; Xiao-Hua TAN ; Qi-Liang CUI
Chinese Journal of Contemporary Pediatrics 2023;25(12):1239-1245
OBJECTIVES:
To explore the association between assisted reproductive technology (ART) and birth weight discordance in twins (BWDT).
METHODS:
A retrospective analysis was conducted on twin infants born between January 2011 and December 2020 at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, with complete basic birth data. The impact of ART on the occurrence of BWDT was identified by the multivariate logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS:
A total of 3 974 pairs of twins were included, with 1 431 conceived naturally and 2 543 through ART. Neonates in the ART group had higher birth weights than those in the naturally conceived group (P<0.001). The incidence of BWDT was lower in the ART group compared to the naturally conceived group (16.17% vs 21.09%, P<0.001). The multivariate logistic regression analysis, adjusting for confounding factors such as maternal age, parity, pre-pregnancy body mass index, gestational diabetes, hypothyroidism, gestational age, and chorionic properties, showed no significant difference in the risk of BWDT between the ART and naturally conceived groups (P>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
ART is not associated with the risk of BWDT.
Pregnancy
;
Infant, Newborn
;
Female
;
Humans
;
Birth Weight
;
Pregnancy Outcome
;
Infant, Premature
;
Infant, Low Birth Weight
;
Pregnancy, Multiple
;
Premature Birth/epidemiology*
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Population Surveillance
;
Reproductive Techniques, Assisted/adverse effects*
;
Pregnancy Complications
8.Dissection of Cellular Communication between Human Primary Osteoblasts and Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Osteoarthritis at Single-Cell Resolution
Ying LIU ; Yan CHEN ; Xiao-Hua LI ; Chong CAO ; Hui-Xi ZHANG ; Cui ZHOU ; Yu CHEN ; Yun GONG ; Jun-Xiao YANG ; Liang CHENG ; Xiang-Ding CHEN ; Hui SHEN ; Hong-Mei XIAO ; Li-Jun TAN ; Hong-Wen DENG
International Journal of Stem Cells 2023;16(3):342-355
Background and Objectives:
Osteoblasts are derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and playimportant role in bone remodeling. While our previous studies have investigated the cell subtypes and heterogeneity in osteoblasts and BMMSCs separately, cell-to-cell communications between osteoblasts and BMMSCs in vivo in humans have not been characterized. The aim of this study was to investigate the cellular communication between human primary osteoblasts and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.
Methods:
and Results: To investigate the cell-to-cell communications between osteoblasts and BMMSCs and identifynew cell subtypes, we performed a systematic integration analysis with our single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) transcriptomes data from BMMSCs and osteoblasts. We successfully identified a novel preosteoblasts subtype which highly expressed ATF3, CCL2, CXCL2 and IRF1. Biological functional annotations of the transcriptomes suggested that the novel preosteoblasts subtype may inhibit osteoblasts differentiation, maintain cells to a less differentiated status and recruit osteoclasts. Ligand-receptor interaction analysis showed strong interaction between mature osteoblasts and BMMSCs. Meanwhile, we found FZD1 was highly expressed in BMMSCs of osteogenic differentiation direction. WIF1 and SFRP4, which were highly expressed in mature osteoblasts were reported to inhibit osteogenic differentiation. We speculated that WIF1 and sFRP4 expressed in mature osteoblasts inhibited the binding of FZD1 to Wnt ligand in BMMSCs, thereby further inhibiting osteogenic differentiation of BMMSCs.
Conclusions
Our study provided a more systematic and comprehensive understanding of the heterogeneity of osteogenic cells. At the single cell level, this study provided insights into the cell-to-cell communications between BMMSCs and osteoblasts and mature osteoblasts may mediate negative feedback regulation of osteogenesis process.
9.A Comparative Study of Blood Lead Levels in Urban Children in China: The China Nutrition and Health Survey (CNHS) 2002 and 2012.
Xiao Bing LIU ; Zhao Long GONG ; Yu ZHANG ; Hui Di ZHANG ; Jun WANG ; Hong Xing TAN ; Jian Hua PIAO ; Li Chen YANG ; Xiao Guang YANG
Biomedical and Environmental Sciences 2023;36(4):376-380
10.Impact of CSF3R Mutation on Treatment Response and Survival of Patients with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Ruo-Qi LI ; Xiao-Ling WEN ; Xia-Lin ZHANG ; Chun-Xia DONG ; Mei-Fang WANG ; Xia-Xia LIU ; Yan-Jun HUANG ; Yan-Hong TAN ; Jian-Mei CHANG ; Rui-Juan ZHANG
Journal of Experimental Hematology 2023;31(3):628-632
OBJECTIVE:
To investigate the expression of CSF3R mutation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and analyze its clinical characteristics and prognosis.
METHODS:
A retrospective study was conducted in 212 patients with AML who were newly diagnosed in the Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University from January 1th 2018 to June 30th 2021, including 22 patients with CSF3R mutations as mutation group and 190 patients with CSF3R wild type [66 cases of them were screened by propensity score matching (PSM), as control group]. The early efficacy and survival between the two groups were compared.
RESULTS:
The median age of patients in the mutation group was 50(17-73) years old, and the ratio of male to female was 1.2:1 The main types were AML with maturation (11 cases) and acute myelomonocytic leukemia (9 cases). Prognostic stratification was carried out according to the risk stratification system of the European leukemia network in 2017, with 16 cases (72.73%) in the middle and high-risk group. At the initial diagnosis, the median count of white blood cell (WBC) was 44.75(1.30-368.71)×109/L, among which 15 cases (68.18%) were >10×109/L, and the median count of platelet (PLT) was 24(4-55)×109/L. CSF3R T618I (68.18%) was a common mutation site, which had concomitant gene mutations, in which CEBPA mutation was the most common (10 cases, 45.45%), but only existed in CSF3R T618I mutation. The CR/CRi rate was 68.18% and 71.21% in the mutant group and the control group (P >0.05), the median over all survival time was 15 months and 9 months (P >0.05), and the median disease-free survival time was 8 months and 4 months (P >0.05), respectively.
CONCLUSION
Most AML patients with CSF3R mutation are middle-aged patients, the main types are AML with maturation and acute myelomonocytic leukemia, and most of them have middle and high-risk prognosis. CSF3R mutation may not be an independent prognostic marker for newly diagnosed AML patients.
Middle Aged
;
Humans
;
Male
;
Female
;
Aged
;
Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Acute
;
Retrospective Studies
;
Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/diagnosis*
;
Prognosis
;
Mutation
;
Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor/genetics*

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