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Introduction: This study clarified the expression changes and clinical significance of CD44+CD62L− Treg and CD44−CD62L+ Treg subsets in the peripheral blood of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR). Methods: The peripheral blood of 39 patients with AR and 42 healthy controls was collected. Clinical data, such as sex, age, IgE titer, allergen screening information and visual analogue scale (VAS) score, were recorded. Changes in serum IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ were detected using the cytometric bead array method. Flow cytometry was used to detect the proportions of Th1, Th2, Th17, TFH, and Th9 cells and the proportions of CD44+CD62L− Treg and CD44−CD62L+ Treg subsets. Correlation analysis was performed between the CD44+CD62L− Treg subsets and the CD44−CD62L+ Treg subsets with clinical indicators (VAS score, total IgE titer), cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α, IFN-γ), and Th1/Th2/Th17/TFH/Th9 cell proportions. Results: Compared to the control group, the proportion of total Treg cells and CD44+CD62L− Treg cells in the AR group decreased, and the proportion of CD44−CD62L+ Treg cells increased (p < 0.05). The proportions of CD44+CD62L− Treg cells significantly negatively correlated with Th2 cells (R = −0.5270, p < 0.05) and positively correlated with Treg cytokine IL-10 (R = 0.6447, p < 0.05). In addition, CD44+CD62L− Treg cells negatively correlated with the VAS score (R = −0.4956, p < 0.05), total IgE level (R = −0.4177, p < 0.05) and Th2 cytokine IL-6 level (R = −0.3034, p < 0.05) but positively correlated with the Th1 cytokine IL-2 (R = 0.4331, p < 0.05). In contrast, the proportion of CD44+CD62L− Treg cells significantly positively correlated with the Th2 cells (R = 0.6187, p < 0.05). Moreover, the proportion of CD44−CD62L+ Treg cells positively correlated with the VAS score (R = 0.4060, p < 0.05), total IgE level (R = 0.5224, p < 0.05) and Th2 cytokine IL-4 (R = 0.2647, p < 0.05) and IL-6 levels (R = 0.3824, p < 0.05) but negatively correlated with Th1 cytokine IL-2 (R = −0.3451, p < 0.05) and IL-10 (R = −0.3277, p < 0.05). Conclusion: A greater proportion of CD44+CD62L− Tregs correlated with better reversal of the Th1/Th2 imbalance and milder clinical symptoms in AR patients. The presence of more CD44−CD62L+ Tregs correlated with a weaker immunosuppressive effect on Th2 cells and more severe clinical symptoms in AR patients. These findings provide new perspectives for the treatment and disease monitoring of AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial in initiating and shaping both innate and adaptive immune responses. Clinical studies and experimental models have highlighted their significant involvement in various autoimmune diseases, positioning them as promising therapeutic targets. Nicotinamide (NAM), a form of vitamin B3, with its anti-inflammatory properties, has been suggested, while the involvement of NAM in DCs regulation remains elusive. Here, through analyzing publicly available databases, we observe substantial alterations in NAM levels and NAM metabolic pathways during DCs activation. Furthermore, we discover that NAM, but not Nicotinamide Mononucleotide (NMN), significantly inhibits DCs over-activation in vitro and in vivo. The suppression of DCs hyperactivation effectively alleviates symptoms of psoriasis. Mechanistically, NAM impairs DCs activation through a Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs)-NF-κB dependent manner. Notably, phosphoribosyl transferase (NAMPT) and PARPs are significantly upregulated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated DCs and psoriasis patients; elevated NAMPT and PARPs expression in psoriasis patients correlates with higher psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores. In summary, our findings underscore the pivotal role of NAM in modulating DCs functions and autoimmune disorders. Targeting the NAMPT-PARP axis emerges as a promising therapeutic approach for DC-related diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate the species composition of a small mammal community and the prevalence of Echinococcus spp. in a typical endemic area of the Tibetan Plateau. One pika and five rodent species were identified based on the morphological characteristics of 1278 small mammal specimens collected during 2014–2019. Detection of Echinococcus DNA in tissue samples from small mammal specimens revealed that Ochotona curzoniae (pika, total prevalence: 6.02%, 26/432), Neodon fuscus (5.91%, 38/643), N. leucurus (2.50%, 3/120), and Alexandromys limnophilus (21.74%, 10/46) were infected by both E. multilocularis and E. shiquicus; Cricetulus longicaudatus (16.67%, 1/6) was infected by E. shiquicus; and no infection was detected in N. irene (0/15). Neodon fuscus and O. curzoniae were the two most abundant small mammal species. There was no significant difference in the prevalence of pika and the overall rodent species assemblage (6.26%, 53/846); however, the larger rodent populations suggested that more attention should be paid to their role in the transmission of echinococcosis in the wildlife reservoir, which has long been underestimated. Moreover, although DNA barcoding provides a more efficient method than traditional morphological methods for identifying large numbers of small mammal samples, commonly used barcodes failed to distinguish the three Neodon species in this study. The close genetic relationships between these species suggest the need to develop more powerful molecular taxonomic tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]