Explore Alteration of Lung and Gut Microbiota in a Murine Model of OVA-Induced Asthma Treated by CpG Oligodeoxynucleotides.

Aim: We sought to investigate the impact of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN) administration on the lung and gut microbiota in asthmatic mice, specifically focusing on changes in composition, diversity, and abundance, and to elucidate the microbial mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of CpG-ODN and identify potential beneficial bacteria indicative of its efficacy.

Methods: HE staining were used to analyze inflammation in lung, colon and small intestine tissues. High-throughput sequencing technology targeting 16S rRNA was employed to analyze the composition, diversity, and correlation of microbiome in the lung, colon and small intestine of control, model and CpG-ODN administration groups.

Predicting the risk of pulmonary embolism in patients with tuberculosis using machine learning algorithms.

Background: This study aimed to develop predictive models with robust generalization capabilities for assessing the risk of pulmonary embolism in patients with tuberculosis using machine learning algorithms.

Methods: Data were collected from two centers and categorized into development and validation cohorts. Using the development cohort, candidate variables were selected via the Recursive Feature Elimination (RFE) method.

Characterization of dipyridamole as a novel ferroptosis inhibitor and its therapeutic potential in acute respiratory distress syndrome management.

: Ferroptosis in lung epithelium and endothelium contributes to the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a critical and often fatal condition marked by acute inflammation and elevated pulmonary vascular permeability. Despite this, there are currently no FDA-approved therapeutics specifically targeting ferroptosis for ARDS management. : A screening of 259 FDA-approved drugs was conducted to identify an effective ferroptosis inhibitor in pulmonary epithelial and endothelial cells.

Establishment of a predictive model of CT value in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis.

Objective: To investigate the application value of computed tomography (CT) value (HU) in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of pulmonary cryptococcosis (PC) and to construct a prediction model.

Methods: Retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 73 patients who presented with nodular/mass-type occupations on lung CT and confirmed by histopathology in our hospital from January 2019 to May 2022 were divided into PC group (23 patients) and non-PC group (50 patients) according to the pathological findings, and the CT values of each patient's lung lesions were measured. The differences in age, gender, symptoms, lesion involvement in one/both lungs, lung lobe distribution, number of lesions, maximum lesion diameter (cm), lesion margin condition, and CT value results were compared between the two groups.

Targeted Modulation of Redox and Immune Homeostasis in Acute Lung Injury Using a Thioether-Functionalized Dendrimer.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is the pathophysiological precursor of acute respiratory distress syndrome. It is characterized by increased oxidative stress and exaggerated inflammatory response that disrupts redox reactions and immune homeostasis in the lungs, thereby posing significant clinical challenges. In this study, an internally functionalized thioether-enriched dendrimer Sr-G4-PEG is developed, to scavenge both proinflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and restore homeostasis during ALI treatment.

Gut microbiota-derived acetate attenuates lung injury induced by influenza infection via protecting airway tight junctions.

Background: Gut microbiota (GM) have been implicated as important regulators of gastrointestinal symptom which is commonly occurred along with respiratory influenza A virus (IAV) infection, suggesting the involvement of the gut-to-lung axis in a host's response to IAV. IAV primarily destroys airway epithelium tight junctions (TJs) and consequently causes acute respiratory disease syndrome. It is known that GM and their metabolism produce an anti-influenza effect, but their role in IAV-induced airway epithelial integrity remains unknown.

Abscisic acid for acute respiratory distress syndrome therapy by suppressing alveolar macrophage pyroptosis via upregulating acyloxyacyl hydrolase expression.

Objective: Abscisic acid (ABA) is a phytohormone that inhibits airway inflammation in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) mouse models. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear.

Methods: Serum ABA level in patients and mice was measured via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Clinicopathological and molecular characterization of resected lung adenocarcinoma: Correlations with histopathological grading systems in Chinese patients.

Purpose: Driver mutations inform lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) targeted therapy. Association of histopathological attributes and molecular profiles facilitates clinically viable testing platforms. We assessed correlations between LUAD clinicopathological features, mutational landscapes, and two grading systems among Chinese cases.

The effects of and gene variation and expression levels on the susceptibility and clinical manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis.

Inflammatory cytokines have crucial roles in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis (TB), and interleukin (IL)-27 and IL-35 have a pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effect on many diseases, including infectious diseases. Therefore, we evaluated the relationship between and gene polymorphism, expression levels, and pulmonary TB (PTB) susceptibility. Nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the gene (rs181206, rs153109, and rs17855750) and the gene (rs4740, rs428253, rs9807813, rs2243123, rs2243135, and rs568408) were genotyped by the SNPscan technique in 497 patients with PTB and 501 controls.

Risk factors for bacteremic pneumonia and mortality (28-day mortality) in patients with Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia.

Background: Patients infected with Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) bacteremia in hospital have high morbidity and mortality. We analyzed the clinical characteristics of pneumonia and nonpneumonia-related AB bloodstream infections (AB BSIs) and explored the possible independent risk factors for the incidence and prognosis of pneumonia-related AB BSIs.

Methods: A retrospective monocentric observational study was performed.

Predictive nomogram for bone metastases in lung cancer based on monocyte infiltration.

The presence of bone metastases (BM) in patients with lung cancer is indicative of a worse prognosis. The present study aims to investigate the risk factors associated with BM in patients with lung cancer. Patients with lung cancer admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University between June 2019 and September 2021 were enrolled in this study.

Melatonin regulates circadian clock proteins expression in allergic airway inflammation.

Asthma demonstrates a strong circadian rhythm with disrupted molecular clock. Melatonin which can directly regulate circadian rhythm has been reported to alleviate asthma, but whether this effect is related to its regulation on circadian clock has not yet been known. Here, female C57BL/6 mice were challenged with ovalbumin (OVA) to establish allergic airway inflammation, and were treated with melatonin or Luzindole to investigate whether the expressions of circadian clock proteins were changed in response to OVA and were affected by exogenous/endogenous melatonin.

Knockdown of ACOT4 alleviates gluconeogenesis and lipid accumulation in hepatocytes.

Acyl-CoA thioesterase 4 (ACOT4) has been reported to be related to acetyl-CoA carboxylase activity regulation; However, its exact functions in liver lipid and glucose metabolism are still unclear. Here, we discovered explored the regulatory roles of ACOT4 in hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism . We found that the expression level of ACOT4 was significantly increased in the hepatic of db/db and ob/ob mice as well as obese mice fed a high fat diet.

IL-13 facilitates ferroptotic death in asthmatic epithelial cells via SOCS1-mediated ubiquitinated degradation of SLC7A11.

Th2-high asthma is characterized by elevated levels of type 2 cytokines, such as interleukin 13 (IL-13), and its prevalence has been increasing worldwide. Ferroptosis, a recently discovered type of programmed cell death, is involved in the pathological process of Th2-high asthma; however, the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In this study, we demonstrated that the serum level of malondialdehyde (MDA), an index of lipid peroxidation, positively correlated with IL-13 level and negatively correlated with the predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1%) in asthmatics.

Dexamethasone protects against asthma via regulating Hif-1α-glycolysis-lactate axis and protein lactylation.

Purpose: Asthma can not be eradicated till now and its control primarily relies on the application of corticosteroids. Recently, glycolytic reprogramming has been reportedly contributed to asthma, this study aimed to reveal whether the effect of corticosteroids on asthma control is related to their regulation of glycolysis and glycolysis-dependent protein lactylation.

Methods: Ovalbumin (OVA) aeroallergen was used to challenge mice and stimulate human macrophage cell line THP-1 following dexamethasone (DEX) treatment.

Clinical characteristics and risk factors for late-onset pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in kidney transplantation recipients.

Background: Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a common and troublesome complication of kidney transplantation. In the era of prophylaxis, the peak incidence of PJP after kidney transplantation and specific characteristics of late-onset PJP have always been debated.

Methods: We performed a retrospective study by analysing the data of post-transplantation pneumonia in adult kidney transplantation recipients between March 2014 and December 2021 in The Affiliated First Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC).

Restraint stress induced anxiety and sleep in mice.

In humans and animals, exposure to changes in internal or external environments causes acute stress, which changes sleep and enhances neurochemical, neuroendocrine, and sympathetic activities. Repeated stress responses play an essential role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric diseases and sleep disorders. However, the underlying mechanism of sleep changes and anxiety disorders in response to acute stress is not well established.

TLR2-hif1α-mediated glycolysis contributes to pyroptosis and oxidative stress in allergic airway inflammation.

As a pattern recognition receptor which activates innate immune system, toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) has been reportedly mediates allergic airway inflammation (AAI), yet the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, in a murine AAI model, TLR2 mice showed decreased airway inflammation, pyroptosis and oxidative stress. RNA-sequencing revealed that allergen-induced hif1 signaling pathway and glycolysis were significantly downregulated when TLR2 was deficient, which were confirmed by lung protein immunoblots.

Itaconate Suppresses the Activation of Mitochondrial NLRP3 Inflammasome and Oxidative Stress in Allergic Airway Inflammation.

Itaconate has emerged as a novel anti-inflammatory and antioxidative endogenous metabolite, yet its role in allergic airway inflammation (AAI) and the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, the itaconate level in the lung was assessed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and the effects of the Irg1/itaconate pathway on AAI and alveolar macrophage (AM) immune responses were evaluated using an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced AAI model established by wild type (WT) and mice, while the mechanism of this process was investigated by metabolomics analysis, mitochondrial/cytosolic protein fractionation and transmission electron microscopy in the lung tissues. The results demonstrated that the mRNA/protein expression and itaconate production in the lung were significantly induced by OVA.

Melatonin Suppresses Macrophage M1 Polarization and ROS-Mediated Pyroptosis via Activating ApoE/LDLR Pathway in Influenza A-Induced Acute Lung Injury.

Influenza virus infection is one of the strongest pathogenic factors for the development of acute lung injury (ALI)/ acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms have not been clarified. In this study, we aim to investigate whether melatonin modulates macrophage polarization, oxidative stress, and pyroptosis via activating Apolipoprotein E/low-density lipoprotein receptor (ApoE/LDLR) pathway in influenza A-induced ALI.

RKIP suppresses the influenza A virus‑induced airway inflammatory response via the ERK/MAPK pathway.

Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) is an inflammation‑inhibiting mediator that is involved in several diseases; however, the potential mechanism of action of RKIP on the inflammatory response induced by influenza A virus (IAV) remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate whether RKIP regulated the inflammatory response via the ERK/MAPK pathway. The present study detected the expression levels of RKIP and alterations in the inflammatory response in human normal bronchial epithelial BEAS‑2B cells, diseased human bronchial epithelial cells and primary human bronchial epithelial cells infected with IAV.