ObjectiveThis study leverages structural data from antigen-antibody complexes of the influenza A virus neuraminidase (NA) protein to investigate the spatial recognition relationship between the antigenic epitopes and antibody paratopes. MethodsStructural data on NA protein antigen-antibody complexes were comprehensively collected from the SAbDab database, and processed to obtain the amino acid sequences and spatial distribution information on antigenic epitopes and corresponding antibody paratopes. Statistical analysis was conducted on the antibody sequences, frequency of use of genes, amino acid preferences, and the lengths of complementarity determining regions (CDR). Epitope hotspots for antibody binding were analyzed, and the spatial structural similarity of antibody paratopes was calculated and subjected to clustering, which allowed for a comprehensively exploration of the spatial recognition relationship between antigenic epitopes and antibodies. The specificity of antibodies targeting different antigenic epitope clusters was further validated through bio-layer interferometry (BLI) experiments. ResultsThe collected data revealed that the antigen-antibody complex structure data of influenza A virus NA protein in SAbDab database were mainly from H3N2, H7N9 and H1N1 subtypes. The hotspot regions of antigen epitopes were primarily located around the catalytic active site. The antibodies used for structural analysis were primarily derived from human and murine sources. Among murine antibodies, the most frequently used V-J gene combination was IGHV1-12*01/IGHJ2*01, while for human antibodies, the most common combination was IGHV1-69*01/IGHJ6*01. There were significant differences in the lengths and usage preferences of heavy chain CDR amino acids between antibodies that bind within the catalytic active site and those that bind to regions outside the catalytic active site. The results revealed that structurally similar antibodies could recognize the same epitopes, indicating a specific spatial recognition between antibody and antigen epitopes. Structural overlap in the binding regions was observed for antibodies with similar paratope structures, and the competitive binding of these antibodies to the epitope was confirmed through BLI experiments. ConclusionThe antigen epitopes of NA protein mainly ditributed around the catalytic active site and its surrounding loops. Spatial complementarity and electrostatic interactions play crucial roles in the recognition and binding of antibodies to antigenic epitopes in the catalytic region. There existed a spatial recognition relationship between antigens and antibodies that was independent of the uniqueness of antibody sequences, which means that antibodies with different sequences could potentially form similar local spatial structures and recognize the same epitopes.

Six compounds were isolated from the roots of Ephedra sinica Stapf using various chromatographic techniques such as silica gel column chromatography, thin layer chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC. Their chemical structures were identified by analysis of physicochemical properties and spectral data, and determined as (Z)-docosanylferulate (1), (E)-docosanylferulate (2), bis (2-ethylheptyl) phythalate (3), 2,2′-oxybis (1,4-di-tert-butylbenzene) (4), diisobutyl phthalate (5), bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (6). Among them, compound 1 is a new compound, compounds 2-4 were first isolated from Ephedra. A corticosterone-induced PC-12 cell injury model was used for compound activity screening. The results showed that compounds 1 and 5 significantly improved corticosterone-induced PC-12 cell injury and significantly increased 5-HT₇ receptor protein expression in the cells, indicating potential antidepressant activity.

Objective: To investigate the association between early life adversity(ELA) and the triglycerideglucose (TyG) index for an indicator of insulin resistance among girls with precocious puberty, so as to provide scientific basis for effective prevention and intervention measures. Methods: From July 2020 to September 2021, girls with precocious puberty were recruited from the childrens health clinic of Anhui Provincial Childrens Hospital. Among them, 150 girls with complete blood indicators and questionnaire information were included. Both parental reports and child selfreports were combined to assess ELA exposure. Fasting blood samples were collected to evaluate thetyg index. According to the ELA score classification, girls were classified into 3 groups for 0, 1 and >2, multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to examine the association between ELA exposure and TyG index in girls with precocious puberty. Results: Precocious pubertal girls subjectively reported high rates of ELA exposure, with an average ELA score of (1.07±1.17) and an average TyG level of (7.99±0.49). A single adverse association was found that the exposure of girls with precocious puberty to a lack of warm nurturing was significantly positively correlated with the TyG index (β=0.26, 95%CI=0.03-0.50, P<0.05). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that girls in the ELA≥2 group had a 0.24 increase in TyG levels compared to girls who did not experience ELA (β=0.24, 95%CI=0.04-0.43). After controlling for covariates such as child age, mothers age, fathers age, physical activity, screen time, birth weight, birth method (including natural and cesarean sections), perceived stress, BMI standardized Zscore, and parental assessment SDQ score, The association remained significant after controlling for covariates and was independent of BMI (β=0.25, 95%CI=0.04-0.46)(P<0.05). Conclusions Cumulative early life adversity in girls with precocious puberty is significantly positively correlated with the TyG index. It should early identify the girls exposed to high ELA for precocious puberty and timely intervent to improve their glucose metabolism function.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the intervention effect of Ruyi Zhenbaowan （RYZBW） on secondary brain injury and central pain in mice with hemorrhagic stroke and to explore its pharmacological mechanism of repairing the neurovascular unit from the perspective of neuroinflammation. MethodA mouse model of central post-stroke pain （CPSP） was established by microinjecting type Ⅳ collagenase into the ventroposterior thalamic nucleus. The day of model establishment was recorded as D1， and the mice were divided into Sham operation group （Sham）， model group （CPSP）， low （RYZBW-L）， medium （RYZBW-M）， and high （RYZBW-H） dose groups of RYZBW， and positive drug pregabalin （PGB） group. On the 4th day （D4） after model establishment， gavage administration was performed twice daily. The Sham and CPSP groups received an equal volume of normal saline， while the RYZBW-L， RYZBW-M， and RYZBW-H groups received RYZBW at 1.214， 1.821， 2.428 g·kg^-1， respectively， and the PGB group received PGB at 0.046 g·kg^-1. Mechanical hyperalgesia was assessed before model establishment （D0）， on the 3rd day （D3）， and after the first gavage on D4. Nerve damage was evaluated after the second gavage on D1 and D4. On D4， peripheral blood was collected for routine blood tests， and the thalamus was collected for immune-inflammation microarray analysis. In independent samples， quantitative analysis was performed on the localization of immune-inflammatory factors， receptors， and cells via immunofluorescence staining， enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and Western blot analysis. ResultCompared with the Sham group， CPSP mice showed significant secondary nerve injury， central pain after stroke （P<0.05，P<0.01）， increased red blood cell distribution width （RDW） in peripheral blood （P<0.05）， and decreased hemoglobin （HGB） concentration （P<0.05）. Immune-inflammation microarray analysis showed that CC chemokine ligand 2 （CCL2） in the CPSP thalamus was significantly increased compared to the Sham group （P<0.01）， while CX3C chemokine ligand 1 （CX3CL1） was significantly decreased （P<0.05）. These results were confirmed by ELISA and immunofluorescence staining. Western blot analysis indicated that the protein expression of CX3CR1， the receptor for CX3CL1， was significantly decreased in the CPSP group compared to the Sham group （P<0.01）. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the number of Ly6C⁺CX3CR1⁺ non-classical monocytes in the CPSP group did not change significantly， while the number of classical monocytes （CX3CR1^-Ly6C⁺） significantly increased （P<0.01）. The expression of CX3CR1 in microglia was significantly increased in the CPSP group （P<0.01）. Compared with the CPSP group， RYZBW improved neurological deficits （R²=0.367 9） and central pain symptoms （R²=0.501 9） in a dose-dependent manner. RYZBW-H significantly improved peripheral blood RDW and HGB （P<0.05）. Immune-inflammation microarray analysis and ELISA results showed that RYZBW-H significantly inhibited CCL2 expression （P<0.01） and increased CX3CL1 expression （P<0.05）. Western blot results indicated that the protein expression of CX3CR1 in the RYZBW-L and RYZBW-H groups was significantly increased （P<0.05）. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated that RYZBW increased the overall expression of CX3CR1 in a dose-dependent manner （R²=0.619 6）， inhibited the expression of CX3CR1 on microglia， and decreased both the number （R²=0.494 5） and soma area （R²=0.571 7） of microglia compared with the CPSP group. Additionally， RYZBW increased the infiltration of CX3CR1⁺Ly6C⁺ non-classical monocytes in a dose-dependent manner （R²=0.635 3） and effectively inhibited the infiltration of Ly6C⁺CX3CR1^- classical monocytes （R²=0.483 6）. ConclusionRYZBW can effectively alleviate secondary injury and central pain in CPSP mice， and its mechanism involves regulating the CX3CL1-CX3CR1 ligand-receptor interaction， inhibiting microglial infiltration and activation， promoting non-classical monocyte infiltration for vascular repair， and suppressing the infiltration of classical monocytes for inflammatory phagocytosis.

The MADS-box gene family is a very important transcriptional regulator gene, which plays a role in the whole growth and development process of plants. The APETALA1 (AP1) gene is considered to play an important regulatory role in the transformation of plant flowering, but also to control the characteristic development of floral organs. Lonicera macranthoides is used as medicine with dry buds and early flowers. Therefore, studying the potential mechanism of AP1 gene in regulating flower organ development can provide a basis for improving its medicinal value by molecular means. To explore the potential mechanism of the AP1 gene in the regulation of floral organ development in L. macranthoides, the full-length cDNA of the AP1 was cloned by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) and named LmMADS4. The results show that the CDS of the LmMADS4 gene is 729 bp and encodes 242 amino acids, and the LmMADS4 protein contains no signal peptide and no transmembrane structure, which is an unstable hydrophilic protein. Through homologous sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis, LmMADS4 and L. japonica MADS27 protein cluster into one class and are closely related. Finally, the expression pattern and protein interaction pattern of LmMADS4 were analyzed by real-time reverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and yeast two-hybrid technology. The qRT-PCR showed that LmMADS4 gene was differentially expressed in the stems, leaves and flower bud at different developmental stages, including bud type variety Longhua and common variety Baiyun; and LmMADS4 gene was highly expressed in the flower buds, and with the development of flower buds, LmMADS4 gene was continuously up-regulated in the flower bud variety Longhua, however, the expression level of LmMADS4 in the Baiyun terminal flower bud was lower than that in the late flower bud, but the difference was not significant. The yeast two-hybrid results showed that the bait vector pGBKT7-LmMADS4 was not toxic to yeast strains and had no self-activating activity. LmMADS4 protein interacted with LmSVP1, LmSVP3 and LmSOC1s proteins. This study can provide a theoretical basis for exploring the mechanism of long flower bud stage and corolla non-unfolding at the molecular level and variety improvement of L. macranthoides.

Objective To investigate the distribution of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndromes and related risk factors in children with mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia(MPP).Methods The clinical data of 420 children with MPP admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine were collected.The clinical data included gender,age,history of respiratory tract diseases,TCM syndromes,MPP classification,cough duration,fever duration,fever peak value,laboratory indicators of C-reactive protein(CRP),procalcitonin(PCT)and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH),and the complication of infection.SPSS 26.0 software was used for data statistics,and then the distribution of TCM syndromes in children with MPP and its correlation with various clinical data,as well as the related risk factors of MPP with different classification and various TCM syndromes were explored.Results(1)Among the 420 children with MPP,there were 283 cases(67.4％)of mild MPP,76 cases(18.1％)of refractory MPP,and 61 cases(14.5％)of severe MPP.For the distribution of TCM syndromes,there were 152 cases(36.2％)of wind-heat obstructing the lung syndrome,141 cases(33.6％)of phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome,77 cases(18.3％)of damp-heat obstructing the lung syndrome,25 cases(6.0％)of toxin-heat obstructing the lung syndrome,16 cases(3.8％)of lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome,and 9 cases(2.1％)of yin deficiency and lung heat syndrome.For the classification of infection,there were 295 cases(70.2％)of simple mycoplasma pneumoniae(MP)infection and 125 cases(29.8％)of mixed infection.(2)There were statistically significant differences in age stratification and visit season among MPP children with different TCM syndromes(P＜0.01),while no significant differences were shown in the gender,history of respiratory tract diseases,and the complication of infection(P＞0.05).(3)There were statistically significant differences in the visit season,history of respiratory tract diseases,and the complication of infection among the children with various MPP types(P＜0.05),while no significant differences were shown in the gender and age stratification(P＞0.05).(4)There were statistically significant differences in laboratory indicators of CRP and PCT and in the symptoms of cough duration,fever duration and fever peak among MPP children with different TCM syndromes(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(5)Significant differences were presented in laboratory indicators of PCT and LDH and in the symptoms of cough duration,fever duration and fever peak value among the children with different MPP types(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).(6)Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that CRP level ≥10.5 mg/L and wind-heat obstructing the lung syndrome were the independent risk factors for mild MPP(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01);fever duration≥7 days,cough duration ≥ 12 days and phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome were the independent risk factors for refractory MPP(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01);cough duration ≥ 12 days,mixed infection and toxin-heat obstructing the lung syndrome were the independent risk factors for severe MPP(P＜0.01).Conclusion The results indicated that the classification MPP in children is predominated by mild MPP,and their TCM syndrome types is predominated by wind-heat obstructing the lung syndrome.The proportions of refractory MPP and damp-heat obstructing the lung syndrome increase significantly in autumn,which may be related to the characteristics of regional environment and circuit qi.The increase of CRP level and fever peak may be related to phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome and toxin-heat obstructing the lung syndrome.In clinic,attention should be paid to the early use of heat-clearing and phlegm-resolving drugs or heat-clearing and toxin-removing drugs;children with the history of respiratory tract diseases and mixed infections are more likely to develop into severe MPP,and the physicians should be alert clinically.Wind-heat obstructing the lung syndrome,phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome and toxin-heat obstructing the lung syndrome are the independent risk factor separately for mild MPP,refractory MPP and severe MPP,which requires timely intervention to prevent mild MPP from developing into refractory MPP or severe MPP in clinic.

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides in the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression.Methods An open,single-arm,multi-center design was adopted in our study.Adult patients with mild and moderate depression who had received acute treatment of Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides were enrolled and continue to receive Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules for 24 weeks,the dose remained unchanged during continuation treatment.The remission rate,recurrence rate,recurrence time,and the change from baseline to endpoint of Hamilton Depression Scale(HAMD),Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),Clinical Global Impression-Severity(CGI-S)and Arizona Sexual Experience Scale(ASEX)were evaluated.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was reported.Results The scores of HAMD-17 at baseline and after treatment were 6.60±1.87 and 5.85±4.18,scores of HAMA were 6.36±3.02 and 4.93±3.09,scores of CGI-S were 1.49±0.56 and 1.29±0.81,scores of ASEX were 15.92±4.72 and 15.57±5.26,with significant difference(P＜0.05).After continuation treatment,the remission rate was 54.59％(202 cases/370 cases),and the recurrence rate was 6.49％(24 cases/370 cases),the recurrence time was(64.67±42.47)days.The incidence of treatment-related adverse events was 15.35％(64 cases/417 cases).Conclusion Morinda officinalis oligosaccharides capsules can be effectively used for the continuation treatment of mild and moderate depression,and are well tolerated and safe.

Traditional Chinese medicine can regulate the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α(HIF-1α)signalling pathway and slow down tumour progression mainly by inhibiting tumour angiogenesis,glycolysis,epithelial mesenchymal transition and other pathological processes.This paper,starting from HIF-1α and related factors,reviews its pathological mechanism in tumours and the research of traditional Chinese medicine interventions with the aim of providing theoretical references for the treatment of tumours with traditional Chinese medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether Omicron BA.1 breakthrough infection after receiving the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine could create a strong immunity barrier. METHODS: Blood samples were collected at two different time points from 124 Omicron BA.1 breakthrough infected patients and 124 controls matched for age, gender, and vaccination profile. Live virus-neutralizing antibodies against five SARS-CoV-2 variants, including WT, Gamma, Beta, Delta, and Omicron BA.1, and T-lymphocyte lymphocyte counts in both groups were measured and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The neutralizing antibody titers against five different variants of SARS-CoV-2 were significantly increased in the vaccinated population infected with the Omicron BA.1 variant at 3 months after infection, but mainly increased the antibody level against the WT strain, and the antibody against the Omicron strain was the lowest. The neutralizing antibody level decreased rapidly 6 months after infection. The T-lymphocyte cell counts of patients with mild and moderate disease recovered at 3 months and completely returned to the normal state at 6 months. CONCLUSION Omicron BA.1 breakthrough infection mainly evoked humoral immune memory in the original strain after vaccination and hardly produced neutralizing antibodies specific to Omicron BA.1. Neutralizing antibodies against the different strains declined rapidly and showed features similar to those of influenza. Thus, T-lymphocytes may play an important role in recovery.
Humans ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; Prospective Studies ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Breakthrough Infections ; COVID-19 Vaccines ; COVID-19 ; T-Lymphocytes ; China/epidemiology* ; Antibodies, Viral

OBJECTIVES: To study the efficacy and safety of repeated application of rituximab (RTX) at a low dose (200 mg/m²) versus the recommended dose (375 mg/m²) for remission maintenance in frequently relapsing nephrotic syndrome (FRNS) or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS). METHODS: A randomized controlled trial was conducted for 29 children with FRNS/SDNS who received systemic treatment in the Department of Nephrology, Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, from September 2020 to December 2021. These children were divided into a recommended dose group (n=14) and a low dose group (n=15) using a random number table. The two groups were compared in terms of general characteristics, changes in CD19 expression after RTX treatment, number of relapses, glucocorticoid dose, adverse reactions of RTX, and hospital costs. RESULTS: After RTX treatment, both the low dose group and the recommended dose group achieved B-lymphocyte depletion and had significant reductions in the number of relapses and glucocorticoid dose (P<0.05). The low dose group had a comparable clinical effect to the recommended dose group after RTX treatment (P>0.05), and the low dose group had a significant reduction in hospital costs for the second, third, and fourth times of hospitalization (P<0.05). There were no serious adverse reactions in either group during RTX treatment and late follow-up, and there was no significant difference in adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS Repeated RTX treatment at a low dose has comparable clinical efficacy and safety to that at the recommended dose and can significantly reduce the number of FRNS/SDNS relapses and the amount of glucocorticoids used, with little adverse effect throughout the treatment cycle. Therefore, it holds promise for clinical application.
Humans ; Child ; Nephrotic Syndrome/drug therapy* ; Rituximab/adverse effects* ; Glucocorticoids/adverse effects* ; Prospective Studies ; Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing