Head-to-head immunogenicity comparison of an Escherichia coli-produced 9-valent human papillomavirus vaccine and Gardasil 9 in women aged 18-26 years in China: a randomised blinded clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: An Escherichia coli-produced human papillomavirus (HPV) 16 and 18 bivalent vaccine (Cecolin) was prequalified by WHO in 2021. This study aimed to compare the immunogenicity of the E coli-produced HPV 9-valent vaccine Cecolin 9 (against HPV 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58) with Gardasil 9. METHODS: This was a randomised, single-blind trial conducted in China. Healthy non-pregnant women aged 18-26 years, who were not breastfeeding and with no HPV vaccination history, were enrolled in the Ganyu Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Lianyungang City, Jiangsu Province, China). Women were stratified by age (18-22 years and 23-26 years) and randomly assigned (1:1) using a permutated block size of eight to receive three doses of Cecolin 9 or Gardasil 9 at day 0, day 45, and month 6. All participants, as well as study personnel without access to the vaccines, were masked. Neutralising antibodies were measured by a triple-colour pseudovirion-based neutralisation assay. The primary outcomes, seroconversion rates and geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) at month 7, were analysed in the per-protocol set for immunogenicity (PPS-I). Non-inferiority was identified for the lower limit of the 95% CI of the GMC ratio (Cecolin 9 vs Gardasil 9) at a margin of 0·5 and a seroconversion rate difference (Cecolin 9-Gardasil 9) at a margin of -5%. This study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04782895) and is completed. FINDINGS: From March 14 to 18, 2021, a total of 553 potential participants were screened, of which 244 received at least one dose of Cecolin 9 and 243 received at least one dose of Gardasil 9. The seroconversion rates for all HPV types in both groups were 100% in the PPS-I, with the values of the lower limits of 95% CIs for seroconversion rate differences ranging between -1·8% and -1·7%. The GMC ratios of five types were higher than 1·0, with the highest ratio, for HPV 58, at 1·65 (95% CI 1·38-1·97), and those of four types were lower than 1·0, with the lowest ratio, for HPV 11, at 0·79 (0·68-0·93). The incidence of adverse reactions in both groups was similar (43% [104/244] vs 47% [115/243]). INTERPRETATION: Cecolin 9 induced non-inferior HPV type-specific immune responses compared with Gardasil 9 and is a potential candidate to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer by allowing for global accessibility to 9-valent HPV vaccinations, especially in low-income and middle-income countries. FUNDING: National Natural Science Foundation, Fujian Provincial Natural Science Foundation, Xiamen Science and Technology Plan Project, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences of China, and Xiamen Innovax.

[Efficacy and mechanism of scalp acupuncture for spastic cerebral palsy].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical efficacy of scalp acupuncture for spastic cerebral palsy (CP), and to explore its possible mechanism based on brain white matter fiber bundles, nerve growth related proteins and inflammatory cytokines. METHODS: A total of 90 children with spastic CP were randomly divided into a scalp acupuncture group and a sham scalp acupuncture group, 45 cases in each group. The children in the two groups were treated with conventional comprehensive rehabilitation treatment. The children in the scalp acupuncture group were treated with scalp acupuncture at the parietal temporal anterior oblique line, parietal temporal posterior oblique line on the affected side, and parietal midline. The children in the sham scalp acupuncture group were treated with scalp acupuncture at 1 cun next to the above point lines. The needles were kept for 30 min, once a day, 5 days a week, for 12 weeks. Before and after treatment, the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indexes of magnetic resonance (FA values of corticospinal tract [CST], anterior limb of internal capsule [ICAL], posterior limb of internal capsule [ICPL], genu of internal capsule [ICGL], genu of corpus callosum [GCC], body of corpus callosum [BCC] and splenium of corpus callosum [SCC]), serum levels of nerve growth related proteins (neuron-specific enolase [NSE], glial fibrillary acidic protein [GFAP], myelin basic protein [MBP], ubiquitin carboxy terminal hydrolase-L1 [UCH-L1]) and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 33 [IL-33], tumor necrosis factor α [TNF-α]), cerebral hemodynamic indexes (mean blood flow velocity [Vm], systolic peak flow velocity [Vs] and resistance index [RI], pulsatility index [PI] of cerebral artery), surface electromyography (SEMG) signal indexes (root mean square [RMS] values of rectus femoris, hamstring muscles, gastrocnemius muscles, tibialis anterior muscles), gross motor function measure-88 (GMFM-88) score, modified Ashworth scale (MAS) score, ability of daily living (ADL) score were observed in the two groups. The clinical effect of the two groups was compared. RESULTS: After treatment, the FA value of each fiber bundle, Vm, Vs, GMFM-88 scores and ADL scores in the two groups were higher than those before treatment (P<0.05), and the above indexes in the scalp acupuncture group were higher than those in the sham scalp acupuncture group (P<0.05). After treatment, the serum levels of NSE, GFAP, MBP, UCH-L1, IL-33, TNF-α as well as RI, PI, MAS scores and RMS values of each muscle were lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), and the above indexes in the scalp acupuncture group were lower than those in the sham scalp acupuncture group (P<0.05). The total effective rate was 95.6% (43/45) in the scalp acupuncture group, which was higher than 82.2% (37/45) in the sham scalp acupuncture group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Scalp acupuncture could effectively treat spastic CP, improve the cerebral hemodynamics and gross motor function, reduce muscle tension and spasticity, and improve the ability of daily life. The mechanism may be related to repairing the white matter fiber bundles and regulating the levels of nerve growth related proteins and inflammatory cytokines.

Integrated analysis of multiple microarray studies to establish differential diagnostic models of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis based on a metalloproteinase-associated module.

Background: The ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) subtypes of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are autoimmune diseases influenced by multiple complex factors. The clinical treatment strategies for UC and CD often differ, indicating the importance of improving their discrimination. Methods: Two methods, robust rank aggregation (RRA) analysis and merging and intersection, were applied to integrate data from multiple IBD cohorts, and the identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were used to establish a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Molecular complex detection (MCODE) was used to identify important gene sets. Two differential diagnostic models to distinguish CD and UC were established via a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) logistic regression, and model evaluation was performed in both the training and testing groups, including receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration plots and decision curve analysis (DCA). The potential value of MMP-associated genes was further verified using different IBD cohorts and clinical samples. Results: Four datasets (GSE75214, GSE10616, GSE36807, and GSE9686) were included in the analysis. Both data integration methods indicated that the activation of the MMP-associated module was significantly elevated in UC. Two LASSO models based on continuous variable (Model_1) and binary variable (Model_2) MMP-associated genes were established to discriminate CD and UC. The results showed that Model_1 exhibited good discrimination in the training and testing groups. The calibration analysis and DCA showed that Model_1 exhibited good performance in the training group but failed in the testing group. Model_2 exhibited good discrimination, calibration and DCA results in the training and testing groups and exhibited greater diagnostic value. The effects of Model_1 and Model_2 were further verified in a new IBD cohort of GSE179285. The MMP genes exhibited high value as biomarkers for the discrimination of IBD patients using published cohort and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining data. The MMP-associated gene levels were statistically significantly positively correlated with the levels of the differentially expressed cell types, indicating their potential value in differential diagnosis. The single-cell analysis confirmed that the expression of ANXA1 in UC was higher than that in CD. Conclusion: MMP-associated modules are the main differential gene sets between CD and UC. The established Model_2 overcomes batch differences and has good clinical applicability. Subsequent in-depth research investigating how MMPs are involved in the development of different IBD subtypes is necessary.

Emodin inhibits angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer by regulating the transforming growth factor-ß/drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic pathway and angiogenesis-associated microRNAs.

Emodin is a traditional Chinese medicine, which has been demonstrated to inhibit the growth of pancreatic cancer cells. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The present study investigated whether emodin suppresses angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer. A nude mouse pancreatic cancer xenograft model was established using SW1990 human pancreatic cancer cells by surgical orthotopic implantation. Different doses of emodin were injected into the abdominal cavities of the tumor­bearing mouse models and controls three times each week for 2 weeks. The tumors were measured and weighed, the expression of cluster of differentiation 34 was detected using immunochemistry, and microvessel densities were calculated. Reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT­qPCR) and western blotting were performed to determine the mRNA and protein expression levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)­ß and drosophila mothers against decapentaplegic (Smad) homologs. The angiogenesis­associated microRNAs (miR), miR­20, miR­155 and miR­210 were assessed by RT­qPCR. A negative dose­dependent association was revealed between treatment with emodin and the volume and weight of tumors and microvessel density. Emodin was associated with lower mRNA and protein expression levels of TGF­ß1 and its downstream target, angiopoietin­like 4, and higher mRNA and protein expression levels of TGF­ß receptor (TßR)I, TßRII and Smad4. Notably, treatment with emodin was associated with lower expression levels of miR­155 and miR­210 and higher expression levels of miR­20b. The present study suggested that treatment with emodin may repress angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer by altering the activities of the TGF-ß/Smad pathway and angiogenesis-associated miR-20b, miR-155, and miR-210.

Ginsenoside Rg3 inhibition of vasculogenic mimicry in pancreatic cancer through downregulation of VE­cadherin/EphA2/MMP9/MMP2 expression.

Ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3), a trace tetracyclic triterpenoid saponin, is extracted from ginseng and shown to have anticancer activity against several types of cancers. This study explored the effect of Rg3 on pancreatic cancer vasculogenic mimicry. Altered vasculogenic mimicry formation was assessed using immunohistochemistry and PAS staining and associated with the expression of vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin), epithelial cell kinase (EphA2), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. The effect of Rg3 on the regulation of pancreatic cancer vasculogenic mimicry was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. The data showed vasculogenic mimicry in pancreatic cancer tissues. In addition, the expression of VE-cadherin, EphA2, MMP-2 and MMP-9 proteins associated with formation of pancreatic cancer vasculogenic mimicry. Rg3 treatment reduced the levels of vasculogenic mimicry in nude mouse xenografts in vitro and in vivo, while the expression of VE-cadherin, EphA2, MMP-2 and MMP-9 mRNA and proteins was downregulated by Rg3 treatment in vitro and in tumor xenografts. In conclusion, ginsenoside Rg3 effectively inhibited the formation of pancreatic cancer vasculogenic mimicry by downregulating the expression of VE-cadherin, EphA2, MMP9 and MMP2. Further studies are required to evaluate ginsenoside Rg3 as an agent to control pancreatic cancer.

[Infection of the mononuclear cell subpopulations in murine bone marrow with murine cytomegalovirus].

This study was aimed to explore the infection characteristics of murine mononuclear cell subpopulations in bone marrow with murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV). Subpopulations of mononuclear cells, including lin(+), lin(-), lin(-)CD117(+) and lin(-)CD117(-) cells, were infected with MCMV after being separated by MACS, and induced to differentiation by adding cytokines or inducer, then nucleic acid and proteins were detected. The results indicated that the MCMV DNA, IE transcripts and IE protein could be detected in the lin(+) cells infected with MCMV; no virus products were detected in infected lin(-) cells without adding any stimulating factors, while IE and E transcripts and proteins were detected after adding GM-CSF, rhEPO or phorbol ester in the lin(-) cells infected with MCMV. Furthermore, no IE or E gene transcripts were detected in the lin(-)CD117(+) and lin(-)CD117(-) cells, but the cell colony formation of lin(-)CD117(+) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells was inhibited after MCMV infection and expression of CD117 antigen on cell surface of the lin(-) cells was downregulated. It is concluded that MCMV can latently infect subpopulations of mononuclear cells in the murine bone marrow. Cells which are of characteristics of primitive stem and progenitor cells are not susceptible to MCMV, but infection of these cells with MCMV can inhibit functions of cells and downregulate the expression of antigen on cells surface.