Effect of gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome on gut microbiota in children with upper respiratory tract infection and lung-heat syndrome

Objective:Gastrointestinal heat retention syndrome(GHRS)is associated with lung-heat syndrome and is related to recurrent respiratory infection.Upper respiratory tract infection(URTI)lung heat syndrome is common in children.The study will explore the effect of GHRS on the structure and function of gut microbiota in children with URTI lung-heat syndrome.Methods:Participants were divided into both groups using the self-developed URTI scale and the“GHRS Diagnostic Scale$Pediatric Part”:GHRS-positive children(LS group)and GHRS-negative children(L group).General information,clinical symptoms,and stool were collected.We used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing technology to determine the gene sequence of the V3eV4 region in feces and measure the gut microbiota of the both groups at the genus level.Results:A total of 23 children were included in the both groups.There were 12 cases in the LS group and 11 cases in the L group.There was no statistical difference between the both groups in age,gender,height,weight,and body mass index.The effective sequences shared by the both groups accounted for 85.66%of the total.In the gut microbiota,there was no difference in the a diversity and the b diversity between the both groups.Compared with the L group,the LS group had a significant increase in the relative abundance of the Ruminococcus gnavus group,Prevotella-9,Staphylococcus,and Actinomyces(P<.05).The functions of the both groups of microbiota primarily concentrate on metabolism,genetic information processing,and environmental information processing.The relative abundance of signaling molecules and interactions in the LS group were higher than that in the L group(P<.05).The redundancy analysis(RDA)showed that the URTI score had the greatest impact on the distribution of microbiota.Conclusion:GHRS may affect the development of URTI lung-heat syndrome by changing the relative abundances of gut microbiota.

Identification and Functional Analysis of Serum Specific miRNAs in Recurrent Aphthous Stomatitis Patients with Excess-heat or Yin-deficiency

Background:The treatment of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM)in recurrent aphthous stomatitis(RAS)based on syndrome differentiation has won the international acceptance,but the molecular mechanism of excess-heat syndrome and yin-deficiency syndrome of RAS remains unclear.Objective:To clarify specific microRNAs(miRNAs)and their functions in RAS patients with excess-heat or yin-deficiency.Methods:Serum samples were collected from patients meeting the RAS diagnostic criteria of excess-heat or yin-deficiency syndrome and healthy individuals.Core miRNAs were then identified under miRNA microarray anal-yses.Target prediction and bioinformatic analyses were carried out and gene-pathway-networks were visualized to better understand the relationship between different genes and pathways.Results:(1)90 individuals meeting the inclusion criteria were collected in this study.Among them,9 miRNAs were screened out in excess-heat syndrome group(EH group),with 1 upregulated and 8 downregulated.And four miRNAs(hsa-miR-20b-5p,hsa-miR-122-5p,hsa-miR-483-5p and hsa-miR-3197)were validated by real-time PCR method.14 miRNAs were screened out in yin-deficiency syndrome group(YD group)(7 upregulated and 7 downregulated).And hsa-miR-17-5p,hsa-miR-106-5p and hsa-miR-20b-5p were validated.(2)A total of 4,776 target genes were identified in EH group which enriched in GO categories including nervous system development and calcium ion binding and pathway such as PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and Calcium signaling pathway.10,172 target genes were identified in YD group which enriched GO categories included protein binding and positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter and pathway included MAPK signaling pathway and Ras signaling pathway.Conclusion:Hsa-miR-20b-5p in patients with RAS could act as the novel target for the classification of the syndrome.It is upregulated in RAS patients with excess-heat syndrome while downregulated in patients with yin-deficiency syndrome.The PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathways and their related target genes may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of RAS with excess-heat syndrome or yin-deficiency syndrome,respectively.