Blocking ATF4 attenuates pulmonary fibrosis by preventing lung fibroblast activation and macrophage M2 program.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating disease characterized by myofibroblasts accumulation and uncontrolled extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. Here, we reported that activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), a multifunctional transcription regulatory protein, is overexpressed in IPF lungs and mouse fibrotic lungs, mainly in myofibroblasts and macrophages. Haplodeletion of Atf4 in mice or blockage of Atf4 with Atf4 shRNA-loaded lentiviruses in mice reduced bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in vivo.

Human epididymis protein 4-annexin II binding promotes aberrant epithelial-fibroblast crosstalk in pulmonary fibrosis.

Invasive lung myofibroblasts are the main cause of tissue remodeling in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). A key mechanism contributing to this important feature is aberrant crosstalk between the abnormal/injured lung epithelium and pulmonary fibroblasts. Here, we demonstrate that lungs from patients with IPF and from mice with bleomycin (BLM)-induced pulmonary fibrosis (PF) are characterized by the induction of human epididymis protein 4 (HE4) overexpression in epithelial cells.

Vitamin D supplementation can improve the 28-day mortality rate in patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury.

Purpose: Vitamin D levels are generally lower in septic patients and are associated with poor prognosis. Observational studies suggest improved renal recovery in acute kidney injury (AKI) patients with increased vitamin D levels. Still, large RCTs did not show significant clinical benefits, possibly due to the limited number of sepsis or AKI patients included.

Physical and psychological status of emergency assistance personnel at major public health events: a qualitative descriptive study.

Background: Many personnel respond to natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis and frequent public health events like Ebola and COVID-19. However, research on emergency assistance personnel remains limited. This study aims to describe the perceived well-being among responders deployed in isolated or emergency international missions while providing practical references to intervene in developing similar missions.

Associations of different combinations of moderate-vigorous physical activity and muscle-strengthening activity with mortality among US lung cancer survivors.

Background: To investigate the associations of different combinations of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and muscle strengthening activity (MSA) with all-cause and cancer mortality among lung cancer survivors.

Methods: This nationwide prospective cohort study used data from the US National Health Interview Survey 2009-2018. A total of 785 lung cancer survivors were included in the study.

Population genetics of (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) in the northwest Pacific Ocean via GBS sequencing.

The common squid, , is an important commercial species that inhabits the northwest Pacific Ocean, particularly the East Japan Sea, the Pacific coast of Japan, and the East China Sea. In this study, we chose 29 individuals from three areas: one type from the Sea of Japan and two types from the East China Sea. A total of 43,529 SNPs were obtained using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS).

Peritendinous Submembrane Access Technique for Management of Acute Ruptures of the Achilles Tendon: A Retrospective Study of 249 Cases.

Objective: Percutaneous repair is an alternative to open surgical repair of the Achilles tendon with comparable, functional results and low re-rupture and infection rates; however, sural nerve injury is a known complication. The purpose of this study is to design a new surgical procedure, the minimally invasive peritendinous submembrane access technique (MIS-PSAT). It offers optimal results, with excellent functional outcomes, and with minimal soft tissue complications and sural nerve injury.

Immune-Enhancing Treatment among Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis Patients with Metabolic Abnormalities: A Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background/aims: Metabolic syndrome is common in patients with acute pancreatitis and its components have been reported to be associated with infectious complications. In this analysis, we aimed to evaluate whether metabolic abnormalities impact the effect of immune-enhancing thymosin alpha-1 (Tα1) therapy in acute necrotizing pancreatitis (ANP) patients.

Methods: All data were obtained from the database for a multicenter randomized clinical trial that evaluated the efficacy of Tα1 in ANP patients.

Design and test of a FBG acceleration sensor based on multi-stage flexible hinges.

High-precision and high-sensitivity vibration acceleration sensors have been a research hotspot in engineering technology, which play an important role in engineering structural health monitoring, earthquakes, tsunamis, and geological exploration. A novel, to the best of our knowledge, fiber Bragg grating (FBG) acceleration sensor incorporating a mass block and flexible hinge was proposed against the low sensitivity and poor transverse interference resistance of existing FBG acceleration sensors. The FBG accelerometer with the multi-stage flexible hinge was modeled and theoretically analyzed, the structural parameters of the sensor were optimized and actual sensors were developed, and a sensor performance test experiment was carried out in the end.

Association between serum albumin levels and survival in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a single-center retrospective study.

Background: In clinical hematology, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is notably heterogeneous and varies in prognosis. Serum albumin (SA) is considered a biomarker of prognostic value in a number of hematologic malignancies. However, current knowledge of the association between SA levels and survival is limited, especially in DLBCL patients aged ≥70 years.

Immune Molecules' mRNA Expression in Porcine Alveolar Macrophages Co-Infected with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus and Porcine Circovirus Type 2.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) are economically important pathogens in swine, and pigs with dual infections of PCV2 and PRRSV consistently have more severe clinical symptoms and interstitial pneumonia. However, the synergistic pathogenesis mechanism induced by PRRSV and PCV2 co-infection has not yet been illuminated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the kinetic changes of immune regulatory molecules, inflammatory factors and immune checkpoint molecules in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) in individuals infected or co-infected with PRRSV and/or PCV2.

Gradual Traction Reduction With the Ilizarov Method for Tile C1.2 Old Pelvic Fracture: A Case Report.

Case: A 20-year-old man with a Tile C1.2 pelvic fracture was treated with skeletal traction. After 3 months, the patient was unable to stand and walk, and the right lower limb was shortened by 7 cm.

Identification and characterization of two SERPINC1 mutations causing congenital antithrombin deficiency.

Background: Antithrombin (AT) is the main physiological anticoagulant involved in hemostasis. Hereditary AT deficiency is a rare autosomal dominant thrombotic disease mainly caused by mutations in SERPINC1, which was usually manifested as venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. In this study, we analyzed the clinical characteristics and screened for mutant genes in two pedigrees with hereditary AT deficiency, and the functional effects of the pathogenic mutations were evaluated.

Interleukin-35 has a Protective Role in Infectious Mononucleosis-Induced Liver Inflammation Probably by Inhibiting CD8 T Cell Function.

Interleukin (IL)-35 plays an immunosuppressive role in infectious diseases, autoimmune disorders, and cancers. However, IL-35 expression and its regulation of CD8 T cells in infectious mononucleosis (IM) are not fully understood. In this study, three groups of participants were compared, including twenty-three patients of IM without liver inflammation, twenty-eight patients of IM with liver inflammation, and twenty-one controls.

Plasma IL-36α and IL-36γ as Potential Biomarkers in Interstitial Lung Disease Associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis: a Pilot Study in the Chinese Population.

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a frequent extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and increases mortality in patients with RA. Early identification of ILD, especially the usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) pattern with a poor prognosis, is important for guiding treatment of RA-ILD and preventing damage resulting from a delay in diagnosis. Interleukin-36 (IL-36) cytokines are involved in connective tissue diseases.

[Effectiveness analysis of disposable skin stretch closure in treatment of difficult to close skin and soft tissue defects].

Objective: To observe the effectiveness of disposable skin stretch closure in the treatment of wounds with skin and soft tissue defects that were difficult to close.

Methods: The clinical data of 13 patients with skin and soft tissue defects that were difficult to close treated with disposable skin stretch closure and met the selection criteria between July 2021 and February 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. There were 9 males and 4 females, the age ranged from 15 to 71 years with a mean of 39.

A rapid and high sensitivity RNA detection based on NASBA and G4-ThT fluorescent biosensor.

In recent years, various newly emerged and re-emerged RNA viruses have seriously threatened the global public health. There is a pressing need for rapid and reliable nucleic acid-based assays for detecting viral RNA. Here, we successfully developed a highly sensitive, easy-to-operate G4-ThT-NASBA system to detect viral RNA that no need for labeled primers and probes.

circSTRN3 aggravates sepsis-induced acute kidney injury by regulating miR-578/ toll like receptor 4 axis.

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response caused by infection, and severe sepsis is commonly associated with the development of acute kidney injury (AKI). Accumulating evidence has revealed the implication of circular RNAs in AKI. In this study, we explored the potential engagement and the underlying mechanism of hsa_circ_010157 (circSTRN3) in sepsis-induced AKI.

Fusion Protein Cleavage Site Containing Three Basic Amino Acids Attenuates Newcastle Disease Virus in Chicken Embryos: Use as an Vaccine.

vaccination is an attractive immunization strategy for the poultry industry. However, although most live Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine strains, such as LaSota and V4, can be used after hatching, they are pathogenic to chicken embryos when administered . We have previously reported that NDV strain TS09-C is a safe vaccine in specific-pathogen-free and commercial chicken embryos because it is attenuated in chicken embryos.

Deficiency Ameliorates Pulmonary Fibrosis Through the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/β-Catenin Integrated Signaling Pathway.

Tissue remodeling/fibrosis is a main feature of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), which results in the replacement of normal lung parenchyma with a collagen-rich extracellular matrix produced by fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in type 2 lung epithelial cells is a key process in IPF, which leads to fibroblasts and myofibroblasts accumulation and excessive collagen deposition. DEC1, a structurally distinct class of basic helix-loop-helix proteins, is associated with EMT in cancer.

Olfactory Dysfunction in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Review.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is wreaking havoc on public-health and economic systems worldwide. Among the several neurological symptoms of patients with COVID-19 reported in clinical practice, olfactory dysfunction (OD) is the most common. OD occurs as the earliest or the only clinical manifestation in some patients.

Latent Transforming Growth Factor-β Binding Protein-2 Regulates Lung Fibroblast-to-Myofibroblast Differentiation in Pulmonary Fibrosis NF-κB Signaling.

Despite past extensive studies, the mechanisms underlying pulmonary fibrosis (PF) still remain poorly understood. The aberrantly activated lung myofibroblasts, predominantly emerging through fibroblast-to-myofibroblast differentiation, are considered to be the key cells in PF, resulting in excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). Latent transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) binding protein-2 (LTBP2) has been suggested as playing a critical role in modulating the structural integrity of the ECM.