Causal association of juvenile idiopathic arthritis or JIA-associated uveitis and gut microbiota: a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation study.

Background: The gut microbiota significantly influences the onset and progression of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and associated uveitis (JIAU); however, the causality remains unclear. This study aims to establish a causal link between gut microbiota and JIA or JIAU.

Methods: Using publicly available genome-wide association studies (GAWS) summary data, we conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomisation (MR) analysis employing various methods, namely inverse variance weighted (IVW), simple mode, weighted mode, weighted median and MR-Egger regression methods, to assess the causal association between JIA or JIAU and gut microbiota.

Inhibitory effects of Patchouli alcohol on the early lifecycle stages of influenza A virus.

Background: The antiviral activity and underlying mechanism of Patchouli alcohol remain unclear.

Methods: This study evaluated the cytotoxicity, optimal methods for drug administration, anti-influenza A activity of Patchouli alcohol. The antiviral mechanism of Patchouli alcohol was also assessed qRT-PCR, western blot, hemagglutination inhibiting (HAI) assay, and hemolysis inhibiting assay.

Phillyrin for COVID-19 and Influenza Co-infection: A Potential Therapeutic Strategy Targeting Host Based on Bioinformatics Analysis.

The risk of co-epidemic between COVID-19 and influenza is very high, so it is urgent to find a treatment strategy for the co-infection. Previous studies have shown that phillyrin can not only inhibit the replication of the two viruses, but also has a good anti-inflammatory effect, which is expected to become a candidate compound against COVID-19 and influenza. To explore the possibility of phillyrin as a candidate compound for the treatment of COVID-19 and influenza co-infection and to speculate its potential regulatory mechanism.

Modified Xiaoqinglong decoction alleviates lipopolysaccharide-induced acute lung injury in mice by regulating arachidonic acid metabolism and exerting anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects.

Effective therapeutics are not available for acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Modified Xiaoqinglong decoction (M-XQL) is reported to effectively treat pneumonia, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this study, the therapeutic effect and mechanism of M-XQL were examined using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI mouse model.

Influenza A virus infects pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells leading to microvascular leakage and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Objective: To investigate the replication of influenza A virus A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and its effect on endothelial barrier function.

Methods: Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells were infected with influenza A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1) virus. Plaque reduction assay, real-time quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence staining, and western blot were used to elucidate the replication process of virus-infected endothelial cells.

Glycyrrhizic Acid for COVID-19: Findings of Targeting Pivotal Inflammatory Pathways Triggered by SARS-CoV-2.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now a worldwide public health crisis. The causative pathogen is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Novel therapeutic agents are desperately needed.

The associations between coping strategies, psychological health, and career indecision among medical students: a cross-sectional study in China.

Background: Medical students experience difficulties in the process of making decisions about their careers, which is referred to as career indecision. This study aimed to examine the difficulties in the career decision-making processes of medical students and to explore the association of coping strategies and psychological health with career indecision. The findings may provide a reference for designing interventions to advance satisfying career decisions for medical students.

Antiviral Activity of Isoimperatorin Against Influenza A Virus and its Inhibition of Neuraminidase.

Influenza A virus (IAV) poses a severe threat to human health and is a major public health problem worldwide. As global anti-influenza virus drug resistance has increased significantly, there is an urgent need to develop new antiviral drugs, especially drugs from natural products. Isoimperatorin, an active natural furanocoumarin, exhibits a broad range of pharmacologic activities including anticoagulant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-tumor, and other pharmacological effects, so it has attracted more and more attention.

Gender Differences and Influencing Factors in Specialty Choices: Findings From One Medical School in China.

Gender plays a significant role in the selection of medical specialty. Few studies have been conducted to explore the impact of gender differences on specialty choosing among Chinese medical students. The specialty choices of 648 students from six consecutive classes in an 8-year MD program were collected and compared between male and female students.

Ganghuo Kanggan Decoction in Influenza: Integrating Network Pharmacology and Pharmacological Evaluation.

Ganghuo Kanggan decoction (GHKGD) is a clinical experience prescription used for the treatment of viral pneumonia in the Lingnan area of China, and its clinical effect is remarkable. However, the mechanism of GHKGD in influenza is still unclear. To predict the active components and signaling pathway of GHKGD and to explore its therapeutic mechanism in influenza and to verified it using network pharmacology.

3D-quantitative structure-activity relationship and antiviral effects of curcumin derivatives as potent inhibitors of influenza H1N1 neuraminidase.

Curcumin derivatives have been shown to inhibit replication of human influenza A viruses (IAVs). However, it is not clear whether curcumin and its derivatives can inhibit neuraminidase (NA) of influenza virus. In this study, a meaningful 3D quantitative structure-activity relationship model (comparative molecular field analysis R = 0.

Coronavirus infections and immune responses.

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are by far the largest group of known positive-sense RNA viruses having an extensive range of natural hosts. In the past few decades, newly evolved Coronaviruses have posed a global threat to public health. The immune response is essential to control and eliminate CoV infections, however, maladjusted immune responses may result in immunopathology and impaired pulmonary gas exchange.

Molecular epidemiological characteristics of dengue virus carried by 34 patients in Guangzhou in 2018.

Dengue fever is a major worldwide public health problem that, as estimated by the WHO, causes epidemics in over 100 countries, resulting in hundreds of millions of dengue virus (DENV) infections every year. In China, dengue fever mainly occurs in coastal areas. Recurring dengue outbreaks were reported by Guangdong Province almost every year since the first epidemic in 1978.

Intranasal co-administration of 1,8-cineole with influenza vaccine provide cross-protection against influenza virus infection.

Background: Vaccination is the most efficient means for protection against influenza. However, the various vaccines have low efficacy to protect against pandemic strains because of antigenic drift and recombination of influenza virus. Adjuvant therapy is one of the attempts to improve influenza vaccine effective cross-protection against influenza virus infection.

Ribavirin attenuates the respiratory immune responses to influenza viral infection in mice.

Ribavirin is a broad-spectrum antiviral agent that is used against RNA and DNA viruses and has been reported to inhibit infection by influenza A and B virus in vitro and in vivo. Studies have shown that ribavirin can lower convalescent antibody titers in young children hospitalized with influenza. Here, we report that ribavirin administration in juvenile mice significantly attenuated respiratory immune responses, production of total IgA and hemagglutinin (HA)-specific secretory IgA responses on the mucosal surface.

Combinations of 1,8-cineol and oseltamivir for the treatment of influenza virus A (H3N2) infection in mice.

It is need for development of new means against influenza virus due to the lack of efficacy of available therapeutic strategies. In previous research, 1,8-cineol exert its inhibition of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, the main regulator of cytokine and chemokine production in influenza, and anti-inflammatory activity. These fact supports and helps establish the hypothesis that 1,8-cineol may have synergism with an antiviral on influenza virus infection.

1, 8-Cineol Protect Against Influenza-Virus-Induced Pneumonia in Mice.

1,8-Cineol is a major monoterpene principally from eucalyptus essential oils and has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and inhibitory of nuclear factor (NF)-kB effect. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of 1,8-cineol on mice infected with influenza A virus. We found that 1,8-cineol protects against influenza viral infection in mice.

Astragalus polysaccharides repress myocardial lipotoxicity in a PPARalpha-dependent manner in vitro and in vivo in mice.

Background: The role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) in the development of myocardial lipotoxicity is widely observed in diabetic disorders. Thus, we investigated if treatment of Astragalus polysaccharides modulates lipotoxic cardiomyopathy both in vivo and in vitro through PPARα mechanisms.

Methodology/principal Findings: The effects of Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) on PPARα target gene expression and protein levels were tested in vitro and in vivo, including in mice with PPARα cardiac-restricted overexpression [myosin heavy chain (MHC)-PPARα] and in H9c2 embryonic rat cardiomyocytes with or without PPARα agonist.

[FGFR2 gene mutation in a family with Crouzon syndrome and a sporadic Crouzon syndrome patient].

Objective: To detect the gene mutation of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR2)in a Crouzon syndrome family and a sporadic patient.

Methods: The genomic DNA from 10 members in the Crouzon syndrome family, as well as a sporadic patient, was extracted. Then exons 8 and 10 of FGFR2 gene and their flanking sequences were amplified by polymerase chain reaction.