Direct Photocatalytic Oxidation of Methane to Formic Acid with High Selectivity via a Concerted Proton-Electron Transfer Process.

Light-driven direct conversion of methane to formic acid is a promising approach to convert methane to value-added chemicals and promote sustainability. However, this process remains challenging due to the complex requirements for multiple protons and electrons. Herein, we report the design of WO-based photocatalysts modified with Pt active sites to address this challenge.

Altered mitochondrial mass and low mitochondrial membrane potential of immune cells in patients with HBV infection and correlation with liver inflammation.

Introduction: Mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and mitochondrial mass (MM) affect mitochondrial function and lymphocyte activation, but few studies on HBV infection exist. This study aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanism of mitochondrial dysfunction during HBV infection and its clinical significance by analyzing the alterations of MM and MMP in peripheral blood immune cells.

Methods: The study enrolled 90 participants, including healthy volunteers(HC) and patients with HBV infection, HBV patients were divided into chronic hepatitis B patients (CHB) and liver cirrhosis (LC) according to the study, and CHB was also divided into an inflammation group and a non-inflammation group.

Application of γδ T cells with different memory phenotypes in clinical diagnosis of active pulmonary tuberculosis.

Objective: To investigate the application and clinical significance of different memory phenotypes of γδ T-cell subsets in the clinical diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Methods: In total, 42 patients with tuberculosis (TB) according to the diagnostic criteria for tuberculosis (WS288-2017) who were treated at the Infectious Diseases Hospital affiliated with Soochow University from February 2023 to July 2023 were enrolled. Additionally, 16 patients with latent TB infection (LTBI) and 20 healthy controls (HCs) were included.

Altered counts and mitochondrial mass of peripheral blood leucocytes in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) damages liver cells through abnormal immune responses. Mitochondrial metabolism is necessary for effector functions of white blood cells (WBCs). The aim was to investigate the altered counts and mitochondrial mass (MM) of WBCs by two novel indicators of mitochondrial mass, MM and percentage of low mitochondrial membrane potential, MMP%, due to chronic HBV infection.

Efficient Thermal Management with Selective Metamaterial Absorber for Boosting Photothermal CO Hydrogenation under Sunlight.

Photothermal catalytic CO hydrogenation is a prospective strategy to simultaneously reduce CO emission and generate value-added fuels. However, the demand of extremely intense light hinders its development in practical applications. Herein, this work reports the novel design of Ni-based selective metamaterial absorber and employs it as the photothermal catalyst for CO hydrogenation.

The clinical significance of plasma sCD25 as valuable biomarker for progression and prognosis of tuberculosis.

Background: sCD25 is an important immune molecule for T cell regulation. Tracking the detection of plasma sCD25 plays an important role in the evaluation of immune function, progression, and prognosis of tuberculosis (TB) patients. This study analyzed the association of plasma sCD25 levels with clinical, laboratory, CT imaging characteristics, and clinical outcome of TB patients.

Marein Ameliorates Myocardial Fibrosis by Inhibiting HIF-1α and TGF-β1/Smad2/3 Signaling Pathway in Isoproterenol-stimulated Mice and TGF-β1-stimulated Cardiac Fibroblasts.

Background: Myocardial fibrosis significantly contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of heart failure.

Objective: We probe into the impact of marein, a key bioactive compound in functional food Coreopsis tinctoria, on isoproterenol-stimulated myocardial fibrotic mice and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)-stimulated cardiac fibroblasts (CFs).

Methods: Isoproterenol was administered to the experimental mice via subcutaneous injection, and simultaneous administration of marein (25-100 mg/kg) was performed via oral gavage.

Clinical significance of B7-H3 expression in circulating CD4CD25 T cells, CD14 monocytes, and plasma for the progression of HIV infection.

Background: B7-H3 is an important immune checkpoint molecule that plays a negative role in immune regulation. This study was aimed to explore B7-H3 expression in HIV-infected patients and its clinical significance.

Methods: To explore the expression and clinical significance of B7-H3 in HIV-infected patients, we investigated the B7-H3 expression pattern and the correlation of B7-H3 expression with clinical parameters of HIV-infected patients with different levels of CD4 T cells.

The elevated expression of LAG-3 on CD8+T cells correlates with disease severity of pulmonary TB.

Objective: Lymphocyte-activation gene 3 (LAG-3) plays an important role in regulating T-cell responses and inducing peripheral tolerance. Our aim in this study was to investigate the relationship between LAG-3 and active tuberculosis (ATB) and the impact of LAG-3 blockade on CD8T cells.

Methods: Flow cytometry was used to detect the expression of LAG-3 on CD4T and CD8T cells in the peripheral blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from ATB patients and to explore the relationship between LAG-3 and ATB.

The exhaustion of lymphocytes is the main factor that decreases the sensitivity of QFT-GIT detection in silicosis.

Background: Tuberculosis infection is a major complication of silicosis, but there is no study on whether silicosis can affect the sensitivity of QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assays. This study will analyze the relationship between silicosis and QFT-GIT, determine the main factor of the QFT-GIT sensitivity decrease in silicosis and explore the methods to increase the sensitivity.

Methods: Silicosis patients with positive tubercle bacillus cultures were collected.

The Immune Pathogenesis of Acute-On-Chronic Liver Failure and the Danger Hypothesis.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a group of clinical syndromes related to severe acute liver function impairment and multiple-organ failure caused by various acute triggering factors on the basis of chronic liver disease. Due to its severe condition, rapid progression, and high mortality, it has received increasing attention. Recent studies have shown that the pathogenesis of ACLF mainly includes direct injury and immune injury.

Distribution and clinical significance of circulating CD8CD28 regulatory T cells in the peripheral blood of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Background: Regulatory T cells (Treg cells) in the peripheral blood of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) may be closely related to the progression of PTB. In this study, the distribution characteristics and clinical importance of CD8CD28 Treg cells in patients with tuberculosis were systematically analyzed, and the role and importance of CD8CD28 Treg cells in influencing the immune response and progression of tuberculosis were discussed, which will provide immunological indices and reference values for the clinical diagnosis of tuberculosis.

Methods: Flow cytometry, sputum smears and computed tomography imaging were used to analyze the distribution characteristics of CD8CD28 Treg cells in the peripheral blood of patients with PTB and the correlation between CD8CD28Treg cells and clinical and immune indices.

Significance of T-Cell Subsets for Clinical Response to Peginterferon Alfa-2a Therapy in HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients.

Introduction: The adaptive immune response may reflect the immunomodulatory efficacy during peginterferon alfa-2a (PEG-IFN α-2a) treatment in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. We evaluated the predictive efficiency of T-cell subsets on patient's response to PEG-IFN α-2a treatment.

Methods: The proportions of CD8PD-1, CD8Tim-3 and CD4CD25 T-cells were measured at baseline and week 52 in CHB patients who underwent PEG-IFN α-2a treatment.

Autologous Cytokine-Induced Killer Cell Immunotherapy Enhances Chemotherapy Efficacy against Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

Objective: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) causes persistent infection and challenges tuberculosis control worldwide. T cell-mediated immunity plays a critical role in controlling (Mtb) infection, and therefore, enhancing Mtb-specific T cell immune responses represents a promising therapeutic strategy against TB. Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) immunotherapy is based on autologous infusion of in vitro expanded bulk T cells, which include both pathogen-specific and nonspecific T cells from patient peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) into TB patients.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Subclinical Tuberculosis in a Low-Incidence Setting in China.

Subclinical tuberculosis (TB) represents a substantial proportion of individuals with TB disease, although limited evidence is available to understand the epidemiological characteristics of these cases. We aimed to explore the prevalence of subclinical patients with TB and identify the underlying association between the subclinical TB cases in the study setting and the Beijing genotype. A retrospective study was conducted among patients with incident TB at the Fifth People's Hospital of Suzhou between January and December 2018.

Upregulation of PD-1 expression on circulating CD8+ but not CD4+ T cells is associated with tuberculosis infection in health care workers.

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are at risk for occupationally acquired Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and tuberculosis (TB) disease due to repeated exposure to workplace tubercle bacilli. To determine whether continual mycobacterial stimulation correlates with increased expression of inhibitory T cell receptors, here we compared PD-1 receptor expression on surfaces of circulating T cells between naïve (uninfected) HCWs and HCWs with latent TB infection (LTBI).

Result: Data collected from 133 medical workers who met study selection criteria were included in the final analysis.

Temporal and spatial characterization of negative regulatory T cells in HIV-infected/AIDS patients raises new diagnostic markers and therapeutic strategies.

Background: Negative regulatory T cells (Tregs) not only deplete effector T cells but also inhibit the clearance of HIV during infection, which may allow Tregs to be used as informative diagnostic markers. To facilitate both diagnosis and treatment, a thorough understanding of these regulators by characterizing them on temporal and spatial scales is strongly required.

Methods: Hundred HIV-infected/AIDS patients, including 87 males, with an average age of 35.

Clinical characteristics and laboratory indicator analysis of 67 COVID-19 pneumonia patients in Suzhou, China.

Background: Sudden exacerbations and respiratory failure are major causes of death in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) pneumonia, but indicators for the prediction and treatment of severe patients are still lacking.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of 67 collected cases was conducted and included approximately 67 patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who were admitted to the Suzhou Fifth People's Hospital from January 1, 2020 to February 8, 2020. The epidemiological, clinical and imaging characteristics as well as laboratory data of the 67 patients were analyzed.

Tumor-Derived IL33 Promotes Tissue-Resident CD8 T Cells and Is Required for Checkpoint Blockade Tumor Immunotherapy.

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment by prolonging overall survival of patients with cancer. Despite advances in the clinical setting, the immune cellular network in the tumor microenvironment (TME) that mediates such therapy is not well understood. IL33 is highly expressed in normal epithelial cells but downregulated in tumor cells in advanced carcinoma.

Dual functional immunostimulatory polymeric prodrug carrier with pendent indoximod for enhanced cancer immunochemotherapy.

Immunotherapy based on checkpoint blockade has been regarded as one of the most promising approaches towards many types of cancers. However, low response rate hinders its application due to insufficient tumor immunogenicity and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. To achieve an overall enhanced therapeutic outcome, we developed a dual-functional immuno-stimulatory polymeric prodrug carrier modified with pendent indoximod, an indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) inhibitor that can be used to reverse immune suppression, for co-delivery of Doxorubicin (Dox), a hydrophobic anticancer agent that can promote immunogenic cell death (ICD) and elicit antitumor immunity.

Risk factors of latent tuberculosis infection and immune function in health care workers in Suzhou, China.

Background: The Chinese government has pay attention about tuberculosis infection among medical staff in infectious disease hospitals, but the effects have not yet been reported. This study will explore latent infection and immune function in the medical staff and systematically analyze the associated influencing factors.

Methods: Ninety-four medical staffs were enrolled and 20 medical staffs were defined as low risk group and others were high risk group.

The biological functions of LGR5 in promoting non-small cell lung cancer progression.

Background: The Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), which is used as a marker of adult stem cells and colorectal cancer stem cells (CSCs), is closely associated with the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to identify the clinical significance and biological function of LGR5 in NSCLC.

Methods: Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to detect the expression of LGR5 and stemness-related genes in 22 NSCLC patients, and the clinical significance of LGR5 in NSCLC progression was estimated by statistical analysis.

Clinical Significance of B7-H3 Expression During the Progression of Hepatitis B Virus Infection.

B7-H3, one of the costimulatory members participating in checkpoint pathway, has been shown to be upregulated after hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. To further explore the clinical significance of dynamic B7-H3 expression during the progression of HBV infection, we systematically investigated the expression pattern of B7-H3 and the correlation of B7-H3 expression with the ratio of T lymphocyte subsets and clinical parameters at different stages in the course of the disease. Flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay data showed that soluble form of B7-H3 (sB7-H3) was positively correlated with the frequency of T cells in acute hepatitis B (AHB), chronic hepatitis B (CHB), and hepatocellular carcinoma patients with HBV infection (HBV-HCC).

Myeloid cell-like transcript 2 is related to liver inflammation and the pathogenesis of hepatitis B via the involvement of CD8T cell activation.

This study analysed the biological significance of TLT-2 on CD8T cells in hepatitis B patients and provided a theoretical basis for the potential role of TLT-2 as an immune regulator. Flow cytometry sorting, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation and short hairpin RNAs were used to analyse the function of TLT-2 on CD8T cells in hepatitis B patients. The TLT-2 expression levels in the acute hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis B groups were significantly higher than that in the healthy control group and were positively correlated with ALT and AST.