ObjectiveTo perform a genome-wide association study of rubella virus vaccine strain BRD-Ⅱ, so as to fully grasp the sequence characteristics of this genome. MethodsSecond-generation sequencing method was used to conduct the whole-genome sequencing on the vaccine strain BRD-Ⅱ, and the affinity tree of this genome with some vaccine strains and wild-type rubella virus strains was analyzed using the maximum likelihood method. The average genetic distance of nucleic acid sequence of each vaccine strain protein was determined. And homology comparison of structural proteins of each rubella vaccine strain, plus the comparison between this genome with the AY258323.1 genome sequence, were conducted to analyze the homology of E1 protein between the wild-type rubella virus reference strain and vaccine strain BRD-Ⅱ. ResultsThe sequencing results showed that the BRD-Ⅱ strain was a single-molecule single-stranded positive-strand ribonucleic acid (RNA), composed of 9 778 nucleotides, with a GC content of 69.35 %. The C protein was composed of 300 amino acids, the E2 glycoprotein was composed of 282 amino acids, and the E1 glycoprotein was composed of 481 amino acids. The results of preliminary analysis showed that the average genetic distances of nucleic acid sequences were 0.066 700 for the P150 protein, 0.061 933 for the P90 protein, 0.057 850 for the C protein, 0.068 167 for the E2 protein, and 0.068 833 for the E1 protein, respectively. The amino acid sequences in the E2 protein and E1 protein regions of the two BRD-Ⅱ strains did not change, confirming the conserved regions of the E1 protein by comparison. ConclusionThe sequence characteristics of the genome are clarified, which have laid a broad foundation for the subsequent detection of the genetic stability of the main antigen genes.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of superb microvascular imaging(SMI)grading,CT angiography(CTA),and serum small and dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(sdLDL-C)in elderly hypertension patients with acute cerebral infarction(ACI).Methods A ret-rospective study was conducted on 180 elderly hypertension patients admitted to our hospital from June 2021 to June 2023,and those admitted due to ACI were assigned into ACI group(95 cases)and those without into non-ACI group(85 cases).The SMI grade,CTA,and serum sdLDL-C level were compared between the two groups.ROC curve was plotted to analyze the diagnostic value of SMI grading and CTA combined with serum sdLDL-C for ACI in patients with hyperten-sion.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to analyze the factors affecting the oc-currence of ACI in the patients.Results The ACI group had significantly larger proportion of hy-perlipidemia,and higher DBP,SBP,and HDL-C,and LDL-C than the non-ACI group(P＜0.05).The proportion of SMI grade 2 and grade 3 and serum sdLDL-C level were also greatly higher[35.79％vs 10.59％,43.16％vs 8.24％,(1.62±0.25)mmol/L vs(1.35±0.19)mmol/L,P＜0.01],and the proportion of SMI grade 0 and grade 1 was lower(11.58％vs 51.76％,9.47％vs 29.41％,P＜0.01)in the ACI group than the non-ACI group.ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC value of SMI grade and CTA combined with serum sdLDL-C in diagnosing ACI in patients with hypertension was 0.934(95％CI:0.897-0.972).Multivariate logistic regression analysis in-dicated that SMI grade,CTA,and sdLDL-C were risk factors for ACI in hypertensive patients(P＜0.01).Conclusion Combination of carotid artery plaque SMI grading,CTA,and serum sdLDL-C has high auxiliary diagnostic value for elderly hypertension patients with ACI.

Osteosarcoma is a common primary malignant bone tumor with highly aggressive and distal metastasis and poor prognosis. Abnormal metabolism of iron, an essential nutrient with electron-exchange capacity and an important participant in cellular activities, is closely associated with the progression of osteosarcoma. Ferroptosis has been shown to regulate osteosarcoma progression and play an important role in the treatment of osteosarcoma. Exploring the application of relevant molecular mechanisms of ferroptosis in osteosarcoma and the current status of pharmacological intervention may provide new strategies for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

OBJECTIVE To explore the effect of Huangqin decoction on improving peritubular fat inflammatory microenvironment and protecting vascular endothelial function in obese hypertensive rats by regulating the NEK7-NLRP3/IL-1β inflammatory axis.METHODS Fifty 4-week-old male Wistar rats were selected,10 of which were randomly selected as the control group,and the oth-er 40 were fed a high-salt and high-fat diet to establish an obese hypertension model.The rats with successful modeling(20 rats)were randomly divided into the model group,normal-dose Huangqin decoction group,high-dose Huangqin decoction group,and IL-1β in-hibitor group,with 5 rats in each group.From the 12th week,the normal-dose group was gavaged with Huangqin decoction 2.835 g·kg-1,the high-dose group was gavaged with Huangqin decoction 5.67 g·kg-1,and the IL-1β inhibitor group was intraper-itoneally injected with 1.5 mg·kg-1 AS101,3 times a week,for 8 weeks.The rats were weighed and blood was collected 12 h after the last administration,and the thoracic aorta and perivascular fat tissue were isolated.Serum inflammatory factors were detected,patho-logical changes were observed,eNOS expression was detected by immunofluorescence,and NEK7,NLRP3,Caspase-1,ASC,and IL-1β expression levels were detected by Western blot and qPCR.RESULTS The rats in the model group had a significant increase in body weight,an increase in the area of peritubular fat lipid droplets,and severe endothelial injury;systolic blood pressure,diastolic blood pressure,serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α were significantly elevated in the model group,and the expression of eNOS was sig-nificantly reduced,and the expression levels of NEK7,NLRP3,Caspase-1,ASC,and IL-1β proteins and mRNAs were significantly elevated.Compared with the model group,rats in the Huangqin decoction and IL-1β inhibitor groups had lower body weights,reduced endothelial damage,lower systolic and diastolic blood pressures,lower serum IL-1β,IL-6,and TNF-α,and higher eNOS expression.NEK7,NLRP3,Caspase-1,ASC and IL-1β protein expression was significantly reduced in the high dose group of Huan-gqin decoction and the IL-1β inhibitor group.In addition,Huangqin decoction protected the endothelial function of obese hypertensive vessels in a dose-dependent manner,with the effect being more pronounced in the high-dose group.CONCLUSION Huangqin de-coction can improve the inflammatory microenvironment of perivascular fat and protect the vascular endothelial function in obese hyper-tension by regulating the NEK7-NLRP3/IL-1β inflammatory axis.

Objective:To construct a recombinant bioluminescent bacteriophage (HT7) targeting Escherichia coli, and evaluate its ability to identify Escherichia coli. Methods:Initially, pCRISPR-sg (1-10) and PFN-1000 plasmid strains were constructed by genetic engineering, and the most efficient small guild RNA (sgRNA) were screened by bilayer plate. By the gene editing technique, which comprised homologous recombination and clustered regularly interspaced short palin dromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas system, the Nanoluc luciferase gene was integrated into the downstream non-coding region of 10A gene of T7 phage, to constructe the bioluminescent phage HT7 successfully. The difference of biological characteristics between HT7 phage and T7 phage was evaluated by plaque assay and liquid amplification assay. In addition, 51 strains of Escherichia coli, 20 strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, 14 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, 6 strains of Enterococcus faecium, 5 strains of Enterococcus faecalis, 3 strains of Acinetobacter baumannii and 1 strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa were collected and isolated to evaluate the limit of detection and specificity of HT7 phage. Results:Among the 10 CRISPR-targeted cleavage systems constructed, sgRNA8 exhibited the highest cleavage efficiency, with a cleavage rate of 0.18. After three rounds of recombination screening using the pCas9/pCRISPR/PFN-1000 triple-plasmid system, PCR validation yielded recombinant phage bands at 2 798 bp, indicating the successful construction of the HT7 phage. The recombinant phage showed significant differences in biological characteristics in terms of lysis efficiency ( P<0.001), one-step growth curve ( P=0.001), and infection multiplicity ( P=0.031). Both lysis burst time and log growth node were extended by 10 min, with the optimal infection multiplicity being 0.1. Clinical sample testing identified lysis of 6 strains of Escherichia coli within 4.5 h, while other strains remained unaffected, with detection of pathogenic bacteria below 10 CFU/ml. Conclusions:The developed pCas9/pCRISPR/PFN-1000 triple-plasmid editing system efficiently edits the bacteriophage genome. The constructed HT7 fluorescent bacteriophage enables the detection of Escherichia coli below 10 CFU/ml within 4.5 hours, demonstrating low detection limits and high detection specificity.

Objective:To analyze the clinical manifestations, laboratory results and treatment outcomes of juvenile localized scleroderma(JLS).Methods:This was a retrospective case series study.Epidemiological and clinical data of patients with JLS treated in the Department of Dermatology, Beijing Children′s Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2019 to August 2021 were analyzed.Results:Among the 228 children, there were 95 males and 133 females, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.0∶1.4.The median age of onset was 67 months(5.6 years), and the time from onset to diagnosis was 1 month to 106 months.Eight patients(3.5%) had suspected predisposing factors before onset, 25 patients(11.0%) had other diseases at the same time, and 3 patients(1.3%) had a family history of autoimmune diseases.The most common clinical type of JLS was circumscribed morphea(101 cases, 44.3%), followed by linear scleroderma(91 cases, 39.9%), generalized morphea(31 cases, 13.6%), mixed scleroderma(23 cases, 10.1%) and pansclerotic morphea(2 cases, 0.9%).Among them, 76 patients(46.3%) were antinuclear antibody(ANA) positive, and 14 patients(15.0%) were extractable nuclear antigen antibody(ENA) positive.Ninety-one of patients with circumscribed morphea were treated with medium and strong corticosteroids, vitamin D3 derivatives or calcineurin inhibitors.Patients of other types received systemic corticosteroid treatment, with an initial dose range of 1-2 mg/kg and a maximum dose of 60 mg/d.Among them, 72 patients were additionally treated with Methotrexate, with an initial dose range of 10-15 mg/m 2, once a week, and 9 patients were additionally treated with biological agents.The follow-up results showed that the skin symptoms of the patients who were followed up in the dermatology outpatient department had improved to a certain extent and could remain inactive. Conclusions:Children with JLS in the dermatology department are mainly preschool- and school-age.Circumscribed morphea is the most common type, mainly treated with glucocorticoids, vitamin D3 derivatives or calcineurin inhibitors.No specific laboratory test index is found.Corticosteroids combined with Methotrexate are recommended for systematic treatment of other types of JLS.

Objective:To explore the metabolic basis and related molecular mechanism of oral squamous cell carcinoma(OSCC)path-ogenesis.Methods:20 Chinese hamsters were divided into 2 groups(n=10).OSCC models were induced by dimethylbenzanthracene(DMBA)in 10 of the animals and the other 10 were used as the controls.LC-MS chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to iden-tify the metabolites in the buccal pouch,and multidimensional statistical analysis of the metabolites was performed with the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis model.Variable Importance for the Projection(VIP)＞1 and P＜0.05 were used as the criteria to screen the differential metabolites between the 2 groups.KEGG pathway annotation and enrichment analysis for the metabolites were performed to screen the significantly differential pathways.Results:The hamster cheek pouches painted with 0.5％DMBA for 18 weeks were diffused with leukoplakia and loaded obvious papillary protrusions,which were diagnosed as OSCC by pathological examination.Lipids and lipid-like molecules were the main differential metabolites.Reprogramming of unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis,cholesterol accumulation,enhanced catabolism of tryptophan,up-regulation of aspartate,increased synthesis of pyrimidine and purine,etc.were important metabolic features in the occurrence and development of OSCC.Conclusion:Molecular intervention targeting the related met-abolic pathways is expected to inhibit OSCC pathogenesis and progression.

Objective To explore the mechanism of Marsdenia tenacissima in the treatment of breast cancer through network pharmacology and experimental verification.Methods Literature retrieval was conducted to obtain the active components of Marsdenia tenacissima.The SwissTargetPrediction database was used to predict the potential targets of these active components.Targets of breast cancer were obtained from GeneCards,GEPIA2,OMIM,PharmGKB and TTD databases.The intersection targets were obtained,and a Marsdenia tenacissima-breast cancer-targets network was constructed using Cytoscape 3.9.0 software.The core targets were identified through protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis,followed by GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis to screen relevant signaling pathways.Molecular docking validation was performed for the top 10 key targets and major active components.The human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 was treated with Marsdenia tenacissima injection in vitro.Cell proliferation ability was detected by CCK-8 assay and colony formation assay.Cell apoptosis was detected by Calcein-AM/PI staining and flow cytometry.Cell migration ability was detected by Transwell assay.Western blot experiment was used to validate the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.Results Totally 37 active components and 276 potential targets against breast cancer were screened from Marsdenia tenacissima,including 11alpha-O-Benzoyl-12beta-O-acetyl tenacigenin B,Caffeic acid,Drevogenin A and Kaempferol.25 core targets were screened by PPI network such as AKT1,EGFR,TNF,CTNNB1 and IL-6,which mainly affected the estrogen signaling pathway,ErbB signaling pathway,HIF-1 signaling pathway and PI3K-AKT signaling pathway,etc.The molecular docking results showed that the main active components of Marsdenia tenacissima exhibited good binding activities with the core targets AKT1,ALB,CASP3,ESR1 and TNF.The results of in vitro experiments showed that Marsdenia tenacissima injection could inhibit the proliferation and migration ability of MDA-MB-231 cells(P<0.01,P<0.001)and induce apoptosis(P<0.001),as well as inhibit the activation of PI3K-AKT signaling pathway(P<0.05,P<0.01).Conclusion Marsdenia tenacissima may exert its anti-breast cancer effects through multiple targets and pathways,and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of camrelizumab monoclonal antibody combined with molecular-targeted therapy in elderly patients with unresectable or advanced hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).Methods A retrospective analysis was performed for the patients with unresectable/advanced HCC who attended six hospitals from January 1,2019 to March 31,2021,and all patients received camrelizumab monoclonal antibody treatment,among whom 84.8%also received targeted therapy.According to the age of the patients,they were divided into elderly group(≥65 years)and non-elderly group(＜65 years).The two groups were assessed in terms of overall survival(OS),progression-free survival(PFS),objective response rate(ORR),disease control rate(DCR),and immune-related adverse events(irAE).The chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups;the independent samples t-test was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data,and the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between two groups.The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis,and the log-rank test was used for comparison of survival curves.Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to determine the independent influencing factors for PFS and DCR at 6 months.Results A total of 99 HCC patients were enrolled,with 27 in the elderly group and 72 in the non-elderly group.The elderly group had an OS rate of 67.8%,an ORR of 44.4%,and a DCR of 74.1%at 12 months and a median PFS of 6.4(95%confidence interval[CI]:3.0-12.4)months,with no significant differences compared with the non-elderly group(all P＞0.05).The median OS was unavailable for the elderly group,while the non-elderly group had an OS of 18.9(95%CI:13.0-24.8)months;there was no significant difference between the two groups(P=0.485).The univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses showed that major vascular invasion(MVI)was an independent risk factor for PFS(hazard ratio[HR]=2.603,95%CI:1.136-5.964,P=0.024)and DCR(HR=3.963,95%CI:1.671-9.397,P=0.002)at 6 months,while age,sex,etiology of HBV infection,presence of extrahepatic metastasis,Child-Pugh class B,and alpha-fetoprotein＞400 ng/mL were not associated with PFS or DCR at 6 months.For the elderly group,the incidence rates of any irAE and grade 3/4 irAE were 51.9%and 25.9%,respectively,with no significant differences compared with the non-elderly group(P＞0.05),and skin disease was the most common irAE in both groups(39.4%).Conclusion Camrelizumab monoclonal antibody combined with molecular-targeted therapy has similar efficacy and safety in patients with unresectable/advanced HCC aged≥65 years and those aged＜65 years.MVI is associated with suboptimal response to immunotherapy and poor prognosis.

ObjectiveTo conduct the sequencing and preliminarily analysis of the whole genome of BCG Shanghai D₂PB302 strain （hereinafter referred to as BCG Shanghai D₂ strain）， which has been used exclusively for the vaccine production in China. MethodsThe DNA of of BCG Shanghai D₂ strain （D2-JIA12-1） was extracted， and the whole genome was sequenced by Pacbio-RS Ⅱ. The sequence data was assembled by Smrtlink and polished with the illumina data. Genes， tRNA and rRNA were predicted based on the sequence data. The functional annotation of predicted genes was performed through BLASTP. The IVE-TB antigen gene and MTBVAC were selected as the target sequences to be compared with Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv （NC_000962.3）. ResultsThe sequence length of BCG Shanghai D₂ strain was 4 045 232 bp， and the GC content was 65.66%. A total of 4 259 protein-encoding genes were predicted， with an average gene size of 933 bp. 2 476 genes had biological functions and others were hypothetical proteins.144 virulence genes were obtained by comparing with the VFDB. There were 29 type Ⅶ secretion system genes and 10 PE/PPE protein family genes. ConclusionThe whole genome sequence of BCG Shanghai D₂ strain is clarified. It lays a broad foundation for subsequent detection of the stability of major antigen genes.