Comprehensive evolutionary analysis of the MAPK gene family from non-seed plants to angiosperm and interaction of PagMAPK3-1 with PagVQ13.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are conserved serine/threonine kinases that mediate diverse environmental and developmental responses. To explore their evolutionary dynamics and regulatory roles, we conducted a genome-wide analysis of the MAPK gene family across 13 representative plant species, spanning non-seed plants to angiosperms. A total of 142 MAPKs were classified into four subfamilies (Groups A-D), with Group D being the largest.

Serum N-Glycan Signatures as Potential Biomarkers for the Detection and Monitoring of IgG4-Related Disease.

IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a rare disease characterized by lymphoplasmatic infiltration and fibrosis in multiple organs, often accompanied by elevated serum levels of IgG4. Considerable efforts have been devoted to the diagnosis of IgG4-related diseases, but its etiology and pathogenesis remain poorly understood. The total serum N-glycome profile can reflect disease phenotypes with specific serum N-glycans serving as potential biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis.

BCMA-targeted CAR T cell therapy can effectively induce disease remission in refractory lupus nephritis.

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of anti-B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells in treating refractory lupus nephritis (LN).

Methods: This is an open-label, single-arm clinical trial assessing anti-BCMA CAR T cells in treating refractory LN patients. CAR T cells were infused following lymphodepletion therapy with cyclophosphamide and fludarabine.

Dual-Pronged Attack: Biomimetic Multi-Functional MOFs for Rheumatoid Arthritis Therapy via Inhibiting Synovial Hyperplasia and Improving Immune Microenvironment.

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLSs) and synovial macrophages (SMs) contribute significantly to the occurrence and development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Although therapeutic strategies targeting FLSs or SMs have achieved certain results, monotherapy often fails to effectively alleviate synovitis. By loading methotrexate (MTX) and glucose oxidase (GOx) in the zinc imidazole framework-8 (ZIF-8) and incorporating with the platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) and macrophage membranes, multifunctional probe mZPMG NPs were prepared.

Evaluation of MRI-based brain oxygen extraction fraction mapping in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: We aim to assess the cerebral oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) changes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE) by using an MRI-based technique and examine the relationship between OEF and cognition.

Methods: 43 SLE patients (18 NPSLE and 25 non-NPSLE) and 26 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Cognitive function was assessed via the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

IKZF1: An important target for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.

IKZF1 is a member of the Ikaros transcription factor family. It is involved in the regulation of the development and function of a variety of immune cells. Mutations or aberrant expression of IKZF1 are closely associated with the development of various immune-related diseases, including hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases.

An atypical NLR pair TdCNL1/TdCNL5 from wild emmer confers powdery mildew resistance in wheat.

Resistance to wheat powdery mildew is commonly mediated by individual resistance proteins, most of which encode nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptors. Here we report that the powdery mildew resistance gene MLIW170/PM26 in wild emmer and bread wheat derivatives is determined by a genetically linked atypical NLR pair TdCNL1/TdCNL5. Map-based cloning and PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing revealed that TdCNL1 encodes an atypical coiled-coil-domain-containing NLR protein (CNL) fused with a new potassium-dependent sodium-calcium exchanger integrated domain, whereas TdCNL5 encodes a canonical CNL protein.

Clinical characteristics, risk factors and predictors of Parvovirus B19 infection in patients with autoimmune rheumatic inflammatory diseases: A nested case-control study.

This nested case-control study explored the clinical features and risk factors of Parvovirus B19 (B19V) infection in autoimmune rheumatic inflammatory disease (AIIRD) patients. A total of 86 B19V-positive cases and 172 matched controls were analyzed. Chronic liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases, a higher number of total infections, and the use of Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) were associated with an increased risk of B19V infection, whereas Iguratimod (IGU) was identified as a protective factor.

2025 Chinese guideline for the imaging diagnosis and evaluation of Takayasu arteritis.

Background: Takayasu arteritis (TAK) presents as systemic vasculitis. Imaging is crucial for the diagnosis and evaluation of TAK, but the rational selection of imaging methods and interpretation of imaging results are major challenges in clinical practice, which can affect treatment decisions. This guideline aims to establish standardized protocols for selecting imaging modalities (as well as interpreting their findings) in TAK.

The clinical and immunological features of CMV infection in rheumatic patients: a nested case-control study.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common opportunistic pathogen that poses significant health risks to immunosuppressed individuals, including those with rheumatic diseases (RD). CMV infection in RD patients can exacerbate disease activity and complicate clinical outcomes, leading to increased morbidity and potentially poorer prognosis. Understanding the risk factors associated with CMV infection in RD patients is crucial for improving diagnosis, management, and treatment strategies.

Effects of telitacicept in SLE patients with antiphospholipid antibody positivity: a retrospective self-controlled case series.

Objectives: Antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) is closely related to the manifestation of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) and an increased risk of thrombosis in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Telitacicept is a new dual B cell inhibitor which has been approved in China to treat SLE, but its application in APS or aPL-positive patients is still lacking. This study aimed to observe the effects of telitacicept in SLE patients with aPL positivity.

Recurrent Wunderlich syndrome in systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report.

Background: Wunderlich syndrome (WS) is a rare condition characterized by spontaneous renal hemorrhage in the absence of obvious trauma or iatrogenic injury. Given that most WS cases are life-threatening and require prompt intervention, timely identification and resolution are essential. Patients with connective tissue diseases (CTDs) account for a small proportion of reported WS cases; however, owing to the specific pathogenic mechanisms and treatments associated with CTDs, these patients exhibit distinctive pathological traits and clinical features in WS.

A wheat tandem kinase and NLR pair confers resistance to multiple fungal pathogens.

Tandem kinase proteins underlie the innate immune systems of cereal plants, but how they initiate plant immune responses remains unclear. This report identifies wheat protein wheat tandem NBD 1 (WTN1), a noncanonical nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) receptor featuring tandem nucleotide binding adaptor shared by APAF-1, plant R proteins, and CED-4 (NB-ARC) domains, required for WTK3-mediated disease resistance. Both WTK3 and its allelic variant Rwt4-known for conferring resistance to wheat powdery mildew and blast, respectively-are capable of recognizing the blast effector PWT4.

Genomic structural variation in an alpha/beta hydrolase triggers hybrid necrosis in wheat.

Hybrid necrosis, a century-old mystery in wheat, is caused by complementary genes Ne1 and Ne2. Ne2, encoding a nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptor, has been cloned, yet Ne1 remains elusive. Here, we report that Ne1, which encodes an alpha/beta hydrolase (ABH) protein generated by structural variation, triggers hybrid necrosis with Ne2 by activating autoimmune responses.

Thalidomide can effectively prevent relapse in IgG4-related disease outweighing its side effects: a multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of thalidomide in preventing disease relapse with 'zero' glucocorticoids (GCs) usage in IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD).

Methods: This was a multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study, in which eligible patients in disease active status were randomised into 2 groups (group 1: GCs+Thalidomide; group 2: GCs+Placebo) at a 1:1 ratio. The primary outcome of this trial was the disease relapse rate at month 12, whereas the secondary outcomes were the disease remission rate at month 12 and the incidence of adverse events (AEs).

How to focus on autoantigen-specific lymphocytes: a review on diagnosis and treatment of Sjogren's syndrome.

Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune epithelitis characterized by focal lymphocytic infiltration against self-antigens leading to progressive glandular dysfunction, which can develop to multisystem manifestation. The classification criteria for SS emphasizes glandular lymphocyte infiltrates and anti-SSA/SSB seropositivity, which is usually manifested in advanced patients. Therapeutically, apart from symptomatic treatment, treatment of SS is based on glucocorticoids and conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs with global immunosuppression, but the efficacy of biologic or targeted synthetic therapies is still sparse.

The wheat NLR pair RXL/Pm5e confers resistance to powdery mildew.

Powdery mildew poses a significant threat to global wheat production and most cloned and deployed resistance genes for wheat breeding encode nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat (NLR) immune receptors. Although two genetically linked NLRs function together as an NLR pair have been reported in other species, this phenomenon has been relatively less studied in wheat. Here, we demonstrate that two tightly linked NLR genes, RXL and Pm5e, arranged in a head-to-head orientation, function together as an NLR pair to mediate powdery mildew resistance in wheat.

Clinical and laboratory characteristics of Sjögren's syndrome-associated autoimmune liver disease: a real-world, 10-year retrospective study.

Objectives: To investigate the clinical and laboratory features of Sjögren's syndrome-associated autoimmune liver disease (SS-ALD) patients and identify potential risk and prognostic factors.

Methods: SS patients with or without ALD, who visited Tongji Hospital between the years 2011 and 2021 and met the 2012 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for Sjögren's syndrome, were retrospectively enrolled. The clinical and laboratory data of the enrolled patients, including autoimmune antibodies, were collected and analyzed with principal component analysis, correlation analysis, LASSO regression, and Cox regression.

Eltrombopag for the treatment of refractory connective tissue disease-related thrombocytopenia: a pilot study of 52 cases.

Background: The objective of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effectiveness and safety profile of Eltrombopag, a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, as prolonged therapy in refractory CTD-ITP patients.

Methods: We conducted a pilot observational study of Eltrombopag in CTD-ITP patients who were unresponsive to or intolerant of conventional medications. Eltrombopag was administered orally at 25-75 mg/qd and adjusted on the basis of tolerance and efficacy until a minimum dosage of 25 mg/qd was reached.

Tailoring Ce-Centered Metal-Organic Frameworks for Fast Li Transport in Composite Polymer Electrolyte.

Regulating metal nodes to innovate the metal-organic framework (MOF) structure is of great interest to boost the performance of MOFs-incorporated composite solid electrolytes. Herein, Ce with a low-lying 4f orbital is selected as metal center to coordinate with organic ligand to prepare MOF of Ce-UiO-66. The unsaturated open metal sites and defected oxygen vacancies furnish Ce-UiO-66 with strengthened Lewis acidity, which promotes Ce-UiO-66 interacting effectively with both poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and Li salt anions.

Omics in IgG4-related disease.

Research on IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD), an autoimmune condition recognized to be a unique disease entity only two decades ago, has processed from describing patients' symptoms and signs to summarizing its critical pathological features, and further to investigating key pathogenic mechanisms. Challenges in gaining a better understanding of the disease, however, stem from its relative rarity-potentially attributed to underrecognition-and the absence of ideal experimental animal models. Recently, with the development of various high-throughput techniques, "omics" studies at different levels (particularly the single-cell omics) have shown promise in providing detailed molecular features of IgG4-RD.

Deciphering the therapeutic potential of Myeloid-Specific JAK2 inhibition in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening condition characterized by severe inflammation and pulmonary dysfunction. Despite advancements in critical care, effective pharmacological interventions for ARDS remain elusive. While Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) inhibitors have emerged as an innovative treatment for numerous autoinflammatory diseases, their therapeutic potential in ARDS remains unexplored.

GSK2334470 attenuates high salt-exacerbated rheumatoid arthritis progression by restoring Th17/Treg homeostasis.

High salt (HS) consumption is a risk factor for multiple autoimmune disorders via disturbing immune homeostasis. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms by which HS exacerbates rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis remain poorly defined. Herein, we found that heightened phosphorylation of PDPK1 and SGK1 upon HS exposure attenuated FoxO1 expression to enhance the glycolytic capacity of CD4 T cells, resulting in strengthened Th17 but compromised Treg program.