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Study Question: Do distinct subpopulations of decidual stromal cells (DSCs) exist and if so, are given subpopulations enriched in recurrent miscarriage (RM)?Summary Answer: Three subpopulations of DSCs were identified from which inflammatory DSCs (iDSCs) and glycolytic DSCs (glyDSCs) are significantly enriched in RM, with implicated roles in driving decidual inflammation and immune dysregulation.What Is Known Already: DSCs play crucial roles in establishing and maintaining a successful pregnancy; dysfunction of DSCs has been considered as one of the key reasons for the development of RM.Study Design, Size, Duration: We collected 15 early decidual samples from five healthy donors (HDs) and ten RM patients to perform single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). A total of 43 RM patients and 37 HDs were enrolled in the validation cohort.Participants/materials, Setting, Methods: Non-immune cells and immune cells of decidual tissues were sorted by flow cytometry to perform scRNA-seq. We used tissue microarrays (TMA) to validate three distinct subpopulations of DSCs. The expression of inflammatory and glycolytic proteins by DSCs was validated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC). Different subsets of decidual NK (dNK) cells and macrophages were also validated by multicolor flow cytometry and mIHC. Cell ligand-receptor and spatial analyses between DSCs and immune cells were analyzed by mIHC.Main Results and the Role Of Chance: We classify the DSCs into three subtypes based on scRNA-seq data: myofibroblastic (myDSCs), inflammatory (iDSCs) and glycolytic (glyDSCs), with the latter two being significantly enriched in RM patients. The distribution patterns of DSC subtypes in the RM and HD groups were validated by mIHC. Single-cell analyses indicate that the differentiation of iDSCs and glyDSCs may be coupled with the degrees of hypoxia. Consequently, we propose a pathological model in which a vicious circle is formed and fueled by hypoxic stress, uncontrolled inflammation and aberrant glycolysis. Furthermore, our results show that the inflammatory SPP1+ macrophages and CD18+ dNK cells are preferentially increased in the decidua of RM patients. Cell ligand-receptor and mIHC spatial analyses uncovered close interactions between pathogenic DSCs and inflammatory SPP1+ macrophages and CD18+ NK cells in RM patients.Large Scale Data: The raw single-cell sequence data reported in this paper were deposited at the National Omics Data Encyclopedia (www.biosino.org), under the accession number OEP002901.Limitations, Reasons For Caution: The number of decidual samples for scRNA-seq was limited and in-depth functional studies on DSCs are warranted in future studies.Wider Implications Of the Findings: Identification of three DSC subpopulations opens new avenues for further investigation of their roles in RM patients.Study Funding/competing Interest(s): This study was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program (No. XDB29030302), Frontier Science Key Research Project (QYZDB-SSW-SMC036), Chinese Academy of Sciences; National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFE0200600), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31770960), Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Major Project (No. 2019SHZDZX02, HS2021SHZX001), and Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (17411967800). All authors report no conflict of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Codonopsis radix is an important edible and medicinal plant resource for immunomodulation in China and Southeast Asia. However, the chemical quality evaluation of C. radix in Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 Version) is still lacking; therefore, it is necessary to develop an effective method to evaluate its quality accurately and systematically. Herein, a reliable method for a comprehensive chemical analysis of bioactive compounds in C. radix by ultra‐performance liquid chromatography‐diode array detector was developed based on the quality marker (Q‐marker) concept, which can efficiently reflect its immune activity. Our previous research explored the seven potential bioactive compounds reflecting the immune regulation activities of C. radix by spectrum–effect relationship analysis. Therefore, in this study, we researched on establishing a quality control method and selected the modern pharmacodynamic experiment of immune regulation to verify the potential bioactive compounds as quality markers. A real quality control method that reflected the traditional efficacy of C. radix in strengthening the spleen and tonifying lungs was developed. Furthermore, the C. radix extract and the seven bioactive compounds could promote the proliferation of immune‐related cells and regulate the secretion of inflammatory factors, thus playing a role in immune regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systematic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome, are a group of diseases characterized by the activation of immune cells and excessive production of autoantibodies. Although the pathogenesis of these diseases is still not completely understood, studies have shown that multiple factors including genetics, environment and immune responses play important roles in the development and progression of the diseases. In China, there are great achievements in the mechanisms of autoimmune diseases during the last decades. These studies provide new insight to understand the diseases and also shed light on the development of novel therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Tα1 modulates the differentiation of T cells in PASC. • Tα1 reduces the exhaustion of CD8 + T cells. • Tα1 specifically reduces inflammation in activated lymphocytes. • Higher immunomodulation by Tα1 in individuals with specific systemic and psychiatric PASC symptoms. The complex alterations of the immune system and the immune-mediated multiorgan injury plays a key role in host response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, being also associated with adverse outcomes. Thymosin alpha 1 (Tα1) is one of the molecules used in the treatment of COVID-19, as it is known to restore the homeostasis of the immune system during infections and cancer. The use of Tα1 in COVID-19 patients had been widely used in China and in COVID-19 patients, it has been shown to decrease hospitalization rate, especially in those with greater disease severity, and reduce mortality by restoring lymphocytopenia and more specifically, depleted T cells. Persistent dysregulation with depletion of naive B and T cell subpopulations and expansion of memory T cells suggest a chronic stimulation of the immune response in individuals with post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC). Our data obtained from an ex vivo study, showed that in PASC individuals with a chronically altered immune response, Tα1 improve the restoration of an appropriate response, most evident in those with more severe illness and who need respiratory support during acute phase, and in those with specific systemic and psychiatric symptoms of PASC, confirming Tα1 treatment being more effective in compromised patients. The results obtained, along with promising reports on recent trials on Tα1 administration in patients with COVID-19, offer new insights into intervention also for those patients with long-lasting inflammation with post-infectious symptoms, some of which have a delayed onset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vitro and in vivo trials have shown strong evidence of an active role for the bacterium Lactobacillus acidophilus in immune regulation. This study aimed to review the immune functions of L. acidophilus. Literature searches were done using Medline, SCI, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan-Fang data, and Chinese Biological Medical databases. Review Manager (version 5.3) was used to organize and do statistical analysis on data obtained from randomized controlled trials. A P value < 0.05 in confidence interval was considered statistically significant. The number of subjects included in the meta-analysis was 1171. Mean differences observed between probiotic-receivers and controls at the 95% confidence interval: cluster of differentiation (CD)4+, 4.55% (3.62–5.49; P < 0.01); CD4+/CD8+, 0.41% (0.30–0.52; P < 0.01); interleukin (IL)-6, −0.15 ng/mL (−0.19 to −0.10; P < 0.01); immunoglobulin (Ig)A, 10.2 g/L (6.8–13.7; P < 0.01); tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, −2.45 pg/mL (−4.81 to −0.09; P < 0.05). Results suggested that L. acidophilus might modulate subjects' immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread widely on a large scale in the whole world at present, seriously endangering human health. There are still no effective and specific drugs, so it is urgent to find safe and effective therapeutic methods. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have many biological functions of powerful immunomodulation and tissue repair and regeneration. As a stem cell therapy, it has the potential to reduce the tissue injury and mortality in severe patients infected with novel coronavirus. At present, many research institutions in China and abroad have started a number of clinical research projects about MSCs in the treatment of COVID-19. In addition, those projects have initially confirmed the safety and effectiveness of this therapy. Therefore, this research field has been proved to have a very good clinical therapy prospect.

Autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systematic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome, are a group of diseases characterized by the activation of immune cells and excessive production of autoantibodies. Although the pathogenesis of these diseases is still not completely understood, studies have shown that multiple factors including genetics, environment and immune responses play important roles in the development and progression of the diseases. In China, there are great achievements in the mechanisms of autoimmune diseases during the last decades. These studies provide new insight to understand the diseases and also shed light on the development of novel therapy., (© 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Ganoderma sinense or "Chinese Lingzhi" is a well-known medicinal fungus in China for more than 2000 years. Polysaccharide is the main immunomodulatory and antitumor component in G. sinense. In 2010, G. sinense polysaccharide (GSP) tablet is approved as an adjunctive therapeutic drug in China for treating leukopenia and hematopoietic injury caused by concurrent chemo/radiation therapy during cancer treatment by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA). β-glucan, an established immunostimulant, is one of the components in GSP. Based on CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), VIP (Chongqing VIP Chinese Scientific Journals Database), Wanfang database, and PubMed searches, we have not only summarized but also translated all the basic and preclinical studies about GSP published in Chinese into English in this review article. Unfortunately, all the clinical studies about GSP tablet could not be found during the search or by contacting the drug manufacturers. However, both basic and preclinical studies showed that GSP has antitumor, antioxidant, anticytopenia, and unique mushroom-poison detoxification properties that are different from that of G. lucidum polysaccharide, another "Lingzhi" polysaccharide. The structure and molecular mechanisms of GSP are also discussed. This article urges availability of clinical study results of GSP tablet that would allow in-depth evaluation if the tablet is appropriate to serve as an immunomodulatory drug during cancer therapy at world stage., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)