American journal of clinical and experimental immunology最新文献

Endocannabinoids (eCBs) play a crucial role in regulating the pathophysiological progression of chronic liver disease through hepatic cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2). According to the literature, various treatment options are available for liver disease patients, including transplantation and physical activity both before and after the procedure. The aim of this study is to assess the response of endocannabinoids to pre- and post-therapeutic exercises in liver transplant patients (LTx). This analytical case-control longitudinal study was conducted on patients aged 18-70 at King Fahad Specialist Hospital in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Participants were divided into two groups: an intervention group of LTx patients (n = 26) and a control group of end-stage liver disease patients (n = 23) who were not candidates for liver transplantation (LT). Blood samples were collected before the initiation of preoperative exercises, one month before LT, and three months after LT following postoperative exercises. The median arachidonoyl ethanolamide (AEA) levels in the control group were comparatively higher after therapeutic exercises compared to before; however, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed no significant differences (P = 0.212). In the LTx group, the median difference in AEA between pre- and post-therapeutic exercises was marginally significant (P = 0.091). Additionally, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a highly significant increase in median 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) levels after therapeutic exercises compared to before in the LTx group (P = 0.049), while the control group showed no significant change in post- vs. pre-therapeutic exercise median 2-AG levels (P = 0.346). The study's findings revealed an increased concentration of 2-AG after therapeutic exercises in LTx patients but not in the control group, while AEA levels were elevated after therapeutic exercises in both groups. The effect of post-therapeutic exercises on hematological and biochemical markers was significant between the control and LTx groups, particularly concerning platelet count, total bilirubin, total protein, albumin/globulin ratio, international normalized ratio, and calcium levels.

Objective: This experiment aims to explore how foam rollers of different Shore hardness affect DOMS, providing insights for sports therapy.

Methods: Forty participants from Shanghai Sanda University who have no habit of strength training, no lower limb injury, and meet the health standards were selected to conduct three experiments under the conditions of no intervention, using a 50 Shore hardness foam roller, and using a 60 Shore hardness foam roller, respectively. Data were recorded before and after modeling, as well as 24, 48, and 72 hours later.

Results: There were no significant differences in various indicators among the three groups of subjects before and immediately after DOMS modeling (P>0.05). Following intervention, the 60 Shore hardness foam roller significantly reduced DOMS pain (NRS score) compared to the 50 Shore hardness roller, improved knee flexion range of motion, and increased standing long jump distance (P<0.05).

Conclusions: The 60 Shore hardness foam roller is superior to the 50 Shore hardness foam roller in alleviating DOMS, improving joint range of motion, and enhancing athletic performance.

Tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), formerly recognized as Crohn's-like structures, serve as crucial biomarkers for evaluating the progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Understanding their spatial distribution, cellular composition, and interactions within CRC is paramount for comprehending the immune response in the tumor microenvironment (TME). TLS are comprised of a T-cellular compartment and a B-cellular compartment, the latter encompassing follicular dendritic cells (FDCs), high endothelial venules (HEVs), and lymphatic vessels. While T helper cells predominate in cancer TLS, the specific functions of their subpopulations remain inadequately understood. Notably, T follicular helper (Tfh) cells play a central role in the activation of CD8⁺ T cells, and both Tfh cells and Tfh-associated genes have been linked to enhanced CRC survival. In stage II CRC TLS, an escalation in the number of FoxP3⁺ T regulatory cells (Tregs) is regarded as a negative prognostic factor. Moreover, within TLS, T lymphocytes shield B lymphocytes from the immunosuppressive effects of the TME. B lymphocyte activation is succeeded by class recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM). Dendritic cells (DCs) constitute a vital cellular component of the TLS T compartment. During steady state and early stages of CRC, specialized antigen-presenting cells such as DCs migrate to regional lymph nodes through afferent lymphatics. They deliver MHC antigen-derived peptide complexes (tumor antigens) to naïve CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, which subsequently infiltrate the tumor site as antigen-specific T cells. Key DC markers studied in TLS include CD83 and DC-LAMP. Research has indicated that the DC-LAMP gene signature in tumor TLS reflects Th1 cell targeting, cytotoxicity, and T cell activation. This review comprehensively outlines the functions performed by distinct cell subsets within tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in tumors.

Genetic factors are effective reagents in susceptibility to multiple sclerosis (MS). Previous studies have shown the relationship between heat shock protein (HSP) gene polymorphisms. So, HSP70 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were evaluated as MS risk factors. Here, DNA genotyping was done for HSP70 gene polymorphisms, including HSP70-1 +190 G>C, HSP70-1 -110 A>C, HSP70-1 +438 A>C, and HSP70-hom +2437 A>G in two groups including Iranian MS patients and controls. A standard phenol/chloroform method isolated DNA samples from peripheral blood. Sequence-specific amplification (SSP) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used for genotyping polymorphisms. Overall, 76 (35.80%) MS patients and 136 (65.10%) controls were studied with an age mean of 36.0 ± 8.0 years. Female/male was significantly higher in patients than in controls (4.43 vs. 0.10, P < 0.001). The average age was significantly lower in patients (P < 0.001). The most common clinical feature was relapsing-remitting (RR) MS; more than half of the population was Fars. Results showed that genotypes of HSP70-hom +2437 C>T had a significant relation with MS (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 1.0-5.0, P = 0.03) and the same applies to HSP70-1 -110 A>C (OR = 0.0, 95% CI = 0.0-1.0, P < 0.001). Allele and genotype frequency of two other HSP70 SNPs (HSP70-1 +190 G>C, HSP70-1 +438 A>C) showed no significant differences between patients and controls. HSP70-hom +2437 C>T and HSP70-1 -110 A>C can be considered as risk factors for MS in our population. However, other HSP SNPs should be studied in a larger population in the future.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of pediatric leukemia patients have shown to have also contracted COVID-19 several weeks or months prior to the development of their cancer. Current research indicates the expression of MDA5, encoded by IFIH1, is associated with increased immunity to COVID-19 in children. Children are also known to have a much lower risk of developing leukemia. Our hypothesis is that IFIH1 and its regulatory miRNAs are biomarkers associated with pediatric leukemia; the objective of our study is to identify genes, through miRNA targeting mechanisms, which may be biomarkers associated with COVID-19 infection and leukemia. The database TarBase was analyzed to identify miRNAs that target IFIH1, followed by the identification of other genes regulated by IFIH1's targeting miRNAs, to construct a gene-miRNA targeting network. Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) analysis and DAVID/KEGG pathway analysis were conducted to identify genes with meaningful biological interactions and pathways. We identified two significant miRNAs, hsa-196a-5p and hsa-196b-5p, and 51 of their targeted and highly expressed genes reported in the Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) RNA sequencing database. When conducting additional analysis using the Gene Constellation module of the Immunological Genome Project for the top three candidate genes, several other genes were identified to be highly correlated with STAT3 and IFIH1 in our study. Based on our investigation into co-expression analysis, we found that IFIH1 is a potential biomarker for AML. We are expanding our work to create a machine learning model to identify other biomarkers, examine the significance of various parameters (age, race, etc.), and perform comorbidity network analysis for other potential genes/miRNAs.

In recent years, complex interactions between intratumoral bacteria and neutrophils have been identified as significant factors in tumor occurrence and development. This commentary synthesizes findings from the past five years to explore these interactions. It is observed that during tumor progression, intratumoral bacteria promote neutrophil infiltration and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which in turn drive tumor development and metastasis. Conversely, infiltrating neutrophils are also capable of slowing tumor progression by limiting the number of intratumoral bacteria. This dual role underscores a potential avenue for improving cancer treatment outcomes.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of core stabilization training based on biofeedback for postpartum rectus abdominis muscle separation.

Methods: Thirty patients aged 20-35 years with rectus diastasis after pregnancy were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. The control group received routine core stabilization training, including abdominal breathing training, bridge exercises and kneeling abdominal exercises. The experimental group performed core stabilization training based on biofeedback. Before and after intervention, rectus abdominis muscle distance, waist circumference and abdominal circumference were evaluated in the two groups, and rectus abdominis muscle separation, waist circumference and abdominal circumference improvement were analyzed in the two groups.

Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups before treatment (P > 0.05), and there was significant difference between the two groups after treatment and before treatment. After treatment, the experimental group was further improved compared with the control group. After treatment, the distance between rectus muscles, abdominal circumference and waist circumference in both groups were decreased compared with those before treatment (P < 0.05). The distance between rectus muscles, abdominal circumference and waist circumference of the experimental group were smaller than those of the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Core stabilization training based on biofeedback can effectively improve the symptoms of patients with postpartum rectus diastasis, help to reduce waist circumference and abdominal circumference, and accelerate the recovery of postpartum body shape.

Background: Adiponectin (AQ) plays a role in regulating immune responses. Previous research indicates that B cells can affect T cell transmigration via the adiponectin-induced peptide PEPITEM in Caucasians. This study explores whether this mechanism is also applicable to Saudi populations, considering potential ethnic variations in immune response.

Methods: We conducted unbiased peptidomic screen on B cells, NK cells, and monocytes isolated from the peripheral blood of male healthy Saudi donors. The cells were stimulated with AQ, and the secretion of PEPITEM and other peptides was assessed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Flow cytometry was utilized to confirm the purity of isolated cell populations and to verify the expression of adiponectin receptors AR1 and AR2.

Results: PEPITEM was not detected in the supernatants of AQ-stimulated B cells, NK cells, or monocytes. All three cell populations were isolated and purified with high purity, confirmed by flow cytometry showing AR1 and AR2 expression on the surface of these cells. Specifically, less than 47% of B cells expressed ARs, with AR1 at 12% and AR2 at 17%. AQ stimulation increased the number of identified peptides in B cells and monocytes but decreased peptide numbers in NK cells. Dimensionality reduction analysis demonstrated clear segregation of cell types, with strong reproducibility across technical replicates.

Conclusion: The inability of B cells to release PEPITEM in response to AQ stimulation is an interesting finding and it needs more confirmatory tests and experiments, however; a hypothesis about the impact of predisposing factors, such as ethnicity could be formulated and tested in the future.

A large number of studies have shown the association of kidney disease with viral infections in the body. Viral infections cause kidney injury in two manners, the systemic inflammation (cytokine storm) and the direct infection of kidney cells. Concerning direct viral infection of podocytes, the mechanism underlying virus-induced podocyte injury remains largely unknown and requires effective experimental models to facilitate its study. Here, we performed molecular characterization of immortalized human podocyte cell line (HPC) infected with lentivirus by RNA-seq. Bioinformatics analysis revealed a strong innate immune response in the cells, including interferon production and signaling. Meanwhile, activations of ferroptosis pathway and TNF-alpha signaling were also found, consistent with an impaired viability of the cells. Lentiviral infection also upregulated expression of APOL1 as observed in patients with HIV associated nephropathy (HIVAN) and diabetic nephropathy (DN). Interestingly, when the lentiviral infected cells were treated with Adriamycin (ADR), the ADR-associated signaling pathways were not interfered and remained activated as that in the cells treated with ADR only, suggesting that the virus and ADR have distinct mechanisms in damaging podocytes. Thus, the lentivirus-infected HPC cells represent a useful in vitro model of viral infection-associated podocytopathy.

A retrieval of relevant literature on hepatic nodular lesions, gastric cancer (GC), and Crohn's disease (CD) was conducted from Chinese and English databases. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 software and the MIDAS package in Stata 18.0. Results from 11 studies comprising 1847 patients were synthesized. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were: 0.91 (0.84-0.95), 0.73 (0.65-0.79), 3.30 (2.60-4.30), 0.13 (0.07-0.23), and 26.00 (12.00-53.00), respectively. Significant statistical heterogeneity was found in sensitivity and specificity (P<0.05), with specificity heterogeneity originating from n, type, and mode (P<0.05). Sensitivity and specificity for n, type, object, and mode were non-heterogeneous (P>0.05). The combined AUC from SROC curve analysis of the 11 studies was 0.85. Deeks' funnel plot asymmetry test yielded a p-value of 0.01, indicating potential bias across studies in the diagnostic odds ratio funnel plot. Fagan's nomogram demonstrated that using CT for diagnostic modeling increased the post-test probability of correctly diagnosing hepatic nodular lesions, GC, and CD from 50.00% to 77.00%. Overall, multi-detector CT shows good diagnostic value for hepatic nodular lesions, GC, and CD, supporting its clinical flexibility based on patient-specific considerations.