Disease Duration Affects the Clinical Phenotype of Primary Sjögren Syndrome: A Medical Records Review Study of 952 Cases.

Objectives: To investigate the impact of disease duration on clinical phenotypes in Chinese patients with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) and examine the correlation between clinical phenotypes and onset age, age at diagnosis, and disease duration.

Methods: Data from 952 patients diagnosed with pSS in China between January 2013 and March 2022 were analyzed based on medical records. Patients were categorized into 3 groups based on disease duration: short (<5 years), moderate (≥5 and <10 years), and long (≥10 years) group.

Network pharmacology-based strategy to investigate the mechanisms of artemisinin in treating primary Sjögren's syndrome.

Objective: The study aimed to explore the mechanism of artemisinin in treating primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) based on network pharmacology and experimental validation.

Methods: Relevant targets of the artemisinin and pSS-related targets were integrated by public databases online. An artemisinin-pSS network was constructed by Cytoscape.

[Spatial-temporal variations of vegetation coverage and its driving force in Inner Mongolia grassland, China].

Inner Mongolia grassland is rich in natural vegetation and mineral resources. Based on Landsat5/7/8 NDVI data, we used pixel binary model to invert vegetation coverage of Inner Mongolia grassland area, investigated the stability, spatial distribution, and future evolution trend of vegetation coverage by using Sen+MK and Hurst index, and analyzed the driving factors of the spatial differentiation of vegetation coverage by the optimal parameters-based geographical detector. The results showed that vegetation coverage of Inner Mongolia grassland showed an increasing trend from 2006 to 2020, and the overall spatial pattern was high in the east and low in the west, mainly with great fluctuation.

Sex Difference in Primary Sjögren Syndrome: A Medical Records Review Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to study clinical and biological differences between men and women with primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) in China and perform a literature review to confirm if the clinical phenotypes are affected by sex in patients with pSS.

Methods: Data from 961 patients with pSS treated at a tertiary hospital in China between January 2013 and March 2022 were analyzed based on medical records. Clinical characteristics, including disease manifestations and serological parameters of the disease, were compared between men and women with pSS using the Mann-Whitney U test and χ 2 test.

Distinct clinical phenotypes of primary Sjögren's syndrome differ by onset age: a retrospective study of 742 cases and review of the literature.

Objectives: To study the clinical characteristics of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) with different onset age, and perform a review of the literature to confirm if the clinical phenotypes are affected by onset age in patients with pSS.

Methods: Data of 742 patients with pSS were retrospectively analysed. Patients were divided into three groups according to onset age: young-onset pSS (YopSS, <35 years), adult-onset pSS (AopSS, ≥35 and ≤65 years), and elderly-onset pSS (EopSS, >65 years).

[Understory plant diversity and soil physicochemical properties of artificial water conservation forests in the upper reaches of Miyun Reservoir, China].

We examined the characteristics of understory plant diversity and physicochemical properties and analyzed the correlation between understory plant diversity and soil factors across four artificial water conservation forests ( plantation, plantation, plantation, and plantation) in Fengning County, upstream of Miyun reservoir. The results showed that the composition and structure of understory community of the four forests were significantly different. The understory community in the × plantation was the richest in species composition, with , , and as the main dominant species.

Factors associated with secondary immune thrombocytopenia in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome: a retrospective study of 639 cases.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics and relevant factors of secondary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS).

Methods: Patients with pSS being treated between 2013 and 2020 in China-Japan Friendship Hospital were retrospectively analysed. Clinical characteristics were compared between pSS patients with and without secondary ITP.

l-arginine protects against oxidative damage induced by T-2 toxin in mouse Leydig cells.

To explore the protective mechanism of l-arginine against T-2 toxin-induced oxidative damage in mouse Leydig cells, Leydig cells were isolated and cultured with control, T-2 toxin (10 nM), l-arginine (0.25, 0.5, and 1.

T-2 toxin induces apoptosis via the Bax-dependent caspase-3 activation in mouse primary Leydig cells.

To explore the toxic effect of T-2 toxin on mouse Leydig cells and its underlying molecular mechanisms, we isolated Leydig cells from mature mice, set-up Leydig cells culture, treated cells with T-2 toxin, evaluated cell proliferation, detected the caspase-3 activity, mitochondrial activity and apoptosis rate, and measured the mRNA levels of Bcl-2, Bax, PARP and caspase-3. T-2 toxin inhibited cell proliferation at concentrations higher than 10 M or time more than 12 h, T-2 toxin also decreased Bcl-2 expression at the mRNA levels and mitochondrial activity at concentrations higher than 10 M. While, T-2 toxin increased the mRNA expressions of Bax and PARP at concentrations higher than 10 M and 10 M, respectively, triggered mitochondria-mediated apoptosis, activated downstream caspase-3, and then increased caspase-3 at the activity and mRNA levels at concentrations higher than 10 M.

Toxicity and oxidative stress induced by T-2 toxin in cultured mouse Leydig cells.

To explore the toxic mechanism of T-2 toxin on Leydig cells of mice, we would investigate the toxicity and oxidative stress induced by T-2 toxin in the cells. Leydig cells were isolated and cultured with control or T-2 toxin (10 M, 10 M, or 10 M) for 24 h, then cells and supernatants were harvested to examine cell viability, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) activities, expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) related to oxidative stress, malondialdehyde (MDA) content and DNA damage. The cell viability was evaluated in mouse Leydig cells by MTT assay, MDA content and SOD, GSH-Px and CAT activities were measured by routine kits, expression of mRNA related to oxidative stress were examined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA damage was investigated by comet assay.

[Level indicators construction and temporal-spatial distribution features of agricultural flood in the southwest of China].

Flood level indicators of southwest provinces were built in this study by using daily precipitation data of 341 weather stations in southwest agricultural areas from 1961 to 2010 combined with grey correlation analysis. In the process of building the indicators, we took single station flood indicators of Chongqing as the prototype. Through increasing and decreasing the precipitation threshold of Chongqing indicators by the amplitude of -50-+50 mm and the step size of 1 mm, each province got 101 groups of flood indicators.

Effects of T-2 toxin on the regulation of steroidogenesis in mouse Leydig cells.

T-2 toxin is one of the mycotoxins, a group of type A trichothecenes produced by several fungal genera including Fusarium species, which may lead to the decrease of testosterone secretion in primary Leydig cells derived from mouse testis. The previous study demonstrated T-2 toxin decrease the testosterone biosynthesis in the primary Leydig cells derived from the mouse testis directly. In this study, we further examined the direct biological effects of T-2 toxin on the process of steroidogenesis, primarily in Leydig cells of mice.

T-2 toxin inhibits gene expression and activity of key steroidogenesis enzymes in mouse Leydig cells.

T-2 toxin is one of the mycotoxins, a group of type A trichothecenes produced by several fungal genera including Fusarium species, which may lead to the decrease of the testosterone secretion in the primary Leydig cells derived from the mouse testis. The previous study demonstrated the effects of T-2 toxin through direct decrease of the testosterone biosynthesis in the primary Leydig cells derived from the mouse testis. In this study, we further examined the direct biological effects of T-2 toxin on steroidogenesis production, primarily in Leydig cells of mice.

Separation of total lipids on human lipoproteins using surfactant-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes as pseudostationary phase in capillary electrophoresis.

Surfactant-coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were used as pseudostationary phase (PSP) in CE to investigate the total lipids of high-density lipoproteins and low-density lipoproteins. To optimize the CE conditions, several experimental factors including carbon nanotube concentration, bile salt concentration, sodium phosphate (PB) concentration, organic modifier concentration and buffer pH value have been examined. In addition, the CE capillary temperature and applied voltage have also been examined.

Detection of C-reactive protein based on magnetic nanoparticles and capillary zone electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection.

A simple and fast method based on magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection was developed for the detection of C-reactive protein (CRP). To optimize the CZE conditions, several factors including buffer compositions, buffer ionic strength, buffer pH, applied voltage and capillary temperature have been examined. The optimal separation buffer selected was a 30 mM sodium phosphate (PB) buffer, pH 8.

Chemical analysis of C-reactive protein synthesized by human aortic endothelial cells under oxidative stress.

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a clinical biomarker of inflammation, and high levels of CRP correlate with cardiovascular disease. The objectives of this study were to test our hypothesis that oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) induces the release of CRP from human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) and to optimize several analytical methods to identify CRP released from cultured cells in a model of atherogenic stress. HAECs were incubated with copper-oxidized LDL, and the supernatant was subsequently purified by diethylaminoethyl chromatography and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Heparinized polyvinyl alcohol to specifically adsorb low-density lipoprotein from plasma.

Introduction: A medical adsorbent for blood purification was developed to specifically adsorb low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from hypercholesterolemia patient's plasma by covalently immobilizing heparin onto the surface of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with the couplant toluence-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI).

Methods: We used IR to demonstrate the success of covalently immobilizing heparin onto the surface, and investigated its adsorption of LDL, and primarily evaluated its hemo-compatibility using tests for platelet adhesion, the degree of platelet activation and a hemolysis test.

Results: (1) Heparin was successfully covalently immobilized onto the surface, the maximum amount of heparin immobilized on the surface of 1g PVA-1799 granules was about 5 μg; (2) one optimal condition for adsorption of LDL from hyperlipidemia plasma was a pH within the range of 7.

Toxic effects of T-2 toxin on reproductive system in male mice.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of T-2 toxin on semen quality, fertility and serum testosterone concentration in mice. Adult male mice were mated with sexually mature untreated female mice after being exposed to intraperitoneal injection of T-2 toxin at 0, 5, 10 or 15 mg/kg body weight daily for 7 successive days. Semen quality, serum testosterone concentration and fertility of treated mice were assessed.