Gut microbiota-associated non-cholesterol sterol dysregulation modulates immune reconstitution during antiretroviral therapy in people living with HIV.

Non-cholesterol sterol metabolism plays a crucial role in immune regulation. However, the non-cholesterol sterol profiles, its association with gut dysbiosis, and its impact on the CD4 T cell recovery in people living with HIV (PLWH) are yet to be elucidated. In this study, we recruited 37 PLWH and 50 healthy controls to characterize non-cholesterol sterol profiles and gut microbiota composition using targeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and metagenomic analysis.

EBV Vaccines in the Prevention and Treatment of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a ubiquitous human herpesvirus, has been robustly linked to the pathogenesis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The mechanism of EBV-induced NPC involves complex interactions between viral proteins and host cell pathways. This review aims to comprehensively outline the mechanism of EBV-induced NPC and the latest advances in targeted EBV vaccines for prophylaxis and treatment.

Acacetin reverses hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by inhibiting hypoxia-induced proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells via SIRT1-HMGB1 pathway.

Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is characterized by sustained elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure and vascular remodeling. The present study is to investigate the efficacy of acacetin on HPH and its potential molecular mechanism. C57/BL6 mice were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia for six weeks.

Interrelationship between altered metabolites and the gut microbiota in people living with HIV with different immune responses to antiretroviral therapy.

Background: Antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively reduces opportunistic infections and mortality in people living with HIV (PLWH); however, some patients exhibit poor immune recovery. This study explores the connections among immune responses, metabolites, and the gut microbiota in PLWH with differing reactions to ART.

Methods: We analyzed the gut microbiota composition, metabolites, and immune markers in 38 PLWH who showed an immunological response (IR) and 32 who did not (INR), as classified according to CD4+ T-cell levels after 24 months of ART.

Short-chain fatty acids play a key role in antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in people living with HIV.

High SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody levels can protect against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. The gut microbiome can affect a host's immune response. However, its role in the antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 in people living with HIV (PLWH) remains poorly understood.

Exosomes to exosome-functionalized scaffolds: a novel approach to stimulate bone regeneration.

Bone regeneration is a complex biological process that relies on the orchestrated interplay of various cellular and molecular events. Bone tissue engineering is currently the most promising method for treating bone regeneration. However, the immunogenicity, stable and cell quantity of seed cells limited their application.

Analysis of the gut microbiota and fecal metabolites in people living with HIV.

The gut microbiome has a pivotal function in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). However, the associated alterations in the gut microbiome-host interaction are unknown. Herein, we aimed to investigate the gut microbiota and fecal metabolites in people living with HIV (PLWH).

Iron Dysregulation in Cardiovascular Diseases.

Iron metabolism plays a crucial role in various physiological functions of the human body, as it is essential for the growth and development of almost all organisms. Dysregulated iron metabolism-manifested either as iron deficiency or overload-is a significant risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Moreover, emerging evidence suggests that ferroptosis, a form of iron-dependent programed cell death, may also contribute to CVD development.

Advanced Generation Therapeutics: Biomimetic Nanodelivery System for Tumor Immunotherapy.

Tumor immunotherapy is a safe and effective strategy for precision medicine. However, immunotherapy for most cancer cases still ends in failure, with the root causes of the immunosuppressive and extraordinary heterogeneity of the solid tumors microenvironment. The emerging biomimetic nanodelivery system provides a promising tactic to improve the immunotherapy effect while reducing the adverse reactions on nontarget cells.

Research progress of quercetin in cardiovascular disease.

Quercetin is one of the most common flavonoids. More and more studies have found that quercetin has great potential utilization value in cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as antioxidant, antiplatelet aggregation, antibacterial, cholesterol lowering, endothelial cell protection, etc. However, the medicinal value of quercetin is mostly limited to animal models and preclinical studies.

Biomembrane-wrapped gene delivery nanoparticles for cancer therapy.

As a promising strategy, gene delivery for cancer treatment accepts encouraging progress due to its high efficacy, low toxicity, and exclusive selectivity. However, the delivery efficiency, specific biological distribution, targeted uptake, and biosafety of naked nucleic acid agents still face serious challenges, which limit further clinical application. To overcome the above bottleneck, safe and efficient functional nanovectors are developed to improve the delivery efficiency of nucleic acid agents.

Increased Microbial Translocation is a Prognostic Biomarker of Different Immune Responses to ART in People Living with HIV.

Background: Microbial translocation (MT) is a characteristic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Whether MT is also a biomarker of different immune responses to antiretroviral therapy (ART) received by people living with HIV (PLWH) is not known.

Methods: We examined the presence of MT in a cohort of 33 HIV-infected immunological responders (IRs) and 28 immunological non-responders (INRs) (≥500 and <200 cluster of differentiation (CD)4+ T-cell counts/µL after 2 years of HIV-1 suppression, respectively) with no comorbidities.

Biomimetic Nanoparticle-Mediated Target Delivery of Hypoxia-Responsive Plasmid of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 to Reverse Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension.

Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH) is characterized by pulmonary vascular sustained constriction and progressive remodeling, which are initiated by hypoxia then with hypoxia-induced additive factors including pulmonary vascular endothelium injury, intrapulmonary angiotension system imbalance, and inflammation. Now HPH is still an intractable disease lacking effective treatments. Gene therapy has a massive potential for HPH but is hindered by a lack of efficient targeted delivery and hypoxia-responsive regulation systems for transgenes.

Research Progress of Traditional Chinese Medicine Monomers in Reversing Multidrug Resistance of Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer is a malignant disease with an increasing incidence. Chemotherapy is still an important means for breast cancer treatment, but multidrug resistance (MDR) greatly limits its clinical application. Therefore, the high-efficiency MDR reversal agents are urgently needed.

Mitochondrial dysfunction in vascular endothelial cells and its role in atherosclerosis.

The mitochondria are essential organelles that generate large amounts of ATP the electron transport chain (ECT). Mitochondrial dysfunction causes reactive oxygen species accumulation, energy stress, and cell death. Endothelial mitochondrial dysfunction is an important factor causing abnormal function of the endothelium, which plays a central role during atherosclerosis development.

Role of Iron-Related Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Cardiovascular Diseases.

Iron is indispensable in numerous biologic processes, but abnormal iron regulation and accumulation is related to pathological processes in cardiovascular diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms still need to be further explored. Iron plays a key role in metal-catalyzed oxidative reactions that generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can cause oxidative stress.

Reversal of Hypoxic Pulmonary Hypertension by Hypoxia-Inducible Overexpression of Angiotensin-(1-7) in Pulmonary Endothelial Cells.

Hypoxia-induced pulmonary vascular constriction and structure remodeling are the main causes of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. In the present study, an adeno-associated virus vector, containing Tie2 promoter and hypoxia response elements, was designed and named HTSFcAng(1-7). Its targeting, hypoxic inducibility, and vascular relaxation were examined , and its therapeutic effects on hypobaric hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension were examined in rats.

[Matrine alleviates N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced gastric mucosal damage in rats and its mechanism].

Objective To investigate the effect of matrine on gastric mucosal injury induced by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) in rats and its mechanism. Methods A total of 75 Wister rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group and three matrine-treated groups (100, 150 and 200 mg/kg). Except for the control group, the other groups were treated with MNNG to establish the models of gastric mucosal injury in the rats.

[Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside inhibits proliferation of colorectal cancer cells by targeting TOPK].

Objective To explore the influence of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (C3G) on the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells and its mechanism. Methods In vitro binding and in vitro kinase assay were used to detect the binding ability of C3G and T-LAK cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK) and its effect on TOPK activity. Soft AGAR test was used to detect the effect of C3G on the clonal ability of colon cancer cells.

Distal airway stem cells ameliorate bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice.

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by loss of lung epithelial cells and inexorable progression of fibrosis with no effective and approved treatments. The distal airway stem/progenitor cells (DASCs) have been shown to have potent regenerative capacity after lung injury. In this work, we aimed to define the role of mouse DASCs (mDASCs) in response to bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis in mice.

Danshensu prevents hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats by inhibiting the proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells via TGF-β-smad3-associated pathway.

Hypoxic pulmonary hypertension is characterized by the remodeling of pulmonary artery. Previously we showed that tanshinone IIA, one lipid-soluble component from the Chinese herb Danshen, ameliorated hypoxic pulmonary hypertension by inhibiting pulmonary artery remodeling. Here we explored the effects of danshensu, one water-soluble component of Danshen, on hypoxic pulmonary hypertension and its mechanism.

Automatic regulation of NF-κB by pHSP70/IκBαm to prevent acute lung injury in mice.

Controlling target gene expression is a vital step in the procedure of gene therapy upon acute lung injury (ALI). Excessive activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) has been the key point of the inflammation overwhelming process in onset of ALI. We designed and tested a variety of plasmid named pHSP70/IκBαm which conditionally carries a mutant inhibitor of kappa B (IκB) transgene to regulate the activity of NF-κB signaling pathway in its response to an inflammatory stimulus that causes acute lung injury.

Reoxygenation Reverses Hypoxic Pulmonary Arterial Remodeling by Inducing Smooth Muscle Cell Apoptosis via Reactive Oxygen Species-Mediated Mitochondrial Dysfunction.

Background: Pulmonary arterial remodeling, a main characteristic of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension, can gradually reverse once oxygen has been restored. Previous studies documented that apoptosis increased markedly during the reversal of remodeled pulmonary arteries, but the types of cells and mechanisms related to the apoptosis have remained elusive. This study aimed to determine whether pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC)-specific apoptosis was involved in the reoxygenation-induced reversal of hypoxic pulmonary arterial remodeling and elucidate the underlying mechanism.