OBJECTIVE: To investigate patients' preference and the attitude towards physician attire in an internal medicine clinic in China. METHODS: This study was conducted from 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2021 in a tertiary care hospital in China. We surveyed 126 patients in the hospital with 6 sets of pictures of commonly worn physician attires in the hospital setting with a two-part questionnaire. The first part listed respondent demographics to collect basic information. The second part of the questionnaire was administered to adult patients who received care in the internal medicine clinics (outpatients). Survey forms collected demographic data (age, gender, patient age, education, marital status, and employment status), asked questions regarding 6 specific attires (scrubs, scrubs and white coat, casual, casual and white coat, business suit, and formal and white coat), and behavioral items (professional, responsible, reliable, knowledgeable, succession rate, and medical safety), finally, to assess the preference of attire on overall perception. RESULTS: Scrubs and white coat scored the highest through 6 domains about physicians' attire (professional, reliable, responsible, knowledgeable, medical safety, and succession rate, p < 0.05 for all comparisons). A casual suit without a white coat was the least preferred across the surveyed attributes. There was a significant preference gap between wearing a white coat and not wearing a white coat (p < 0.001). Physician attire to white coat was considered as more professional, reliable, responsible, knowledgeable, having greater medical safety, and a higher success rate than attires without white coat. CONCLUSION: Patients felt that the physician wearing a white coat was better than other attires. Scrubs and white coat was the most popular attire. Hospital or related authorities may promote the standardized wearing of white coats, leading in a greater patient-physician relationship.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cerclage is the procedure of choice for preventing preterm delivery due to cervical insufficiency. The indication for its application may be based on the woman's reproductive history, findings at ultrasound, or clinical findings on vaginal examination. Pregnancy outcomes from these indications are variable according to the available literature. OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness and reproductive outcomes (miscarriage, preterm birth rates, and birth weights) of McDonald's cervical cerclage after history-indicated and ultrasound-indicated cervical cerclage in pregnant women. METHODS: The retrospective cohort study was conducted at Life International Hospital Awka, Nigeria and Life Specialist Hospital Nnewi, Nigeria. Pregnant women, who had a McDonald's cervical cerclage performed due to either history or ultrasound indication between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2020, were included in the study. Women with multiple pregnancies and those with physical examination-indicated or emergency cerclages were excluded. The main outcome measures included the prevalence of cervical cerclage, miscarriage, and preterm delivery rates. Outcomes were compared between groups with the chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, or Student's t test. p value of < 0.5 was set as significant value. RESULTS: Overall, during the study period, 5392 deliveries occurred in the study sites, of which 103 women had a history-indicated or ultrasound-indicated cervical cerclage. This resulted in a 1.91% prevalence rate for history-indicated and ultrasound-indicated cervical cerclage. Of these, 68 (66%) had history indicated, while 35 (34%) had ultrasound-indicated cerclage. There was no difference in the sociodemographic characteristics of both groups. Both groups had similar miscarriage rates: 1.18 in 1000 and 1.04 in 1000 deliveries, respectively (RR 1.160, 95% CI: 0.3824 to 3.5186, p = 0.793). There was more preterm delivery in history-indicated cerclage than ultrasound-indicated cervical cerclage (26.50% vs. 17.10%; p = 0.292), though the difference was not statistically significant. The ultrasound group had a higher average birthweight than the history group (2.67 ± 0.99 vs. 2.53 ± 0.74). However, this difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The effectiveness and reproductive outcomes (miscarriage, preterm birth rates, and birth weights) of pregnant women with cervical cerclage due to history-indicated and ultrasound-indicated cervical cerclage appear similar. When needed, cervical cerclage should be freely applied for cervical insufficiency, irrespective of the type of indication.

Percutaneous minimally invasive surgery involving Achilles tendon (AT) repair has the advantages of a low rerupture rate and fewer postoperative complications. However, due to the inability to operate under direct vision, the injury of the small saphenous vein (SSV) and sural nerve (SN) remains largely a high risk involving many challenges. We propose to introduce the preoperative application and advantages of ultrasonography in percutaneous minimally invasive surgery for acute AT rupture. Our results indicated that ultrasonography could locate the position of the SN more accurately and reduce the risk of iatrogenic nerve injury. Compared with the traditional surface markers, the preoperative localization and marking of AT, SSV, and SN in ultrasonography significantly reduced the risk of intraoperative accidental injury to blood vessels and nerves, which could reduce postoperative complications and promote early rehabilitation of patients. We ultimately exploit the properties of ultrasonography in percutaneous minimally invasive surgery to treat Achilles tendon rupture.

Phoenix dactylifera is known for medicinal importance due to its antioxidant, antidiabetic, antidepressant, and anti-inflammatory properties. This study is aimed at evaluating the effect of P. dactylifera seeds to cure Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD was induced in the rats with streptozotocin + aluminium chloride followed by treatment of methanolic extract of P. dactylifera seeds. The blood glucose levels were determined at regular intervals, which showed a prominent decrease in the extracts treated group. Behavior tests, including the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) test and Morris Water Maze (MWM) test, were used to evaluate memory patterns in rats. The results indicated that extract-treated rats significantly improved memory behavior compared to the diseased group. After dissection, the serum electrolytes, antioxidant enzymes, and choline esterase enzymes were measured in different organs. The serum parameters creatinine, urea, and bilirubin increased after extract treatment. Similarly, the level of antioxidant enzymes like peroxidases (POD), glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) in the extract-treated group showed improved results that were close to the normal control group. The enzyme (lipase, insulin, amylase, and acetylcholine) levels were found enhanced in extract groups as compared to diseased rats. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to determine the level of dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitters, which were increased significantly for P. dactylifera seeds with values of 0.18 μg/mg tissue and 0.56 μg/mg tissue, respectively. Overall, results showed that P. dactylifera seeds proved to be quite efficient in improving the memory and behavior of treated rats. The antioxidants and enzymes were also increased; therefore, it may be a potential candidate for treating AD.

AIM: This study is aimed at establishing phenolic compound profile and assessing the possible antiulcer activities of aqueous extracts of some staple plant foods from the West and North-West regions of Cameroon against chronic gastric ulcer models in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Phenolic constituents of extracts were evaluated using HPLC-DAD. Aqueous extracts of Corchorus olitorius, Solanum nigrum, Vigna unguiculata, Triumfetta pentandra, "nkui" spices, and "yellow soup" spices were tested at two doses (200 and 400 mg/kg). After treatments, animals were sacrificed, healing percentage and antioxidant status (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase) were evaluated, and histological examination of gastric mucosa was realized. RESULTS: HPLC-DAD revealed that p-hydroxybenzoic and protocatechuic acids were the phenolic compound present in all extracts. Oral administration of extracts (200 and 400 mg/kg) significantly reduced ulcer surface value and significantly increased mucus production compared to the control groups (p < 0.05). Histological study supported the observed healing activity of different extracts characterized by a reduced inflammatory response. Moreover, administration of aqueous extracts increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that aqueous extracts of Solanum nigrum, Corchorus olitorius, Vigna unguiculata, Triumfetta pentandra, "yellow soup" spices, and "nkui" spices possess healing antiulcer effects against models of gastric ulcers. The antiulcer mechanisms involved may include increase of gastric mucus production and improvement of the antioxidant activity of gastric tissue. These activities may be due to the phenolic compounds identified in the extracts, especially p-hydroxybenzoic and protocatechuic acids present in all extracts and with known antioxidant, cytoprotective, and healing properties. However, all the diets may promote the healing process of chronic ulcers caused by excessive alcohol consumption/stress.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2012/614356.].

BACKGROUND: Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) are parasitic worms that are widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions. In Ethiopia, one of the tropical countries, STH infections are high and cause a huge burden. Several STH species show a pattern of household clustering with regard to prevalence and intensity. However, there is a scarcity of data on the status of STH infection among family contacts of STH-infected individuals in Ethiopia in general and in the study area in particular. OBJECTIVE: This study is aimed at assessing the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths and associated factors among STH-infected household contacts in Burie Zuria district, northwest Ethiopia. METHOD: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 study participants from March to May 2021. Study participants were traced to their residences by following STH-infected patients. A convenient sampling technique was used to recruit the study participants. The stool samples were processed using duplicate Kato-Katz thick smears and a modified Ritchie's technique. The data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, version 26 of the software package. A P value <0.05 was considered a statistically significant association. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of STHs was 36.5% (95% CI: 31.7%-41.5%). Two STHs, namely hookworm species (33.2%, 140/422) at (95% CI: 28.9%-37.8%) and Ascaris lumbricoides (4.3%, 18/422) at (95% CI: 2.7%-6.6%), were identified, with a double infection of 2.6% (4/154) at (95% CI: 1.0%-6.5%). Almost the majority (96.9%) of hookworm species and all Ascaris lumbricoides infections were categorized under a light intensity of infection. Family size >5 (AOR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.15-2.60; P = 0.008) and lack of latrine facility (AOR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.17-2.90; P = 0.02) were significantly associated with STH infections. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of hookworms was found in the study area, where the majority of the study participants were adults. This finding may provide a basis for revising the school-based deworming programs that exclude the adult population. Public health interventions like accessing latrines, health education, and deworming programs should be regularly implemented for all age groups in the areas.

OBJECTIVE: Ischemia reperfusion injury greatly damages liver function and deteriorates the prognosis of patients undergoing partial hepatectomy. This study is to compare the protective efficiency of direct and remote ischemic preconditioning (DIPC and RIPC) on ischemia reperfusion injury of the liver in patients undergoing partial hepatectomy. METHODS: 90 patients scheduled for partial hepatectomy were enrolled and randomly divided into control (n = 30), DIPC (n = 30), and RIPC (n = 30) groups. Baseline and surgery characteristics were collected, and ischemic preconditioning methods were carried out. Intraoperative hemodynamics, liver function and liver reserve capacity, oxidative stress, and inflammatory responses were measured, and the incidence of postoperative adverse reactions was calculated finally. RESULTS: 10 patients were excluded from the study, and finally, the eligible patients in three groups were 27, 28, and 25, separately. No significant differences were observed in baseline and surgery characteristics among the three groups. SBP and DBP were significantly higher after hepatic portal vein occlusion while they were significantly lower after surgery in the DIPC and RIPC groups compared with that in the control group, SBP and DBP were of great fluctuation at different time points in the control group while they showed much more stabilization in the DIPC and RIPC groups. ALT, AST, and TBIL were significantly decreased on days 1, 3, and 5 after surgery, and ICG R15 was significantly decreased while ICG K value and EHBF were significantly increased on day 1 after surgery in the DIPC and RIPC groups compared with that in the control group. Moreover, antioxidant enzyme SOD was increased, and inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-1β were decreased 24 hours after surgery in the DIPC and RIPC groups compared with that in the control group. DIPC and RIPC also decreased hospital stays and the incidence of nausea, vomiting, and hypertension. CONCLUSION: DIPC and RIPC both alleviated ischemia reperfusion injury of the liver and reduced perioperative complications with similar protective efficiency in patients undergoing partial hepatectomy.

BACKGROUND: In the past two decades, the surge of research on bacterial persisters has been inspired as increasingly concerning about the frequent failure of antibiotics treatment. This study was aimed at presenting a bibliometric and visualized analysis of relative publications on bacterial persisters, which offered insights into the development and research trends of this field. METHODS: The Web of Science Core Collection and Ovid MEDLINE databases were utilized to retrieve relevant publications on bacterial persisters from 2001 to 2021. After manual selection, data including titles, authors, journals, author keywords, addresses, the number of citations, and publication years were subsequently extracted. The data analysis and visual mapping were conducted with Excel, SPSS, R studio, and VOSviewer. RESULTS: In this study, 1,903 relevant publications on bacterial persisters were included. During 2001-2021, there was an exponential growth in the quantity of publications. It was found that these studies were conducted by 7,182 authors from 74 different countries. The USA led the scientific production with the highest total number of publications (859) and citation frequency (52,022). The Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy was the most influential journal with 113 relevant publications. The cooccurrence analysis revealed that studies on bacterial persisters focused on four aspects: "the role of persisters in biofilms," "clinical persistent infection," "anti-persister treatment," and "mechanism of persister formation." CONCLUSION: In the past two decades, the global field of bacterial persisters has significantly increased. The USA was the leading country in this field. Mechanistic studies continued to be the future hotspots, which may be helpful to adopt new strategies against persisters and solve the problem of chronic infection in the clinic.

In this study, the expression of Cripto-1 and the role of macrophage polarization in immune response after allogeneic transfusion were analyzed by constructing a mouse model of allogeneic transfusion. In order to analyze the effects of miR-449a on the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway and the expression of downstream related regulatory factors under normal and abnormal conditions, we adopt in vitro and in vivo experiments separately. The molecular mechanism of PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway was analyzed by blocking or activating gene expression and western blotting. Experiment in vitro has confirmed that inhibition of miR-449a increased the protein expression of Cripto-1. In vivo experiments confirmed that allogeneic transfusion reduced the expression of Cripto-1, which further inhibited NF-κB signaling pathway through AKT/PI3K phosphorylation, regulated macrophage polarization, inhibited M1 polarization of macrophages, promoted M2 polarization, and thus affected immune response of the body.

BACKGROUND: The present study is aimed at surveying the antibiotics resistance profile, biofilm formation ability, staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) types, and molecular epidemiology of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus haemolyticus isolated from hospitalized patients and healthcare workers in four teaching hospitals in Iran. METHODS: In total, 43 Staphylococcus epidermidis and 12 Staphylococcus haemolyticus were isolated from hospitalized patients, and 19 Staphylococcus epidermidis and 7 Staphylococcus haemolyticus isolated from healthcare workers were included in the present study. The antimicrobial resistance profile of isolates was determined using the disk diffusion method. Moreover, the resistance of isolates to methicillin was identified using the cefoxitin disk diffusion test. The microtiter-plate test was used for quantifying biofilm formation. Moreover, the frequency of icaA and icaD genes was determined using PCR assay. The molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant isolates was determined using SCCmec typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis methods. RESULTS: Among all coagulase-negative staphylococci isolates, the highest resistance rate (81.5%) was seen for cefoxitin and cotrimoxazole. All of the isolates were susceptible to linezolid. Out of the 66 mecA-positive isolates, the most common SCCmec type was the type I (n = 23; 34.8%) followed by type IV (n = 13; 19.7%). Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) assay, 27 PFGE types including 14 common types and 13 singletons were obtained among 51 methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis (MRSE) isolates. Moreover, among 12 methicillin-resistant S. haemolyticus (MRSH) isolates, 8 PFGE types were detected, of which 5 PFGE types were singletons. CONCLUSION: The high rate of resistance to antibiotics as well as the possibility of cross-infection shows the importance of a pattern shift in the management and controlling programs of coagulase-negative staphylococci, especially in healthcare centers. Clinical trial registration. The present study is not a clinical trial study. Thus, a registration number is not required.

Skin cancer has a high mortality rate, and early detection can greatly reduce patient mortality. Convolutional neural network (CNN) has been widely applied in the field of computer-aided diagnosis. To improve the ability of convolutional neural networks to accurately classify skin lesions, we propose a multiscale feature fusion model for skin lesion classification. We use a two-stream network, which are a densely connected network (DenseNet-121) and improved visual geometry group network (VGG-16). In the feature fusion module, we construct multireceptive fields to obtain multiscale pathological information and use generalized mean pooling (GeM pooling) to reduce the spatial dimensionality of lesion features. Finally, we built and tested a system with the developed skin lesion classification model. The experiments were performed on the dataset ISIC2018, which can achieve a good classification performance with a test accuracy of 91.24% and macroaverages of 95%.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2013/867537.].

OBJECTIVE: We conducted this meta-analysis to provide better evidence of the efficacy of manual therapy (MT) on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). METHODS: All RCTs of MT for the management of patients with AIS were included in the present study. The treatment difference between the experimental and control group was mainly MT. The outcomes consisted of the total effective rate, the Cobb angle, and Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) questionnaire score. Electronic database searches were conducted from database inception to July 2022, including the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Wanfang Data, CNKI, and VIP. The pooled data were analyzed using RevMan 5.4 software. RESULTS: Four RCTs with 213 patients in the experimental group were finally included. There are 2 studies of standalone MT in the experimental group and 3 studies of MT with identical conservative treatments in the control group. Three trials reported total effective rate, and a statistically significant difference was found (P = 0.004). Three trials reported Cobb angle, and a statistical difference was found (P = 0.01). Then, sensitivity analysis showed that there was a significant difference in the additional MT subgroup (P < 0.00001) while not in the standalone MT subgroup (P = 0.41). Three trials reported SRS-22 scores (P = 0.55) without significant differences. CONCLUSION: There is insufficient data to determine the effectiveness of spinal manipulation limited by the very low quality of included studies. High-quality studies with appropriate design and follow-up periods are warranted to determine if MT may be beneficial as an adjunct therapy for AIS. Currently, there is no evidence to support spinal manipulation.

BACKGROUND: Biliary atresia (BA) is a type of severe cholestatic childhood disease that may have a genetic component. miR-100 plays a key role in regulating cell apoptosis, proliferation, and inflammatory reactions. A single-nucleotide polymorphism in miR-100 has been proven to modulate susceptibility to various diseases. METHODS: We conducted a case-control retrospective study to explore the correlation between miR-100 gene polymorphism (rs1834306 A>G) and biliary atresia susceptibility in 484 Chinese patients and 1445 matched control subjects. RESULTS: Our results showed that rs1834306 A>G was correlated with a significantly increased risk for BA (GG vs. AA: adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.44, 95%confidence interval (CI) = 1.02-2.03, p = 0.041; and GG vs. AA/AG: adjusted OR = 1.39, 95%CI = 1.02-1.89, p = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the rs1834306 A>G polymorphism is associated with an increased risk for BA and contributes to BA susceptibility.

Long-term cigarette smoking causes various human diseases, including respiratory disease, cancer, and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Alterations in gene expression and variable splicing processes induced by smoking are associated with the development of diseases. This study applied advanced machine learning methods to identify the isoforms with important roles in distinguishing smokers from former smokers based on the expression profile of isoforms from current and former smokers collected in one previous study. These isoforms were deemed as features, which were first analyzed by the Boruta to select features highly correlated with the target variables. Then, the selected features were evaluated by four feature ranking algorithms, resulting in four feature lists. The incremental feature selection method was applied to each list for obtaining the optimal feature subsets and building high-performance classification models. Furthermore, a series of classification rules were accessed by decision tree with the highest performance. Eventually, the rationality of the mined isoforms (features) and classification rules was verified by reviewing previous research. Features such as isoforms ENST00000464835 (expressed by LRRN3), ENST00000622663 (expressed by SASH1), and ENST00000284311 (expressed by GPR15), and pathways (cytotoxicity mediated by natural killer cell and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction) revealed by the enrichment analysis, were highly relevant to smoking response, suggesting the robustness of our analysis pipeline.

Neurodegenerative processes encompass a large variety of diseases with different pathological patterns and clinical features, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Exposure to metals has been hypothesized to increase oxidative stress in brain cells leading to cell death and neurodegeneration. Neurotoxicity of metals has been demonstrated by several in vitro and in vivo experimental studies, and most probably, each metal has its specific pathway to trigger cell death. As a result, exposure to essential metals, such as manganese, iron, copper, zinc, and cobalt, and nonessential metals, including lead, aluminum, and cadmium, perturbs metal homeostasis at the cellular and organism levels leading to neurodegeneration. In this contribution, a comprehensive review of the molecular mechanisms by which metals affect microglia physiology and signaling properties is presented. Furthermore, studies that validate the disruption of microglia activation pathways as an essential mechanism of metal toxicity that can contribute to neurodegenerative disease are also presented and discussed.

The application of computational approaches in medical science for diagnosis is made possible by the development in technical advancements connected to computer and biological sciences. The current cancer diagnosis system is becoming outmoded due to the new and rapid growth in cancer cases, and new, effective, and efficient methodologies are now required. Accurate cancer-type prediction is essential for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Understanding, diagnosing, and identifying the various types of cancer can be greatly aided by knowledge of the cancer genes. The Convolution Neural Network (CNN) and neural pattern recognition (NPR) approaches are used in this study paper to detect and predict the type of cancer. Different Convolution Neural Networks (CNNs) have been proposed by various researchers up to this point. Each model concentrated on a certain set of parameters to simulate the expression of genes. We have developed a novel CNN-NPR architecture that predicts cancer type while accounting for the tissue of origin using high-dimensional gene expression inputs. The 5000-person sample of the 1-D CNN integrated with NPR is trained and tested on the gene profile, mapping with various cancer kinds. The proposed model's accuracy of 94% suggests that the suggested combination may be useful for long-term cancer diagnosis and detection. Fewer parameters are required for the suggested model to be efficiently trained before prediction.

The white button mushroom (Agaricus) is a significant nutritional and therapeutic species utilized in the human diet and could transmit various bacterial infections. Campylobacter species are the most common cause of foodborne illness across the world. The present study has been planned to determine the frequency of virulence genes and antibiotic susceptibility test in Campylobacter spp. recovered from Agaricus mushroom. In this study, 740 Agaricus mushroom samples were gathered randomly from various markets from June 2020 to December 2020. Confirmation of Campylobacter spp. using biochemical analyses and 23S rRNA-based PCR was performed. The agar dilution technique was used to determine resistance to antibiotics using gentamicin (GM10μg), ciprofloxacin (CIP5μg), nalidixic acid (NA30μg), tetracycline (TE30μg), ampicillin (AM10μg), amoxicillin+ clavulanic acid (AMC30μg), erythromycine (E15μg), azithromycin (AZM15μg), clindamycin (CC2μg), and chloramphenicol (C30μg). Multiplex PCR was utilized to determine the prevalence of the recR, dnaJ, wlaN, virBll, cdtC, cdtB, cdtA, flaA, cadF, pidA, ciaB, ceuE, and cgtB genes. Campylobacter spp. were detected in 74 out of 740 Agaricus mushroom samples (10%). According to the data, Agaricus mushroom samples included 32 (4.32%) C. jejuni, 11 (1.48%) C. coli, and 31 (4.18%) other Campylobacter spp. Antimicrobial resistance was most common in C. jejuni isolates. C. jejuni isolates also had the lowest resistance rate to gentamycin, ciprofloxacin, and nalidixic acid. C. coli isolates were reported to have the highest antimicrobial resistance to ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, and erythromycine. Resistance to gentamycin and amoxicillin+ clavulanic acid was likewise lowest among C. coli strains. The flaA and ciaB genes were found in 100% of B-lactams-susceptible C. jejuni and C. coli strains. When examining the relationship between antibiotic resistance and the existence of virulence genes, it was observed that there is a statistically significant relationship (p < 0.001) between bacterial resistance and virulence genes. Our findings indicated that changes in resistance patterns in Campylobacter strains have emerged from multiple treatment approaches in Agaricus mushrooms.

OBJECTIVE: ETS1 and ETS2, the main ETS family of transcription factors, have been found to act as downstream effectors of the RAS/MAPK pathway. This study explores the expression and prognostic values of ETS1 and ETS2 across cancers. We also aimed to explore the significance of ETS1 and ETS2 expression in normal immune cells with relation to tumorigenesis. METHODS: The expression of ETS1 and ETS2 was examined in the HPA and GEPIA2 databases. The KM plotter was applied to examine prognostic value of ETS1 and ETS2. Correlation between ETS1/ETS2 and infiltrating immune cells and immune checkpoints was assessed using TIMER2.0. The mutation landscape of ETS1/ETS2 was explored using the cBioPortal. STRING and GEPIA2 were used to screen ETS1/ETS2 binding and correlated genes. Enrichr was applied to perform GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. RESULTS: ETS1 showed enhanced expression in lymphoid tissue, while ETS2 showed low tissue specificity. ETS1 was increased in 12 and decreased in 6 cancers, while ETS2 was increased in 4 and decreased in 13 cancers. Both ETS1 and ETS2 were favorable prognostic markers in LIHC and KIRC, while they showed different prognostic roles in more cancers. ETS1 showed stronger correlation with several infiltrating immune cells and immune checkpoints compared with ETS2. Both ETS1 and ETS2 harbored low mutation ratio. ETS1 interacting and correlated genes were enriched in GO terms in response to cadmium ion and response to oxidative stress, while those of ETS2 were enriched in transcription regulation. CONCLUSION: ETS1 and ETS2 showed different patterns in expression, prognostic values, correlation with immune infiltrating, and immune checkpoints. ETS1 and ETS2 play distinct roles across cancer.

The objective of the present study was to develop a novel nanogel containing Beta vulgaris L. hydroalcoholic extract and assess its efficacy for treating testosterone-induced alopecia. Beta vulgaris L. leaf hydroalcoholic extract nanogel (BVEN) was prepared by ionic gelation method, incorporated in carbopol 934 gel. Optimization of particle size and entrapment efficiency as the responses was carried out by central composite design response surface methodology. Prepared nanoparticles were evaluated for entrapment efficiency, particle size, zeta potential, polydispersity index, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Nanogel was evaluated for pH, colour, appearance and homogeneity, viscosity, spreadability, in vitro release study, and stability studies. Further, 2.5% and 5% BVEN were also evaluated for antialopecic activity in Swiss albino mice by using parameters as hair growth initiation, testosterone content, total protein, prostate weight measurement, hair follicular density, anagen/telogen ratio, and histopathological studies. The resulting nanoparticles had better entrapment efficiency with particle size of 274 nm, polydispersity index of 0.259, and zeta potential of +28.8. BVEN pH 6.5, drug content, i.e., quercetin 99.84 ± 1.30% and stigmasterol 99.89 ± 1.52%, spreadability 20.3 ± 0.5925 g cm/sec, and viscosity 110 × 105 cps were observed. Stability studies showed that nanogel was stable at 4°C ± 2°C/60% ± 5% RH. It was found that 5% BVEN showed better antialopecic activity as compared to 2.5% BVEN.

Osteoporosis (OP) is commonly encountered, which is a kind of systemic injury of bone mass and microstructure, leading to brittle fractures. With the aging of the population, this disease will pose a more serious impact on medical, social, and economic aspects, especially postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMOP). This study is aimed at figuring out potential therapeutic targets and new biomarkers in OP via bioinformatics tools. After differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis, we successfully identified 97 upregulated and 172 downregulated DEGs. They are mainly concentrated in actin binding, regulation of cytokine production, muscle cell promotion, chemokine signaling pathway, and cytokine-cytokine receiver interaction. According to the diagram of protein-protein interaction (PPI), we obtained 10 hub genes: CCL5, CXCL10, EGFR, HMOX1, IL12B, CCL7, TBX21, XCL1, PGR, and ITGA1. Expression analysis showed that Egfr, Hmox1, and Pgr were significantly upregulated in estrogen-treated osteoporotic patients, while Ccl5, Cxcl10, Il12b, Ccl7, Tbx21, Xcl1, and Itga1 were significantly downregulated. In addition, the analysis results of Pearson's correlation revealed that CCL7 has a strong positive association with IL12b, TBX21, and CCL5 and so was CCL5 with IL12b. Conversely, EGFR has a strong negative association with XCL1 and CXCL10. In conclusion, this study screened 10 hub genes related to OP based on the GEO database, laying a biological foundation for further research on new biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in OP.

PURPOSE: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a disease with great heterogeneity and a high mortality rate. It is crucial to identify reliable biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment to improve clinical outcomes in patients with HCC. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is not only a widely used biomarker in clinical practice but also plays a complicated role in HCC, and it has recently been considered to be related to immunotherapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regarded as key regulators and promising biomarkers of HCC. We investigated the role of an AFP-related miRNA, miR-135b-5p, in HCC progression. METHODS: Identification of miR-135b-5p was performed based on a cohort of 65 HCC cases and the liver hepatocellular carcinoma cohort of The Cancer Genome Atlas (Asian people only). A combination of whole-transcriptome sequencing and high-dimensional proteomic technologies was used to study the role of miR-135b-5p in HCC. RESULTS: Upregulation of miR-135b-5p was detected in patients with HCC with high serum AFP levels (AFP > 400 ng/ml). Elevated miR-135b-5p expression was associated with adverse prognosis. We also identified the relevance between high miR-135b-5p expression and tumor-related pathological characteristics, such as Edmondson grade and vascular invasion. We revealed tyrosine kinase nonreceptor 1 as a potential target of miR-135b-5p. Additionally, the transcriptional start site of miR-135b-5p had potential binding sites for SRY-box transcription factor 9, and the stemness properties of tumor cells were more remarkable in HCC with the upregulation of miR-135b-5p. The molecular characterization of the miR-135b-5p-high group was similar to that of the HCC subclasses containing moderately and poorly differentiated tumors. Finally, gene signatures associated with improved clinical outcomes in immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy were upregulated in the miR-135b-5p-high group. CONCLUSION: miR-135b-5p could be a biomarker for predicting the prognosis and antiprogrammed cell death protein 1 monotherapy response in HCC.

OBJECTIVE: Voxelotor is a first-in-class sickle hemoglobin-polymerization inhibitor that was approved in 2019 by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) aged ≥12 years; in 2021, the approval was extended to children with SCD aged 4 to 11 years. Additionally, both the Ministry of Health and Prevention for the United Arab Emirates and the European Commission granted marketing authorization for voxelotor in September 2021 and February 2022, respectively, for treatment of SCD in adults and pediatric patients aged ≥12 years. Thus, additional information on the patient experience with voxelotor would be useful for patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals alike. The purpose of this study was to conduct semistructured interviews in an effort to understand the experiences and perspectives of voxelotor-treated patients with SCD. METHODS: One-time semistructured interviews with adults, adolescents, and children with SCD and their primary caregivers were conducted in the United States. Twenty-three adults and adolescents were recruited across 4 clinical sites, and 10 children-caregiver dyads were recruited from a single site. The interview was designed to elicit patient perspectives on symptomatic changes with voxelotor and the impact of treatment on patients' perceived health-related quality of life. Individual interview transcripts were analyzed using a thematic analytic approach, and concept saturation was assessed in both cohorts. RESULTS: Most patients reported improvements in their SCD symptoms with voxelotor treatment, specifically regarding pain crises, jaundice, and fatigue. Almost all patients experienced improvements in self-reported health-related quality of life with voxelotor treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides patient and caregiver perspectives on the symptomatic benefits of voxelotor treatment. These findings not only highlight the benefits of voxelotor treatment in improving symptoms and increasing health-related quality of life across the entire SCD population but also can inform further research on SCD-specific patient-reported outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) of the spine is a highly disruptive disease, especially in underdeveloped and developing countries. This condition requires standard TB treatment for 9-18 months, which increases patient risk of drug-resistant TB. Consequently, this raises the concern of adopting additional therapies to shorten the treatment duration, improve the efficacy of anti-TB drugs, and further decrease damage in the affected tissues and organs. Matrix metalloproteinase- (MMP-) 1 is a key regulator of the destruction of the extracellular matrix and associated proteins and is a new potential target for TB treatment research. In the present study, we investigated the effects of doxycycline as an MMP-1 inhibitor in patients with spondylitis TB. METHODS: Seventy-two New Zealand white rabbits with spondylitis TB were divided into 12 different groups based on incubation period (2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks) and doxycycline administration (without, 1 mg/kg body weight (BW), and 5 mg/kg BW). We observed the course of infection through the blood concentration changes and immunohistochemical examination of MMP-1, in addition to BTA staining, culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and histopathological examination. RESULTS: Treatment with once daily 5 mg/kg BW doxycycline significantly improved the blood MMP-1 level (p < 0.05) compared with the placebo and 1 mg/kg BW doxycycline. A significantly reduced ongoing infection and a higher healing rate were demonstrated in rabbits with a higher doxycycline dose through BTA staining, culture, PCR, and histopathology. Various degrees of vertebral endplates, vertebral body, and intervertebral disc destruction were observed in 32 rabbits with positive histopathological findings, in addition to positive inflammatory cell infiltration, characterized by numerous lymphocytes, macrophages, and epithelial cells, as well as abundant granulation tissue and necrotic substances proximal to the inoculated vertebral area. Bone and intervertebral disc destructions were more apparent in the untreated rabbits. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated the potential of doxycycline as an adjunctive treatment in spondylitis TB. However, limitations remain regarding the differences in the pathogenesis and virulence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis between rabbit and human systems, sample size, and the dose-dependent effect of doxycycline. Further studies are needed to address these issues.

OBJECTIVE: Pedicle screw loosening is one of the main complications after pedicle screw fixation. However, there are few reliable measures for prediction of screw loosening. The current study was carried out to find an effective method to use preoperative CT scanning as a predictor of screw loosening in the elderly patients and provide guidance for preoperative surgical planning. METHODS: Patients who were treated with lumbar pedicle screw fixation procedure in our department for degenerative lumbar disorders between January 2015 and January 2021 were retrospectively included in the current study. CT scan attenuation of each vertebra was measured with Hounsfield units (HU). Screw loosening was determined in postoperatively X-ray tests. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were carried out with IBMSPSS 24.00 software. RESULTS: Screw loosening was observed in 44 of 215 patients (124 male, 91 female, average age 58.4 ± 7.6 years) during a mean follow-up time of 19.0 ± 11.2 months (range 12-32 months). No significant differences were found among the patients concerning patient gender, BMI, habit of smoking, and whether or not the patient had diabetes or suffered from spondylolisthesis (P > 0.05). The average HU value of lumbar vertebra was 122.4 ± 32.8 HU in the screw loosening group and 142.4 ± 38.2 HU in the control group, and the difference was significant (P < 0.01). ROC curve analysis revealed that the average HU value of L1-L5 has a relatively larger area under the curve (AUC) of 0.689 (95% CI: 0.605-0.773). With the sensitivity of 68% and specificity of 57%, a HU cut-off value of ≤124 HU is a plausible cut-off point to predict screw loosening. CONCLUSIONS: A prospective CT scan HU value-based prediction can be used to decide whether or not to use screw augmentation methods. A cut-off L1-L5 average HU value of 124 HU can be used as an independent risk factor for screw loosening in instrumented lumbar vertebra. More predictive indexes should be involved to achieve higher sensitivity and specificity in future clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD), the leading cause of mortality in most developed and developing countries, is increasing. The adoption of hospital registries can improve care delivery and facilitate the management of CAD through better planning, as well as help with outcome assessment through more effective data management. OBJECTIVES: The present study is aimed at designing a hospital-based CAD registry for managing CAD data. METHODS: This developmental study was conducted in three phases. Initially, sources related to CAD registries were reviewed, the results of which were published in two studies. In the next phase, the prerequisites and requisites of the software were determined through a qualitative study. In this phase, the registry dataset was determined by using a questionnaire. Finally, the developed conceptual model of the software was validated. The software was then developed based on the validated conceptual model. RESULTS: The registry data elements were classified into 13 main categories, including identification data, medical history, and risk factors. The dataset included 171 data elements, including data related to surgical and nonsurgical procedures. The conceptual model was approved by field experts, and the software was developed accordingly. CONCLUSION: The steps followed in the present study for developing the CAD registry can be used as an appropriate approach for designing similar hospital-based registries. Considering the pivotal role of the registry in the management of CAD, the routine and systemic use of the registry is suggested in all healthcare centers.

Glioma stemming from glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS) is one of the leading causes of cancer death in childhood. The genetic predisposition of glioma is not fully understood. METTL1-WDR4 methyltransferase complex is implicated in tumorigenesis by catalyzing N7-methylguanosine (m7G) modification of RNA. This study is aimed at determining the association of glioma risk with three polymorphisms (rs2291617, rs10877013, and rs10877012) in METTL1 and five polymorphisms (rs2156315 rs2156316, rs6586250, rs15736, and rs2248490) in WDR4 gene in children of Chinese Han. We enrolled 314 cases and 380 controls from three independent hospitals. Genotypes of these polymorphisms were determined using the TaqMan assay. We found the WDR4 gene rs15736 was significantly associated with reduced glioma risk (GA/AA vs. GG: adjusted odds ratio = 0.63, 95%confidence interval = 0.42 - 0.94, P = 0.023) out of the eight studied polymorphisms. Stratified analyses showed that the association of rs15736 with the risk of glioma remained significant in children aged 60 months or older, girls, the subgroups with astrocytic tumors, or grade I + II glioma. We also found the combined effects of five WDR4 gene polymorphisms on glioma risk. Finally, expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analyses elucidated that the rs15736 polymorphism was related to the expression level of WDR4 and neighboring gene cystathionine-beta-synthase (CBS). Our finding provided evidence of a causal association between WDR4 gene polymorphisms and glioma susceptibility in Chinese Han children.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of bariatric surgery on pancreatic thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) and insulin expression levels. The research question is does bariatric surgery induce changes in the pancreatic TXNIP level, given that TXNIP has been proposed as a key glucose control factor? METHODS: Using nondiabetic and diabetic rats, we investigated whether our streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat models exhibited changes in pancreatic TXNIP regulation. Following this confirmation, we randomly divided the diabetic rats into the following three groups: the gastric bypass group (n = 16), pair-fed group (n = 10), and sham group (n = 10). Preoperatively and 3 weeks postoperatively, all the rats underwent an oral glucose tolerance test, insulin tolerance test, and blood sampling procedures for hormonal analysis. RESULTS: The TXNIP messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expression levels were significantly lower in the gastric bypass group than in the other groups. Regarding the gastric bypass group, the pancreatic mRNA expression levels of microRNA-204 (miR-204) and MafA were significantly lower and higher, respectively, than in the other groups. Furthermore, the levels of pancreatic insulin expression at the mRNA and protein levels were also significantly higher in the gastric bypass group than in the other groups. CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgery significantly improved glucose control and regulated the pancreatic insulin production pathways of TXNIP, miR-204, and MafA. The regulation of TXNIP, miR-204, and MafA might play an important role in the mechanism of diabetes remission following bariatric surgery.

Cancer has a disproportionately large influence on the death rate of adults. A patient needs to get a diagnosis of their condition as quickly as is humanly feasible in order to have the greatest chance of surviving their sickness. Skilled medical professionals use medical imaging and other traditional diagnostic methods to search for clues that may indicate the presence of malignant tendencies inside the body. Nevertheless, manual diagnosis may be time-consuming and subjective owing to the wide range of interobserver variability induced by the enormous number of medical imaging data. This variability is caused by the fact that medical imaging data are collected. Because of this, the process of accurately diagnosing a patient could become more difficult. To execute jobs that included machine learning and the interpretation of complicated imagery, cutting-edge computer technology was necessary. Since the 1980s, researchers have been working on developing a computer-aided diagnostic system that would help medical professionals in the early diagnosis of various malignancies. According to the most recent projections, prostate cancer will be discovered in the body of one out of every seven men at some time throughout the course of their life. It is unacceptable how many men are being told that they have prostate cancer, and the condition is responsible for the deaths of a rising number of men every year. Because of the high quality and multidimensionality of the MRI pictures, you will also need a powerful diagnosis system in addition to the CAD tools. Since it has been shown that CAD technology is beneficial, researchers are looking at methods to improve the accuracy, precision, and speed of the systems that use it. The effectiveness of CAD technology has been shown. This research proposes a strategy that is both effective and efficient for the processing of images and the extraction of features as well as for machine learning. This work makes use of MRI scans and machine learning in an effort to detect prostate cancer at an early stage. Histogram equalization is used while doing the preliminary processing on photographs. The image's overall quality is elevated as a result. The fuzzy C means approach is used in order to segment the images. Using a Gray Level Cooccurrence Matrix (GLCM), it is feasible to extract features from a dataset. The KNN, random forest, and AdaBoost classification algorithms are used in the classification process.

BACKGROUND: LHON is a progressive disease with early disease onset and male predominance, usually causing devastating visual loss to patients. These systematic review and meta-analysis are aimed at summarizing epidemiology, disease onset and progression, visual recovery, risk factors, and treatment options of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) with mitochondrial DNA mutation G11778A from current evidence. METHODS: The PubMed database was examined from its inception date to November 2021. Data from included studies were pooled with either a fixed-effects model or a random-effects model, depending on the results of heterogeneity tests. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the robustness of results. RESULTS: A total of 41 articles were included in the systematic review for qualitative analysis, and 34 articles were included for quantitative meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of proportion of G11778A mutation among the three primary mutations of mitochondrial DNA (G11778A, G3460A, and T14484C) for LHON was 73% (95% CI: 67% and 79%), and the LHON patients with G11778A mutation included the pooled male ratio estimate of 77% (76% and 79%), the pooled age estimate of 35.3 years (33.2 years and 37.3 years), the pooled onset age estimate of 22.1 years (19.7 years and 24.6 years), the pooled visual acuity estimate of 1.4 LogMAR (1.2 LogMAR and 1.6 LogMAR), and the pooled estimate of spontaneous visual recovery rate (in either 1 eye) of 20% (15% and 27%). CONCLUSIONS: The G11778A mutation is a prevalent mitochondrial DNA mutation accounting for over half of LHON cases with three primary mutations. Spontaneous visual recovery is rare, and no effective treatment is currently available.

BACKGROUND: Multiple circular RNAs (circRNAs) are implicated in atherosclerosis (AS) pathogenesis. In fact, how circRNA 0026218 (circ_0026218) functions in AS remains unknown, and thus the functions and mechanisms of circ_0026218 in the injury of vascular endothelial cells are to be investigated. METHODS: Microarray analysis was employed to screen out differentially expressed circRNAs in AS. A cell model was mimicked by treating Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL). circ_0026218, microRNA-338-3p (miR-338-3p) and silent information regulator 6 (SIRT6) expressions in HUVECs with ox-LDL treatment were probed by qRT-PCR. The cell proliferative capabilities were exposed by CCK-8 assay. The contents of interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were measured by ELISA. Oxidative stress kits were utilized to detect the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and malondialdehyde (MDA). Flow cytometry was adopted to analyze the level of apoptosis of HUVECs. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and RIP assay were leveraged to expose the interplay between miR-338-3p and circ_0026218 or SIRT6 3'-UTR, respectively. In addition, the impacts of circ_0026216 and miR-338-3p on SIRT6 protein expressions were subjected to Western blot. RESULTS: circ_0026218 was greatly depleted in ox-LDL-stimulated HUVECs. circ_0026218 overexpression promoted viability of HUVECs in vitro and inhibited inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. circ_0026218 could adsorb miR-338-3p and positively modulated SIRT6 expressions via sponging miR-338-3p. Upregulation of this miRNA reversed the influence of circ_0026218 overexpression on ox-LDL-caused injury and apoptosis of HUVECs. CONCLUSION: Collectively, circ_0026218 upregulates SIRT6 expression through decoying miR-338-3p, thereby inhibiting ox-LDL-initiated injury of HUVECs. circ_0026218 is involved in the pathogenesis of AS.

DNA detection, which includes the measurement of variants in sequences or the presence of certain genes, is widely used in research and clinical diagnosis. Both require DNA-dependent DNA polymerase-catalyzed strand extension. Currently, these techniques rely heavily on the instruments used to visualize the results. This study introduced a simple and direct colorimetric method to measure polymerase-directed elongation. First, pyrophosphate (PPi), a by-product of strand extension, is converted into phosphate (Pi). Phosphate levels were measured using either Mo-Sb or BIOMOL Green reagent. This study showed that this colorimetry can distinguish single-base variants and detect PCR products in preset stringent conditions, implicating the potential value of this strategy to detect DNA.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a ubiquitous public health menace. AMR emergence causes complications in treating infections contributing to an upsurge in the mortality rate. The epidemic of AMR in sync with a high utilization rate of antimicrobial drugs signifies an alarming situation for the fleet recovery of both animals and humans. The emergence of resistant species calls for new treatments and therapeutics. Current records propose that health drug dependency, veterinary medicine, agricultural application, and vaccination reluctance are the primary etymology of AMR gene emergence and spread. Recently, several encouraging avenues have been presented to contest resistance, such as antivirulent therapy, passive immunization, antimicrobial peptides, vaccines, phage therapy, and botanical and liposomal nanoparticles. Most of these therapies are used as cutting-edge methodologies to downplay antibacterial drugs to subdue the resistance pressure, which is a featured motive of discussion in this review article. AMR can fade away through the potential use of current cutting-edge therapeutics, advancement in antimicrobial susceptibility testing, new diagnostic testing, prompt clinical response, and probing of new pharmacodynamic properties of antimicrobials. It also needs to promote future research on contemporary methods to maintain host homeostasis after infections caused by AMR. Referable to the microbial ability to break resistance, there is a great ultimatum for using not only appropriate and advanced antimicrobial drugs but also other neoteric diverse cutting-edge therapeutics.

The present study was designed to evaluate the dynamic expression of lncRNA NORAD in fracture healing of patients with brittle fractures and explore the function and mechanism of NORAD in regulating osteoblastic proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. The expression level of NORAD was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis of osteoblasts were analyzed by MTT assay, ELISA, and flow cytometry. Luciferase report analysis was used to confirm the interaction between NORAD and its target ceRNA miR-26a. This study showed no significant differences in serum NORAD expression on the 7th day during fracture healing in patients, but increased expression of NORAD was certified on the 14, 21, and 28 days after fixation. Overexpression of NORAD promoted the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and suppressed the apoptosis of osteoblasts. miR-26a proved to be the target gene of NORAD and was inhibited by overexpression of NORAD in osteoblasts. The enhanced expression of miR-26a was negatively linked to the lessened expression of NORAD. NORAD could accelerate the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and inhibit apoptosis, thereby promoting fracture healing.

The present study was carried out to investigate the anti-inflammatory activity of a methanolic extract and fractions of Uvaria comperei stems. The crude extract was obtained by maceration of the powder in methanol and fractions by vacuum chromatography from the methanolic extract. To study the anti-inflammatory activity in vitro, red blood cell lysis inhibition assay and albumin denaturation inhibition were performed, while in vivo measurements of carrageenan-induced paw oedema and formalin-induced pain in albino mice were performed. Acute toxicity and cytotoxicity studies of the fraction F2 were performed, as well as its HPLC, and some biochemical parameters were quantified. Uvaria comperei crude extract (UCCE) at 250 and 500 μg/mL completely inhibited albumin denaturation, while decreasing 75.5% of heat blood cell lysis at 500 μg/mL. The fractions 128-136 (F3), 10-11 (F1), and 56-62 (F2) at 500 μg/mL displayed a significant anti-inflammatory activity with percentages of inhibition of 60.5, 67.4, and 100%, respectively. Administration of fraction F2 (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg, p.o.) produced a dose-dependent inhibition of formalin-induced pain of 60.2% at 50 mg/kg in the neurogenic phase (p < 0.05) and 70.2% at 25 mg/kg in the inflammatory phase (p < 0.05). Similarly, the time-dependent increase in carrageenan-induced paw circumference induced by carrageenan was inhibited by pretreatment with F2: 50% of inhibition at 25 mg/kg after 30 min (p < 0.05) and 96.5% inhibition at 25 mg/kg after 6 h (p < 0.05). In this research, the fraction F2 presented its maximum analgesic property at 50 mg/kg, while it presented the highest anti-inflammatory property at 25 mg/kg. The oral lethal median dose (LD50) of F2 was determined to be greater than 2000 mg/kg; further low cytotoxicity in RAW cells was also observed. Overall, this work shows that the methanolic crude extract and fractions, mainly F2, of Uvaria comperei stem have interesting anti-inflammatory properties.

Physical activity (PA) in which physical exercise (PE) is an important component is probably the most important intervention for preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). However, few studies on PA and PE of rural residents in China were reported. This study conducted the first population-based cross-sectional survey in three provinces of China in 2021 that examined both PA and PE as well as the associated factors of rural residents. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short Form (IPAQ-S) was used, and a total of 3780 rural residents were surveyed. The result showed that 22.2% of the rural residents were physical inactivity and rural residents reporting practice of PE was 54.4%. Binary logistic regression analyses showed that being female, people aged between 15 to 34 years or 60 years old and above, employees of governmental departments/retirees, school students, the unemployed, and people with NCDs were risk factors of PA while ethnic minority groups, smoking, and alcohol consumption were risk factors of PE. Health promotion programme aiming at increasing people's PA in rural China is urgently needed, and it should focus on the population groups of the female, people aged 60 years and above, school students, the unemployed, and people with NCDs.

Inflammasomes are cytoplasmic intracellular multiprotein complexes that control the innate immune system's activation of inflammation in response to derived chemicals. Recent advancements increased our molecular knowledge of activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes. Although several studies have been done to investigate the role of inflammasomes in innate immunity and other diseases, structural, functional, and evolutionary investigations are needed to further understand the clinical consequences of NLRP3 gene. The purpose of this study is to investigate the structural and functional impact of the NLRP3 protein by using a computational analysis to uncover putative protein sites involved in the stabilization of the protein-ligand complexes with inhibitors. This will allow for a deeper understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying these interactions. It was found that human NLRP3 gene coexpresses with PYCARD, NLRC4, CASP1, MAVS, and CTSB based on observed coexpression of homologs in other species. The NACHT, LRR, and PYD domain-containing protein 3 is a key player in innate immunity and inflammation as the sensor subunit of the NLRP3 inflammasome. The inflammasome polymeric complex, consisting of NLRP3, PYCARD, and CASP1, is formed in response to pathogens and other damage-associated signals (and possibly CASP4 and CASP5). Comprehensive structural and functional analyses of NLRP3 inflammasome components offer a fresh approach to the development of new treatments for a wide variety of human disorders.

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most prevalent dementia, which is attributable to neurovascular dysfunction. Currently, no approved pharmaceuticals are available. Taohong Siwu decoction (TSD) is a traditional Chinese medicine prescription with powerful antiapoptosis and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, a network pharmacology approach together with molecular docking validation was used to explore the probable mechanism of action of TSD against VaD. A total of 44 active components, 202 potential targets of components, and 3,613 VaD-related targets including 161 intersecting were obtained. The potential chemical components including kaempferol, baicalein, beta-carotene, luteolin, quercetin, and beta-sitosterol involved in the inflammatory response, oxidative stress, and apoptosis might have potential therapeutic effects on the treatment of VaD. The potential core targets including AKT1, CASP3, IL1β, JUN, and TP53 associated with cell apoptosis and inflammatory might account for the essential therapeutic effects of TSD in VaD. The results indicated that TSD protected against VaD through multicomponent and multitarget modes. Though the detailed mechanism of action of various active ingredients needs to be further illustrated, TSD still showed a promising therapeutic agent for VaD due to its biological activity.

PURPOSE: To screen the main active components of Citrus aurantium through a network pharmacology approach, construct a component-disease target network, explore its molecular mechanism for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and validate it experimentally. METHODS: The active ingredients in Citrus aurantium and the targets of Citrus aurantium and NSCLC were collected through the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systematic Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform (TCMSP), GeneCards, and OMIM databases. The protein interaction network was constructed using the STRING database, and the component-disease relationship network graph was analyzed using Cytoscape 3.9.1. The Metascape database can be used for GO and KEGG enrichment analyses. The Kaplan-Meier plotter was applied for overall survival analysis of key targets of Citrus aurantium in the treatment of NSCLC. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to determine the mRNA and protein levels of key targets of Citrus aurantium for the treatment of NSCLC. RESULTS: Five active ingredients of Citrus aurantium were screened, and 54 potential targets for the treatment of NSCLC were found, of which the key ingredient was nobiletin and the key targets are TP53, CXCL8, ESR1, PPAR-α, and MMP9. GO and KEGG enrichment analyses indicated that the mechanism of nobiletin in treating NSCLC may be related to the regulation of cancer signaling pathway, phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, lipid and atherosclerosis signaling pathway, and neurodegenerative signaling pathway. The experimental results showed that nobiletin could inhibit the proliferation of NSCLC cells and upregulate the levels of P53 and PPAR-α and suppress the expression of MMP9 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Citrus aurantium can participate in the treatment of NSCLC through multiple targets and pathways.

Laryngeal squamous cell cancer (LSCC) is a common malignant tumor with a high degree of malignancy, and its etiology remains unclear. Therefore, screening potential biomarkers is necessary to facilitate the treatment and diagnosis of LSCC. Robust rank aggregation (RRA) analysis was used to integrate two gene expression datasets of LSCC patients from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between LSCC and nonneoplastic tissues. A gene coexpression network was constructed using weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) to explore potential associations between the module genes and clinical features of LSCC. Combining differential gene expression analysis and survival analysis, we screened potential hub genes, including CDK1, SPC24, HOXB7, and SELENBP1. Subsequently, western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to test the protein levels in clinical specimens to verify our findings. Finally, four candidate diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers (CDK1, SPC24, HOXB7, and SELENBP1) were identified. We propose, for the first time, that SPC24 is a gene that may associate with LSCC malignancy and is a novel therapeutic target. These findings may provide important mechanistic insight of LSCC.

BACKGROUND: To explore the clinical characteristics of Posner-Schlossman syndrome (PSS) patients in China, especially the risk factors associated with the dynamic changes of corneal endothelial cell (CEC) density and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness during the course of the disease. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, patients consequently suffering from PSS were recruited. Patients data including gender, age of onset, frequency of attack, and disease duration. We performed detailed ophthalmology examinations including intraocular pressure (IOP), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), slit-lamp examination, optical coherence tomography (OCT), assessing RNFL thickness, and determined CEC density in the outpatient department. The unaffected eyes served as control. RESULTS: We recruited 121 patients (eyes, n = 125), including 69 (57.0%) males and 52 (43.0%) females with Posner-Schlossman syndrome. The age of first-onset was 33.81 ± 13.63 years old. The majority of these patients were aged 20-50 years (80.2%). The peak IOP was 47.67 ± 13.31 mmHg in the affected eyes. The frequency of PSS attack was 2.7 ± 3.7 times per year. The disease duration was 9.5 ± 10.4 years. Among all patients, there were 27 (22.31%) patients with a history of digestive disorders, 25 (20.66%) patients with a history of allergies, and 24 (19.83%) patients with a history of infectious disease. In the affected eyes, CEC density (2532.94 ± 490.83/mm2 vs. 2777.13 ± 356.87/mm2, p < 0.001), the RNFL thickness of four quadrants (superior 105.46 ± 29.86 μm vs. 121.33 ± 17.30 μm, p < 0.001; temporal 74.58 ± 22.21 μm vs. 81.94 ± 18.20 μm, p = 0.009; inferior 110.50 ± 33.42 μm vs. 128.29 ± 14.39 μm, p < 0.001; nasal 54.85 ± 14.48 μm vs. 63.49 ± 15.40 μm, p < 0.001) and central papillary (87.11 ± 21.18 μm vs. 99.18 ± 7.97 μm, p < 0.001) were significantly reduced compared to the fellow eyes. The disease duration and recurrent frequency were significantly associated with CEC density (p < 0.001 and p = 0.029) and the disease duration was significantly associated with RNFL thickness (p = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, CEC loss and RNFL thinning were present in the affected eyes. Our results indicated that disease duration and recurrent frequency played an important role in the progression of PSS.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/5162845.].

Ciprofol is a novel compound that was independently developed in China. According to the Chinese product instructions approved by the China National Medical Products Administration and the information of official website, indications for ciprofol include sedation and anesthesia during the surgical/procedure of nontracheal intubation, induction and maintenance of general anesthesia, and sedation during intensive care. Ciprofol is a short-acting intravenous sedative based on the structural modification of propofol. Ciprofol has high efficacy, good selectivity, and fewer adverse reactions, indicating good clinical application potential. A series of clinical studies have been conducted to evaluate the sedative effect of ciprofol in various procedures and settings, including gastroscopy and colonoscopy, fiber-optic bronchoscopy, general anesthesia in elective surgeries, and mechanical ventilation in intensive care units. This review summarizes the chemical structure, pharmacodynamics, and pharmacokinetic properties of ciprofol. We also assessed the efficacy and safety of ciprofol by synthesizing the relevant clinical trial data.

The inflammation/immune response pathway is considered a key contributor to the development of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) bone metastasis. However, the dynamic changes in the immune microenvironment of LCH bone metastasis and critical regulators are still unclear. Expression profiling by arrays of GSE16395, GSE35340, and GSE122476 was applied to detect the immune microenvironment changes in the development of LCH bone metastasis. The single-cell high-throughput sequencing of GSE133704, involved in LCH bone lesions, was analyzed. The online database Metascape and gene set variation analysis (GSVA) algorithms were used to detect the gene function of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of hub regulators was constructed by the STRING database. In these results, key immune cells, such as Tem cells, NK T cells, CD8(+) T cells, and Th1 cells, were identified in LCH bone metastasis. These genes, which include LAG3, TSPAN5, LPAR5, VEGFA, CXCL16, CD74, and MARCKS, may significantly correlate with the cellular infiltration of B cells, aDCs, pDCs, cytotoxic cells, T cells, CD8+ T cells, T helper cells, and Tcm cells. In conclusion, our study constructed an atlas of the immune microenvironment of LCH bone metastasis. Genes including LAG3, TSPAN5, LPAR5, VEGFA, CXCL16, CD74, and MARCKS may be involved in the development of LCH bone metastasis. The hub gene-immune cell interactive map may be a potential prognostic biomarker for the progression of LCH bone metastasis and synergetic targets for immunotherapy in LCH patients.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/5423929.].

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/3394978.].

BACKGROUND: The current study is aimed at updating the observational studies on the relationship between threatened abortion and the risk of ASD. METHODS: The search keywords were covered in three electronic databases PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus up to April 2022. The modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS) was applied to detect the quality of epidemiological studies. We used the chi-square test and the I 2 statistic to show the heterogeneity among articles. I 2 more than 50% was considered high heterogeneity. Egger's and Begg's line regression tests were used for evaluating the publication bias. The random-effects model was applied for the analysis of the findings. The Stata 13.0 software package was applied for analysis and indicated p value less than 0.05 as a significant level. RESULTS: The pooled analysis reported significant differences between threatened abortion and the risk of ASD in adjusted studies (OR = 1.93; 95% CI: 1.12, 2.73; I 2 = 59.5.0%) and in crude studies (OR = 2.17; 95% CI: 1.46, 2.88; I 2 = 39.5%). The evidence of publication bias was not found. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that threatened abortion is a risk factor for ASD. As a result, screening tools to detect are necessary in mothers facing a threatened abortion.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer (PAAD) is a malignant tumor with a poor prognosis and lacks sensitive biomarkers for diagnosis and targeted therapy. Cuproptosis, a recently proposed form of cell death based on cellular copper ion concentration, plays a key role in cancer biology. This study is aimed at constructing a risk model for predicting the prognosis of PAAD patients based on cuproptosis-related genes. METHODS: Pancreatic-related data from UCSC-TCGA and UCSC-GTEx databases were extracted for analysis, and TCGA-PAAD samples were randomly divided into the training and validation groups. Pearson correlation analysis was used to obtain cuproptosis-related genes coexpressed with 19 copper death genes. Univariate Cox and Lasso regression analyses were used to obtain cuproptosis-related prognostic genes. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to construct the final prognostic risk model. The risk score curve, Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and ROC curve were used to evaluate the predictive ability of the Cox risk model. Finally, the functional annotation of the risk model was obtained through enrichment analysis. RESULTS: The Cox risk model has an eight prognostic cuproptosis-related gene signature. Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that the high-risk group had a shorter survival time. The ROC curve of the risk score was well created to predict one-, three-, and five-year survival rates, and AUC of the risk score was higher than other clinical characteristics. Cox regression analysis revealed that the risk score has an independent prognostic value for PAAD. GSEA reveals specific tumor pathways associated with the risk model (Myc targets v1, mTORC1 signaling, and E2F targets). CONCLUSIONS: We constructed a prognostic model containing eight cuproptosis-related genes (AKR1B10, KLHL29, PROM2, PIP5K1C, KIF18B, AMIGO2, MRPL3, and PI4KB) that can accurately predict the prognosis of PAAD patients. The results will provide new perspectives for individualized outcome prediction and new therapy development for PAAD patients.

Iris bulleyana Dykes (Southwest iris) is an extensively distributed Iridaceae species with blue or white flowers. Hereby, we performed a systematic study, employing metabolomics and transcriptomics to uncover the subtle color differentiation from blue to white in Southwest iris. Fresh flower buds from both cultivars were subjected to flavonoid/anthocyanin and carotenoid-targeted metabolomics along with transcriptomic sequencing. Among 297 flavonoids, 24 anthocyanins were identified, and 13 showed a strong down-accumulation pattern in the white flowers compared to the blue flowers. Significant downregulation of 3GT and 5GT genes involved in the glycosylation of anthocyanins was predicted to hinder the accumulation of anthocyanins, resulting in white coloration. Besides, no significant altered accumulation of carotenoids and expression of their biosynthetic genes was observed between the two cultivars. Our study systematically addressed the color differentiation in I. bulleyana flowers, which can aid future breeding programs.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze and identify the core genes related to the expression and prognosis of lung cancer including lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) by bioinformatics technology, with the aim of providing a reference for clinical treatment. METHODS: Five sets of gene chips, GSE7670, GSE151102, GSE33532, GSE43458, and GSE19804, were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. After using GEO2R to analyze the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between lung cancer and normal tissues online, the common DEGs of the five sets of chips were obtained using a Venn online tool and imported into the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) database for Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by STRING online software for further study, and the core genes were determined by Cytoscape software and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. The clustering heat map was drawn by Excel software to verify its accuracy. In addition, we used the University of Alabama at Birmingham Cancer (UALCAN) website to analyze the expression of core genes in P53 mutation status, confirmed the expression of crucial core genes in lung cancer tissues with Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and GEPIA2 online software, and evaluated their prognostic value in lung cancer patients with the Kaplan-Meier online plotter tool. RESULTS: CHEK1, CCNB1, CCNB2, and CDK1 were selected. The expression levels of these four genes in lung cancer tissues were significantly higher than those in normal tissues. Their increased expression was negatively correlated with lung cancer patients (including LUAD and LUSC) prognosis and survival rate. CONCLUSION: CHEK1, CCNB1, CCNB2, and CDK1 are the critical core genes of lung cancer and are highly expressed in lung cancer. They are negatively correlated with the prognosis of lung cancer patients (including LUAD and LUSC) and closely related to the formation and prediction of lung cancer. They are valuable predictors and may be predictive biomarkers of lung cancer.

Biodegradable iron alloy implants have become one of the most ideal possible candidates because of their biocompatibility and comprehensive mechanical properties. Iron alloy's impact on chondrocytes is still unknown, though. This investigation looked at the biocompatibility and degradation of the Fe30Mn0.6N alloy as well as how it affected bone formation and chondrocyte autophagy. In vivo implantation of Fe30Mn0.6N and Ti6Al4V rods into rabbit femoral cartilage and femoral shaft was carried out to evaluate the degradation of the alloy and the cartilage and bone response at different intervals. After 8 weeks of implantation, the cross-sectional area of the Fe30Mn0.6N alloys lowered by 50.79 ± 9.59%. More Ca and P element deposition was found on the surface Fe30Mn0.6N rods by using energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and scanning electron microscopy (P < 0.05). After 2, 4, and 8 weeks of implantation, no evident inflammatory infiltration was seen in peri-implant cartilage and bone tissue of Fe30Mn0.6N and Ti6Al4V alloys. Also, implantation of Fe30Mn0.6N alloy promoted autophagy in cartilage by detecting expression of LC3-II compared with Ti6Al4V after implantation (P < 0.05). Fe30Mn0.6N alloy also stimulated early osteogenesis at the peri-implant interface compared with Ti6Al4V after implantation (P < 0.05). In the in vitro test, we found that low concentrations of Fe30Mn0.6N extracts had no influence on cell viability. 15% and 30% extracts of Fe30Mn0.6N could upregulate autophagy compared to the control group by detecting beclin-1, LC3, Atg3, and P62 on the basis of WB and IHC (P < 0.05). Also, the PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathway mediated in the upregulation of autophagy of chondrocytes resulting in exposure to extract of Fe30Mn0.6N alloy. It is concluded that Fe30Mn0.6N showed degradability and biocompatibility in vivo and upregulated autophagy activity in chondrocytes.

BACKGROUND: According to American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th staging system, T1 intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (T1 ICC) is considered a tumor with no vascular invasion. However, T1 ICC usually occurs distant metastasis (DM), and the clinical features of these patients could help clinicians identify the high-risk population. METHODS: We reviewed 1959 newly diagnosed patients with T1 ICC from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database during 2004-2018. Logistic regression models and Cox proportional hazards models were conducted to predict the risk of DM and overall survival (OS), respectively, and then, web-based nomograms were constructed. Decision curve analysis (DCA) and clinical impact curves (CIC) were used to measure the clinical utility of the models. The low-, medium-, and high-risk groups were identified by calculating the summary of the risk points. Nomograms on the web were also created to help clinicians better use these prediction models. RESULTS: Tumor size and lymph node metastasis accounted for the first two largest proportions among the DM nomogram scores, while surgery, DM, age at diagnosis, chemotherapy, and lymph node metastasis occupied the largest percentage in OS nomogram. DM nomogram was established for these newly diagnosed patients with T1 ICC, and OS nomogram was developed to visually predict the OS rate of 3, 5, and 10 years. The calibration curves revealed a valid predictive accuracy of nomograms, of which the C-index was 0.703 and 0.740, respectively, for good discrimination. DCAs, CICs, and risk subgroups showed the clinical validity of these nomograms. Two websites were created to make it easier to use these nomograms. CONCLUSIONS: Novel web-based nomograms predicting the risk of DM and OS for T1 ICC were constructed. These predictive tools might help clinicians make precise clinical strategies for each patient with T1 ICC.

OBJECTIVE: To establish and validate a nomogram to predict the overall survival (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) receiving radiotherapy by integrating multiple independent prognostic factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 5663 patients with NPC who received definite radiotherapy between 2004 and 2018 were included and divided into training and validation cohorts. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to determine the independent prognostic factors of patients with NPC after radiotherapy. Thereafter, the predictive accuracy of the nomogram model was evaluated. RESULTS: Age, race, marital status, pathological type, tumor size, T stage, N stage, M stage, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, and chemotherapy were independent factors affecting the prognosis of patients with NPC receiving radiotherapy. Nomograms with a concordance index of 0.726 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.675-0.777) and 0.732 (95% CI: 0.680-0.785) were able to predict OS and CSS, respectively. The area under the curve showed excellent predictive performance. Additionally, the calibration curve indicated that the predicted survival rate was consistent with the actual survival rate, and the decision curve indicated its clinical value. The established risk stratification system was able to accurately stratify patients receiving radiotherapy for NPC into three risk subgroups with significant differences in prognosis (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The constructed nomogram had good prognostic performance and could be used as an effective tool to evaluate the prognosis of patients with NPC after radiotherapy. This nomogram could be further used to guide clinical decisions and personalized treatment plans.

One of the most often utilized nanoparticles (NPs) in several technologies is zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs. However, these NPs are said to have harmful effects on the reproductive system. Thus, we designed this study to specify the potential preventive activity of vitamins (Vits) A, C, and E, as antioxidants, against toxicity of ZnO NPs in the testes of rats. A total of 54 Wistar rats were arranged in 9 groups of 6 and then orally received water (control 1), olive oil (control 2), Vit A (1000 IU/kg), Vit C (200 mg/kg), Vit E (100 IU/kg), ZnO (200 mg/kg), ZnO+Vit A, ZnO+Vit C, and ZnO+Vit E. To determine the amount of testicular injury, sperm analysis and histological evaluation were performed. In addition, oxidative stress status was examined using colorimetric and qRT-PCR methods. Our findings suggest that ZnO NPs cause adverse effects on sperm parameters and testicular histology. Furthermore, oxidative biomarkers (malondialdehyde and total oxidant capacity) were enhanced in the ZnO group. By contrast, the gene expression and activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GPx, and CAT) noted a remarkable decrease in the ZnO group regarding control (p < 0.05). However, oxidative markers were remarkably mitigated after combined treatment of ZnO NPs and Vits A, C, or E compared to the rats given ZnO NPs (p < 0.05). Additionally, compared to the ZnO NP group, the rats receiving Vits+ZnO NPs exhibit increased antioxidant enzyme activity and mRNA expression (p < 0.05). The findings demonstrate the abovementioned Vits' ameliorative effects on toxicity incurred by ZnO NPs.

OBJECTIVE: Gliomas are the most common and life-threatening intracranial tumors. Immune infiltration of the tumor microenvironment significantly affects tumor prognosis in glioma. Recently, PLEKHA4 was reported to be upregulated in melanoma and closely associated with tumor genesis and development, but its role in glioma is poorly understood. Our aim was to investigate the expression, functional role, and prognostic value of PLEKHA4 in glioma. METHODS: The expression levels of PLEKHA4 in 33 types of cancer in the TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) database were collected via the UCSC Xena browser. The clinical samples of glioma patients were downloaded from the TCGA database. Immunohistochemistry was used to verify PLEKHA4 expression in tumor tissues. We assessed the influence of PLEKHA4 on survival of glioma patients by survival module and GEPIA. Then, we downloaded datasets of glioma from TCGA and investigated the correlations between the clinical characteristics and PLEKHA4 expression using logistic regression. Moreover, we used TIMER to explore the collection of PLEKHA4 expression and immune infiltration level in glioma and to analyze cumulative survival in glioma. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was performed using the TCGA dataset. RESULTS: PLEKHA4 transcript levels were significantly upregulated in multiple cancer types, including gliomas. Moreover, immunohistochemical analysis verified that PLEKHA4 was overexpressed in gliomas compare to the corresponding normal tissues. Univariable survival and multivariate cox analysis show that increased PLEKHA4 expression significantly correlated with age, tumor grade, IDH mutation status, and 1p/19q codel status, and higher PLEKHA4 had shorter OS, DSS, and PFI. Specifically, PLEKHA4 expression level had significant positive correlations with infiltrating levels of B cell, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and DCs in glioma, and upregulation of PLEKHA4 expression was significantly related to immune cell biomarkers and immune checkpoint expression in glioma. In addition, several GO and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) items associated with immune response, JAK STAT signal pathway, and cell cycle were significantly enriched in the high PLEKHA4 expression phenotype pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings proposed that PLEKHA4 was an independent prognostic biomarker and correlated with immune infiltrates in glioma, and targeting PLEKHA4 might improve immunotherapy in glioma. Of course, these findings also need basic experiments and further clinical trials to confirm in the future.

OBJECTIVES: This study is aimed at exploring the feasibility of sonoelastography on muscle stiffness of spastic forearm and evaluating the improvement of functional performance in patients with poststroke spasticity (PSS) after receiving kinesiotaping (KT) and rehabilitation. METHODS: According to the spastic levels (using modified Ashworth scale (MAS)) of the affected upper extremity, 59 patients with stroke were allocated into two groups, group A (MAS 0-1): 31 patients (14 men and 17 women; mean age: 60 years) and group B (MAS 1+-2): 28 patients (22 men and 6 women; mean age: 51 years). The Brunnstrom motor recovery stage at the wrist/distal parts in groups A and B was stage 3/3.5 and stage 2.75/3. We evaluated the Brunnstrom stage, spastic levels by MAS and modified Tardieu scale (MTS), and Fugl-Meyer Assessment for upper extremity (FMA-UE). We also evaluated the muscle spasticity of flexor carpi radialis (FCR), flexor carpi ulnaris (FCU), and flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) muscles using sonoelastography with shear wave velocity (SWV). We applied KT for 20 patients in group B, comparing the changes in sonoelastography and functional outcomes between KT and without KT interventions. RESULTS: Both the MAS and MTS scales were moderately correlated with the SWV in forearm muscles on hemiplegic side (r = 0.336-0.554) After KT intervention, the SWV in FCR decreased (p = 0.028). Muscle spasticity was reduced (p < 0.01), and distal part of the Brunnstrom stage and FMA-UE were increased (p = 0.045 and p = 0.001). In patients without KT intervention, only the MTS degree reduced (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: The SWV of sonoelastography could objectively assess the reduction of muscle stiffness of the affected forearms in patients with PSS after KT intervention. Advances in Knowledge. Sonoelastography could be a quantitative method to follow up for therapeutic effect of the spastic forearm.

Immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a type of regulated cell death that can activate adaptive immune response, and its ability to reshape the tumor microenvironment via multiple mechanisms may contribute to immunotherapy. The treatment options for patients with skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) vary based on BRAF V600E statuses. However, all standard treatments include immunotherapy. Therefore, it is critical to identify ICD-associated signatures that can help classify patients according to benefits from ICD immunotherapy. In this study, data on melanoma samples with BRAF V600E mutation (BRAF V600E-mutant melanoma) and melanoma samples with wild-type BRAF V600E alleles (BRAF V600E WT melanoma) were collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The ICD-related (ICD-high and ICD-low) subgroups of patients with BRAF V600E WT melanoma were established via consensus clustering. The analyses of survival, differentially expressed genes (DEGs), functional annotation, and immune landscape were performed in these two subgroups. Results showed that ICD-high subgroup was correlated with a positive overall survival (OS) and active tumor immune landscape. A model comprising seven prognosis ICD-related gene biomarkers was developed. Survival analysis and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve evaluation in both cohorts with BRAF V600E WT and BRAF V600E-mutant melanoma showed an accurate prognostic estimation of ICD-related risk signature. There was a correlation between immune cell infiltration and immunotherapy response and risk score. Thus, the ICD risk signature was closely associated with the tumor's immune microenvironment. Our results may provide insights to further individualize and improve precision therapeutic decision-making in BRAF V600E-mutant and WT melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a widespread and serious public health problem which also causes physical and psychological suffering to patients and their families and imposes a significant economic burden on society. But it is usually very difficult to detect and provide warning of mTBI in early stage. Therefore, a novel method is urgent for the increasing demands on the accurate and rapid prediction and feature selection of mTBI. OBJECTIVES: To establish a better idea of the performance of neuroimage biomarker in the acute phase of mTBI, our study adopts diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) which could present the pathophysiological changes of white matter through several parameters noninvasively and combined with behavioral experiments such as intelligence quotient test, memory, executive function, and motion function to find the relationship between DTI abnormal brain regions and behavioral abnormalities. Then, provide new method for rapid prediction and feature selection of mTBI. METHODS: 77 mTBI patients were admitted to the Emergency and Neurosurgery Departments of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from August 2019 to July 2021; the patients (41 males and 36 females) suffered mTBI because of car accident (36), assault (11), and fall (30). All the mTBI patients were examined through MRI scan and behavioral psychology test within 3 days after injury. MRI images and behavioral psychology tests were also collected; the correlation between the DTI biomarker and the cognitive psychological outcome was analyzed. A series of integration and computational methods were also used for fusion arithmetic and result analysis. RESULTS: Compared with the healthy control group, the patients in the acute stage of mTBI presented lower scores in the digit symbol substitution test (DSST), suggesting that mTBI patients in the acute stage had decline in information processing speed and associative learning. The difference of DTI parameters in acute stage mTBI patients was mainly manifested as increased AD and MD values in multiple brain regions, while RD and FA values have no significant difference. The most significant brain regions were bilateral corticospinal tracts (CST), bilateral posterior internal capsule lentiform nucleus, bilateral superior longitudinal fasciculus, left terminal striae, and left sagittal plane with right posterior thalamic radiation. The Pearson correlation coefficient was significantly positive correlation between AD and MD elevation in the left sagittal layer and the results of DSST and digit span in acute stage mTBI patients. CONCLUSIONS: The acute phase mTBI patients performed lower score on the DSST than those in the normal control group. This neuropsychological change was associated with increased AD value and MD value in the left sagittal layer, which indicated reduction of information processing speed in mTBI patients in the acute phase. It might be related to abnormal AD value and MD value in the upper longitudinal tract, lower longitudinal tract, lower frontal occipital tract, and sagittal layer. In this study, combined with neuropsychological test and increase of the AD value and MD value in certain brain region, neurosurgeon should pay more attention to the abnormal of the upper longitudinal tract and the patients' information processing speed in the diagnosis and treatment of the acute phase mTBI patients. The study offers a much more secure and integrated method for rapid prediction and feature selection of mTBI, which could have broader clinical approaches and application prospects.

Facial nerve palsy is a serious neurological condition that strongly affects patient everyday life. Standard treatments provide insufficient improvement and are burdened with the risk of severe complications, e.g., facial synkinesis. Mesenchymal stromal cell-based therapies are a novel and extensively developed field which offers new treatment approaches with promising results in regards to the nervous tissue regeneration. The potential of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to aid the regeneration of damaged nerves has been demonstrated in several preclinical models, as well as in several clinical trials. However, therapies based on cell transplantation are difficult to standardize in the manner similar to that of routine clinical practices. On the other hand, treatments based on mesenchymal stromal cell secretome harness the proregenerative features of mesenchymal stromal cells but relay on a product with measurable parameters that can be put through standardization procedures and deliver a fully controllable end-product. Utilization of mesenchymal stromal cell secretome allows the controlled dosage and standardization of the components to maximize the therapeutic potential and ensure safety of the end-product.

The global demand for good quality food is going to be increased gradually. Mushrooms are broadly used as healthy nutritious meals. The nutritional values of extracts from four distinct Pleurotus species-Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus sajor-caju, Pleurotus sapidus, and Pleurotus columbinus-were determined in the current study. Firstly, proximate analysis of selected Pleurotus species was performed followed by the Bradford assay to analyze the protein spectrophotometrically; high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed for sugar determination while GC-MS was done to determine fatty acids on organic extracts of selected mushrooms. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the percentages while significance was determined by SPSS statistics. The results depicted that fat, protein, ash, fiber, energy contents, and total carbohydrate were in the range of 0.64-2.02%, 16.07-25.15%, 2.1-9.14%, 6.21-54.12%, 342.20-394.30 kcal/100 g, and 65.66-82.47%, respectively. The protein's maximum concentration was observed in P. ostreatus followed by P. columbinus>P. sajor-caju>P. sapidus, sequentially. Various sugars may or may not be present in selected Pleurotus spps. Among the fatty acids, the prevalence of UFA was more than that of saturated fatty acids among all selected mushrooms. From this study, it is concluded that all four Pleurotus spps. have excellent nutritional composition and can be used as valuable food and a great source of biochemical compounds.

Irrigation of root canal system is of great significance to the success of endodontic treatment, where sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) is the most widely used irrigant in chemical preparation. NaOCl functions by eliminating bacterial biofilms and dissolving organic tissue, which may vary according to several factors such as the microbiology of root canal infection and the concentration of the irrigant. It has been proposed that the effectiveness of NaOCl could be enhanced via several methods, including heating the irrigant, applying in conjunction with certain reagents, or activating by agitation techniques. Despite its antibacterial and tissue-dissolving capacities, NaOCl should be used with caution to avoid detrimental effect due to its cytotoxicity and negative effect on dentin properties. In this narrative review, we discussed the factors that affect the properties of NaOCl, the methods to improve its efficacy, and the side effects that might occur in clinical practice.

Pancreatic cancer remains a deadly solid tumor with worst survival, and a better understanding of the mechanisms of carcinogenesis of pancreatic cancer is critical to promote the survival of patients with pancreatic cancer. qPCR and western blot assay were used to determine the expression of SPRR3 in pancreatic cancer. Anchorage-independent growth ability, BrdU labeling, Transwell assay, and in vivo experiment were used to examine the functions of SPRR3 in aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer. Luciferase reporter assay, nucleoplasmic-separation technique, qPCR, and western blot assay were used to investigate the mechanism of SPRR3 regulating aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer. Our results showed that SPRR3 was significantly increased in pancreatic cancer, which resulted in poor survival for patients with pancreatic cancer. Further analysis showed that overexpression of SPRR3 contributed to anchorage-independent growth ability, growth rate, and invasion ability of pancreatic cancer cells. While, knockdown of SPRR3 showed the reverse results. Mechanistically, overexpression of SPRR3 can promote the transcription of NF-κB pathway, nuclear accumulation of p65, and mRNA levels of NF-κB pathway downstream genes. But, knockdown of SPRR3 induced the reverse results. The above findings clarified the important roles of SPRR3 in the progression of pancreatic cancer through NF-κB pathway. And targeting SPRR3 might be an effective strategy to therapy pancreatic cancer.

Stem cells provided new opportunity to treat various diseases, including liver disorders. Stem cells are unspecialized cells, stimulating influential research interest be indebted to their multipotent self-renewal capacity and differentiation characteristics into several specialized cell types. Many factors contribute to their differentiation into different cell types such as insulin producing cells, osteoblast, and hepatocytes. Accordingly, wide range methods and materials have been used to transform stem cells into hepatocytes, but effectiveness of differentiation is different and depends on several factors such as cell-to-cell adhesion, cell-to-cell contact, and cell biological change. Search was done in PubMed, Scopus, and WOS to evaluate results of studies about stem cells differentiation for higher efficacy. Among more than 28000 papers, 51 studies were considered eligible for more evaluations. Results indicated that most studies were performed on mesenchymal stem cells compared with other types. Acute liver failure was the most investigated liver disorder, and tissue engineering was the most investigated differentiation methods. Also, functional parameters were the most evaluated parameters in assessing differentiation efficacy. We summarize recent advances in increasing efficiency of stem cells differentiation using varied materials, since promising results of this review, further studies are needed to assess efficiency and safety of these cells transplantation in some liver disease treatment.

BACKGROUND: This study is aimed at constructing a nomogram to predict the risk of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) based on the aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI) and prostate imaging-reporting and data system version (PIRADS) score. METHODS: Clinical data on patients who had undergone initial prostate biopsy from January 2019 to December 2021 were collected. Patients were randomized in a 7 : 3 ratio to the training cohort and the validation cohort. Potential risk factors for csPCa were identified by univariable and multivariate logistic regression. Nomogram was conducted with these independent risk factors, and calibration curves, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and decision curve analysis (DCA) were employed to assess the nomogram's ability for prediction. RESULTS: A total of 1219 patients were enrolled in this study. Multivariate logistic regression identified that age, AISI, total prostatic specific-antigen (tPSA), free to total PSA (f/tPSA), prostate volume (PV), and PIRADS score were potential risk predictors of csPCa, and the nomogram was developed based on these factors. The area under the curve (AUC) of the training cohort and validation cohort was 0.884 (95% CI: 0.862-0.906) and 0.899 (95% CI: 0.867-0.931). The calibration curves showed that the apparent curves were closer to the ideal curves. The DCA results revealed that the nomogram model seemed to have clinical application value per DCA. CONCLUSION: The nomogram model can efficiently predict the risk of csPCa and may assist clinicians in determining if a prostate biopsy is necessary.

Intra-abdominal adhesion is a complication following abdominal surgery caused by the suppression of fibrinolytic activity and aggravated fibroblast invasion of the injured area, which may lead to chronic illnesses such as chronic pain, intestinal obstruction, and female infertility. This study hypothesized that lumbrokinase, a fibrinolytic enzyme extracted from the earthworm, supports the wound healing process. Therefore, we assessed the effect of lumbrokinase on intra-abdominal adhesion. Lumbrokinase treatment significantly decreased the severity and the area of intra-abdominal adhesion in vivo in a dose-dependent manner compared with the controls (untreated and hyaluronate-treated). Lumbrokinase-associated adverse effects were not observed. Immunohistochemical analysis of adhesion tissues revealed a loosened adhesive band between tissues, coupled with significantly decreased peritoneal thickening in the lumbrokinase-treated group versus the control group. Three-dimensional spheroid, MTT, and scratch wound migration assays using the IMR-90 human fibroblast cell line demonstrated that lumbrokinase significantly attenuated the migration and adhesive activity of fibroblasts without compromising cell proliferation. The luciferase assay and western blot analysis showed that lumbrokinase inhibited the AP-1/ICAM-1 cell adhesion signaling pathway. Therefore, lumbrokinase decreases intra-abdominal adhesion and peritoneal thickening by augmenting fibrinolytic action and inhibiting fibroblast migration and adhesive activity via attenuation of the AP-1/ICAM-1 signaling pathway. Lumbrokinase is thus a promising agent to prevent intra-abdominal adhesion.

Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is an inherited autosomal disorder. The most common clinical features of the disease include adrenocortical failure, hypoparathyroidism (HP), and chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC). APS-1 is caused by mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. AIRE is a transcriptional factor involved in the regulation of thousands of genes in the thymus. It facilitates central tolerance by promoting the ectopic expression of tissue-specific antigens (TSAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), leading to the deletion of self-reactive thymocytes. Several Aire-deficient mice were developed separately, on different backgrounds; seven published Aire knockout mice show a variety of phenotypes depending on the strain used to generate the experimental model. The first Aire-deficient mice were generated on a "black 6" background almost 20 years ago. The model showed mild phenotype with relatively modest penetrance compared to models generated on BALBc or NOD backgrounds. The generation of all these experimental models is crucial for development and testing new therapeutics as well as reading the response to treatments.

Glycosylation is the most common posttranslational modification of proteins. Glycosyltransferase gene differential expression dictates the glycosylation model and is epigenetically regulating glioma progression and immunity. This study is aimed at identifying the glycosyltransferase gene signature to predict the prognosis and immune characteristics of glioma. The glycosyltransferase gene signature of glioma was identified in the TCGA database and validated in the CGGA database. Glioma patients were then divided into high- and low-risk groups based on risk scores to compare survival differences and predictive capacity. Subsequently, validation of glycosyltransferase gene signature merits by comparing with other signatures and utility in clinical judgment. The immune cell infiltration, immune pathways, and immune checkpoint expression level were also analyzed and compared in the high- and low-risk groups. Finally, the signature and its gene function were tested in our cohort and in vitro experiments. Eight glycosyltransferase genes were identified to establish the glycosyltransferase signature to predict the prognosis of glioma patients. The survival time was shorter in the high-risk group compared to the low-risk group based on glycosyltransferase signature and was confirmed in an independent external cohort. The glycosyltransferase signature displayed outstanding predictive capacity than other signatures in the TCGA and CGGA database cohorts. Furthermore, patients in the high-risk group were positively correlated with TAM infiltration, immune checkpoint expression level, and protumor immune pathways in TCGA cohorts. Validation of clinical tissue specimens revealed that the high-risk group was closely associated with infiltration of M2 TAMs. High-risk genes in the signature promote glioma proliferation, invasion, and macrophage recruitment in an in vitro validation of U87 and U251 cell lines. This carefully constructed that glycosyltransferase signature can predict the prognosis and immune profile of gliomas and help us evaluate subsequent macrophage-targeted therapies as well as other immune microenvironment modulation therapeutic strategies.

Several studies have been done to identify comorbidities of COVID-19. In this work, we developed an analytical bioinformatics framework to reveal COVID-19 comorbidities, their genomic associations, and molecular mechanisms accomplishing transcriptomic analyses of the RNA-seq datasets provided by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, where normal and infected tissues were evaluated. Using the framework, we identified 27 COVID-19 correlated diseases out of 7,092 collected diseases. Analyzing clinical and epidemiological research, we noticed that our identified 27 diseases are associated with COVID-19, where hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and lung cancer are observed several times in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, we selected the above four diseases and performed assorted analyses to demonstrate the association between COVID-19 and hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and lung cancer as comorbidities. We investigated genomic associations with the cross-comparative analysis and Jaccard's similarity index, identifying shared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and linking DEGs of COVID-19 and the comorbidities, in which we identified hypertension as the most associated illness. We also revealed molecular mechanisms by identifying statistically significant ten pathways and ten ontologies. Moreover, to understand cellular physiology, we did protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses among the comorbidities and COVID-19. We also used the degree centrality method and identified ten biomarker hub proteins (IL1B, CXCL8, FN1, MMP9, CXCL10, IL1A, IRF7, VWF, CXCL9, and ISG15) that associate COVID-19 with the comorbidities. Finally, we validated our findings by searching the published literature. Thus, our analytical approach elicited interconnections between COVID-19 and the aforementioned comorbidities in terms of remarkable DEGs, pathways, ontologies, PPI, and biomarker hub proteins.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Compounds of HQHG were scanned by LC-MS/MS, and the target profiles of compounds were identified based on SwissTarget Prediction. ITP target proteins were collected from various databases. Then, KEGG pathway and GO enrichment analyses were performed to explore the signaling pathways related to HQHG for ITP. The PPI and drug-herbs-compounds-targets-pathways network were constructed using Cytoscape 3.7.2. Finally, Discovery studio software was used to confirm the key targets and active compounds from HQHG. RESULTS: A total of 187 interacting targets of 19 potentially active compounds in HQHG and 3837 ITP-related targets were collected. Then, 187 intersection targets were obtained. A total of 20 key targets including EGFR, CASP3, TNF, STAT3, and ERBB2 were identified through PPI network analysis. These targets were mainly focused on the biological processes of positive regulation of protein phosphorylation, cellular response to organonitrogen compound, and cellular response to nitrogen compound. 20 possible pathways of HQHG in the treatment of ITP were identified through KEGG enrichment. EGFR, CASP3, TNF, and STAT3 are the four most important target proteins, while adenosine, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, quercetin-3β-D-glucoside, rutin, scopoletin, and tianshic acid are the most important active compounds, which were validated by molecular docking simulation. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that HQHG produced relief effects against ITP by regulating multitargets and multipathways with multicompounds. And the combined data provide novel insight of drug developing for ITP.

BACKGROUND: Galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1) is a critical initiating factor in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), which plays an important role in the diagnosis and evaluation of this disease. Moreover, the whole pathogenesis process has an intimate association with the immune response of T and B lymphocytes and their inflammatory factors. There is no specific therapy for IgAN at present. Yiqi Yangyin Formula can significantly reduce urinary protein and hematuria in patients with IgAN. Yiqi Yangying Heluo Formula (YYHF) is optimized on the basis of the above prescription, but its specific mechanism remains to be further studied. METHODS: The effect of YYHF on urinary protein and urinary red blood cell count in patients with IgAN was observed by a self-controlled clinical study before and after treatment. On this basis, flow cytometry was used to detect the proportion of T lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood of patients with IgAN before and after treatment and healthy controls. Meanwhile, the levels of Gd-IgA1, B cell activation factor (BAFF), and their cytokines (IL-4, IL-6, and IL-17) in peripheral blood were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The changes in mechanism-related indicators of the two groups were observed and subject to correlation analysis. RESULTS: (1) Compared with the levels before treatment, 24-hour urinary protein content decreased by 47.7% and urinary red blood cell number decreased by 67% in patients with IgAN intervened by YYHF after 48 weeks of follow-up. (2) Compared with the healthy control group, patients with IgAN showed a significantly increased proportion of Th1 cells, Th17 cells, Th1/Th2, Th1/Treg, Th2/Treg, and Th17/Treg, obviously reduced proportion of Th2 cells and Treg cells, and evidently elevated levels of Gd-IgA1, BAFF, and their cytokines (IL-4, IL-6, and IL-17) in the peripheral blood. (3) Following 48 weeks of follow-up after intervention treatment with YYHF, the levels of Gd-IgA1, BAFF, IL-6, and IL-17 were significantly lower, but the level of IL-4 was higher in peripheral blood of patients with IgAN than those before treatment and after 24 weeks of treatment; simultaneously, the proportion of Th1 cells, Th17 cells, Th1/Th2, Th1/Treg, Th2/Treg, and Th17/Treg decreased while that of Th2 cells and Treg cells increased after 48 weeks of follow-up compared with that before treatment in peripheral blood of patients with IgAN. (4) The results of correlation analysis revealed that the level of Gd-IgA1 in peripheral blood of patients with IgAN was positively correlated with the level of BAFF, as well as the proportion of Th1 cells, Th17 cells, Th1/Th2, IL-6, and IL-17 levels, and negatively correlated with the proportion of Treg cells. In addition, the level of Gd-IgA1 in peripheral blood was positively correlated with proteinuria, yet without correlation with hematuria. CONCLUSION: YYHF can reduce the quantitative level of 24 h urinary protein and urinary red blood cell count in patients with IgAN. Patients with IgAN have obvious T cell immune imbalance. YYHF can significantly reduce the level of Gd-IgA1 in patients with IgAN, and its mechanism may be explained by the reduced level of BAFF in peripheral blood and improved immune balance of T cells.