Hepatitis B virus-related cryoglobulinemia: Clinical characteristics, virological features, and treatment.

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a rare etiology of cryoglobulinemia, and its clinical characteristics, virological features and treatment are poorly understood.

Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 23 patients with HBV-related cryoglobulinemia from 497 cryoglobulinemia patients at Peking Union Medical College Hospital between January 2015 and February 2023. We analyzed the clinical characteristics, virological features and management of patients with HBV-related cryoglobulinemia.

A 47-Year-Old Woman With Progressive Exertional Dyspnea and Fatigue.

A previously healthy 47-year-old nonsmoking woman was admitted to our hospital with an 8-month history of progressive exertional dyspnea and fatigue. Chest high-resolution CT (HRCT) on admission showed diffuse, bilateral, patchy ground-glass opacity (GGO) (Fig 1A). She was diagnosed with interstitial lung disease, and corticosteroid therapy with 8 weeks prednisone taper was completed, with initial good response.

Clinical characteristics and treatment outcome of type I cryoglobulinemia in Chinese patients: a single-center study of 45 patients.

To explore the clinical characteristics and outcomes in Chinese patients with type I cryoglobulinemia (CG), we retrospectively analyzed the clinical data, management, and outcomes of 45 patients diagnosed with type I CG in our hospital from January 2015 to March 2019. In our study, all type I CGs were secondary to hematologic diseases, and monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance was the most common primary disease, accounting for 48.9% (n = 22).

Biochemical properties and vaccine effect of recombinant TPx-3 from Schistosoma japonicum.

Thioredoxin peroxidases (TPxs) play an important role in maintaining redox homeostasis and in protecting organisms from the accumulation of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, we isolated the thioredoxin peroxidase-3 gene of Schistosoma japonicum, SjTPx-3. The open reading frame (ORF) of SjTPx-3 was 663 bp encoding 220 amino acids with a molecular weight of 24.

Comparison of apoptosis between adult worms of Schistosoma japonicum from susceptible (BALB/c mice) and less-susceptible (Wistar rats) hosts.

Schistosomiasis remains a serious public health concern in China. BALB/c mice are susceptible to Schistosoma japonicum infection, whereas the Wistar rats are less susceptible. Apoptosis phenomenon was observed in 42d adult worms of S.

[Cloning, eukaryotic expressing and function analysis of Schistosoma japonicum apoptosis gene Sjcaspase3].

For further research of the apoptosis mechanism of Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum). The cDNA encoding Sjcaspase3 of Schistosoma japonicum was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, which contained 900 nucleotides and encoded 299 amino acids.

iTRAQ-based comparative proteomic analysis of excretory-secretory proteins of schistosomula and adult worms of Schistosoma japonicum.

Schistosomiasis remains a serious public health problem with 200 million people infected and 779 million people at risk worldwide. The schistosomulum and adult worm are two stages of the complex lifecycle of Schistosoma japonicum and excretory/secretory proteins (ESPs) play a major role in host-parasite interactions. In this study, iTRAQ-coupled LC-MS/MS was used to investigate the proteome of ESPs obtained from schistosomula and adult worms of S.

Comparative analysis of microRNA in schistosomula isolated from non-permissive host and susceptible host.

The reed vole Microtus fortis is the only known mammal in which the schistosome is naturally prevented from maturing and schistosome infection does not cause significant pathogenesis. However, the mechanism behind this phenomenon remains unknown. In the present study, Solexa deep sequencing technology was used to carry out high-throughput sequencing and comparative analysis of microRNA (miRNA) between small RNA libraries isolated from 10 days oldschistosomula of M.

[Cloning, expression and protective efficacy evaluation of radiation sensitive protein 23 (RAD23) from Schistosoma japonicum].

Radiation sensitive protein 23 (RAD23) is a nucleotide excision repair (NER) protein that plays an important role in Ubiquitin-proteasome pathway (UPP). Schistosoma japonicum radiation sensitive protein23 (SjRAD23) cDNA sequences were amplified by PCR and cloned into pET28a (+) vector to construct recombinant expression plasmid pET28a(+)-SjRAD23. The recombinant protein was expressed as both inclusion bodies and the supernatant in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) cell.

Comparative characterization of microRNAs in Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula from Wistar rats and BALB/c mice.

More than 40 kinds of mammals in China are known to be naturally infected with Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) (Peng et al. Parasitol Res 106:967-76, 2010).

Screening diagnostic candidates for schistosomiasis from tegument proteins of adult Schistosoma japonicum using an immunoproteomic approach.

Background: Schistosomiasis is one of the world's most prevalent zoonotic diseases and a serious worldwide public health problem. Since the tegument (TG) of Schistosoma japonicum is in direct contact with the host and induces a host immune response against infection, the identification of immune response target molecules in the schistosome TG is crucial for screening diagnostic antigens for this disease.

Methodology/principal Findings: In this study, an immunoproteomics approach used TG proteins as screening antigens to identify potential diagnostic molecules of S.

[Cloning, expression and immuno-protection analysis of a gene encoding troponin T of Schistosoma japonicum (SjTnT)].

Objective: To clone cDNA encoding troponin T of Schistosoma japonicum (SjTnT), and evaluate the protective efficacy induced by recombinant SjTnT in BALB/c mice against S. japonicum challenge infection.

Methods: The SjTnT gene was amplified from 28-day-schistosome cDNAs by PCR and then subcloned into pET28a(+).

Analysis of differentially expressed genes in two immunologically distinct strains of Eimeria maxima using suppression subtractive hybridization and dot-blot hybridization.

Background: It is well known that different Eimeria maxima strains exhibit significant antigenic variation. However, the genetic basis of these phenotypes remains unclear.

Methods: Total RNA and mRNA were isolated from unsporulated oocysts of E.

Inhibitory effects and analysis of RNA interference on thioredoxin glutathione reductase expression in Schistosoma japonicum.

Schistosomes infect around 280 million people worldwide. The worms survive in the veins of the final host, where thioredoxin glutathione reductase (TGR) activity helps the parasites to survive in the aerobic environment. In the present study, we synthesized 4 small interfering RNAs (siRNA S1, S2, S3, and S4) targeting the Schistosoma japonicum (Sj) TGR gene and used them to knockdown the TGR gene.

Differential expression of microRNAs in the non-permissive schistosome host Microtus fortis under schistosome infection.

The reed vole Microtus fortis is the only mammal known in China in which the growth, development and maturation of schistosomes (Schistosoma japonicum) is prevented. It might be that the anti-schistosomiasis mechanisms of M. fortis associate with microRNA-mediated gene expression, given that the latter has been found to be involved in gene regulation in eukaryotes.

Proteomic analysis of tegument-exposed proteins of female and male Schistosoma japonicum worms.

The interplay between sexes is a prerequisite for female growth, reproductive maturation, and egg production, and the basis of schistosome pathopoiesis and propagation. The tegument is in direct contact with the host environment and its surface membranes are particularly crucial for schistosome survival in the definitive host. In this study, a streptavidin-biotin affinity purification technique combined with LC-MS/MS was used to analyze putative tegument-exposed proteins in female and male adult Schistosoma japonicum worms.

Comparison of the differential expression miRNAs in Wistar rats before and 10 days after S.japonicum infection.

Background: When compared to the murine permissive host of Schistosoma japonicum, Wistar rats are less susceptible to Schistosoma japonicum infection, and are considered to provide a less suitable microenvironment for parasite growth and development. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), are a class of endogenous, non-coding small RNAs, that impose an additional, highly significant, level of gene regulation within eukaryotes.

Methods: To investigate the regulatory mechanisms provided by miRNA in the schistosome-infected rat model, we utilized a miRNA microarray to compare the progression of miRNA expression within different host tissues both before and 10 days after cercarial infection, in order to identify potential miRNAs with roles in responding to a schistosome infection.

MicroRNA expression profile in different tissues of BALB/c mice in the early phase of Schistosoma japonicum infection.

Schistosomiasis remains an important global public health problem that affects 200 million people in 76 countries. The molecular mechanisms of host-parasite interaction are complex, and in schistosome infection regulation of microRNA (miRNA) and the host micro-environment may be involved. In this study, an miRNA microarray was applied to investigate differences in miRNA expression in different tissues of mice before and 10 days post infection.

Apoptosis phenomenon in the schistosomulum and adult worm life cycle stages of Schistosoma japonicum.

Apoptosis is an important aspect of a number of biological processes, from embryogenesis to the stress-injury response. It plays a central role in balancing cell proliferation and tissue remodeling activity in many organisms. In the present study, apoptosis in 14 days post infection schistosomula was evaluated using TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling) assays and DAPI staining.

Characterization and expression of the Schistosoma japonicum thioredoxin peroxidase-2 gene.

We analyzed proteins that were differentially expressed by 10-day-old schistosomula from 3 different hosts and determined that a functional thioredoxin peroxidase-2 gene has an important antioxidant role in Schistosoma japonicum , which we investigated further. A full-length cDNA encoding the S. japonicum thioredoxin peroxidase-2 (SjTPx-2) had an open reading frame of 681 bp that encoded 226 amino acids with a signal peptide of 24 amino acids.

Molecular cloning and characterization of a cyclophilin A homologue from Schistosoma japonicum.

Cyclophilins belong to a group of proteins that have peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity and have been identified in all cell types and all organisms studied. In both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, they have been characterized as functional chaperones and involved in cell signaling. In the present study, Sj cyclophilin A (CyPA) was cloned, characterized, and subcloned into a prokaryotic expression vector to produce soluble recombinant rSjCyPA protein.

Differential gene expression in Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula from Wistar rats and BALB/c mice.

Background: More than 46 species of mammals can be naturally infected with Schistosoma japonicum in the mainland of China. Mice are permissive and may act as the definitive host of the life cycle. In contrast, rats are less susceptible to S.