Publications by authors named "Wei Zhongqiu"

Background: The aim was to explore the effect of macrophage polarization and macrophage-to-myofibroblast transition (MMT) in silicosis.

Methods: Male Wistar rats were divided into a control group and a silicosis group developed using a HOPE MED 8050 dynamic automatic dusting system. Murine macrophage MH-S cells were randomly divided into a control group and an SiO group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Silicosis presents a significant clinical challenges and economic burdens, with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emerging as a potential therapeutic avenue. However, the precise effects and mechanisms of TCM in treating silicosis remain uncertain and subject to debate.

Objective: The study aims to elucidate the therapeutic role and mechanisms of the Yang-Yin-Qing-Fei Decoction (YYQFD) and its key component, paeoniflorin, in silicosis using a murine model.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lung epithelial cells and fibroblasts poorly express angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, and the study aimed to investigate the role of the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on inflammation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in two lung cell lines and to understand the potential mechanism. Lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) and fibroblasts (MRC-5) were treated with the spike protein, then inflammatory and EMT phenotypes were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Transwell, and western blot assays. RNA-sequence and bioinformatic analyses were performed to identify dysregulated genes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Kinesin family member 3 A (KIF3A) decrease have been reported in silicotic patients and rats. However, the detailed mechanisms of KIF3A in silicosis remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that KIF3A effectively blocked the expression of β-catenin and downstream myocardin-related transcription factor (MRTF)-A/serum response factor (SRF) signaling, thus inhibiting silica-induced epithelial-myofibroblast transition (EMyT).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Exposure to crystalline silica leads to health effects beyond occupational silicosis. Exercise training's potential benefits on pulmonary diseases yield inconsistent outcomes. In this study, we utilized experimental silicotic mice subjected to exercise training and pharmacological interventions, including interleukin-17A (IL-17A) neutralizing antibody or clodronate liposome for macrophage depletion.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silicosis is a pulmonary disease caused by the inhalation of silica. There is a lack of early and effective prevention, diagnosis, and treatment methods, and addressing silicotic fibrosis is crucial. Quercetin, a flavonoid with anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, is known to have a suppressive effect on fibrosis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To evaluate vaccine effectiveness (VE) of a live oral pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RotaTeq, RV5) among young children in Shanghai, China, via a test-negative design study.

Study Design: We consecutively recruited children visiting a tertiary children's hospital for acute diarrhea from November 2021 to February 2022. Information on clinical data and rotavirus vaccination was collected.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: We used a case-ascertained study to determine the features of household transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in Shanghai, China.

Methods: In April 2022, we carried out a household transmission study from 309 households of 335 SARS-CoV-2 pediatric cases referred to a designated tertiary Children's Hospital. The detailed information can be collected from the 297 households for estimating the transmission parameters.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Most of the existing studies focus on the early inflammation of rosacea, with few interventions on the later development of fibrosis and the relationship between thalidomide and rosacea. The purpose of this study was to construct a long-term induction model and explore the effects of thalidomide on the later stage of inflammation and early stage of fibrosis in rosacea.

Patients And Methods: BALB/c male mice were randomly divided into four groups: control group, control plus thalidomide group, LL-37 group and LL-37 plus thalidomide group, Intradermal and intraperitoneal injections were given.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - Parents and healthcare providers often delay or avoid immunizations for children with neurological conditions, prompting a study to explore this issue and the effect of specialist recommendations on vaccination practices.
  • - The study analyzed data from 2,221 children with neurological conditions seeking vaccination advice in China between 2017-2019, revealing that 90.9% had delayed immunizations and the overall vaccine coverage rate was only 56.1%.
  • - Results showed that specialized consultations significantly improved vaccine confidence, with 92.2% of children resuming immunization without any reported worsening of their neurological conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mechanisms of silicosis, caused by the inhalation of silica are still unclear, and the effect of sex on silicosis has rarely been reported. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether sex affects the silicotic lesions and the progressive fibrotic responses in silicosis. Our study showed that sex had no significant effect on the area of silicon nodules and the collagen deposition after a one-time bronchial perfusion of silica.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • - The study investigated COVID-19 cases in children under 18 in Shanghai during the early Omicron variant outbreak, focusing on their clinical and epidemiological details from March 7-31, 2022.
  • - Of the 376 pediatric cases, 68.4% were symptomatic, with vaccination reducing the likelihood of symptomatic infections and febrile diseases by 35% and 33%, respectively.
  • - Common symptoms included fever and cough, with most infections linked to household exposure, highlighting the widespread community transmission of the Omicron variant and the prevalence of asymptomatic cases among children.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Quercetin exerts anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and other protective effects. Previous studies have shown that senescent cells, such as fibroblasts and type II airway epithelial cells, are strongly implicated in the development of pulmonary fibrosis pathology. However, the role of senescent macrophages during silicosis remains unclear.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Skin fibrosis, which is characterized by fibroblast proliferation and increased extracellular matrix, has no effective treatment. An increasing number of studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) participate in the mechanism of skin fibrosis, such as in limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis and pathological scarring. The objective of the present study was to determine the role of miR-411-3p in bleomycin (BLM)-induced skin fibrosis and skin fibroblast transformation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The application of nucleic acid detection methods improves the ability of laboratories to detect diarrheal pathogens, but it also poses new challenges for the interpretation of results. It is often difficult to attribute a diarrhea episode to the detected pathogens. Here we investigated the prevalence of 19 enteropathogens among diarrheal and nondiarrheal children and provided support for understanding the clinical significance of the pathogens.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cellular senescence has been considered an important driver of many chronic lung diseases. However, the specific mechanism of cellular senescence in silicosis is still unknown. In the present study, silicotic rats and osteoclast stimulatory transmembrane protein () overexpression of MLE-12 cells were used to explore the mechanism of OC-STAMP in cellular senescence in alveolar epithelial cell type II (AEC2).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Silica-induced inflammatory activation is associated with silicosis and various non-respiratory conditions. The present study was designed to examine the anti-inflammatory effects of N-acetyl-seryl-aspartyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) on lung macrophages and bone osteoclasts after silica inhalation in rats.

Methods: Wistar rats and NR8383 and RAW 264.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Diarrhoea remains a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. This study aimed to monitor the aetiology of acute diarrhoea in children in Shanghai. Paediatric outpatients with acute diarrhoea were enrolled in the study from Jan 2015 to Dec 2018.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silicosis is characterized by silica exposure-induced lung interstitial fibrosis and formation of silicotic nodules, resulting in lung stiffening. The acetylation of microtubules mediated by α-tubulin N-acetyltransferase 1 (α-TAT1) is a posttranslational modification that promotes microtubule stability in response to mechanical stimulation. α-TAT1 and downstream acetylated α-tubulin (Ac-α-Tub) are decreased in silicosis, promoting the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT); however, the underlying mechanisms are unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To understand the epidemiological and clinical features of the symptomatic and asymptomatic pediatric cases of COVID-19, we carried out a prospective study in Shanghai during the period of January 19 to April 30, 2020. A total of 49 children (mean age 11.5 ± 5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Silicosis is a major public health concern with various contributing factors. The renin-angiotensin system (RAS)is a critical regulator in the pathogenesis of this disease. We focused on two key RAS enzymes, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), to elucidate the activation of the ACE-angiotensin II (Ang II)-angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1) axis and the inhibition of the ACE2-angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)]-Mas receptor axis in C57BL/6mice following SiO treatment.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

To identify potential therapeutic targets for pulmonary fibrosis induced by silica, we studied the effects of this disease on the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the lung. Rattus norvegicus pulmonary silicosis models were used in conjunction with high-throughput screening of lung specimens to compare the expression of miRNAs in control and pulmonary silicosis tissues. A total of 70 miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed between control and pulmonary silicosis tissues.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: The role of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) in silicosis remains unknown, although previous studies have suggested that ACE2 may be beneficial. We, therefore, investigated the effect of ACE2 on silicosis, particularly with regard to its role in regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by silica, with the aim to uncover a new potential target for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Materials And Methods: We employed wild-type mice treated with diminazene aceturate (DIZE, an ACE2 activator, 15 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks), -transgenic mice (overexpress the gene), and the mouse lung type II epithelial cell line treated with DIZE (10 M for 48 h) or angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] (10 M for 48 h), following induced fibrotic responses to determine the protective potential of ACE2.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of Kinesin family member 3A (KIF3A) on primary cilia and myofibroblast differentiation during silicosis by regulating Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signalling. : Changes in primary cilia during silicosis and myofibroblast differentiation were detected in silicotic patients, experimental silicotic rats, and a myofibroblast differentiation model induced by SiO. We also explored the mechanisms underlying KIF3A regulation of Glioma-associated oncogene homologs (GLIs) involved in myofibroblast differentiation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF