The novel circFKBP8/miR-432-5p/E2F7 cascade functions as a regulatory network in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are capable of affecting breast cancer (BC) development. However, the role and underneath mechanism of circFKBP8 (also known as hsa_circ_0000915) in BC remain largely unknown. METHODS: Expression analyses were performed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), western blot, and immunohistochemistry (IHC) assays. Effects on cell functional phenotypes were determined by assessing cell proliferation, migratory capacity, invasion, and stemness in vitro. The relationship between microRNA (miR)-432-5p and circFKBP8 or E2F transcription factor 7 (E2F7) was examined by RNA pull-down, dual-luciferase reporter, and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Xenograft assays were used to identify the function of circFKBP8 in vivo. RESULTS: CircFKBP8 was presented at high levels in BC tissues and cells. High circFKBP8 expression was associated with worse overall survival in BC patients. CircFKBP8 suppression inhibited BC cell proliferation, migratory capacity, invasion and stemness in vitro. CircFKBP8 suppression blocked xenograft tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, circFKBP8 functioned as a miR-432-5p sponge to modulate E2F7 expression. CircFKBP8 modulated BC cell malignant behaviors by miR-432-5p, and miR-432-5p affected these cell phenotypes through E2F7. CONCLUSION: Our observations prove that circFKBP8 promotes BC malignant phenotypes through the miR-432-5p/E2F7 cascade, offering a promising therapeutic and prognostic target for BC.

Exploring the role of basophil activation test in diagnosis of Dermatophagoides farinae sensitization and evaluation of therapeutic efficacy of subcutaneous immunotherapy in children.

It aims to detect basophil activation ratio (%CD63+ ) in peripheral blood of children with allergic asthma and rhinitis by using flow cytometry (FCM), so as to analyse the application values and clinical relevance of the basophil activation test (BAT) in diagnosis of Dermatophagoides farinae (Derf) sensitization and monitoring therapeutic efficacy of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). It was a prospective study. From the newly diagnosed children with asthma and rhinitis in our paediatric clinic, 39 patients diagnosed Derf sensitization and 15 patients not allergic to Derf were enrolled; another 4 healthy children were taken as control group. Using Derf extracts in concentration of 1, 10 µg/mL and 100 µg/mL as the stimulus, BAT results were expressed as %CD63+ in diagnosis of Derf sensitization and its correlation with skin prick tests (SPT), serum total IgE (tIgE), specific IgE (sIgE), sIgE/tIgE, specific IgG4 (sIgG4), FEV1%pred in pulmonary ventilation function, exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), children asthma control test (C-ACT) and visual analogue scale (VAS) were observed. In sensitization group, %CD63+ , sIgG4 and clinical indicators were detected again from patients who had received SCIT to analyse their internal connections. The average levels of %CD63+ in 3 concentrations showed an increasing concentration-dependent trend overall. %CD63+ in sensitization group was significantly higher than that in the other 2 groups. The analysis of ROC for Derf sensitization showed the area under the curve (AUC) for BAT in 3 concentrations was higher than that for sIgE whose AUC is 0.893. %CD63+ was positively correlated with SPT grade, sIgE, sIgE/tIgE and VAS, and negatively correlated with C-ACT. In patients receiving SCIT, %CD63+ became lower and sIgG4 level became higher than pretreatment. There was no obvious change in sIgG4 in those who had not received SCIT. BAT is a reliable and non-invasive tool for diagnosis of Derf sensitization in children with asthma and rhinitis. CD63-based BAT has clinical value to monitor outcome of SCIT, and the change in basophil activation is inherently related to induction of sIgG4.

Efficacy of Huaiqihuang granules as adjuvant therapy for bronchial asthma in children: a real-world study. / æ§æžé»„é¢—ç²’è¾ åŠ©æ²»ç–—å„¿ç«¥æ”¯æ°”ç®¡å“®å–˜ç–—æ•ˆçš„çœŸå®žä¸–ç•Œç ”ç©¶.

OBJECTIVES: To study the efficacy of Huaiqihuang granules as adjuvant therapy for bronchial asthma in children. METHODS: A multicenter, prospective, and registered real-world study was performed for the children, aged 2-5 years, who had a confirmed diagnosis of bronchial asthma in the outpatient service of 21 hospitals in China. Among these children, the children treated with medications for long-term asthma control (inhaled corticosteroid and/or leukotriene receptor antagonist) without Huaiqihuang granules were enrolled as the control treatment group, and those treated with medications for long-term asthma control combined with Huaiqihuang granules were enrolled as the combined treatment group. The medical data of all children were collected. Outpatient or telephone follow-up was performed at weeks 4, 8, 12, 20, 28, and 36 after treatment, including asthma attacks and rhinitis symptoms. A statistical analysis was performed for the changes in these indices. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the frequency of asthma attacks or rhinitis attacks between the two groups before treatment (P>0.05). After treatment, the combined treatment group had significantly lower frequencies of asthma attacks, severe asthma attacks, and rhinitis attacks compared with the control treatment group (P<0.05). There was no signification difference in the incidence rate of adverse reactions between the two groups (P=0.667). CONCLUSIONS: Huaiqihuang granules in addition to medications for long-term asthma control can alleviate the symptoms of bronchial asthma and rhinitis and improve the level of asthma control in children with bronchial asthma, with good safety and little adverse effect. Citation.

Development of a light-initiated chemiluminescent assay for the quantitation of sIgE against egg white allergens based on component-resolved diagnosis.

The determination of specific IgE (sIgE) level is of great importance in IgE-mediated food allergies. Our aim was to develop a homogeneous immunoassay-light-initiated chemiluminescent assay (LICA)-for measuring allergen sIgE of a single component in egg white, thus evaluating the LICA-sIgE assay as a useful tool in the diagnosis of food allergy. The LICA-sIgE assay was performed by incubating serum sample with anti-human IgE antibody coated with chemiluminescer beads, streptavidin-coated sensitizer beads, and biotinylated antigens, which consist of four components in egg white. Serum samples from egg allergic patients (n = 70) and healthy volunteers (n = 30) were collected. For calibration, purified human IgE was used as the calibrator. Working conditions of this homogeneous immunoassay were optimized, analytical performance was determined, and correlation of the results between LICA and ImmunoCAP was evaluated. The assays were performed in 8-well plates with a sample volume diluted to 1:10 of 25 µl. Intra-assay precision (% coefficient of variation) ranged from 1.83 to 4.13%, and inter-assay precision ranged from 2.70 to 8.70%. It exhibited excellent sensitivity, which could distinguish between positive samples and negative samples even at a large dilution level. The sIgE-LICA and ImmunoCAP correlated well in patients allergic to single component (r 2 = 0.929). Also, the components ovomucoid and ovalbumin were best at predicting ImmunoCAP results, with the same area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.81, and a specificity of 90.0 and 93.3%, respectively. Our data show effective performance characteristics of LICA to detect sIgE in human serum based on component-resolved diagnostic tests (CRD). The homogeneous sIgE-LICA assay has the following key advantages: requires no washing, simplicity and rapidity, reproducibility, high-throughput, good performance in a liquid phase assay, and good suitability for sIgE diagnosis in food allergy based on CRD. Graphical abstract A light-initiated chemiluminescent assay was developed for the quantitation of sIgE against egg white allergens based on component-resolved diagnosis. Components Gal d 1 and Gal d 2 with the highest AUC values of 0.81 were considered the best at predicting egg allergy.

[Association between serum allergens and asthma in children].

OBJECTIVE: To study the association between serum-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) allergens and asthma in children. METHODS: The serum sIgE allergens were determined using Western blot in 2239 children aged 1-14 years, consisting of 1415 children with asthma alone and 824 children with non-allergic diseases between December 2004 and April 2013. The case-control models of asthma alone and non-allergic diseases were established. The association between allergens and asthma was investigated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: In the 2239 children, 1028 children (45.91%) were serum sIgE-positive, and the allergen with the highest positive rate was house-dust mite (15.68%), followed by house dust (14.29%) and moulds (13.40%). The results of the case-control analysis showed that house-dust mite, moulds, house dust, and cashew nut/peanut/soybean were significantly associated with the development of asthma. House dust was associated with the development of asthma in the 1-2 years old group (P<0.05). House dust and house-dust mite as allergens were identified as the risk factors for the development of asthma in the 3-14 years old group (P<0.05). In the 6-14 years old group, moulds as allergens were identified as the risk factors for the development of asthma (P<0.05). House dust and house-dust mite as allergens increased the risk of asthma in boys and girls, while moulds and cashew nuts/peanuts/soybeans as allergens increased the risk of asthma in boys. CONCLUSIONS: House-dust mite, house dust, and moulds are the most common allergens in children with asthma, and they are closely associated with the development of asthma.

Effect of low-level laser therapy on allergic asthma in rats.

Asthma is a complex chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that involves the activation of many inflammatory and other types of cells. We investigated the effect of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on allergic asthma in rats and compared its effect with that of the glucocorticoid budesonide. Asthma was induced by challenge and repeated exposure to ovalbumin. Asthmatic rats were then treated with LLLT or budesonide suspension. LLLT at 8 J/cm(2) once daily for 21 days could relieve pathological damage and airway inflammation in asthmatic rats. LLLT could decrease the total numbers of cells and eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. LLLT could reduce levels of IL-4 and increase IFN-γ levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum, meanwhile reduce serum IgE levels. Flow cytometry assay showed that LLLT can regulate the Th1/Th2 imbalance of asthmatic rats. LLLT had a similar effect to that of budesonide. These findings suggest that the mechanism of LLLT treatment of asthma is by adjustment of Th1/Th2 imbalance. Thus, LLLT could take over some of the effects of budesonide for the treatment of asthma, thereby reducing some of the side effects of budesonide.

Protective Effect of Allergen Immunotherapy in Patients With Allergic Rhinitis and Asthma Against COVID-19 Infection: Observational, Nationwide, and Multicenter Study.

Background: Allergic diseases are associated with an increased susceptibility to respiratory tract infections. Although allergen immunotherapy (AIT) alters the course of allergies, there is limited evidence from clinical practice demonstrating its ability to enhance the host defense against pathogens. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effect of AIT against viral infection in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and allergic asthma (AS) based on clinical evidence. Methods: A multicenter, questionnaire-based survey was conducted during a tremendous surge in COVID-19 cases between February 10, 2023, and March 15, 2023, in 81 centers across China recruiting healthy volunteers and patients with AR and AS to investigate the clinical outcomes of COVID-19 infection. Results: Of 10,151 participants recruited in the survey, 3654 patients and 2192 healthy volunteers who tested positive for COVID-19 were included in this analysis after screening. Overall, no significant differences in COVID-19 outcomes were observed between patients and healthy volunteers. An additional 451 patients were excluded due to their use of biologics as the sole add-on treatment, leaving 3203 patients in the further analysis. Of them, 1752 were undergoing routine medication treatment (RMT; the RMT group), whereas 1057 and 394 were receiving AIT and a combination of AIT and omalizumab (OMA) as adjunct therapies to RMT, respectively (AIT+RMT and AIT+OMA+RMT groups). The AIT group showed milder COVID-19 symptoms, shorter recovery periods, and a lower likelihood of hospitalization or emergency department visits than the RMT group (all P<.05). After adjusting for confounding factors, including demographic characteristics and COVID-19 vaccination, AIT remained a significant protective factor associated with shorter recovery time (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.62, 95% CI 0.52-0.75; adjusted P<.001) and a lower incidence of hospitalization or emergency department visits (adjusted OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.54-0.98; adjusted P=.03). Furthermore, the AIT+OMA+RMT group showed greater protection with a shorter recovery time (adjusted OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.34-0.74; adjusted P<.001) than the AIT+RMT group. Conclusions: Our multicenter observational study provides valuable clinical evidence supporting the protective effect of AIT against COVID-19 infection in patients with AR and AS.

Status of asthma control in children and the effect of parents' knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) in China: a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Asthma is the most common chronic respiratory disease seriously endangering the health of children. But disease awareness and self-management skills are relatively poor in children; parents play an important role in the control of childhood asthma. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the status of asthma control and severity of asthma in children and to identify impact factors. METHODS: We studied 1 tertiary hospital in each of the 29 provinces. A total of 2,960 parents with children with asthma who visited those hospitals were selected for the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire survey, and separated into the controlled asthma group and uncontrolled asthma group according to children's asthma conditions in the past 12 months. Multivariate analysis was carried out based on the answers to 28 tested factors. RESULTS: In the past 12 months, 66.0% of children with asthma had asthma attacks, 26.8% visited an emergency room, and 16.2% were hospitalized. The total cost for asthma was significantly higher in the uncontrolled group than controlled group (χ(2) = 23.14, P < .01). Twelve protective factors of asthma control were founded, such as older age of children, long disease course, high KAP scores of parents, compliance with using nasal steroids, and knowledge of "3 or more times recurrent wheezing suggesting asthma." The risk factors were eczema and family history of asthma. CONCLUSION: Children's asthma is poorly controlled. The cost of asthma is significantly higher in uncontrolled asthma than in controlled. The age of children, course of asthma, personal history of allergy, family history of asthma, parents' education level, and parents' KAP are factors that affect asthma control.

The Impact of Online Environmental Platform Services on Users' Green Consumption Behaviors.

With the continuous prominence of environmental problems, some online environmental platforms have been built in China. Such platforms provide an important carrier for public to learn environmental knowledge and participate in environmental protection. However, whether such platforms can play a substantive role in promoting users' green consumption behaviors is still unclear. Focusing on this question, the influence of online environmental platform services on public green consumption behaviors is explored. A model based on the theory of stimulus-organism-response is established to analyze the influential mechanism, using the online environmental platform services as the independent variable, users' green consumption behaviors as the dependent variable, environmental attitude as the mediator, and users' price sensitivity as the moderator. Survey data are used to test the model. The empirical results show that online environmental platform services have a significant positive impact on users' green consumption behaviors. Environmental attitude plays a partial mediating role and price sensitivity negatively moderates the mediating role of environmental attitude. Suggestions are given from the perspectives of platform operators and government. This paper provides both theoretical and practical implications for sustainable consumption.

Chinese Guideline on Allergen Immunotherapy for Allergic Rhinitis: The 2022 Update.

In the last few decades, there has been a progressive increase in the prevalence of allergic rhinitis (AR) in China, where it now affects approximately 250 million people. AR prevention and treatment include allergen avoidance, pharmacotherapy, allergen immunotherapy (AIT), and patient education, among which AIT is the only curative intervention. AIT targets the disease etiology and may potentially modify the immune system as well as induce allergen-specific immune tolerance in patients with AR. In 2017, a team of experts from the Chinese Society of Allergy (CSA) and the Chinese Allergic Rhinitis Collaborative Research Group (C2AR2G) produced the first English version of Chinese AIT guidelines for AR. Since then, there has been considerable progress in basic research of and clinical practice for AIT, especially regarding the role of follicular regulatory T (TFR) cells in the pathogenesis of AR and the use of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) in nasal secretions for the diagnosis of AR. Additionally, potential biomarkers, including TFR cells, sIgG4, and sIgE, have been used to monitor the incidence and progression of AR. Moreover, there has been a novel understanding of AIT during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Hence, there was an urgent need to update the AIT guideline for AR by a team of experts from CSA and C2AR2G. This document aims to serve as professional reference material on AIT for AR treatment in China, thus improving the development of AIT across the world.

Safety of semi-depot house dust mite allergen extract in children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis and asthma.

Aim: Multicenter study to investigate the safety of mite extract product Novo-Helisen Depot, Strengths 1 to 3 (NHD3), as subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT), in Chinese children and adolescents with allergic rhinitis (AR) and allergic asthma (AA). Patients & methods: We evaluated SCIT-related adverse events (AEs) during NHD3 14-week initial therapy in children (5-11 years) and adolescents (12-17 years) with perennial symptomatic AR and AA. Results: Among 3600 injections in 250 patients, 361/3600 (10.0%) injections caused SCIT-related AEs in 96/250 (38.4%) patients, 321/3600 injections (8.9%) caused local reactions in 89/250 (35.6%) and 40/3600 injections (1.1%) caused systemic reactions in 23/250 (9.2%). Conclusion: Initial SCIT treatment using NHD3 was safe and well tolerated in Chinese children and adolescents with AR and AA.

Diagnosis and treatment of herpangina: Chinese expert consensus.

BACKGROUND: Herpangina is a common infectious disease in childhood caused by an enterovirus. This consensus is aiming to standardize and improve herpangina prevention and clinical diagnosis. METHODS: The Subspecialty Group of Infectious Diseases, the Society of Pediatric, Chinese Medical Association and Nation Medical Quality Control Center for Infectious Diseases gathered 20 experts to develop the consensus, who are specialized in diagnosis and treatment of herpangina. RESULTS: The main pathogenic serotypes of herpangina include Coxsackievirus-A, Enterovirus-A and Echovirus. Its diagnosis can be rendered on the basis of history of epidemiology, typical symptoms, characteristic pharyngeal damage and virological tests. The treatment is mainly symptomatic, and incorporates topical oral spray with antiviral drugs. The course of herpangina generally lasts 4-6 days with a good prognosis. CONCLUSION: The consensus could provide advices and references for the diagnosis, treatment and management of herpangina in children.

Predicting relapse of Graves' disease following treatment with antithyroid drugs.

The aim of the present study was to monitor long term antithyroid drug treatments and to identify prognostic factors for Graves' disease (GD). A total of 306 patients with GD who were referred to the Endocrinology Clinic at Weifang People's Hospital (Weifang, China) between August 2005 and June 2009 and treated with methimazole were included in the present study. Following treatment, patients were divided into non-remission, including recurrence and constant treatment subgroups, and remission groups. Various prognosis factors were analyzed and compared, including: Patient age, gender, size of thyroid prior to and following treatment, thyroid hormone levels, disease relapse, hypothyroidism and drug side-effects, and states of thyrotropin suppression were observed at 3, 6 and 12 months post-treatment. Sixty-five patients (21.2%) were male, and 241 patients (78.8%) were female. The mean age was 42±11 years, and the follow-up was 31.5±6.8 months. Following long-term treatment, 141 patients (46%) demonstrated remission of hyperthyroidism with a mean duration of 18.7±1.9 months. The average age at diagnosis was 45.6±10.3 years in the remission group, as compared with 36.4±8.8 years in the non-remission group (t=3.152; P=0.002). Free thyroxine (FT)3 levels were demonstrated to be 25.2±8.9 and 18.7±9.4 pmol/l in the non-remission and remission groups, respectively (t=3.326, P=0.001). The FT3/FT4 ratio and thyrotrophin receptor antibody (TRAb) levels were both significantly higher in the non-remission group (t=3.331, 3.389, P=0.001), as compared with the remission group. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that elevated thyroid size, FT3/FT4 ratio and TRAb at diagnosis were associated with poor outcomes. The ratio of continued thyrotropin suppression in the recurrent subgroup was significantly increased, as compared with the remission group (P=0.001), as thyroid function reached euthyroid state at 3, 6 and 12 months post-treatment. Patients with GD exhibiting large thyroids, high pre-mediation TRAb levels and elevated FT3/FT4 ratios responded less markedly to antithyroid drug treatments, as compared with patients not exhibiting these prognostic factors. Furthermore, patients with large thyroids, post-medication ophthalmopathy and continued thyrotropin suppression demonstrated higher rates of recurrence.

Clinical features of post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans in children undergoing long-term azithromycin treatment.

The aim of the present study was to outline any predisposing factors and clinical and radiological features of post-infectious bronchiolitis obliterans (PIBO) in pediatric patients, and to determine the effect of long-term azithromycin treatment on these factors. In total, 16 cases of children with PIBO were retrospectively reviewed. Adenovirus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae were the most common etiological agents (12/16) in the children with PIBO. The patients presented with persistent dyspnea, a chronic cough, sputum production and wheezing following the initial lung infection. Chest X-rays indicated pulmonary overinflation and patchy ground-glass opacity. In addition, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) scans revealed patchy ground-glass opacity, bronchiectasis, bronchial wall thickening and mosaic perfusion in all 16 cases. A unilateral hyperlucent lung was observed in two cases. All the patients underwent treatment with low-dose azithromycin and prednisone. Follow-up examinations of the 16 cases, varying in duration between 7 and 31 months, showed that the disease condition had improved in 10 cases. However, no significant improvements were identified from the HRCT scans or were observed in the patient condition in the additional six cases. The diagnosis of BO is primarily based on a typical clinical presentation and HRCT observations. Therefore, a typical clinical history and patchy ground-glass opacity features on HRCT scans are screening indices that predict BO development. Steroids are the cornerstone of BO treatment; however, long-term azithromycin treatment can improve the condition of the patients. In summary, PIBO is a disease with a high morbidity rate and should be treated by a multidisciplinary team. Patients should receive follow-up examination for an extended period. Patchy ground-glass opacity features on HRCT scans indicate that clinical suspicion of BO is necessary in children with persistent and severe wheezing.