Enhances Tolerance to Iron Excess Stress in and MsMYB Binds to Its Promoter.

Iron(Fe) is a trace metal element necessary for plant growth, but excess iron is harmful to plants. Natural resistance-associated macrophage proteins (NRAMPs) are important for divalent metal transport in plants. In this study, we isolated the (MN_547960) gene from alfalfa, the perennial legume forage.

Methylprednisolone pulse therapy promotes the differentiation of regulatory T cells by inducing the apoptosis of CD4 T cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objectives: To investigate the differentiation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) induced by methylprednisolone (MP) pulse therapy in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: We enrolled 30 patients with SLE and analyzed peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) before and after MP pulse therapy. Peripheral Tregs, apoptosis of PBMCs subsets, and TGFβ production by monocytes was quantified by flow cytometry.

Clinical characteristics of multicentric reticulohistiocytosis and distinguished features from rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center experience in China.

Objective: To investigate the clinical features of multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (MRH).

Methods: The clinical manifestations, laboratory examination results and histologic characteristics of eleven patients with MRH were collected and compared with those of 33 patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Results: In total, 72.

Metagenomic profiling of the pro-inflammatory gut microbiota in ankylosing spondylitis.

Objective: Gut dysbiosis has been reported implicated in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a common chronic inflammatory disease mainly affects sacroiliac joints and spine. Utilizing deep sequencing on the feces of untreated AS patients, our study aimed at providing an in-depth understanding of AS gut microbiota.

Methods: We analyzed the fecal metagenome of 85 untreated AS patients and 62 healthy controls by metagenomic shotgun sequencing, and 23 post-treatment feces of those AS patients were collected for comparison.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound for evaluating arteritis activity in Takayasu arteritis patients.

Introduction: Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) was recently used to evaluate vascularization within the carotid artery wall, and this process of vascularization was correlated with arteritis activity. We aimed to use CEUS to evaluate disease activity in Takayasu arteritis (TAK) patients.

Method: We used CEUS to analyze 28 consecutive TAK patients.

Exploring pathogenesis of primary biliary cholangitis by proteomics: A pilot study.

Aim: To explore the pathogenesis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) by identifying candidate autoantibodies in serum samples by proteomics and bioinformatics.

Methods: Nine antimitochondrial antibody (AMA)-positive PBC patients and nine age- and sex-matched AMA-negative PBC patients were recruited. Antigen enrichment technology was applied to capture autoantigens of human intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells (HiBECs) that are recognized by autoantibodies from the sera of PBC patients.

The Distribution and the Fibrotic Role of Elevated Inflammatory Th17 Cells in Patients With Primary Biliary Cirrhosis.

T helper (Th) 17 cells were reported to have the property of proinflammation and profibrosis. We first investigate the levels of Th17 cells in primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) patients, and then explore their distribution and fibrotic role in the disease.We compared the circulating Th17 and hepatic interleukin (IL)-17-positive cells between patients and healthy controls (HCs) at different disease stages by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry, respectively.

MicroRNA profiling in Chinese patients with primary Sjögren syndrome reveals elevated miRNA-181a in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Objective: Characterized by chronic inflammation, dysfunction of exocrine glands, and systemic autoimmunity, primary Sjögren syndrome (pSS) is a common autoimmune disease in elderly women. Our study was performed to explore the potential involvement of microRNA (miRNA) in Chinese patients with pSS.

Methods: Using microarrays, miRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was profiled in 4 female patients with pSS and 3 healthy participants, followed by a large-scale study of 33 patients and 10 healthy individuals.

Allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in patients with UDCA-resistant primary biliary cirrhosis.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of allogeneic bone marrow mesenchymal stromal/stem cell transplantation (BM-MSCT) for patients with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA)-resistant primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Ten patients were enrolled in this trial of BM-MSCT. All patients were permitted to concurrently continue their previous UDCA treatment.

Connective tissue diseases in primary biliary cirrhosis: a population-based cohort study.

Aim: To establish the frequency and clinical features of connective tissue diseases (CTDs) in a cohort of Chinese patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC).

Methods: Three-hundred and twenty-two Chinese PBC patients were screened for the presence of CTD, and the systemic involvement was assessed. The differences in clinical features and laboratory findings between PBC patients with and without CTD were documented.

Early biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid and long-term prognosis of primary biliary cirrhosis: results of a 14-year cohort study.

Unlabelled: The biochemical response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in primary biliary cirrhosis is a strong predictor of long-term outcome and thus facilitates the rapid identification of patients needing new therapeutic approaches. Numerous criteria for predicting outcome of treatment have been studied based on biochemical response to UDCA at 1 year. We sought to determine whether an earlier biochemical response at 3 or 6 months could as efficiently identify patients at risk of poor outcome, as defined by liver-related death, liver transplantation, and complications of cirrhosis.