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1.
BMC Pediatr ; 24(1): 317, 2024 May 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38720245

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Patients with Turner syndrome (TS) face an increased risk of developing aortic dilatation (AD), but diagnosing AD in children presents greater complexity compared to adults. This study aimed to investigate the application of various assessment indicators of AD in Chinese children and adolescents with TS. METHODS: This study included TS patients admitted to Shenzhen Children's Hospital from 2017 to 2022. Cardiovascular lesions were diagnosed by experienced radiologists. Patients without structural heart disease were divided into different body surface area groups, then the Chinese TS population Z-score (CHTSZ-score) of the ascending aorta was calculated and compared with other indicators such as aortic size index (ASI), ratio of the ascending to descending aortic diameter (A/D ratio), and TSZ-score (Quezada's method). RESULTS: A total of 115 TS patients were included, with an average age of 10.0 ± 3.7 years. The incidences of the three most serious cardiovascular complications were 9.6% (AD), 10.4% (coarctation of the aorta, CoA), and 7.0% (bicuspid aortic valve, BAV), respectively. The proportion of developing AD in TS patients aged ≥ 10 years was higher than that in those < 10 years old (16.6% vs. 1.8%, P = 0.009), and the proportion of patients with CoA or BAV who additionally exhibited AD was higher than those without these conditions (31.6% vs. 5.2%, P < 0.001). The ASI, A/D ratio, TSZ-score, and CHTSZ-score of the 11 patients with AD were 2.27 ± 0.40 cm/m2, 1.90 ± 0.37, 1.28 ± 1.08, and 3.07 ± 2.20, respectively. Among the AD patients, only 3 cases had a TSZ-score ≥ 2, and 2 cases had a TSZ-score ≥ 1. However, based on the assessment using the CHTSZ-score, 6 patients scored ≥ 2, and 5 patients scored ≥ 1. In contrast, the TSZ-score generally underestimated the aortic Z-scores in Chinese children with TS compared to the CHTSZ-score. CONCLUSIONS: The applicability of ASI and A/D ratio to children with TS is questionable, and racial differences can affect the assessment of TSZ-score in the Chinese population. Therefore, establishing the CHTSZ-score specifically tailored for Chinese children and adolescents is of paramount importance.


Subject(s)
Turner Syndrome , Humans , Turner Syndrome/complications , Child , Adolescent , Female , China/epidemiology , Dilatation, Pathologic/etiology , Male , Retrospective Studies , Aorta/pathology , Aorta/diagnostic imaging , Aortic Coarctation , Bicuspid Aortic Valve Disease/complications , Child, Preschool , Incidence , East Asian People
2.
Front Pediatr ; 12: 1353883, 2024.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38577636

ABSTRACT

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic, non-specific inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract with an unknown etiology. It presents with clinical symptoms such as abdominal distension, abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stools containing mucus or pus, and other manifestations. CD has a prolonged and chronic course and can lead to various complications that significantly impact patients' quality of life. Patients with CD have hypercoagulable blood and are prone to thromboembolic diseases, which pose a serious threat to their lives. Several studies have indicated that inflammatory bowel disease is a risk factor for venous thromboembolism. The pathogenesis involves abnormalities in the coagulation-anticoagulation system, fibrinolytic system, platelets, vascular endothelial dysfunction, as well as the effects of therapeutic agents. In this case report, we present a rare case of a 15-year-old female patient with active CD complicated by the presence of a right atrial thrombus. Laboratory tests revealed abnormalities in both the coagulation-anticoagulation system and fibrinolysis system in the patient. The initial diagnosis, based on transthoracic echocardiography and contrast-enhanced echocardiography, confirmed the presence of a thrombus in the right atrium. Subsequent administration of anticoagulant and thrombolytic therapy resulted in gradual reduction in size until complete disappearance, as evidenced by dynamic monitoring. Ultrasound examination is considered as the preferred method for follow-up evaluation in patients with CD due to its ability not only to assess gastrointestinal complications but also to aid early identification of cardiovascular complications, thereby enabling timely intervention and treatment-which remains our primary focus of research and effort.

3.
J Biol Chem ; 300(4): 107200, 2024 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38508315

ABSTRACT

Interferon (IFN) regulatory factors (IRF) are key transcription factors in cellular antiviral responses. IRF7, a virus-inducible IRF, expressed primarily in myeloid cells, is required for transcriptional induction of interferon α and antiviral genes. IRF7 is activated by virus-induced phosphorylation in the cytoplasm, leading to its translocation to the nucleus for transcriptional activity. Here, we revealed a nontranscriptional activity of IRF7 contributing to its antiviral functions. IRF7 interacted with the pro-inflammatory transcription factor NF-κB-p65 and inhibited the induction of inflammatory target genes. Using knockdown, knockout, and overexpression strategies, we demonstrated that IRF7 inhibited NF-κB-dependent inflammatory target genes, induced by virus infection or toll-like receptor stimulation. A mutant IRF7, defective in transcriptional activity, interacted with NF-κB-p65 and suppressed NF-κB-induced gene expression. A single-action IRF7 mutant, active in anti-inflammatory function, but defective in transcriptional activity, efficiently suppressed Sendai virus and murine hepatitis virus replication. We, therefore, uncovered an anti-inflammatory function for IRF7, independent of transcriptional activity, contributing to the antiviral response of IRF7.


Subject(s)
Interferon Regulatory Factor-7 , NF-kappa B , Animals , Humans , Mice , HEK293 Cells , Inflammation/genetics , Interferon Regulatory Factor-7/genetics , Interferon Regulatory Factor-7/immunology , NF-kappa B/genetics , NF-kappa B/immunology , Sendai virus/physiology , Transcription Factor RelA/genetics , Transcription Factor RelA/immunology , Virus Replication , Mutation , Gene Expression Regulation/genetics , Murine hepatitis virus/physiology , Coronavirus Infections/immunology , Respirovirus Infections/immunology
4.
J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med ; 37(1): 2320673, 2024 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38475689

ABSTRACT

Purpose: This review aims to overview the use of echocardiography in diagnosing neonatal pulmonary hypertension, assessing cardiac function, and understanding the significance and limitations of various parameters in clinical practice.Materials and methods: Advancements in echocardiography for diagnosing and assessing neonatal pulmonary hypertension, evaluating cardiac function, monitoring treatment effectiveness, and predicting prognosis are discussed.Results: Echocardiography is a pivotal tool for diagnosing and managing neonatal pulmonary hypertension. It should be used with other ultrasound parameters to confirm findings and provide comprehensive analysis for improved accuracy.Conclusion: Understanding the value of echocardiography in neonatal pulmonary hypertension diagnosis and management is crucial. Its integration with other imaging modalities enhances diagnostic accuracy and improves patient outcomes.


Subject(s)
Hypertension, Pulmonary , Infant, Newborn , Humans , Echocardiography/methods , Prognosis
5.
Acta Pharm Sin B ; 14(2): 836-853, 2024 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38322346

ABSTRACT

Conventional chemotherapy based on cytotoxic drugs is facing tough challenges recently following the advances of monoclonal antibodies and molecularly targeted drugs. It is critical to inspire new potential to remodel the value of this classical therapeutic strategy. Here, we fabricate bisphosphonate coordination lipid nanogranules (BC-LNPs) and load paclitaxel (PTX) to boost the chemo- and immuno-therapeutic synergism of cytotoxic drugs. Alendronate in BC-LNPs@PTX, a bisphosphonate to block mevalonate metabolism, works as both the structure and drug constituent in nanogranules, where alendronate coordinated with calcium ions to form the particle core. The synergy of alendronate enhances the efficacy of paclitaxel, suppresses tumor metastasis, and alters the cytotoxic mechanism. Differing from the paclitaxel-induced apoptosis, the involvement of alendronate inhibits the mevalonate metabolism, changes the mitochondrial morphology, disturbs the redox homeostasis, and causes the accumulation of mitochondrial ROS and lethal lipid peroxides (LPO). These factors finally trigger the ferroptosis of tumor cells, an immunogenic cell death mode, which remodels the suppressive tumor immune microenvironment and synergizes with immunotherapy. Therefore, by switching paclitaxel-induced apoptosis to mevalonate metabolism-triggered ferroptosis, BC-LNPs@PTX provides new insight into the development of cytotoxic drugs and highlights the potential of metabolism regulation in cancer therapy.

6.
Med Rev (2021) ; 3(3): 230-269, 2023 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37789955

ABSTRACT

As the fourth most important cancer management strategy except surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, cancer immunotherapy has been confirmed to elicit durable antitumor effects in the clinic by leveraging the patient's own immune system to eradicate the cancer cells. However, the limited population of patients who benefit from the current immunotherapies and the immune related adverse events hinder its development. The immunosuppressive microenvironment is the main cause of the failure, which leads to cancer immune evasion and immunity cycle blockade. Encouragingly, nanotechnology has been engineered to enhance the efficacy and reduce off-target toxicity of their therapeutic cargos by spatiotemporally controlling the biodistribution and release kinetics. Among them, lipid-based nanoparticles are the first nanomedicines to make clinical translation, which are now established platforms for diverse areas. In this perspective, we discuss the available lipid-based nanoparticles in research and market here, then describe their application in cancer immunotherapy, with special emphasis on the T cells-activated and macrophages-targeted delivery system. Through perpetuating each step of cancer immunity cycle, lipid-based nanoparticles can reduce immunosuppression and promote drug delivery to trigger robust antitumor response.

7.
mBio ; 14(5): e0061123, 2023 Oct 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37712680

ABSTRACT

IMPORTANCE: Virus infection triggers induction of interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs), which ironically inhibit viruses themselves. We identified Tudor domain-containing 7 (TDRD7) as a novel antiviral ISG, which inhibits viral replication by interfering with autophagy pathway. Here, we present a molecular basis for autophagy inhibitory function of TDRD7. TDRD7 interacted with adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK), the kinase that initiates autophagy, to inhibit its activation. We identified domains required for the interaction; deleting AMPK-interacting domain blocked antiAMPK and antiviral activities of TDRD7. We used primary cells and mice to evaluate the TDRD7-AMPK antiviral pathway. TDRD7-deficient primary mouse cells exhibited enhanced AMPK activation and viral replication. Finally, TDRD7 knockout mice showed increased susceptibility to respiratory virus infection. Therefore, our study revealed a new antiviral pathway of IFN and its contribution to host response. Our results have therapeutic potential; a TDRD7-derived peptide may be an effective AMPK inhibitor with application as antiviral agent.


Subject(s)
Interferons , Virus Diseases , Animals , Mice , Interferons/metabolism , AMP-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Virus Replication/genetics , Antiviral Agents/pharmacology , Immunity, Innate , Ribonucleoproteins/genetics
8.
Autophagy Rep ; 1(1): 83-87, 2022.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36507301

ABSTRACT

IRF3 (interferon regulatory factor 3) is a critical component of the antiviral innate immune response. IRF3 deficiency causes detrimental effects to the host during virus infection. Dysregulation of IRF3 functions is associated with viral, inflammatory, and hepatic diseases. Both transcriptional and pro-apoptotic activities of IRF3 are involved in the exacerbated inflammation and apoptosis in liver injury induced by ethanol and high-fat diets. Therefore, regulation of IRF3 activities has consequences, and it is a potential therapeutic target for infectious and inflammatory diseases. We recently revealed that IRF3 is degraded by a small molecule, auranofin, by activating the cellular macroautophagy/autophagy pathway. Autophagy is a catabolic pathway that contributes to cellular homeostasis and antiviral host defense. Degradation of IRF3 by autophagy may be a novel strategy used by the viruses to their benefit. In addition, IRF3 functions are harmful in other diseases, including liver injury and bacterial infection. A better understanding of the role of autophagy in regulating IRF3 functions has significant implications in developing therapeutic strategies. Therefore, autophagy provides checks and balances in the innate immune response.

9.
Asian J Pharm Sci ; 17(5): 697-712, 2022 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36382307

ABSTRACT

The combination regimen of trastuzumab (Tras) plus Nab-paclitaxel (Nab) is recommended to treat HER2-positive (HER2+) cancers. However, they exert effects in different mechanisms: Tras need to stay on cell membranes, while Nab need to be endocytosed, therefore the concurrent combination regimen may not be the best one in HER2+ tumors treatment. Caveolin-1 (Cav-1) is a key player in mediating their endocytosis and is associated with their efficacy, but few researches noticed the opposite effect of Cav-1 expression on the combination efficacy. Herein, we systematically studied the Cav-1 expression level on the combination efficacy and proposed an optimized and clinically feasible combination regimen for HER2+ Cav-1High tumor treatment. In the regimen, lovastatin (Lova) was introduced to modulate the Cav-1 expression and the results indicated that Lova could downregulate Cav-1 expression, increase Tras retention on cell membrane and enhance the in vitro cytotoxicity of Tras in HER2+ Cav-1High cells but not in HER2+ Cav-1Low cells. Therefore, by exchanging the dosing sequence of Nab and Tras, and by adding Lova at appropriate time points, the precise three-drug-sequential regimen (PTDS, Nab(D1)-Lova(D2)-Lova & Tras(D2+12 h)) was established. Compared with the concurrent regimen, the PTDS regimen exhibited a higher in vitro cytotoxicity and a stronger tumor growth inhibition in HER2+ Cav-1High tumors, which might be a promising combination regimen for these patients in clinics.

10.
Med Image Anal ; 82: 102648, 2022 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36242933

ABSTRACT

The task of automatic segmentation and measurement of key anatomical structures in echocardiography is critical for subsequent extraction of clinical parameters. However, the influence of boundary blur, speckle noise, and other factors increase the difficulty of fully automatically segmenting 2D ultrasound images. The previous research has addressed this challenge using convolutional neural networks (CNN), which fails to consider global contextual information and long-range dependency. To further improve the quantitative analysis of pediatric echocardiography, this paper proposes an interactive fusion transformer network (IFT-Net) for quantitative analysis of pediatric echocardiography, which achieves the bidirectional fusion between local features and global context information by constructing interactive learning between the convolution branch and the transformer branch. First, we construct a dual-attention pyramid transformer (DPT) branch to model the long-range dependency from spatial and channels and enhance the learning of global context information. Second, we design a bidirectional interactive fusion (BIF) unit that fuses the local and global features interactively, maximizes their preservation and refines the segmentation. Finally, we measure the clinical anatomical parameters through key point positioning. Based on the parasternal short-axis (PSAX) view of the heart base from pediatric echocardiography, we segment and quantify the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) and aorta (AO) with promising results, indicating the potential clinical application. The code is publicly available at: https://github.com/Zhaocheng1/IFT-Net.


Subject(s)
Image Processing, Computer-Assisted , Neural Networks, Computer , Humans , Child , Image Processing, Computer-Assisted/methods , Echocardiography , Heart/diagnostic imaging , Heart Ventricles
11.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A ; 119(37): e2121385119, 2022 09 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36067309

ABSTRACT

Interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) is a transcription factor activated by phosphorylation in the cytoplasm of a virus-infected cell; by translocating to the nucleus, it induces transcription of IFN-ß and other antiviral genes. We have previously reported IRF3 can also be activated, as a proapoptotic factor, by its linear polyubiquitination mediated by the RIG-I pathway. Both transcriptional and apoptotic functions of IRF3 contribute to its antiviral effect. Here, we report a nontranscriptional function of IRF3, namely, the repression of IRF3-mediated NF-κB activity (RIKA), which attenuated viral activation of NF-κB and the resultant inflammatory gene induction. In Irf3-/- mice, consequently, Sendai virus infection caused enhanced inflammation in the lungs. Mechanistically, RIKA was mediated by the direct binding of IRF3 to the p65 subunit of NF-κB in the cytoplasm, which prevented its nuclear import. A mutant IRF3 defective in both the transcriptional and the apoptotic activities was active in RIKA and inhibited virus replication. Our results demonstrated IRF3 deployed a three-pronged attack on virus replication and the accompanying inflammation.


Subject(s)
Immunity, Innate , Interferon Regulatory Factor-3 , NF-kappa B , Pneumonia, Viral , Active Transport, Cell Nucleus , Animals , Cell Nucleus/metabolism , Gene Expression , Interferon Regulatory Factor-3/genetics , Interferon Regulatory Factor-3/metabolism , Interferon-beta/genetics , Mice , NF-kappa B/metabolism , Pneumonia, Viral/genetics , Pneumonia, Viral/immunology , Sendai virus
12.
Nanomaterials (Basel) ; 12(18)2022 Sep 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36144908

ABSTRACT

Intelligent surfaces with controlled wettability have caught much attention in industrial oily wastewater treatment. In this study, a hygro-responsive superhydrophilic/underwater superoleophobic coating was fabricated by the liquid-phase deposition of SiO2 grafted with perfluorooctanoic acid. The wettability of the surface could realize the transformation from superhydrophilicity/underwater superoleophobicity (SHI/USOB) to superhydrophobicity/superoleophilicity (SHB/SOI), both of which exhibited excellent separation performance towards different types of oil-water mixtures with the separation efficiency higher than 99%. Furthermore, the long-chain perfluoroakyl substances on the surface could be decomposed by mixing SiO2 with TiO2 nanoparticles under UV irradiation, which could reduce the pollution to human beings and environment. It is anticipated that the prepared coating with controlled wettability could provide a feasible solution for oil-water separation.

13.
Viruses ; 14(9)2022 09 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36146835

ABSTRACT

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) is a popular tool for the early indication of community spread of infectious diseases. WBE emerged as an effective tool during the COVID-19 pandemic and has provided meaningful information to minimize the spread of infection. Here, we present a combination of analyses using the correlation of viral gene copies with clinical cases, sequencing of wastewater-derived RNA for the viral mutants, and correlative analyses of the viral gene copies with the bacterial biomarkers. Our study provides a unique platform for potentially using the WBE-derived results to predict the spread of COVID-19 and the emergence of new variants of concern. Further, we observed a strong correlation between the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and changes in the microbial community of wastewater, particularly the significant changes in bacterial genera belonging to the families of Lachnospiraceae and Actinomycetaceae. Our study shows that microbial biomarkers could be utilized as prediction tools for future infectious disease surveillance and outbreak responses. Overall, our comprehensive analyses of viral spread, variants, and novel bacterial biomarkers will add significantly to the growing body of literature on WBE and COVID-19.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Biomarkers , COVID-19/epidemiology , Humans , Pandemics , RNA , RNA, Viral , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , Wastewater
14.
Nanomaterials (Basel) ; 12(14)2022 Jul 21.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35889733

ABSTRACT

Superhydrophobic materials have been widely applied in rapid removal and collection of oils from oil/water mixtures for increasing damage to environment and human beings caused by oil-contaminated wastewater and oil spills. Herein, superhydrophobic materials were fabricated by a novel polypyrrole (PPy)/ZnO coating followed by hexadecyltrimethoxysilane (HDTMS) modification for versatile oil/water separation with high environmental and excellent reusability. The prepared superhydrophobic surfaces exhibited water contact angle (WCA) greater than 150° and SA less than 5°. The superhydrophobic fabric could be applied for separation of heavy oil or light oil/water mixtures and emulsions with the separation efficiencies above 98%. The coated fabric also realized highly efficient separation with harsh environmental solutions, such as acid, alkali, salt, and hot water. The superhydrophobic fabric still remained, even after 80 cycles of separation and 12 months of storage in air, proving excellent durability. These novel superhydrophobic materials have indicated great development potentials for oil/water separation in practical applications.

15.
Nanoscale Horiz ; 7(7): 779-789, 2022 06 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35703339

ABSTRACT

Nano-tumor interactions are fundamental for cancer nanotherapy, and the cross-talk of nanomedicines with the extracellular matrix (ECM) is increasingly considered essential. Here, we specifically investigate the nano-ECM interactivity using drug-free nanoparticulates (NPs) and highly metastatic cancer cells as models. We discover with surprise that NPs closely bind to specific types of ECM components, namely, retraction fibers (RFs) and migrasomes, which are located at the rear of tumor cells during their migration. This interaction is observed to alter cell morphology, limit cell motion range and change cell adhesion. Importantly, NPs are demonstrated to inhibit tumor cell removal in vitro, and their anti-metastasis potential is preliminarily confirmed in vivo. Mechanically, the NPs are found to coat and form a rigid shell on the surface of migrasomes and retraction fibers via interaction with lipid raft/caveolae substructures. In this way, NPs block the recognition, endocytosis and elimination of migrasomes by their surrounding tumor cells. Thereby, NPs interfere with the cell-ECM interaction and reduce the promotion effect of migrasomes on cell movement. Additionally, NPs trigger alteration of the expression of proteins related to cell-cell adhesion and cytoskeleton organization, which also restricts cell migration. In summary, all the findings here provide a potential target for anti-tumor metastasis nanomedicines.


Subject(s)
Extracellular Matrix , Neoplasms , Caveolae/pathology , Cell Adhesion , Cell Movement , Endocytosis , Extracellular Matrix/metabolism , Extracellular Matrix/pathology , Humans
16.
Immuno ; 2(1): 153-169, 2022 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35252965

ABSTRACT

Virus-infected cells trigger a robust innate immune response and facilitate virus replication. Here, we review the role of autophagy in virus infection, focusing on both pro-viral and anti-viral host responses using a select group of viruses. Autophagy is a cellular degradation pathway operated at the basal level to maintain homeostasis and is induced by external stimuli for specific functions. The degradative function of autophagy is considered a cellular anti-viral immune response. However, autophagy is a double-edged sword in viral infection; viruses often benefit from it, and the infected cells can also use it to inhibit viral replication. In addition to viral regulation, autophagy pathway proteins also function in autophagy-independent manners to regulate immune responses. Since viruses have co-evolved with hosts, they have developed ways to evade the anti-viral autophagic responses of the cells. Some of these mechanisms are also covered in our review. Lastly, we conclude with the thought that autophagy can be targeted for therapeutic interventions against viral diseases.

17.
J Biol Chem ; 297(5): 101274, 2021 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34619149

ABSTRACT

The ubiquitously expressed transcription factor interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) is critical for the induction of antiviral genes, e.g., type-I IFN. In addition to its transcriptional function, IRF3 also activates a nontranscriptional, proapoptotic signaling pathway. While the proapoptotic function of IRF3 protects against viral infections, it is also involved in harmful immune responses that trigger hepatocyte cell death and promote liver disease. Thus, we hypothesized that a small-molecule inhibitor of the proapoptotic activity of IRF3 could alleviate fatty-acid-induced hepatocyte cell death. We conducted a high-throughput screen, which identified auranofin as a small-molecule inhibitor of the proapoptotic activity of IRF3. In addition to the nontranscriptional apoptotic pathway, auranofin also inhibited the transcriptional activity of IRF3. Using biochemical and genetic tools in human and mouse cells, we uncovered a novel mechanism of action for auranofin, in which it induces cellular autophagy to degrade IRF3 protein, thereby suppressing IRF3 functions. Autophagy-deficient cells were unable to degrade IRF3 upon auranofin treatment, suggesting that the autophagic degradation of IRF3 is a novel approach to regulate IRF3 activities. Using a physiologically relevant in vitro model, we demonstrated that auranofin inhibited fatty-acid-induced apoptotic cell death of hepatocytes. In summary, auranofin is a novel inhibitor of IRF3 functions and may represent a potential therapeutic option in diseases where IRF3 is deleterious.


Subject(s)
Apoptosis/drug effects , Auranofin/pharmacology , Autophagy/drug effects , Interferon Regulatory Factor-3/metabolism , Proteolysis/drug effects , Transcription, Genetic/drug effects , Animals , Humans , Interferon Regulatory Factor-3/genetics , Mice , RAW 264.7 Cells
18.
BMC Pediatr ; 21(1): 429, 2021 09 30.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34592941

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Z score utility is emphasized in classifying coronary artery lesions in Kawasaki disease patients. The present study is the largest such multicenter Chinese pediatric study about coronary artery diameter reference values and Z score regression equation to date. It is useful in Chinese pediatric echocardiography. METHODS: A multicenter cohort was assembled, which consisted of 852 healthy children between 1 month and 17 years of age, ten children were excluded because their ultrasound images were not clear, or lost in following up. Diameters of the right coronary artery, left coronary artery, and left anterior descending coronary artery were assessed using echocardiography. Data were body surface area (BSA)-corrected using BSA calculated via either the Stevenson BSA formula or the Haycock BSA formula. Coronary artery diameter reference values and Z score regression equations were established for use in the Chinese pediatric population. RESULTS: No difference was observed between coronary artery diameter data corrected using BSAste or BSAhay. Of the five assessed regression models, the exponential model exhibited the best fit and was therefore selected as the basis for derivation of the SZ method. When comparing Z scores, those produced by the SZ method conformed to the standard normal distribution, while those produced by the D method did not. In addition, there was a statistically significant difference between Z scores produced by the SZ and D methods (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Coronary artery diameter reference values for echocardiography were successfully established for use in the Chinese pediatric population, and a Z score regression equation more suitable for clinical use in this population was successfully developed.


Subject(s)
Coronary Vessels , Echocardiography , Child , China , Cohort Studies , Coronary Vessels/diagnostic imaging , Humans , Infant , Prospective Studies , Reference Values
19.
Viruses ; 13(4)2021 03 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33805458

ABSTRACT

The immune system defends against invading pathogens through the rapid activation of innate immune signaling pathways. Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) is a key transcription factor activated in response to virus infection and is largely responsible for establishing an antiviral state in the infected host. Studies in Irf3-/- mice have demonstrated the absence of IRF3 imparts a high degree of susceptibility to a wide range of viral infections. Virus infection causes the activation of IRF3 to transcribe type-I interferon (e.g., IFNß), which is responsible for inducing the interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), which act at specific stages to limit virus replication. In addition to its transcriptional function, IRF3 is also activated to trigger apoptosis of virus-infected cells, as a mechanism to restrict virus spread within the host, in a pathway called RIG-I-like receptor-induced IRF3 mediated pathway of apoptosis (RIPA). These dual functions of IRF3 work in concert to mediate protective immunity against virus infection. These two pathways are activated differentially by the posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of IRF3. Moreover, PTMs regulate not only IRF3 activation and function, but also protein stability. Consequently, many viruses utilize viral proteins or hijack cellular enzymes to inhibit IRF3 functions. This review will describe the PTMs that regulate IRF3's RIPA and transcriptional activities and use coronavirus as a model virus capable of antagonizing IRF3-mediated innate immune responses. A thorough understanding of the cellular control of IRF3 and the mechanisms that viruses use to subvert this system is critical for developing novel therapies for virus-induced pathologies.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/genetics , COVID-19/immunology , Interferon Regulatory Factor-3/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/physiology , Animals , COVID-19/virology , Humans , Immunity, Innate , Interferon Regulatory Factor-3/genetics , Protein Processing, Post-Translational , SARS-CoV-2/genetics
20.
Materials (Basel) ; 13(15)2020 Jul 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32722295

ABSTRACT

Liquid food adhesion on containers has increased food waste and pollution, which could be effectively alleviated with a superhydrophobic surface. In this research, the superhydrophobic coating was fabricated with edible soybean wax on different substrates by a spraying method. The coated surface showed excellent superhydrophobicity due to its microstructure formed by self-roughening, which could repel a variety of viscous liquid food with the apparent contact angle of 159 ± 2°. The coated surface was still liquid-repellent after hot water immersion (45 °C), abrasion test with sandpaper, water impact, finger touch and immersion into yogurt. The liquid-repellent coating with soybean wax, which is natural and green, is promising for application in the food industry to reduce waste.

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