Organ-targeted biomarkers of sepsis: A systematic review reveals the value of inflammation and lipid metabolic dysregulation.

Sepsis, a life-threatening systemic inflammatory response to infection, progresses to multiorgan dysfunction involving the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, and liver. Its heterogeneous pathogenesis involves intertwined pathways such as inflammationmetabolism imbalance, immune dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and programmed cell death. While traditional biomarkers such as CRP and PCT lack organ-specific sensitivity, emerging multiomics technologies enable systematic network analysis beyond single-molecule detection.

Malignancy in Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies: Recent Insights.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) are a group of rare autoimmune diseases in which several subtypes, primarily dermatomyositis (DM), are associated with a high risk of malignancy. Although the relationship between the pathogenesis of IIMs and co-occurring malignancy is poorly understood, there is a growing evidence base for specific risk factors which are associated with cancer-associated myositis (CAM), including myositis-specific or myositis-associated autoantibodies (MSAs/MAAs). In addition, given that patients with different subtypes of IIMs, as classified according to clinical manifestations or serum autoantibody measurement, exhibit heterogeneity in tumorigenesis, further research is urgently needed to explore the pathogenesis of CAM, in order to develop novel biomarkers and therapeutic alternatives for patients.

Distinct features of humoral and cellular immunity against Omicron breakthrough infection among chronic liver disease patients: An experience from a follow-up cohort.

Immunity response following vaccination and infection toward the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant remains limited in chronic liver disease (CLD) population. This study aims to investigate humoral and cell-mediate immunity to Omicron BA.4/5 among CLD patients with/without breakthrough infections (BI).

Postpartum may be a risk factor for biochemical flares in patients with primary biliary cholangitis: A single-center experience.

Background And Aims: Pregnancy and fetal outcomes in patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) have garnered insufficient attention due to relatively rare in women of reproductive age. In this study, intricate relationship between PBC and pregnancy were investigated.

Methods: Twenty pregnant patients with PBC under long-term follow-up in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were enrolled, which pregnancy and fetal outcomes were retrospectively analyzed.

Proportion of circulating T follicular helper cells in peripheral blood of systemic lupus erythematosus patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objectives: Dysregulation of circulating follicular helper T (cTfh) cells plays a key role in the breakdown of immune tolerance and the pathogenesis of antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This study aims to evaluate the proportions of cTfh cells and their potential pathogenic mechanisms in the peripheral blood of SLE patients through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: Systematic search and review were conducted across PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and Web of Science to identify relevant studies.

Autoantibody reactome analysis reveals diagnostic biomarkers and molecular classification for relapsing polychondritis.

Objectives: The lack of effective biomarkers for relapsing polychondritis (RP) poses a significant challenge in its early diagnosis and treatment. This study aimed to identify novel autoantibodies and elucidate the pathogenesis and molecular heterogeneity of RP.

Methods: Plasma samples from 467 RP patients, 164 healthy controls (HCs), and 186 disease controls (DCs) were analysed using 2 sequential microarrays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to sequentially discover, validate, and verify new autoantibodies.

Infectious agents in dilated cardiomyopathy: Genetic interactions, autoimmunity, mechanisms, and therapeutic approaches.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a heterogeneous myocardial disorder characterized by left ventricular dilation and systolic dysfunction in the absence of ischemic, hypertensive, or valvular heart disease. Although its precise etiology remains unclear, it is widely recognized as a multifactorial disease arising from complex interactions between genetic predisposition and environmental triggers. Among these, infectious agents have been implicated in the pathogenesis of various subtypes, particularly inflammatory and idiopathic DCM.

Artificial Intelligence-Driven Proteomics Identifies Plasma Protein Signatures for Diagnosis and Stratification of Behçet's Disease.

The diagnosis of Behçet's disease (BD) predominantly relies on clinical symptoms, indicating an urgent for identifying potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and disease stratification. We employed an in-depth proteomics platform based on data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry (DIA-MS) and customizable antibody microarray technology, combined with machine learning methods. By analyzing the proteomic data in the training cohort, we trained an XGBoost machine learning model, and validated the model in an independent cohort.

Mitochondrial mass and mitochondrial membrane potential of peripheral lymphocytes: promising biomarkers of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: Mitochondrial dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Single-cell mitochondrial mass (SCMM), low mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP-Low) in lymphocytes, and circulating mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) can reflect mitochondrial impairment and may serve as potential novel biomarkers for SLE.

Purpose: We investigated the diagnostic utility of MMP-Low and SCMM in lymphocytes, as well as circulating mtDNA levels, in patients with SLE and examined their correlation with disease activity.

The changes in brain network functional gradients and dynamic functional connectivity in SeLECTS patients revealing disruptive and compensatory mechanisms in brain networks.

Background: Self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (SeLECTS), a common childhood focal epilepsy syndrome, is linked to cognitive impairments and poorly understood neuropathological mechanisms.

Methods: This study explored dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) and functional gradients (FG) alterations in key brain networks using resting-state MRI (rs-MRI) data from 34 SeLECTS patients and 32 healthy controls (HCs).

Results: The results revealed significant dFC changes between the Default Mode Network (DMN) and Sensorimotor Network (SMN) in SeLECTS patients compared to HCs.

Growth Differentiation Factor-15 as a Potential Biomarker for Renal Involvement in POEMS Syndrome.

Introduction: Polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, monoclonal gammopathy, and skin changes (POEMS) syndrome is a rare plasma cell dyscrasia. Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) is related with renal function, but few studies have focused on it in renal impairment of POEMS syndrome.

Objective: To evaluate the potential of circulating GDF-15 concentration as a biomarker for renal function in POEMS syndrome.

Mass Cytometry Analysis of High-Dimensional Single-Cell Immune Profiles in ZF2001-Vaccinated Patients Infected with SARS-CoV-2.

Introduction: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the WHO. ZF2001, a protein subunit vaccine targeting the RBD, was utilized to evaluate its impact on the immune system of COVID-19 patients. This study aimed to investigate peripheral cell profiles one year after three doses of ZF2001 vaccine using single cell mass spectrometry flow cytometry (CyTOF), a technique that allows detailed characterization of the immune response against SARS-COV-2 infection and further evaluation of ZF2001 mechanisms as a prophylactic against chronic disease and reducing mortality.

Identifying Neurological Autoantibodies in COVID-19: mGluR2 as a Marker of Immune Dysregulation During the Omicron Outbreak in China.

Aimed to comprehensively investigate the presence of neural autoantibodies in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of COVID-19 patients experiencing neurological complications during the Omicron wave in China. Forty consecutive COVID-19 patients with severe neurological complications and 15 disease controls (DC) were enrolled. Neural autoantibodies were detected using both the indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) on mouse brain tissue and the Brain-neuronal-antigen microarray.

Stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles: a functional immunomodulator for cell-free therapy of autoimmune diseases.

Patients with autoimmune diseases (AIDs) seldom receive efficient clinical management and timely therapy.Although certain immunomodulatory drugs or biologics currently in use have been shown to decelerate AID progression, potential complications and the extended treatment duration affect the prognosis and living quality of patients.Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have attracted significant interest as a cell-free therapeutic approach with reduced side effects.

Elucidating SARS-CoV-2 neurotropism: a comprehensive Mendelian randomization study on cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers and their relevance to COVID-19 neurological manifestations.

A mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was conducted to investigate whether SARS-CoV-2 invaded the human nervous system. This was confirmed by an increase in biomarkers found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of COVID-19 patients. To confirm the neuroinvasive properties of SARS-CoV-2, a series of analyses were conducted utilizing accessible datasets by MR.

Meticulous Design of High-Polarity Interface Material for FACsPbI Perovskite Solar Cells with Efficiency of 26.47.

Designing new interface materials with the multifunctions of upper film crystallization control, interfacial defects passivation, and interfacial energy level regulation is crucial for developing efficient and stable perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, a high polarity interfacial material, 2-cyano-N,N,N-trimethylammonium bromide (CNCB), was synthesized to engineer the buried interface between SnO and perovskite of the PSCs. Comprehensive theoretical and experimental investigations demonstrate that CNCB interacts with perovskite precursors (PbI and FAI) to regulate crystallization kinetics, yielding perovskite films with preferred orientation and reduced defects.

COVID-19 inactivated booster vaccines elicit strong protection against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and Omicron variant in patients with breast cancer.

Background: Patients with breast cancer are at an increased risk of severe COVID-19 and related mortality. However, the ability of inactivated vaccine-induced antibodies to neutralize both SARS-CoV-2 and its Omicron variant following a third SARS-CoV-2 vaccine dose remains unclear in these patients.

Methods: Blood samples from 211 breast cancer patients and 155 healthy controls were analyzed after one, two, or three doses of the inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.

Integrated seminal plasma metabolomics and lipidomics profiling highlight distinctive signature of varicocele patients with male infertility.

Varicocele (VC) is a common cause of male infertility, yet there is a lack of molecular information for VC-associated male infertility. This study investigated alterations in the seminal plasma metabolomic and lipidomic profiles of infertile male VC patients. Twenty infertile males with VC and twenty-three age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited from Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Beijing, China) between October 2019 and April 2021.

Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) bacteria from hyperalkaline ecosystems provide novel insight into their symbiotic lifestyle and ecological implications.

Background: Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) represents a unique superphylum characterized by ultra-small cell size and symbiotic lifestyle. Although CPR bacteria have been identified in varied environments, their broader distribution, associations with hosts, and ecological roles remain largely unexplored. To address these knowledge gaps, a serpentinite-like environment was selected as a simplified model system to investigate the CPR communities in hyperalkaline environments and their association with hosts in extreme conditions.

Identification of aberrant interferon-stimulated gene associated host responses potentially linked to poor prognosis in COVID-19 during the Omicron wave.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron has demonstrated decreased pathogenicity, yet a few individuals suffer severe pneumonia from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection; the underlying mechanisms are unknown.

Methods: The present work investigated the role of Interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in the occurrence and progression of severe Omicron infection. The expression and dynamic changes of ISGs were assessed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), and the anti-ISG15 autoantibody in infected patients was detected by ELISA.

Aberrant expansion of CD177 neutrophils promotes endothelial dysfunction in systemic lupus erythematosus via neutrophil extracellular traps.

Objective: Aberrant neutrophil activation is implicated in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and its related comorbidities. We found that CD177 was one of the most highly up-regulated genes at the transcriptional level in purified neutrophils from SLE patients. In this study, we aimed to explore the role of CD177 neutrophils in the pathogenesis of SLE.

New biomarkers in IgA nephropathy.

Currently, IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common cause of chronic renal failure in patients with primary glomerulonephritis. However, IgAN diagnosis is usually performed by collecting a renal biopsy as gold standard to visualize pathological changes in the glomeruli. The randomized nature of this invasive procedure in clinical practice, together with the need to exclude patients with contraindications, often results in a limited number of eligible people.

A Triphenylamine-Functionalized Co-Assembly Material for Record Efficiency Inverted CsPbI Perovskite Solar Cells.

The precise regulation of self-assembled monolayer (SAM) distribution and interfacial modification is pivotal for advancing the performance of p-i-n inverted perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here, a new co-assembly material, 4-(aminomethyl)-N,N-diphenylaniline iodide (TPAI), is developed to make SAM orderly assembled. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation and sum frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy reveal that TPAI binds with SAM via π-π interactions, effectively suppressing SAM aggregation and enhancing the orderliness of self-assembly.

Risk Allele rs117026326-Mediated Alternative Splicing of GTF2I Promotes B Cell Proliferation in Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is associated with a risk allele T of rs117026326 located at a potential splicing enhancer within the intronic region of general transcription factor II-I (GTF2I). This study aimed to explore the rs117026326-regulated alternative splicing of GTF2I and its role in B cell overactivation in pSS. GTF2I isoform expressions and rs117026326 genotypes of pSS peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were examined using quantitative PCR and Sanger sequencing, respectively.